We invited: "Share The Joy. Sometimes with bands and/or DJs and/or dancers - always
with love, peace, pressies to help yourself to, good music and good company. Come
with your friends or yourself, whatever. Consider this an invitation to spend some time in Rocklands, Punk
City" ... and just like in
Wayne's World, people came! wahoo!
The latest Share The Joy
happened on Saturday 17 November 2001 and from what we can make out, and the reactions
received from those who came, a brilliant time was had by all.
Happy hour meant a boozing race from the off.
Our original DJ turned up completely off his face but salvation, hero of the evening was
DJ Barnet (London Callin Club). He not only played some rockin choons but taught a couple
of the guests how to DJ, share the decks so to speak, it's a pretty free-form night.
Loads of people came from all over the country
to New Cross on a Saturday night!
We decorated the place up a bit
with fluorescent love and peace posters around the country like LOVE IS NOT A CRIME,
"Natural And Nice Variety Is The Spicier Of Live", STAY BEAUTIFUL AND TAKE IT
EASY etc - all sorts of music got played Punk, Disco, Stax, Manics, Ska, Public Enemy,
ADF, Reggae, SFA, Mansun, metal and everything in between. all sorts of dancing got done
as groovers and pissed people threw themselves around the dance floor with abandon.
 Ryan
had been ribbed in the Hobgoblin Pub on his way and was was fair game for Girl Scouts who
got up on stage and blasted the live action proceedings into a higher gear with their
short sharp shock punk, as colourful as their hair. They were great and the perfect way to
kick things off.
Aside from sparkling live entertainment there was a
"help yourself" suitcase of goodies and collectibles next to the merchandise
table full of donations from bands, record companies, managers and promo/pr companies -
the joy was well and truly shared! 
Of Arrowe Hill were on stage next with a
prog-punk take on guitar pop. they looked and sounded a bit eccentric, and, like Girl
Scouts, were received with a loud by the (now largely v. drunk) crowd.
Dancing, pogoing and falling about the room in time to the music was just as much the
order of the day as socialising at the bar. Friends had come from Hampshire, Bristol,
Reading, Wales, all over London and more... Band members from Koala, International Jet
Set, Brothers In Sound, January and the Jones were among the revellers. 
The glamorous, fun and chic
Actionettes got up a storm and went down a storm, even the women wolf whistled as they
performed their groovy dance routines, then The
Duvals rounded off the evening's live music action at full punk rock tilt. The night's
wild party continued until all of a sudden it was already 2am and we were had to go...
awww... Our cardboard cut out celebrity Kylie got off with a party guest and the
music ended. (sniff)
but... as we were in Rocklands,
and it WAS a Saturday night, there was another party to dance the night away if anybody
fancied it...
We'd like to do it again!
 Feedback
so far has been great with around 15 bands who have offered to play live, offers of
help and support promoting the next one, a booking agent offering acts, a call about The
Actionettes from a chart band and a real good feeling. Lots of DJ-ing offers and bumped
into mates at a gig a few days later who said they finally understood the true spirit of
punk! Thanks to everybody who was in the place for the vibe and the night...
SHARE THE JOY!
We've asked Bandnet if we can
do another one in February, so fingers crossed... watch this space.
Click the links for more on The Duvals, Of
Arrowe Hill and The Actionettes and Girl
Scouts are local so email Rocklands to contact them. DJ Barnet's email is londoncallin@hotmail.com
Click here for background
info on Share The Joy...
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