27 MARCH – 1 APRIL 2023
Brixton BID presents its third Brixton Performs Festival! Head to Brixton from 27 March to 1 April – a free festival, showcasing comedy, music, drag and theatre – with talent performing across Brixton’s iconic venues. From intimate gigs in our independent restaurants, to comedy in little know architectural wonders, there are a lot of treats in store!
MONDAY 27 MARCH
THE COCOA BUTTER CLUB AT BRIXTON HOUSE
Show time: 8pm
The Cocoa Butter Club are hitting the stage at Brixton House and presenting a one-off Queer Cabaret not to missed.
Celebrating everything from neo-burlesque and poetry, to drag, hoops and voguing, The Cocoa Butter Club will have you screaming “Yaaaaas queen, smell like cocoa butter up in hurr!”
Brixton House Theatre, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8GL
TUESDAY 28 MARCH
PECS DRAG KINGS AT BRIXTON HOUSE
Show time: 8pm
Pecs Drag Kings are an all-women and non-binary theatre and cabaret company who have been creating critically acclaimed shows for the LGBTQ+ community since 2013. Through drag king cabarets and theatre shows, they explore gender identities, politics and sexuality, to create cultural space for queer women, trans* and non-binary folk. Their shows are sexy, raucous and highly entertaining, using song, dance and comedy to celebrate inclusivity, queerness and community. Join Pecs for a king-filled cabaret featuring some of their greatest hits and incredible local guest performers.
Brixton House Theatre, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8GL
WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH
COMEDY AT DOWNSTAIRS
Show time: 7.30pm
Join us to laugh out loud Downstairs at the Department Store. The comedy line up includes Ross Smith, Finlay Christie, Erika Elher, Charlie George and Lucy Pearman!
This fantastic line up will be joined by headliner Red Richardson. Red is a critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, writer, actor and podcaster and is now recognised as one of the most exciting new comics in The UK.
He has twice appeared on The Stand Up Sketch Show on ITV2, is a regular joke writer for 8 out of Ten Cats, 8 out of Ten Cats does Countdown and Live at The Comedy Store on Comedy Central and has written for Mock The Week.
Red’s 2018 Edinburgh debut Seeing Red garnered four-star reviews from critics and played to packed houses at The Gilded Balloon.
Since then he has co created and co-hosted the global smash hit comedy podcast Laughable which has charted around the world.
Downstairs, The Department Store, SW9 8FR
Heidi Vogel and Femi Temowo at Franzina Trattoria
Show time: from 8pm
Live jazz returns to Franzina Trattoria – Brixton’s timeless Sicilian eatery on Coldharbour Lane – as part of Brixton Performs with two ultra-talented artists!
A highly respected vocalist in the industry, Heidi is part of The Cinematic Orchestra and has opened for Erykah Badu in Dubai, performed at Montreux Jazz festival for Quincy Jones and appeared live on The Jimmy Kimmel Show on ABC , as well as performing at The Sydney Opera House and with The Krakow Symphony Orchestra , The Heritage Orchestra, The London Metropolitan Orchestra. She has also performed with Thundercat, Cleveland Watkiss, Banda Black Rio, The Brand New Heavies, ’Lil Louie Vega, Bobby McFerrin, Isaac Hayes and Chick Corea to name but a few.
Femi Temowo is a MOBO-Award nominated artist, composer and music producer. His slick and melodic guitar sound has earned him a place beside many great musicians from across a variety of genres. He has toured or recorded with artists including George Benson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Amy Winehouse, Courtney Pine, Taylor Swift, The Roots, Omar, Roachford, Jason Rebello, Eska Mtungwazi, Terri Walker, Jean Toussaint, Don Blackman, and Michal Urbaniak.
Franzina Trattoria, 395 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LQ
THURSDAY 30 MARCH
COMEDY AT DOWNSTAIRS
Show time: 7.30pm
The laughs just keep on going Downstairs at the Department Store! Join Jamie D’Souza, Dane Buckley, Rajiv Karia, Marise Gaughan and Freya Mallard for an evening of exciting comedy. Keep an eye on @brixtonperforms where our headline act will be announced soon.
Downstairs, The Department Store, SW9 8FR
CHERISE
Show time: from 8pm
We are very lucky to have rising star Cherise in the Brixton Performs mix!
The soul singer from London truly is a force to be reckoned with, and her journey so far has been nothing but impressive. In 2020, she won Jazz FM’s Vocalist of the Year Award and was Vocalist of the Year in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards in 2020.
Cherise has featured on Disney’s Christmas campaign alongside jazz legend Gregory Porter. Her new single Secrets is available on all good music platforms.
The Laundry, 374 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PL
SHORTEE BLITZ
Show time: 9pm – 12am
Shortee Blitz is the UK’s #1 hip-hop and club DJ and one of the scene’s most popular personalities. He is a tireless supporter of urban music and, through his numerous performances with artists ranging from De La Soul and LL Cool J to Jay-Z and Nas, he has firmly established himself on the international scene. Shortee’s signature skills of cutting, scratching and mixing as well as an ability to consistently rock the dance floor are recognised by the industry and his global fan base.
Having won the Best DJ award at the Mobos in 2003 and subsequently being recognised as the UK’s Best Hip-Hop DJ and Best Hip-Hop Personality, Shortee is no stranger to award nominations or award ceremonies. In 2007 he was nominated for Best Radio DJ in the Urban Music Awards.
His long running, specialist hip-hop radio show on Kiss FM has also been widely acclaimed. He has been holding down a second weekly slot for the last three years, an R&B/Hip Hop/Dancehall Mix show called Kiss Presents…The Mixtape (Saturdays 23.00 – 01.00).
Shortee’s association with Kiss FM stretches back over 12 years, where he got his start as a mix DJ for the show he now hosts and his shows have been nominated for countless awards. Consistently in high demand, Shortee Blitz has toured his innovative style around the world to destinations as diverse as Dubai, Hong Kong, Kenya, New York and Australia. Shortee also holds down residencies in Ibiza and Cyprus throughout the summer and has hosted a number of shows on MTV as well as releasing plenty of well-received mixtapes.
Chip Shop, 378 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LF
FRIDAY 31 MARCH
SPECIAL GUEST AT PURE VINYL
Show time: 6 – 9pm
Head down to Pure Vinyl Records for a fantastic night of live music. Keep an eye on @brixtonperforms for the announcement! Pure Vinyl has limited capacity, so get there early!
SATURDAY 1 APRIL
Musical story time for families with Brixton Chamber Orchestra
Show time: 3pm – 4pm
Brixton Chamber Orchestra present a child friendly workshop for five to 10-year-olds.
BCO’s versatile seven-piece Roving Band will be joined by the wonderful Floetic Lara – local singer, tutor, storyteller and workshop leader.
This musical story-time workshop will combine vibrant performance with heaps of participation, imagined people and places with real interactions and sensory experience.
Set in the central courtyard of Brixton’s quirky Pop, the performers will use the space in exciting ways. The children will learn a song together, and some dance moves too. The session will introduce children to various musical instruments and styles, as well as demonstrating the impact music has on a story’s characters and narratives.
Pop Brixton, Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ
COMEDY AT UPSTAIRS AT THE RITZY
Show time: 7.30pm
The last night of our Brixton Performs comedy will be held Upstairs at the iconic Ritzy cinema!
Gracing the stage will be Daman Bamrah, Richard Spalding, Bella Hull, Freya McGhee and Joe Thomas. Our headliner will be announced soon!
Upstairs at Ritzy Cinema, SW2 1JG
SWEET P DJ SET (EVE’S DROP COLLECTIVE)
Show time: 9 – midnight
Sweet P was part of the 90’s explosion of Manchester’s club scene. She regularly DJ’d at Sankeys, Paradise, Arch Bar, Jam St, Alaska & Hacienda. Her style is a lively mix of soulful jazzy beats, hip hop, funk, rare grooves, soulful house and broken beat.
A two-year Saturday night residency at Home nightclub featured guest slots from future stars such as Mr Scruff, Mark Rae and Andy Votel, as well as veteran Manchester DJs The Jam MCs, Dean Johnson and Mike Chadwick, with occasional visits by London luminaries such as Patrick Forge, Ross Allen and DJ Food. She also hosted a radio show on pirate stations Frontline and Love Energy, and over the next decade continued to be an integral part of Manchester’s music scene playing at clubs, bars and parties across the city.
Older and wiser and inspired by joining the Eve’s Drop Collective, Sweet P is back for more, billed at several festivals and venues as well as hosting her new monthly radio show on The BoAt Pod.
The Lounge. 58 Atlantic Road, SW9 8PY
