Electric Social

Brixton Blog went behind the scenes at Electric Social, a new bar on Acre Lane, before its launch this month

Jamie Edwards wants to create a “new brand” of bar. His vision for Electric Social is a friendly cafe/restaurant by day and a bar and music venue by night. It’s not exactly the newest idea in the world but he is so enthusiastic that one can’t help but hope he succeeds in a notoriously difficult patch – on Acre Lane, in the site previously occupied by Gold Coast.

The decor of Electric Social (which we visited when still not fully complete) is eclectic – this place is not satisfied with one, or even two, different wallpaper designs. Wallpaper printed with a bookcase on one wall, fake stags heads on another and Chippendale sofas in both upstairs and downstairs bars – Jamie wanted to create the atmosphere of an “English country manor house”. That creates a slightly odd vibe and it’s all a bit overdone, but the good intention – to make this a fun and relaxing place to be – is all there.

Electric Social will be open from midday to midnight every day except weekends, when it will close at 3am. They’ve got an abundance of plugs by the tables (all school benches sourced from a closing school) to encourage freelancers and students with laptops to come during the day.  There will be live acts every Wednesday from a mixture of indie and electro artists and, excitingly, the young Ted Lavender – the 12-year-old reggae DJ who recently played at Notting Hill Carnival and Lily Allen’s wedding – will host his own Sunday set here every three weeks.

The team behind Electric Social are mostly south Londoners and Jamie is very keen not to be seen to be landing unannounced into the community. “We want to be an addition to what’s already good in Brixton, we want to invite people in. Acre Lane and this site have been hard for some previously, but it should be good for us. We’ll have chairs out front and the footfall from people going back and forth to the tube. If you look at the White Horse, it’s clear that people aren’t afraid of walking a bit out of Brixton centre either.” Part of the evidence of this desire to be bedded in the local area is that Jamie wants to use the huge upstairs space for DJ and dance workshops for local kids when it isn’t being used as a music venue.

Electric Social opened this week. Will you be going? Leave your comments below. Oh, and it has nothing to do with Electric Brixton, opening at the end of September.

New art gallery: Coldharbour London

A new gallery opened in SE5 this week. Coldharbour London is a low-ceilinged warehouse space on Southwell Rd with two floors of artists’ studios attached. It is the creation of Director Lucy Baxter and Creative Director Aretha Campbell.

The building was originally a print works and you can still see the imprints on the floor from where the printing presses stood.

In the opening exhibition ‘Illuminations’, five contemporary artists play with the idea of light.  The artists range from recent graduates to those already fairly established on the art scene.

We interviewed the gallery’s 28 year-old director, Lucy Baxter:

What was the motivation behind setting up the Coldharbour London gallery?

I’ve had the building for some time. It was derelict and I didn’t have enough money to turn it into flats. There’s a guy who runs artists’ studios on the same road, so I thought ‘why not turn this into an art gallery?’  It’s an incredible gallery space, so I approached the Creative Director, Aretha Campbell, with the idea.

Do you think South London is becoming a new art hub in London? Why?

South London is up and coming in the art world with galleries like the Hannah Barry galllery. Dalston is amazing for things like that but it’s saturated now. And I think with art comes rejuvenation in an area. South London is different to the rest of London. It’s got a real vibe of excitement about it. You walk down Coldharbour Lane and there’s a real buzz. It’s also cheaper so lots of artists live here. What’s good in south London is that there’s lots of local initiative too – things like the Brixton Pound. I grew up in Wimbledon and Streatham so it’s all very local for me.

What kinds of exhibitions and events have you got planned?

We’re going to have Open Studios in October and an exhibition with selected works from the artists who are based here. Around here there are lots of young guys and girls who are creative but don’t have the revenue to do anything with that, so we’re running workshops with the Lambeth College A-Level Art students on how to make a living out of art – the business side of art.

We’re also going to be doing some stuff with London Fashion Week and OxJam are putting on an exhibition here too.

How are you funding the gallery?

I work two jobs! For the first three years the studios should bankroll the gallery and I also hope to make it a rentable space.

What’s your relationship like with other galleries in the area?

Hannah Barry is going to do a pop-up show here and I’m really pleased about that. I didn’t want to arrive and be like ‘here we are and we’re not going to talk to anyone’. It’s all collaboration – lots of our artists are from the area and we want to work with other art galleries too. The arts cuts couldn’t have come at a worse time for us, so it’s best to support each other as much as possible.

Coldharbour London, 26-34 Southwell Rd, SE5

Weekend Ahead in Brixton

Friday: A new gallery is opening today on the Camberwell/Brixton border, just off Coldharbour Lane. It’s called Coldharbour London, it’s in a beautiful warehouse space and it’s very ‘Shoreditch’. In this opening exhibition, ‘Illumination’, five contemporary artists play with ideas of light. Most beautiful is ‘Twins’ by Lawrence Lek.

Update: A few of you on Twitter have also been recommending the return of the Sambalanca night at Living Bar – disco, dub, Afro, and Tropical rythms from these Camberwell DJs. Free before 11pm, £3 after.

Saturday: Fat Freddy’s Drop are playing at the Brixton Academy and Reggae Roast – a new London reggae collective – are hosting the after party at Plan B. Plan B, Brixton Rd. Free before 11pm, £5 after.

Sunday: It’s the Brixton Farmers’ Market on Station Rd until roughly 1pm – Dulwich bakery Coco are joining the traders from this Sunday, selling cakes with ‘floral’ flavours such as elderflower and rose. In the evening, Simo Lagnawi is playing traditional Moroccan Gnawa music at Ritzy Upstairs.

INTERVIEW: Culture Clash and Couture: Abenaa Pokuaa

Guest blogger Maria Hannah Bass interviews Brixton fashion designer Abenaa Pokuaa about her colourful clothing collection and the twin influences of London and Ghana on her work

With sequins, mesh and PVC glimmering amongst Kente cloth and vivid batik, the clothes inside Ohema Ohene boutique are almost as colourful as the street beyond. It’s on Brixton’s Atlantic Road, alongside halal butchers, trendy bars, Indian sari shops and Caribbean market stalls blasting ska, that designer Abenaa Pokuaa has found a natural home for her African-inspired fashion.

‘I always felt Brixton was the right place for my shop ’cause it’s just a melting pot of cultures,’ Abenaa enthuses. ‘In Brixton – in fact, in most places in London – you wouldn’t know straightaway what country you were in. You can see people from Bangladesh, from Italy, from Ghana, from Mauritius… You can’t help vibe off that. It makes you more creative, it makes you want to mix things together.’

Abenaa has perfected the art of ‘mixing things together’, creating beautifully cut and trend-aware clothes in traditional African fabrics. ‘I’m trying to fly two flags,’ she says: ‘the British flag and the Ghanaian flag. I’m proud to be British but I’m also proud to be Ghanaian. I want to fuse the two together.

‘I’ve always wanted to be a designer. I wanted to produce a brand that was wearable and relevant to who I am, British Ghanaian, born and bred in South London. I like to wear things that are wearable but also slightly unique. Topshop and H&M are great for what they do but at times you want something slightly fresh, slightly different.’ Abenaa picks up a shoe that looks like a Converse plimsoll, only covered in bright African batik print with a PVC cuff. ‘See this? Worldwide, everybody wears trainers like this. I didn’t see why I couldn’t do that but using my own culture.’

So fresh out of the London College of Fashion, Abenaa set about starting her own business. The start-up was completely self-funded – along the journey from student to businesswoman she designed for high street stores and even worked in the costume department for Strictly Come Dancing. ‘That was the total opposite of what you’re taught at uni!’ she laughs. ‘Ridiculously over the top with no budget, just do what you like!’ Finally founded in 2008, Ohema Ohene is now in its third collection and Abenaa recently opened the boutique on Brixton’s Atlantic Road.

Abenaa talks me through this latest collection, bringing out cocktail dresses in bold Ghanaian prints heavy with sequins or bandage detailing. She’s constantly got her eye out for seasonal trends to keep the look fresh whilst retaining that African influence. She’ll buy pink Kente prints when fuchsia’s in fashion and she made sure the cuts in her current collection reflect the vogue for body-conscious tailoring and underwear as outerwear. In a nod to the flurry of animal print that prowled this season’s catwalks, there’s even a mesh panelled dress covered in ‘Africanised’ leopard spots.

Men’s polo shirts and hoodies have the subtlest of Kente print trims and Abenaa promises a similar approach with her upcoming collection of soft tailoring. ‘The menswear is smart London streetwear. Think Tinie Tempah – he’s Nigerian but he’s also British and his look is just very London. That’s the kind of look that my menswear is trying to portray. It could be worn by anyone – black, Asian, Caucasian, whatever.’ You’ve probably already seen Ohema Ohene designs popping up in music videos but Abenaa has her eye on some more stars who could do with a little Afro-British fusion. ‘I’d like to dress somebody daring like Kanye or crazy like Andre 300. Men like Mike Skinner, Pharrel Williams… Someone like Jay Z might be a bit too hip hop for me! Colin Farrell or Dermot O’Leary would look good in the new menswear collection.’ Like her dresses, the future is bright for Abenaa and Ohema Ohene. With international fashion shows coming up in the new year and two other designers moving into the fabulous Brixton boutique, Ohema Ohene is putting Brixton at the heart of London’s multicultural fashion scene. Britain, Ghana, but most of all London is Abenaa’s biggest influence. ‘I love London. I miss it wherever I go. It’s so diverse – film, food, fashion – we’re just surrounded by so much choice and so much culture. And anything goes – I love the freedom of London, that feeling that you can do anything, wear anything.’

Maria Hannah Bass blogs at www.mhdbass.wordpress.com

Interview: Ben Kreeger, Events and Promotions at Plan B

A Plan B poster from December 2009

1. What’s your job at Plan B? What do you do day-to-day?

I am the Events & Promotions Manager at Plan B. I programme all of the events at the venue, as well as running specific in-house events. I also manage all of the marketing and promotion for the venue. On a day to day basis this includes everything from speaking to agents and building relationships with emerging artists, to attending a wide range of events throughout London and working with some of the best creatives money can buy.

2. How has Plan B been doing since it reopened last year?

Things have never been better! In the last year or so Plan B has not only regained its reputation as one of the most forward thinking venues in London (able to attract some of the biggest DJs and producers from around the world), but also has a great crowd, week in week out. I think people are pleasantly surprised when they make their first visit to the venue since the relaunch. Our focus on new music has certainly helped us, as has the resurgence of interest in Brixton as a whole. I have worked in Brixton for more than five years and projects like the redevelopment of Brixton Village and even things a little outside of the area, like Frank’s Campari Bar in Peckham, have shown just how much creativity there is here.

3. Is there a theme behind the people you choose to DJ at Plan B?

We book people we feel are doing something interesting and people with a connection to the area.

4. Do you want to promote local South London music or is your focus more on getting in big-name DJs?

A bit of both – South London has always had an incredibly rich musical heritage and these sounds have had a huge influence on the sort of music we listen to and promote. At the same time, South London is not particularly well catered for in terms of ‘big’ clubs and we feel that a lot of people have to travel to quite a long way to hear some of their favourite DJs, so we also have a keen interest in bringing people from outside the area to play here.

5. What’s thinking behind your ‘Community’ night – and why?

Proper house music has always had a home in the area, from the notorious Rooty parties run by Basement Jaxx to DJ Harvey’s now legendary sessions many many years ago, to things happening at the moment, like Andy Blakes’ World Unknown warehouse parties. The main idea behind ‘Community’ is to create a night that redefines peoples perception of what constitutes a ‘house’ night in the area – this isn’t about Ibiza anthems or about some ‘legend’ making a comback to a bunch of builders from Bromley, this is about listening to quality music with like minded local people in an environment that feels intimate. We want to bring back some of the affinity for the area that has been so strong in the past; that’s why we called it ‘Community’.

6. What has the reaction been to Community so far?

Fantastic! People seem to be getting very excited about the night (especially the Moodymann / Floating Points night on the 18th September – see below) and all of the people we have approached about playing at the night have been impressed by our vision and commitment to the project.

7. How do you view yourselves within the local community and why?

We do a lot of work with Strong Look in Brixton Village, which is run by a former employee of ours. We also spend a lot of time at Rosie’s Deli and are on first name terms with a lot of the small restaurants and bars in the area. We certainly see ourselves as part of the local community and have been championing Brixton for many years, I am not sure how local people see us, but they are always smiling when they leave here.

8. In 2007 Plan B joined the Brixton Collective and you were interviewed in ‘Time Out’ saying that it is a struggle to convince people to come to Brixton. Is that still the case?

I think things are very different these days. At the time, the area suffered from a lot of negative media attention and the two years of Victoria Line weekend closures for refurbishment work really didn’t help. But it is fantastic to see so many new things happening – from the redevelopment of the space in front of The Ritzy, to the work the police have been doing to clean up the area around the underground station. There are more creative people in the area now and a lot of opportunities for small businesses to flourish, in a way that is not possible in other areas of London – people have begun to support what they see around them, which is great. Even the old school Brixtonites have realised that they do not have to be stereotyped. We are reaching a critical mass. The troubles of the past have helped us prepare for the success of today.

9. What has been your favourite ever night at Plan B and why?

I have so many favourite nights it is hard to pick. David Rodigan’s set at the RBMA party back in February was incredible. However my favourite night was probably the after show party we did for LCD Soundsystem a few months back. James Murphy (lead singer of LCD Soundsystem) played disco records all night with Erol Alkan, and Soulwax were on the lights. It’s going to be hard to top that, although saying that I am very very excited about having Moodymann play!

10. Do you ever go partying anywhere else in Brixton?

All the time. I really like The Rest Is Noise for a pint after work and my favourite night in London is still DMZ at Mass.

'Community' at Plan B this month