Together with

As an alumnus of William Ellis School, the most positive life skill I took away from my time there wasn’t in Chemistry, History or Maths, (as my lacklustre GCSE results attest).

It was the ability to have a decent chat. To natter, jibber, chew the fat or generally interact with virtually anyone and – most crucially – to do so with a degree of comfort and familiarity.

It may be a North London lefty lawyer dinner party cliché, but going to a state school in Camden genuinely does deliver an A+ education in conversing well between cultures, backgrounds and interests. Please just try not to always call it ‘the school of life’.

Identifying as peers in a hotchpotch of the privileged, the disadvantaged and a widescreen array of those from the racial and social structures in between, is an all too rare kind of education.

I often feel it’s like having a secret superpower to be able to bond honestly with strangers hailing from Somers Town to Highgate, all through the leveller of simply having gone to a Camden school.
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Yes, everyone can, and does, speak across multiple social divides (at least here in London) passably all the time, but the superpower is not feeling/coming off as uncomfortable or inferior, patronising or pompous, or whatever other awkwardness usually swirls around a perceived hierarchy.

Navigating such conversations authentically is almost impossible if all you knew growing up was being boxed in to a single social identity by your school, parents or community.

As the art of communication comes under extreme pressure from populists and polarisers everywhere, it’s safe to say we need more of Camden’s kind of genuine, unforced diversity in the dialogue out there right now.

It’s disheartening to think such things may have actually slipped backwards since my school days, but if anyone needs inspiration in these unsettling global times, you’ll still find it in this corner of the world.

Born and bred in the borough like me, this weekly newsletter is all about communicating ideas to an unusually broad range of people, too. Our demographic is simply ‘local’. If you live, work or love what goes on around here, it’s for you.

Inspired by the area’s people, attitudes and ideas, I’m keen we reach more readers each week – to grow the community and also to inch towards making Camdenist more financially sustainable.

You’ll notice we’ve had strong run of newsletter sponsors in recent weeks, with Kleek Apprenticeships today the latest to enjoy the mutual benefits of working together. This is exciting. If you’ve got a business, event or service to promote here, do get in touch. You can simply reply to this email to discuss, and it would be great to partner with you.

For all you readers, I’d love to see if you’d help to significantly grow our number of subscribers this week, in two ways. You can refer friends to join this newsletter for unlimited chances to win one of 5 pairs of all-week wristbands to the upcoming SXSW London Festival (see below).

And let’s try…

CAMDENIST CULTURE CAMPAIGN

Cultural assets are being treated with more respect

Happily, a rash of positive news about threatened local crucibles of culture keeps coming at the moment, but don’t get complacent. There’s still a deluge of challenges - old and new - and often the processes surrounding them are devilishly complex and frustratingly opaque.

🎞️ The save the Prince Charles Cinema campaign, now totalling well over 150k signatures, has helped ensure the building has successfully been designated as an Asset of Community Value. That reduces the risk that a recent change in the lease break clause by their landlords may, or may not, have posed to the future of the cinema.

💪🏼 It’s the same landlord, Criterion Capital, who recently shuttered the much-loved Central YMCA, prompting us to realise that gyms can be powerful cultural assets just as much as pubs, clubs and venues. Despite the closure, the fightback is being waged by Save Our YMCA, who are busy seeking protection for the use of this important social and architectural landmark through listing with Historic England…

🫕 Over in Swiss Cottage, the sudden closure of Ye Olde Swiss Cottage, the alpine chalet pub, was met with dismay, even from people rarely drank there. But a group including Labour Councilors, The Belsize Society and the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) have prevented demolition with the potential of a community purchase within five years.

🎷Good to see that the Blue Note jazz club finally got its license to open early next year on St Martin’s Lane after the ridicule that the Met and Westminster Council enjoyed for objecting, suggesting that a 1am finish might “expose more people to crime and disorder in the immediate area”.

🔒 Over on Malden Road, iconic boozer the Gipsy Queen has announced it is to close next week. Having recently refurbished and run a series of quality music events and kitchen takeovers, it’s a big loss to the area to see this space go dark. We wonder who/what will happen her next?

🍕 Fortunately, the Gipsy’s popular pizza kitchen have just set up service down the road at Chalk Farm’s Roundhouse, offering their top slices from a hatch on the terrace.

🎶 Meanwhile, long-standing cultural hub MAP Studio Cafe is applying for a mixed use license to ensure its future as a cafe by day and acclaimed music venue by night. With the ongoing challenging climate for hospitality, it’s important locals get behind the venue, so you can add your comments to the application until May 21st.

FESTIVALS

This week’s local fiestas + win SXSW London music festival wristbands!

🐕‍🦺 The epic Primrose Hill Summer Festival takes over Regent’s Park Rd and surrounds this Sun 18th May, with live music from Bourbon St Revival, masses of food and drinks stalls, loads of arts and crafts, rides and celebs Gail Porter and Adel Sika hosting the famous dog show.

🧘🏽 Echoing the inevitably doomed attempts to rename Holborn as ‘Midtown’, The Langham Estate have gone and imposed another of those perfunctory but expensive rebranding jobs on Fitzrovia, which nobody will now be calling ‘Fitzrovia Quarter’ anytime ever. As part of the ritual of blowing a load of glitzy marketing spend, they’ve been hosting a new Wellness Festival, running until Sun 18th May, with lots of exercise classes, foods, self care products and more to explore.

☠️ Camden get’s another weekend-long full Metal takeover from 16th - 18th May as DesertFest bring the likes of Elder, Zeal & Ardor, Earth and masses more acts across the Electric Ballroom, Roundhouse, Black Heart, Underworld and The Dev.

5 pairs of SXSW London all-week music festival wristbands up for grabs

A full week-long music festival wristband (worth £99 each) gets you access to a mind-boggling 500+ gigs featuring artists, including Miraa May, Sienna Spiro, Mabel, Alice Glass, Lila Iké, Carleen Anderson and masses more across six nights.

But you have the chance of winning a pair of wristbands for free - just share this newsletter with a friend using your unique referral link in the box below. The more of your friends who subscribe to our free weekly updates, the more chances you both have of winning free SXSW London music festival access. You can also enter simply by replying to this newsletter with the subject line ‘SXSW London wristbands’. Go for it!
We’ll draw and announce the winners at random on Thurs 29th May. Over 18s only please. Prize value is not transferrable.

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