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What is it about Stoke Newington that fosters and creates such varied and fantastic music? Where does it all come from? Who are these people?
Walk along Church Street or the High Street at any time of day and you’ll almost certainly bump into a bunch of kids with guitars, either making their way from or to rehearsal studios. Stroll past a local bar on a weekend evening and there’s more than a good chance that there will be a gig on. Ad posters and fliers are everywhere in Church Street and the High Street announcing concerts right across the area. In spite of central government’s apparent attempts to curb live venues through the recent licensing laws, the musicians are fighting back, and nowhere more so than in Stokey..
To celebrate the depth and quality of the music scene in Stoke Newington, the sixth N16 Fringe Festival – described by Metro as ‘music for the sheer simple love of it’ – took place on 9-12 August and was, yet again, a great success. The main venues – such as Ryan’s, Stage B, White Hart, Bird Cage and Auld Shillelagh – hosted some great musicians and bands, while others, including Daniel Defoe, Coach and Horses, Yum Yum, Bodrum, and Three Crowns, played host to slightly smaller but just as exciting evenings.
One of the star venues of the weekend, however, was St Mary’s Old Church. The rich, Tudor architecture, the haunting atmosphere and the ringing acoustics inspired some of Britain’s finest performers to produce three unforgettable evenings at the venue. Below, Helen Griffiths describes Thursday and Saturday evenings Friday saw living legend Martin Carthy return to the Fringe after a three-year absence. His mesmeric guitar playing and unique vocal interpretations of the best of the folk music repertoire thrilled the biggest crowd which has ever filled the church.
Jonathan the rector pronounced himself delighted with the way the weekend had gone, and we have every intention of using this venue for forthcoming concerts once we’ve got round to arranging them. ‘Wax’ yet again took over the role of overseer and gentle giant, while MC Ricky B provided a spirited intro and outro at the Martin Carthy gig. Mmm, that’s nice, Ricky.
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