fringe happenings

Greetings to y’all. As you can see, a few changes have been happening; a new corner has been turned; a seed has been planted; a new chapter has begun; a new age is upon us; the dawning of a new era; revolution is in the air…er.

Yes, we have an idea, a plan. And like all good plans and songs, it’s simple and was thought up on the toilet. Remember when you were a kid and you wished that Christmas could happen more than just once a year – yes, but you weren’t mature enough to realise that the reason it was special is because it ONLY happens once a year’ – Yeah, but I don’t care, I want that excitement every weekend’– but it won’t be exciting if it happens every weekend’ – Don’t care. I’ll take my chances – but you’re missing the point of the festive season – balls – oh… No, don’t get too excited, we don’t have control over the Christmas timetable quite yet, but we do have the power over all things connected to the Fringe. We have had such a positive response from everyone about the Fringe Festival in the summer that we have decided to channel that enthusiasm into putting on Fringe events throughout the year, leading up to the big baby we are planning for next summer 2004.

Essential to this plan is our brandspanking-all-new-improvedwith-added-pizzaz website ( www.n16fringe.co.uk ). The idea is that it will become a huge meeting/market place for anyone connected with music, arts and malarkey in the Stokey area. A bit like Efes, but bigger, giving everyone the opportunity to let N16 know what’s going on.

FRINGE NEWS

Monkey Island have completed their third album, which sees the band distilling angular garage blues, off the wall instrumentals and epic groove ridden mantras into something akin to musical Absinthe in both strength and effect. On the home front they will be summoning up the Monkey God of Rock ‘n’ Roll at The Eye, on Sat 1 November, to be exorcised as special guests of The Witchdoktors. Expect a 101 percent octane mixture of epic and angular blues punk ( www.monkeyislanduk.com ). It’s Jo and Danny, who were one of the headline highlights from the Fringe in the summer, have set up a festival of their own. Set in the grounds of an old castle near their home of Brecon in Wales, it leans towards the new folk of James Yorkston and the Mountaineers. ( www.thegreenmanfestival.com   )

Moses are about to embark on a tour with Sam Brown. Lucky Jim have just signed to Skint Records and are in the process of re-packaging their album. Puscha have a single out on 6 October. Fringe openers Little Barrie have been out gigging with Bristolian hip hoppers Aspects and up-and-coming Carpetface, supporting The Bees on 27 September and then jetting off to NY for October, back in time for Xmas. We hope we can twist their arms for a welcome return gig in Stokey.

Many fine residents of Stoke Newington village are involved in a fantastic experimental arts radio station, Resonance 104.4fm. Started up by the London Musicians Collective, the station has been broadcasting since April 2002. The gLASSsHRIMP show which airs every Wednesday, 5-6.30pm, features many of Stokey’s musicians and artists with live sessions, interviews and demos. Check the listings online at www.resonancefm.com . The gLASSsHRIMP monthly club night is at the Buffalo Bar, Highbury Corner, N1 and runs on the first Saturday of the month.
October 4 features Stokey’s inimitable Ella Guru and her Deptford Beach Babes – a grass-skirt wearing, surf trash band! Also playing are The Mean Streaks and Spinmaster Plantpot, plus DJs til 2am. (glassshrimp@hotmail.com)

Does anyone know the whereabouts of Iron Kat – maybe we can tease them with a saucer of milk to play the fringe 2004? On 21 October, Stokey’s Quickspace play a long-awaited London gig supporting The Kills at the Astoria. They have just recorded a new album which will hopefully be released at the end of the year. The group also welcomes new drummer Ed Grimshaw who is moonlighting from another great Stokey group The Hells who play The Eye on Sunday 28 September, alongside The Gin Palace (ex Penthouse guitarist Jon Free’s fine trio of noise, guitar, vocals and drums), and The Jealousies, playing their debut gig, featuring Quickspace guitarist Tom Cullinan on drums. On Friday 3 October London’s Kings of Surf Noir, The Bikini Beach Band, return from a summer of festivals, free love and free tequila to their adopted home of Stoke Newington. They will be performing two sets at The Eye with local locos El Sid sharing the bill. The show will open and close with sets from our Mexican surf mariachis with El Sid’s set sandwiched comfortably between. The georgeous Hula Honeys will shake their thang and all will be well with the world.

Hils Barker writer/comedienne who organised the comedy night at the Stoke Tup is off on tour next month, and you can catch her at ‘A ha ha ha’ on Dean Street, Soho on 2 October and for two nights at the Kings Head, Crouch End, on 25 and 26 October.

Released at the beginning of September, the second album by Garlic on Bella Union entitled ‘Jam Sabbatical’ is another lovingly-crafted collection of summery pop nuggets from one of London’s finest bands. The Duke Spirit mini album is out on City Rockers on 6 October and they are writing songs for a new album which they start recording next month. Really looking forward to this one ( www.dukespirit.com  )

Please send us any news or gossip, tittle tattle or listings you may have with direct or even tenuous links to Stokey, and it doesn’t just have to be music. We also want to hear about exhibitions, club nights, comedy, theatre and the weird and wonderful. Contact us on info@n16fringe.co.uk.
A fuller version can be found on www.n16fringe.co.uk