Hackney chitter-chatter &tc

[Fozzie Bear]

Solution are one of the best reggae soundsystems going if you ask me. Been quite inspiring for a new generation of people who could have got sucked into the euro-steppers grimness otherwise.

Been around Hackney for a good while iirc.

In other news the little 'un had a party with a mate in Clapton yesterday so I ended up eating in the sourdough pizza place. Food was pretty great, the manager/head was a bit over-enthusiastic but obviously believes in what he is doing which is probably a good thing. The rest of the clientele were twenty-somethings who were more glam than I ever have or ever will be. But it was OK.

Then we had a pint in the Billet, which for now seems to have held on to a few pockets of its old customer base. More mixed than your usual "done up" pubs like the Butchers. Only time will tell if it lasts.

So I warmed to the new Clapton last night but then got very confused today when I read this in The Guardian magazine's rage inducing "where to live" column:

Stamford Hill is/is not cheaper than Clapton, it seems. In one para.

Clapton people - don't let them divide us!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

This just in (not by me, but I am pretty sure I will be going to both):

Two Radical history walks of bits of Hackney

1) Stokey Church Street and suchlike
2pm Sunday 21st July
from North East entrance to Clissold Park
(by the gate on Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, London, N16, near the lakes)

400 years of squatters, levelers and urban revolutionaries.

2) Dalston to Stokey Cop Shop
6pm Thursday 1st August
from Gillett Square, London, N16

Includes: police spies, police killings, community organising, anti-fascism, ’81 riots, refugee squats, armed struggle and just how shit does someone have to be to get roads named after them?

“All welcome, especially those who know more than us about these things.”

I went to the first one of these today and it was really good.

Quite a large turnout and a nice mix of ages.

 

[ska invita]

Yes, definitely, especially the feller in the blue shirt, shiny bald heed and shades, he had a sweet singing voice too.

We were at the back by the big speaker stack, to the left by the wall (cos it was in the shade!) - where were you? Yes, we should try to meet up next time (I'm not going to suggest meeting at their Carnival spot- that way madness lies )

man i was right there in front of you, we must have brushed shoulders - i was in a blue polo, octagonal black shades, getting roasted in the sun, right infront of that stack all day...hopefully not making too much of a fool of myself - i know how strict these curfews are so had to do go on turbo-fun-speed!
im coming off holiday early to make nh carnival monday, will be at abashanti all day, usually by the stack up the road, not the one by the tree - thats a realistic meet up

 

[rutabowa]

So I warmed to the new Clapton last night but then got very confused today when I read this in The Guardian magazine's rage inducing "where to live" column:

Stamford Hill is/is not cheaper than Clapton, it seems. In one para.

Clapton people - don't let them divide us!

nah it's just saying stamford hill is cheaper both times it mentions it.

 

[Treacle Toes]

Did you get down there Rutita? Know @ska invita is down for Solution Sound and if I hadn't been spending the day with my folks, I'd been there like a shot!

Ah steph Next time eh?

Yes I was there...watched my mate's band then skanked with solution until the end. Was very good indeed!

 

[Treacle Toes]

Some firing microphone performances today I thought, and ive got about 4 ID requests scribbled down here

INDEED! proper old skool toasting and singing! The trumpter was great too...what do you look like ska invita , bet we clocked eachother!

I have a big kinky afro and was wearing a yellow flowery top. Was mainly up front in front of the DJs.

 

[Treacle Toes]

Been around Hackney for a good while iirc.

Solution are the mainstay of old Hackney IMO been following them around the street parties and local festies for many years. My favorite reggae sound systems are solution, studio one and aba shanti.

 

[ska invita]

I have a big kinky afro and was wearing a yellow flowery top. Was mainly up front in front of the DJs.

I was in front of the rear stack all day, only came forward once (to get a tune ID!) right at the moment the hornsman was playing, but i didnt see you
(it was this tune btw - sounded a bit like ub40 i thought - sounded great, especially the version)

keep that look Rutita and I'll see you next time! As for me im a fairly nondescript white guy, fairly short shaved head, civvy clothes. If anyone is going to Aba Shanti at NH and fancies a little meet up PM me nearer the time, Id be up for that. Increasingly going to stuff on my own these days as friends have little babies and so on.

*A real shame that Clissold Park thing stopped happening - Solution had a big tent at that, and that was always a must-go - a victim of its own success i heard - too many people travelling from outside the borough to it

 

[Fozzie Bear]

nah it's just saying stamford hill is cheaper both times it mentions it.

Cheaper and cheerfuller .

Stamford Hill is partly protected from gentrification by our army of eccentric orthodox jews.

Or is it?

 

[Pickman's model]

Cheaper and cheerfuller .

Stamford Hill is partly protected from gentrification by our army of eccentric orthodox jews.

Or is it?

yes it is partly protected but in five years time the partial protection will have eroded

 

[Fozzie Bear]

*A real shame that Clissold Park thing stopped happening - Solution had a big tent at that, and that was always a must-go - a victim of its own success i heard - too many people travelling from outside the borough to it

That was a real lesson in not trusting the Council.

Stokefest was originally a street party on Church Street which was pretty wild. Then the Council suggests its overcrowded and maybe Clissold Park would be a better venue.

Then a few years later then crowd barriers and everything else go up.

Then the Council is no longer able to help cos it's overcrowded, security costs too much, the rain has screwed up the ground, ooh look the deer don't like all the noise, etc.

 

[klang]

If anyone is going to Aba Shanti at NH and fancies a little meet up PM me nearer the time, Id be up for that.

yeh, i'll be there, already arranged a meet with alpha etc. will try to get there early for once. looking forward to it, let's hope the weather holds!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

yes it is partly protected but in five years time the partial protection will have eroded

I'd be interested to know why you think that might be?

ETA Also - did you move yet?

 

[Pickman's model]

I'd be interested to know why you think that might be?

the diversity of hackney's demographick is reducing as the foul hipsters take over the borough.

 

[rutabowa]

Cheaper and cheerfuller .

Stamford Hill is partly protected from gentrification by our army of eccentric orthodox jews.

Or is it?

NOWHERE IS IMMUNE. prepare the barricades

 

[Pickman's model]

NOWHERE IS IMMUNE. prepare the barricades

yeh the hipsters are having a festival and need streets blocked

 

[rutabowa]

the diversity of hackney's demographick is reducing as the foul hipsters take over the borough.

it starts with semi-legitimate late night venues tho and these don't really exist in stamford hill do they?

 

[Pickman's model]

it starts with semi-legitimate late night venues tho and these don't really exist in stamford hill do they?

it traditionally starts with bohemians and artists and goes downhill from there. give it five years then get back to me and say i was wrong.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

the diversity of hackney's demographick is reducing as the foul hipsters take over the borough.

I wouldn't disagree with that, but I think there are specific reasons why the Hasidic community might resist that. For example my understanding is that they are constrained to a particular geographic space for religious reasons.

Also - they have lots of kids (my next door neighbour but one has 14!)

Plus - they try to keep property within the community.

I can see that in 5 years the value of property might put pressure on a lot of that, and there has been talk of a section decamping to a special new build community in Milton Keynes or Essex. But it's just as likely that some will go and a large number will stay.

As rutabowa says, there isn't much nightlife here (or spaces to be used for art studios...)

So I dunno, we shall see.

 

[rutabowa]

I wouldn't disagree with that, but I think there are specific reasons why the Hasidic community might resist that. For example my understanding is that they are constrained to a particular geographic space for religious reasons.

Also - they have lots of kids (my next door neighbour but one has 14!)

Plus - they try to keep property within the community.

I can see that in 5 years the value of property might put pressure on a lot of that, and there has been talk of a section decamping to a special new build community in Milton Keynes or Essex. But it's just as likely that some will go and a large number will stay.

As rutabowa says, there isn't much nightlife here (or spaces to be used for art studios...)

So I dunno, we shall see.

Is there one of those lines in stamford hill like there is in finchley, like an enclosed zone where you can still open shops and do some work on saturday if you're jewish? it has a special name I forget....

 

[rutabowa]

an "eruv", it's called an eruv.

 

[rutabowa]

and yeah i would say it will be less likely that the orthodox jews will be priced out of the area as I think they own a lot of the buildings and housing estates and are pretty insular, right? so it is a bit different to areas where people are less secure.

 

[ska invita]

Stamford Hill is partly protected from gentrification by our army of eccentric orthodox jews.

i grew up in stamford hill - guiness trust and homeleigh infants, last time i went up that way i felt like it hadnt changed very much at all

 

[Pickman's model]

and yeah i would say it will be less likely that the orthodox jews will be priced out of the area as I think they own a lot of the buildings and housing estates and are pretty insular, right? so it is a bit different to areas where people are less secure.

is anyone saying they'll be priced out? i'm just saying i think there'll be a process of them selling out, like bangladeshis round whitechapel.

 

[rutabowa]

is anyone saying they'll be priced out? i'm just saying i think there'll be a process of them selling out, like bangladeshis round whitechapel.

maybe... there are a lot of jewish schools etc there, it wouldn't be an easy area to just recreate somewhere else

 

[Pickman's model]

maybe... there are a lot of jewish schools etc there, it wouldn't be an easy area to just recreate somewhere else

you can't swim in the same river twice.

it's not like a bunch of hipsters or artists or whoever are going to come in and buy stamford hill in one fell swoop, rather you'll see changes over a number of years.

 

[rutabowa]

If it does happen it will kind of be up to the orthodox jews to let it happen tho, do you think? rather than in other areas where it is just an unstoppable tide.

 

[Pickman's model]

If it does happen it will kind of be up to the orthodox jews to let it happen tho, do you think? rather than in other areas where it is just an unstoppable tide.

it's not like stamford hill is 100% hassidic or even 100% jewish - yet you think it's up to the orthodox jews to let it happen?

 

[rutabowa]

it's not like stamford hill is 100% hassidic or even 100% jewish - yet you think it's up to the orthodox jews to let it happen?

I don't know the area well enough to say, i'm just asking really. It seems to me to be a bit of a different case tho. Let's see in 5 years.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

you can't swim in the same river twice.

it's not like a bunch of hipsters or artists or whoever are going to come in and buy stamford hill in one fell swoop, rather you'll see changes over a number of years.

I think Stoke Newington has resisted hipsterification better than Dalston/Haggerston/Clapton because it already had a largely middle class population already. So you have a handful of venues and things like the Jolly Butchers, but most of the new shops and restaurants in Church Street seem to be aimed at less edgy, more wealthy types - yummy mummys etc.

I think yummy mummies will win out over hipsters in the great gentrification top trumps battle - because they are seen as more "stable" and therefore a better source of income over a longer period of time.

It seems more likely that hipsters, if they continue, will spread out east into Homerton / Hackney Wick. Or north into Tottenham/Walthamstow.

I don't think hipsterification is inevitable, I think it depends on particular things being available to them, as rutabowa has said.