Lewisham Loop - Issue 34 ✨

September is bowing out with water calligraphy, hip-hop, multilingual theatre and one fairly noisy night in New Cross. Then October wanders in with life drawing, nu-metal-punk and the chance to learn screen printing properly rather than attacking a tote bag with misplaced confidence.

Start the week at Ignition Brewery with a free introduction to water calligraphy. You’ll learn about the traditional “Four Treasures”, watch a demonstration, then have plenty of time to experiment with brushes, movement and floral painting using water on reusable surfaces. The session finishes with a little stretching too, because apparently Monday can be relaxed.

It’s part of Sydenham Arts’ Winter Welcome Workshops and is completely free - find out more here.

The Albany’s free Dance Groove sessions are back, with Shaney from Love2Dance teaching hip-hop and street dance techniques while helping participants build their own short routines. There’s no previous dance or choreography experience needed, and the sessions can lead to a performance as part of the Albany’s Come As You Are programme.

It’s for ages 12–24 and free to attend, although you’ll need to sign up for Come As You Are first through here. More info about Come As You Are can also be found here.

Lewisham Youth Theatre is inviting young people who speak an additional language to an afternoon of drama games, characters and storytelling. The idea is to explore how you can create theatre together even when everyone in the room doesn’t share the same first language.

No drama experience is needed. This event is aimed at multilingual children aged 9–13 and is completely free - simply reserve a spot here.

New Cross Inn gets a dose of London’s hyperpop, digicore and contemporary hip-hop scene with Mumble, joined on the bill by Norwegian artist zivve. Expect electronics, genre-blurring production and considerably more energy than most Tuesday evenings have any right to contain.

Tickets as well as links to the Mumble and supporting artists’ socials can be found here - £10 + £1 booking fee.

Kiell Smith-Bynoe — of Ghosts, Taskmaster and Stath Lets Flats — brings his improv show Kool Story Bro to the Albany for a one-off recorded special.
Audience stories provide the inspiration, a cast of improvisers has to turn them into comedy, and there’s a surprise celebrity guest thrown in for good measure. The show is being filmed, so attending also means consenting to being photographed or recorded.

Further info about the improv show can be found on the website here, whilst tickets can be bought from here for £20.50

_{Note: This event is 18+}

Brighton duo WREX bring their collision of punk, nu-metal, pop, electronics and seriously chunky riffs to New Cross Inn. Their own description promises music built for both dancefloors and mosh pits, which feels like a useful warning.
They’re joined by Neversaid, Inner Dog and Faceover for a properly loud Thursday night.

Tickets and links to WREX and friends’ socials can be found here - tickets are priced at £11.

Adult Learning Lewisham’s four-week life drawing course starts on Thursday, covering line, tone, form, movement, colour and composition while working from both short and long poses.
It isn’t just about drawing exactly what’s in front of you either: the course encourages experimental mark-making, layering and developing your own style. Useful whether you already draw regularly or your last serious artistic period ended somewhere around GCSE Art.

The course and further details can be found here - priced at £106 for the 4 weeks.

💻 Catbytes Digital Drop-Ins - Monday 28 September, 10am–12pm at Sydenham Community Library. Need a hand with WhatsApp, email or generally persuading your device to behave? Catbytes offers a free, drop-in, friendly digital support session, with Wi-Fi and a few spare tablets available too.

✍️ Just Write It! - Monday 28 September, 6:30pm–8:30pm at Deptford Lounge. Spend the first hour actually getting some writing done, then use the second for sharing work and constructive feedback. For ages 16+, with pay-what-you-decide tickets from £3–£10.

💼 Employability Support - Tuesday 29 September, 9am–1pm at Corbett Community Library. Free one-to-one help with CVs, cover letters, job applications, job searching, interview skills and digital skills. Appointments can be booked via the contact details in the link, and run from 9:15am–12:25pm, followed by a 12:30pm–1pm drop-in.

🎵 Rhyme Time - Tuesday 29 September, 10am–10:30am at Forest Hill Community Library. Songs and stories with Anita for little ones aged 5 and under. A simple half-hour outing for anyone whose current social calendar is largely dictated by nap times.

🧘 Wednesday Morning Therapeutic Yoga - Wednesday 30 September, 9:30am–10:30am at Manor House Community Library. An accessible therapeutic yoga class with Cathy covering posture, pranayama breathing, mantra, mudra and yoga nidra. Equipment is provided, and there’s a free trial class for newcomers. Drop-in sessions are £15, or six classes cost £80.

📚 Forest Hill Reading Group - Wednesday 30 September, 6pm–7pm at Forest Hill Community Library. Pick up the month’s book, settle in and join a relaxed discussion with fellow readers. There’s no sign-up and no pressure — just books, conversation and a respectable excuse to talk about fictional people as though you know them personally.

🎬 Deptford Library Cinema Club - Thursday 1 October, 6pm–8pm at Deptford Lounge. Free weekly film screenings with a new theme each month, no booking required and biscuits occasionally entering the equation. All ages are welcome, although under-12s need an adult with them. Check with the library for that week’s film.

See you next week ~