HUNGER’s weekend guide: The Lesbiennale and Boiler Room Festival edition
A selection of landmark projects by Boiler Room start in London this week and HUNGER is in full support. Not only is there a great opportunity to celebrate underground music and DIY culture’s most original talent at Boiler Room Festival, but actually a chance to be part of a turning point in the UK’s cultural scene with 4:3’s Lesbiennale.
Lesbiennale
Curated by Nadine Ahmad (Pxssy Palace) and Naeem Davis (BBZ), Lesbiennale is the new and on-going art project exploring marginalised identities within lesbianism, across a number of London venues and online, the project will span erotic readings, a cinema screening, digital exhibitions and a massive queer party with live performances from Tuesday to Thursday.
Featuring contributions from some of the globe’s most innovative queer collectives, artists and thinkers, such as Victoria Sin, Kai Isaiah-Jamal, Leilah Weinraub, Sippin T and Pxssy Palace. Lesbiennale may be one of the most important projects nationwide in resisting an industry dominated by cis men, the lesbian community is often overlooked when it comes to nightlife and creative industries in general, especially POC members; Lesbiennale creates the vital pedestal for accessible and diverse communities to flourish in the industry.
The project’s curators, Naeem Davis and Nadine Ahmad dedicate the project’s creation is “for trans lesbians, non-binary POC lesbians, dark skin lesbians, lesbians who like sex, lesbians who like getting paid for sex, lonely lesbians, long-haired lesbians, queer lesbians, ex-lesbians, big dick lesbians who like three sugars in their tea, Black nerdy lesbians, your lesbian neighbour who hates you, and all the other marginalised bocats of the lesbian world.”
Boiler Room Festival
Towards the end of the week and continuing across the weekend, Boiler Room launches its new festival celebrating underground music and DIY culture in venues across Peckham. Each day focuses on different scenes and brings together the most vital talent from jazz, rap, bass and club genres.
A reflection of the surge in music habits favouring DIY underground artists, “this isn’t about the headliners – it’s about the next-gen. It’s not about any one artist, it’s about the communities they thrive in” said Boiler Room. The festival’s line-up features the kings and queens of this culture, all equally paving the way for new exciting steps of their genre, including; Aba Shanti-I, Blawan, DJ Stingray, Greentea Peng, Bradley Zero, Obongjayar, D Double E and many more.
The festival has been created with four of the world’s leading spirits drinks brands and all long-time champions of emerging and underground music talent and providing future-facing music experiences – Absolut Vodka, Ballantine’s Scotch Whisky, Beefeater Gin and Jameson Irish Whiskey – who will each create immersive experiences and unique moments over the four days.
Lesbiennale: Readings
Lesbiennale launches with an evening of erotic readings at The ICA from poet and long-standing BBZ member Kai Isaiah-Jamal, drag artist Victoria Sin, writer Ama Josephine Budge and Monique Todd (Pleasure Principles). The night will close out with a nice ‘n’ slow DJ set from Jordss.
Simply “prepare to leave changed, and small small moist.”
Purchase tickets here.
Price £7, 19:00 – 22:00
Location: ICA, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH London, United Kingdom
Boiler Room Festival Day 1: Jazz
For the festival’s launch date, some of London’s most cherished jazz institutions have programmed a killer blend of live acts and DJs; featuring artists who have pioneered and been inspired by the broad contemporary spectrum of Jazz, from nightclubs to front-of-stage.
From the jazz-infused dance floor sensibilities of DJ’s such as Bradley Zero and Swindle, through to some of the most inspiring live acts of the past few years such as Steam Down, this day’s events will focus on the ‘movement’ around Jazz, rather than the genre, zooming out to shine a light on Jazz’s far-reaching contemporary influence and how this has shifted the beat of London’s dance floors.
In collaboration with Balamii, Brilliant Corners, Church of Sound x Total Refreshment Centre, Steam Down and Winds & Skins, the evening welcomes jazz duo Project Karnak, Neue Grafix Ensemble, Lunch Money, Greentea Peng, Alfa Mist and many more.
Purchase tickets here.
Price £27.50, 18:00 – 23:59
Location: Various Venues, Peckham
Lesbiennale: ‘SHAKEDOWN’ (2018) by Leilah Weinraub plus talk with Kuchenga, Wesley Dykes and Chantelle Kartel
Tonight, Lesbiennale open up Rio Cinema for an intimate screening of SHAKEDOWN, Leilah Weinraub’s acclaimed 2018 documentary about the underground black lesbian strip club scene in early naughties Los Angeles.
SHAKEDOWN is an intimate portrait of this community, anchored in the stories of four of its protagonists: Ronnie Ron, the butch creator and emcee of Shakedown; Mahogany, the legendary mother of the scene; Egypt, a single mother, beauty pageant fanatic and dedicated self-(re)inventor; and Jazmyne, the complicated and sometimes conflicted ‘queen’ of Shakedown.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion between writer Kuchenga, drag artist Wesley Dykes, Lesbian club night curator Chantella Martel, cultural producer Nadine Artois and chaired by Naeem Davis.
Purchase tickets here.
Price £10, 19:00 – 22:00
Location: Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High St, London E8 2PB
Lesbiennale: Party
Officially time to get booty shaking, for their final night Lesbiennale are taking over Village Underground for electric club edits hosted by groundbreaking queer collective Pxssy Palace, BBZ’s Sippin T, Covco and DJ Paulette – plus it is free!
Get yourself prepared for live performances by Harpies, Cutie Whippingham, A.T. and a special to-be-announced guest.
Request invite here.
Price FREE, 22:00 – 02:00
Location: 54 Holywell Ln, Hackney, London EC2A 3PQ
Boiler Room Festival Day 2: Rap
Thursday is dedicated to showcasing the underground Rap scene. The genre is riding the crest of a new wave in London, having been given the chance to evolve and find a new voice via the city’s underground.
Expect appearances from legendary artists such as DJ Neptizzle, D Double E and Jammer, through to some of the most talked-about newcomers such as Biig Piig, the Underground Rap programme will provide a platform for the champions of the scene who continue to change the tide.
Purchase tickets here.
Price £22.50, 18:00 – 01:00
Location: Various Venues, Peckham
Boiler Room Festival Day 3: Bass
An almighty soundclash of dub disciplines as Aba Shanti-I Soundsystem squares off against Mixpak family Dre Skull and Jubilee and Deep Medi torchbearers Sicaria Sound. Still a few surprises to drop here….
Jungle to dubstep, UK Funky to dancehall; bass music and sound system culture is part of the UK’s DNA.
From forefathers of bassweight, through to scene pioneers and members of the new guard of bass cadets, Friday will unite DJs & collectives from a broad church of bass-heavy scenes for an evening of chest-rattling music.
Purchase tickets here.
Price £27.50, 18:00 – 02:00
Location: Various Venues, Peckham
Boiler Room Festival Day 4: Club
Boiler Room Festival is closing with a fitting almighty rave-off. The final night highlights the vibrancy of electronic music in the UK today, zeroing in on Club music. Electronic music has never been so diverse & dynamic. Harder, faster, more political; it soundtracks the UK’s most radical spaces for reasons that reach beyond the dance floor.
With Saturday’s line up ranging from Detroit’s techno godfather, DJ Stingray, to Boiler Room’s own breakthrough artist Sherelle, Boiler Room Festival will be celebrating the DJs and crews who are pushing club culture forward and re-shaping the sound of house and techno.
Purchase tickets here.
Price £32.50, 16:00 – 04:00
Location: Various Venues, Peckham
