SPIKE

The Spike got evicted today. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved there over the years. I have had some seriously good times in that place. As a band we have recorded there a few times and I have been to some legendary Halloween parties. The Spike is a South London community whether the council like it or not.

The auction will be in about a month, we have been working around the idea of getting a bid together as some sort of cooperative. The Spike were turned down, first time by Triodos, we think with some self build housing which retains the community aspects of the space maybe another stab?

The ballifs said they would give the guys two weeks notice. In the event they came in with a few Police at 7 AM. I would imagine the Police did a quick risk assesment, saw the big gate and that the space is pretty much inaccesible from anywhere else. They imagined what opportunty two weeks notice might give the sorts of people they see around here and thought surprise was the less man power option. I spoke to the Cops through the gate and they gave me a number at the council to ring to get our stuff out.

We were very lucky to do one of the final shows in the building. We heard of the eviction during rehersals and were lining up potential stand in venues, in the end the show was fantastic. I fucking love drunk shakespeare. Watching a group of nervous friends having the balls to voodoo their understanding of Lear just knocks the bollocks off of anything I have seen from people who have been to acting school.

Other reviews from friends of mine-

Its Shakespeare. I couldn't understand a fucking word etc etc.

I particularly love what the foreign accent does to Shakespeare. True, you often can't understand the words, but you have a different slant on the colour of the characters and the meaning. We practiced the eye pulling scene a few times, but having built the actual chair days before the production we had never had a run through where we haven't had to stop, check that the poor guy was comfortable, high enough on the chair, leaned far enough back that he could shout his lines into the air for all to hear etc..

In the event I was punching the air in front of me at the way a little slight of hand, some rustled up fake blood and a couple of lychees could provoke an audience. We were lucky that our original idea of using pigs eyes fell foul of the venues vegan rules. That cosmic conspiracy, and the line "If you see vengance" spoken to the eye as it looks into the teeth that will consume it- what can I say?

Top banana to all involved. It was definatley the biggest struggle so far for the actors. I really felt for them, but now we have Lear, as part of a repertoire.

We had some camera at the back but until I get the tapes I will just put this up.



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