Restin'

SOB logo, originally uploaded by chantelle.

It's taken me a while to post about it, thanks to everyone who's been messaging about Straight Outta Bethnal (SOB), It's nice to think we've created a party that people want to come back to, but for the time being you're going to have to make do with the other shit (not necessarily descriptive of all events), on offer. Murkage from Ghetto et al aside, at the last SOB there was a small altercation in the basement after Fuda Guy splashed some water on a guy who didn't take kindly to getting wetted up (in the old skool sense). Anyway, it was broken up after a number of seconds and the matter quashed after we got all Kofi Anan and mediated/cleared out the wreckers. What people need to understand is that if you go to a night like this and trouble kicks off, chances are you're going to cost the promotion in some way, shape or form. Not to say it's fair, but it's the reality of putting on grime nights, clubs are scared and won't treat you in the same way as the aternative scenes. It was especially annoying this happened after I'd spent time before the event ensuring certain people didn't come through fear of a clash or worse, people who respected my wishes and were going to tear up SOB the following month. Swiiiinnnnggggggg. But message boards seemed to dwell on this incident, if at a house night someone get's bottled, for example, does this become the only thing worth discussing? In a sense we've got our own Heat Magazine interest in the life, times, motives and doings or the artists, something which like our obsession with Joran and Peter Ander, isn't entirely healthy or helping anyone or anything. Anyway, 333 had already been on my case that night due to the high levels of weed pollution, something as a promoter, there's little you can do to stop. Let me not get started on the over-busy stage, something that again is extremely hard to control when artists themselves don't respect the rules you're trying to put in place for both their own safety and the quality of performances. So the following week we go for our emergency meeting. It's agreed we can do another event if the underground acts are pretty much non-existent. Initially I wondered what the point was as that was at the core of the SOB formula, but at the same time I learnt a lesson from the last night; if you book certain people you're asking for it, not necessarily from them but the people who follow them. On the otherhand there are the 'underground' artists you can book who will guarantee you sing-a-longs and one big party. Those who attended the first couple of SOB's will know what I'm talking about. While we still had the vibes at the last one, the atmosphere was different and It didn't feel like the nite I wanted it to be. Succumbing to the powers that be, filming for the Duppy video aside, Mitchell Brothers and Virus Syndicate looked like the only way forward, until I got a phone call the following day, 333 deciding to pull it. Partly it can be assumed it was due to the weed and fear of the unknown i.e. our music, but it was more than that. Following the unfortunate murder of YGC's MC Slinger (also on March 24th but of no relation to the event), the Met phoned 333 asking for my number, in turn requesting information from myself and the performing acts. Being the only grime night and one that also happened the night of the crime, we seemed an obvious port of call to them because this was a 'grime murder'. Tell me, if someone into rock music is murdered, does it then become a rock murder? I'm baffled as to why it only seems to be crime related to black music or music of a more street form that gets tagged in this way. With the police sniffing round, you can't blame 333 for wanting out, likewise I understand they have a job to do and want to find the killer, if you're hitting a brick wall then you need to tap up info wherever you think possible. So despite hoardes of press support, six months of trouble free parties and a growing reputation, we're homeless. If and when we find another venue, rest assured you'll be the first to know.