We’ve been working on this new Walthamstow-incubated collaboration between Pillars Brewery and Perky Blenders, bringing together the best drinks, with our favourite selectors at Pillars’ Malt Haus venue.
After a great first event on Saturday night with DJ Food (Ninja Tune) and Adrian Spurdon, and a host of coffee based cocktails and Pillars’ Lager, we’re rolling this collaboration out next year in a bimonthly event. The next one is planned for 7 February, and it’ll stay a very reasonable FIVER in, strictly vinyl session, running from 8pm.
Thrilled with how this went. I organised a huge charity fundraiser in Cheltenham on Saturday: Lansdown Blockparty For Open Door, and people showed up in force raising £5,768 for Cheltenham Open Door and having a serious party in the process.
Massive thanks to EVERYONE: venues, artists, and businesses that helped bring everything together. Lots of friends old and new and familiar faces – this is what a community event looks like with people working together for a cause.
Lots of businesses got behind the event, but particular shout outs to the venues DEYA Brewing Company, D’Arcy Wine, Ritual Coffee Roasters, and The Steam & Whistle, and the main sponsors Hudson Rose and The Union Project 👏 as well as Paul of Form UK on design ✒️
Cheltenham Open Door supports vulnerable, disadvantaged and lonely people through a variety of services. They offer a welcoming, non-judgemental space where their guests can relax and enjoy food, friendship and access to advice and support☕
Dalston’s Soda have supported music for years, working with us, with EFG London Jazz Festival, Krankbrother and more. And we cast the net pretty wide for London based talent, sometimes alighting on underground heroes like Club Glow’s LMajor (check below), sometimes showcasing upcoming talent too such as Miggs, who we had earlier this year.
LMajor’s mix is so sharp he’s probably cut himself making it.
Eloquent and thought provoking musician and BBC Radio 3 host Soweto Kinch has been playing new music from Chiminyo’s new album, ‘NRG4’, which we’ve been supporting. It’s a thrilling testament to the strength of the London scene, recorded live at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s. The album has now dropped in full, and you can have a listen on Spotify here.
DEYA Brewery’s partnership with Record Store Day this year was a pretty engaging affair, generating a lot of media coverage. Early doors Katie had floated the idea of a DEYA vinyl, which we worked on and finessed, arriving at an artefact to document artists who had played at the brewery. Stephen led on pulling the project together, and there was a real Transfer Deadline Day feel to pulling this together by 12 April (RSD!), with The Orb sneaking in just under the wire, alongside names like 808 State, DMX Krew, Echo Juliet, and of course our own Lara Jones.
We used Sea Bass Vinyl in Scotland on manufacturing duty, using their Ecovin – with a product with 90% reduced carbon footprint. Seabass gave us some great footage of the manufacturing to bring the process to life on social media. As ever with DEYA products, Thom Hobson on artwork, and it’s a joy of a product, with profits on the record went to National Star (in Ullenwood). You can grab a copy at the Taproom or The Swamp in Cheltenham.
Pulling together the music programme for the day was a treat – we were able to bring in Crazy P to DJ, with live acts on the bill too – Marla Kether and Pocketsun. The Greenstage on sound duties. A day to remember!
