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Twisted Charm | ||||||||||||
Its about action not words and a month after these meetings Music Tourist Board staged Alternative Idol (live music event) and South East Xhibiton. (art and visual wall collage). South East Xhibition was a d.i.y. gallery of art and photos that sprawled around the walls of Paradise from oct 003 and provided the decor until december 003 when Tate Modern came and put on a night at Pop Of The Tops. It included pictures from locals like Daryl of Cozzie Music and Jonny (January/Ten Benson). With direction courtesy of our own Kana Onuma (the go go girl) and Tinsel local artist and rock chick supreme of The Fairies Band. Many of the photos were by Paul Madden who also made programmes fo the Alternative Rock Idol events and went on to stage his own Joystock events. S.E.X. included pictures of (the mostly locally connected) i.e. Malcolm McLaren, Squeeze, The Fairies Band, Alternative TV, The Rocks, Spektrum, Neil's Children, the Hives, The Duvals, Plastik, Uncle David's, 80s Matchbox B Line Disaster (whose first single sleeve by Pat Pope was taken at The Paradise Bar when they supported British Sea Power), Special Needs, Sniffin Glue, John Cale, Manic Street Preachers, Deptford Urban Free Festival, The Darkness and Pop Of The Tops gigs... Well, the venue looked surreal. All that was left now was to put on the shows. The bands were real troopers and created a slice of independent music history. Art Brut, Bloc Party, Chris T T, Coast, Corporation:Blend, The Crowd, Ludes, My Red Cell, The Miggs, New Rhodes, San Sebastian, Special Needs, Twisted Charm, the DJs, audience and venue made and experienced something very special - bafta nominated film/video makers and club regulars, Digital Sneakers, captured it on film, shooting the bands live and letting them have their say. It is all documented for posterity as “Rocklands - Live In New Cross” on DVD. These films are a peek at the spectrum of friendly, affordable top quality entertainment that Pop Of The Tops aspires to, there’s no particular genre of music, though guitars figure highly. The word “indie” never appeared on any flyer or poster though. This really was about POP star potential. Its what the club was based on. It's a bit of a day dream, but mostly people didn't sneer. Bands that have so far got involved in this lunacy either on stage or as DJs include the above plus Culture Industry, Gemma Ray Ritual, Do Me Bad Things, The Others, S*M*A*S*H, Nebraska, The Rakes, Mind Trafik, The Lams, Luxembourg, Rhesus, William, Jonny Lives!, Dolium, M.A.S.S., Metro Riots, Clor, Mark Morriss, Spektrum, The Rocks, The Aggers, Saint Rose, The Dirty Feel, The Swear, Crash Convention, The Barbs, Neil's Children. RAAR, The Violets, King Adora, Optimist Club, Simon Price, Angular Records, White Rose Movement, Black Bikini Alpha, The Modern, Kinesis, The Deep South, Gwenno, Transparent Things, The Vichy Government, Bidgie Reef & The Gas, Accelerator, 100 Bullets Back and many more. (The latter three bands staged fantastic Pop Of The Tops events at their home town of Reading, Brighton and Oxford respectively on the Rocklands Rounded Tour in October/November 004). Once bands have played a show, and packed up their gear, that usually wasn’t the end of the story - so many keep in touch with the new friends they made that there is an online family as well as the aforementioined travelling circus of friends that turn up at each other’s gigs to have fun. There are quite a few offers to come and play again. Depends what venues will allow such shenanigans in the future. It’s not where your from, but where you’re at. Share The Joy is the motto (courtesy of Dickie The Beast from the house of rock) In November 003, local regulars, Angular Records launched their debut compilation album “The New Cross” on a Tuesday night in Paradise. Some of it had come together at music tourist board meetings. During The Swear’s headline set a chant of “New Cross, New Cross” went up. It was like a realisation in the air that the anti-scene was not just alive but kicking hard. There has been an electric buzz in the air in South East London since the 60s and 70s, but it’s only in the 21st century that London’s politicised quarter has taken the lead in the New Art Riot. By the end of 003, a definitive music movement was on the rise and Angular was among the increasing number of local labels, zines, sites, promotion set-ups coming on board - it was all pretty amazing! Original Club Pages : * Pop Of The Tops people - who? where from? * | ||||||||||||
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corporation:blend on stage, simon price on the decks, the mansun family are in the house... | ||||||||||||
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the rocks and friends dancing to special needs... | ||||||||||||
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skipper and conor... as special needs finish their set, kinesis get set to dj. (they drove all the way from bolton to do so, and back the same night. hats off to them). | ||||||||||||
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