Sister Midnight: Lewisham’s first community-owned music venue launch party for new radio station
Lewisham’s first community owned music venue has launched its first party, with many more to come.
Sister Midnight – the brainchild of Lenny Watson, Sophie Farrell and Lottie Pendlebury, the lead singer of Peckham punk band Goat Girl – is based at The Brookdale Club in Catford Centre.
Having launched its online, community radio station Sister Midnight FM [SMFM] in August last year, the venue is set to host a special night to celebrate and help raise funds for the new venture.
The night, taking place at the Carpet Shop in Rye Lane, Peckham, on March 29, will host Village Cuts – a combination of two of SMFM’s favourite London selectors.
As residents of Soho Radio, both DJs are well-versed in sharing music to uplift the soul, specialising in a fusion of UK club sounds in collaboration with African, Latin and Caribbean creatives, and are renowned for packing a dance floor.
Also joining the lineup is Rohan Rakhit, a core team members behind the Asian Underground crew DAYTIMERS, Ri Mistry, a London-based DJ with a deep and comprehensive knowledge of London’s club scene, LIMI, an expert at providing blends of soulful sounds and deep percussive beats, ranging from Hip Hop, Nu-jazz and Electronica, to UK Bass, Afro Beats and Global Club and Soph – the founder and resident of South London’s vinyl collective Social Records Society.
The night is set to last until 4am, with doors opening at 11pm.
Sister Midnight co-founder, Ms Watson, who used to have a record shop in Tanners Hill, Deptford, said: “SMFM opens up a whole new world of possibilities for engaging and growing the Sister Midnight community.
“We’re so excited to see how the station grows and to have a way for local people to get creatively involved with our work!”
SMFM forms part of Sister Midnight’s efforts to become a cultural hub in South-east London. Radio shows will host a wide array of musicians, community groups, DJs, historians, activists and more.
Since 2021, Sister Midnight has been campaigning to create Lewisham’s first community owned music venue.
Having garnered more than £350,000 in funding donations from the community, Sister Midnight has now started the process of transforming the old working mans club into their very own grassroots venue.
Last year they secured a 10 year lease for their venue in The Brookdale Club and are in the process of transforming it into a grassroots venue which will officially open in Spring this year.
Sister Midnight will have a membership system allowing those from the nearby community to help decide how it can be best used.
The space is expected to have a 250 people capacity, a community cafe space and affordable space for rehearsal and recording artists.
Tickets on sale from £11.50 here
Pictured top: The Sister Midnight collective, from left, Lottie Pendlebury, Lenny Watson and Sophie Farrell (Picture: Sister Midnight)
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