Playing the Fool
April's newsletter.
This morning I opened a fortune cookie from last night’s takeout to find the note ‘this month you’ll have lots of energy.’ It felt a little ironic, receiving such news whilst sprawled in bed, but there is a truth to it that I can already feel - a gnawing itch, an ache, a restlessness. I’ve been trying to get better at consistency with my work across the magazine and other areas, but am still often finding reality to be a head full of ideas and very little time or focus to make them actually happen. As the cold has begun to retreat, leaving blankets of snowdrops and bluebells in its wake, I am certainly feeling a new sense of urgency to stop fucking hibernating.
I watched Justin Kerrigan’s Human Traffic recently and felt quite frustrated at myself for how much I have let the 9-to-5 (or 10-to-7 in my case) take over my life of late, and how little time I have dedicated to going out. I am certainly not in a position to get into full weekend-long benders or anything, but this month I need to remind myself to be more present beyond the walls of my flat or the constraints of my workplace. In the spirit of April Fool’s, I intend to try and spend this month going on many a fool’s errand, getting out and existing in the world for the sake of it and seeing where it takes me. After all, if you don’t go out and live, you won’t have anything to make art about.
Spot some bluebells, play some gentle pranks on your friends, burn down the establishment,
Until next time,
Eerie
Upcoming Events
ACESPACELDN: The Invisible A Zine Launch - The Common Press, Monday 6th April 7pm Zine launch celebrating and platforming the asexual and aromantic stories we don’t usually get to hear
Queers Unplugged - The Common Press, Tuesday 7th April 7pm A no-phones night to create and connect
Lewisham Commons Community Meal - Avalon Cafe, Tuesday 7th April 5pm setup 7pm food Head to Avalon for a FREE meal and learn more about the campaign for a new community-owned social centre in Lewisham. RSVP @lewishamcommons or lewishamcommons@gmail.com
Radical Library - Piehouse Co-op, Wednesday 8th April 12-4pm Radical Library open bi-weekly for borrowing, chilling, reading. Books, zines, hot drinks and pies to drop in and enjoy
Knee Jerk Presents: Export Import + Weaving in Purgatory - Below Stone Nest, Wednesday 8th April, 8pm-late FREE ENTRY live music in Soho
Singles Social: 35+ Lesbians - The Common Press, Friday 10th April 7pm Meet people IRL surrounded by warm ambience and queer books
Folk of the Round Table x Broadside Hacks present Brown Wimpenny - Piehouse Co-op, Friday 10th April 7.30pm Northern trad, folk, intimate single release show
Jenny Kennedy + Rambo Seltzer aka Skydaddy- Theatreship, Friday 10th April, 7pm £7 tickets, live music on a boat!
Knee Jerk x Lost Wisdom: Middleman, Lifeloose - The George Tavern, Saturday 11th April 7.30pm Live music, DJs until late
Love Tank’s Bookclub - The Common Press, Monday 13th April Queer book club for queer migrants and queer people of colour. This evening is focused on Qiu Miaojin’s ‘Notes of a Crocodile.’ FREE but limited spaces to reserve
VETO, Rael (duo), Lou Terry, Hoy Chorale and DJ BTEK - Piehouse Co-op, Thursday 16th April 7pm-12am Genre-blending folk/indie/punk, experimental hip-hop, boundary pushing sound and live performance
Piehouse Presents: wryneck, NADIM, Skål 59 - Piehouse Co-op, Wednesday 15th April 7-10pm Yelp core, off-kilter punk, noisy ambient experiments, DIY inspired by everything from black metal to 60s garage. £5/£7/£10 tickets
COMMUTED, Floralis, Shoplifting, 1080p - Piehouse Co-op, Friday 17th April 7.30pm doors Experimental, underground, anarcho electronic, digital slowcore. £8 in adv £10 otd
Donkerkarnuffel, Shefeto (BG), Breacher - The Dev, Friday 17th April, 7pm Groove metal, clown-core, Bulgarian industrial metal, metalcore FREE ENTRY
Testo Hunkie - Piehouse Co-op, Saturday 18th April 7:30-late Prom edition, come dressed like your dream date. Arm wrestling, pies and gossip, dancing and DJs for trans masc folks + those who love them loudly
Avalon Social - Avalon Cafe, Monday 20th April 7pm-9pm Evening social: play chess, hang out, bring your knitting, bring your mate or come solo for a friendly cuppa/pint
Traditional Folk Music Session - Theatreship, Monday 20th April, 7pm Folk music on a boat for free what more could you want?
Radical Library - Piehouse Co-op, Wednesday 22nd April 12-4pm Radical Library open bi-weekly for borrowing, chilling, reading. Books, zines, hot drinks and pies to drop in and enjoy
Meow Meow It’s Me I Can’t See You Tonight Launch Party - Avalon Cafe, Wednesday 22nd April 7pm-midnight Celebrating the launch of the new literary magazine’s first issue with readings, live music and DJs.
Solidarity Tapes Present Comfort, Buffee, Another Country$$$$, A Lesser Version, Lottie, Baby Grol and DJ Jonny Broth - Piehouse Co-op, Saturday 25th April Live music from the DIY project linking music and activism. High energy, dance enjoy and learn how to get involved in vital solidarity work
SIDEFX Presents: Rory Sweeney, Duncan Baritone, Vera Sacra, wmwmwm - Avalon Cafe, Thursday 30th April, 7.30pm-midnight Art for all forms, art in all forms. Intricate and expressive, Irish avant-garde. Bustling grooves, fleeting ambience.
5.18 Webzine Happenings
Some worthy reading for your springtime perusal.
A church service to celebrate the launch of the latest single from our New Wave icon.
Artist Spotlight: Ellen Clarke-Quy
Traditional crafts blended with ritual, raw emotions told through folk symbolism and divine detail.
Underground Talent & Political Rage
Archive words and photo documentation of Forrest Flower’s Jimmy single launch.
Playlist
April’s playlist has been curated by Zion of For The Mystery, a publication platforming and reviewing live shows, music releases and more, with a focus on hardcore and adjacent genres. Follow their substack for more.
Community Gallery
Submit to next month’s gallery via email info518magazine@gmail.com
Still life by eerie