If you’re looking for ways to entertain yourself in Brixton this weekend it seems to be mostly about cinema and live music.

January is the month for excellent film releases, for a reason film buffs will know. Beginning of awards season or something I think. Judging panels must have short memories. There is a multitude of options at the Ritzy this weekend, and more times to see them as they continue their programme of late screenings. Chose from: Steve McQueen’s much-praised Shame, the Thatcher biopic that recently won Meryl Streep a Golden Globe The Iron Lady, weepie War Horse and of course silent cinema tribute The Artist. If that’s not enough, the Ritzy is also showing classic 1971 American road trip movie Two Lane Blacktop. And of course the big new Leonardo diCaprio epic J Edgar is also out on general release today.

I’m not really a huge fan of Leo, but I’m really interested to see what this film is like. If you’re not familiar, J Edgar Hoover was once the most powerful man in America. As the founder and first director of the FBI, Hoover was privy to all the inside information on every scandal and tragedy in American public life – from the assassination of JFK to Watergate. He built up huge dossiers on public figures, the secret contents of which allowed him to wield influence over everyone, from presidents down. However, since his death he has been accused of blackmail, racism and complicity with the Mafia, and it’s been suggested that he went to great lengths to hide his homosexuality and cross-dressing. I’m really intrigued to see how Clint Eastwood and his cast will present the story of this almost mythical and extraordinarily powerful man.

Seen everything already? How about some live music then. Brixton favourites Drunken Ballordi are playing the Windmill tonight – imagine punky Hungarian-ish Folk … if you can. Entry for a bargainous £3. 

Tomorrow night blues and rock band Handshake Music are playing an acoustic set at the Trinity Arms, Trinity Square starting at 7.30. I won’t like to the pub’s site as it’s NEVER updated so this does not feature, but here’s the link to the band’s facebook page. It’s free as far as I can make out, do let me know if you have any more info.

And then on Sunday it’s the quarter final of the Laughing Horse comedy competition at Dogstar. . Six quid to get in, and fifteen – no doubt very nervous – aspiring comedians. What else is Brixton up to then? Do leave me a comment if you think I’ve missed something…

Now that’s over, what does the first few months of 2012 have going for it? Well, diaries at the ready as I have compiled a list of Brixton happenings that I Think You Should be Aware of.

Both firstly and foremostly, DROP EVERYTHING (oh, soz, was that your new iPad?) because tomorrow evening is the second Meet Brixton. A sort of Brixton fanclub, it’s a chance for people who live, work, or just quite like it here to meet up for a drink. This time you shall find us in Dogstar. More details here. And a write up of the last one here, if you still can’t quite picture what I’m on about.

If you didn’t get tickets to the Maccabees at the Academy on 26^th January and like staying up late, you can still jump on this particular bandwagon at the after party at Brixton Jamm. The band are Djing. A tenner in advance and I reckon it will be rather popular. Expect most of the Guardian’s music journos there at least, asking for receipts at the bar.

The following Saturday, the 28^th to be precise, Kaff Bar is hosting their first Rockabilly night. So if you’ve been doing those Monday classes at Electric Social, this is your chance to properly show off. Everyone else, let’s just whap out the circle skirts and have a nice time.

Good news for sprogs and breeders of sprogs – Brockwell park playground reopens in March. It’s been closed for a while as part of a £5 million Brockwell refit, but I’m sure it’ll look great once it’s up and running again.

On 1^st March Los Van Van are playing the Electric. A twenty piece ‘dance orchestra’ formed in 1969 in Havana, they are one of the most influential bands in modern Cuban music. If you don’t want to pay £23 for a ticket then at least check them out on Spotify, as they sound great.

The Windmill would like to recommend that you book tickets now for US band Those Darlins, gracing their establishment on 4^th April. Hailing from Tennessee, by the sound of it they are a little bit country, a little bit retro-rock with a touch of punk. If you can imagine such a thing. The Guardian says:

‘Once heavy on the hillbilly, these southern girls have ditched yee-haws and ukuleles to be a power-pop proposition’

Whereas Time Out Chicago helpfully adds:

‘Their jangling shuffle explores the middle ground between the Go-Go’s and Merle Haggard. Yeah, that territory exists. And the chicken there is delicious’

Er, ok.

On 27^th and 28^th April US band Foster the People play Brixton Academy. Yes, yes, the ones with the annoying tinny ‘run run run’ song. Stay with me here. The record is very over produced – trying perhaps to cover up the fact that the singer sounds a little like Alvin, of Chipmunk fame – but BUT when I saw them at Latitude last summer they played a brilliant indie-pop set to a packed and madly bouncing crowd. It will be fun. And I think you should go.

SO, what have I missed out? Add suggestions to the comments below please thank you.

Is it the Height of Smug to take a Friday afternoon off work? To wish everyone a good weekend at one o’clock, and saunter nonchalantly out of the office with a small finger wave? Judging by the evil looks my desk-bound colleagues gave me on Friday as I did just that, I think it might be.

Oh but it feels good, doesn’t it? I decided to take my overwhelming sense of freedom for lunch at the (relatively) new Village establishment French and Grace. At 1.30 all three tables inside were full, but by the time we’d ordered became free. Lovely and cosy now, we shed coats, enjoyed the cooking smells – and listened to our stomachs rumble.

Our meze platter came up first: soft hummus and gloriously gooey baba ghanoush, tabbouleh and deliciously sour and tangy yogurt with flat breads to scoop it up with. Once day I shall find out how they make the yoghurt taste like that.

My merguez sausage was accompanied in its wrap by finely grated cabbage and carrot which made it feel positively healthful. It’s got a bit of a kick to it – which was great, but meant I couldn’t really taste the hummus. Although perhaps that’s just me.

My only regret is that we had no room left to try the butter beans and rosemary hummus with ground lamb, which sounds brilliant. Next time then, as I will most definitely be back. In fact, I’m even considering a birthday meal here it was so good.

I knew that French and Grace is the permanent home of an enterprise that started as a Brixton supper club called Salad Club, but not much else about it. On the way out I asked why they called it French and Grace. Turns out it’s run by Rosie French and Ellie Grace. Oh right, then. I suppose it’s handy they’re not Rosie Cox and Ellie Sidebottom really.

French and Grace, Unit 19, First Avenue, SW9 8PR

www.saladclub.wordpress.com/french-grace/menu

Steve Ross used to run bars at festivals. He’s a veteran of Bestival the year there was a plane crash on site and the year of all the mud when the whole festival almost slid off the Isle of Wight. So opening his own bar was probably both a logical step and less daunting than it would be for many. Handy that, as Steve claims not to have had a day off since opening night and to have done almost everything himself, including a bit of light wall building.

But then the easily daunted are unlikely to open bars like Kaff. Three restaurants in the same premises had previously failed to last longer than six months. Four months in and I get the impression that there may have been some hairy moments but, broadly, things at Kaff are going well. There was a more-than-respectable number of punters in on Tuesday night, including one large group in who seemed to be having a brilliant time.

The intention behind Kaff is to create a space that is comfortable to relax in at any time of day. Not just somewhere for boozing. And I think it’s working. The atmosphere is great and feels relaxed and friendly. It’s a good sized space and the impressive wall art helps give what could otherwise feel like a large box some real charm. The cocktail list comes in a small box for some reason (see below) but the £3 mojitos are a very palpable hit. They come in a jar. But then so do many good things.

There’s only one small problem – not the large windows, it’s actually not at all goldfishy inside – it’s pretty noisy. With the place half full and no music playing, my friend and I struggled a little to hear each other. Perhaps some soft furnishings are on the list of long term goals. Food is definitely on that list when the kitchen can be finished, at the moment they’re being supplied by Icheban next door and the Caribbean bakery over the road. I’ll definitely be going back to see how they get on.

Kaff definitely feels part of the creative, do-it-yourself and strongly localist spirit that Brixton Village seems to embody. However, despite claiming to be pleased and impressed with the success of the Village, Kaff’s owner says he feels that the result of the media attention it’s received is that it’s too much of a hub, creating a phenomenon where customers make a beeline for the Village, leaving slim pickings for everyone else.

So, Brixtonites, I say sternly: do not be blinkered to other great new Brixton things outside of the Granville arcade. Pop down to Kaff at any time of day, and particularly look out for an upcoming Rockabilly night, some movie nights and maybe even another art exhibition.  

Oh, there’s also a cake club on Sunday afternoons. Of which I would tell more, but I’m sure you can guess the first rule of cake club…

www.kaff-bar.co.uk

So, the big question is: what’s free?

Well, tonight at the Electric Social there’s the King Fu Disco. Admittedly I have no idea what this is and the last time I went there the whole place smelled of paint and drains. But commenters on ViewLondon seem to flippin’ love the place. ES’s website promises that Kung Fu Disco DJs will ‘do silly dances and generally stick two fingers up at the musical world’, but it’s unclear whether this is intended as an enticement or a warning.  Either way, entry is free.

The Offline Club at the Prince Albert (which is always free) seems to be on hiatus at the moment, so the regulars will probably be heading to Hootananny where there’s no charge to get in either tonight or tomorrow night. This evening’s offering sounds the most likely to dispel January grumpiness with Hootananny regulars Top Cats leading the charge, playing Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae.

Provided you’re not too thirsty, you will not need to possess any cash to attend Sunday afternoon’s set by Brixtonian Greg Harrison and his guitar at the Windmill from 2pm. Sounds very pleasant, and saves turning the heating on at least.

On Mondays the Duke of Edinburgh (204 Ferndale Rd, SW9 8AG) will furnish you with a free plate of pasta when you buy two full price drinks. Obvs we’re still talking about an outlay of six or seven quid, but if you’re drinking anyway it’s a pretty good deal.

And, of course, a nice walk in Brockwell Park is always free. And wholesome. Some would argue that it’s not always strictly necessary to pay for the tennis courts either, but not me.

 Got any other suggestions for spending time without spending money in Brixton?

My Friday guest in Brixton was my little brother, all the way from Clapham. I proudly marched him to the Village, where he picked Elephant, purveyors of Pakistani thali. We both chose a keema (spiced minced lamb and peas) which arrived with its guests; dhal, raita, rice and a naan. Oh, and some tomatoey bits. Like greedy moths to a curry flame though, we’d also been tempted by the starter menu and ordered some pakoras and samosas. The samosas were beautiful – light and fresh, rather than greasy and crunchy. They too had keema in them – we may not have thought this through. The lamb was spicy but very flavourful: warming rather than tingly-lips.

‘Warming’ was definitely a good thing: it’s getting a bit flippin’ chilly in the Village now. A few doorless establishments were dealing with this by providing blankets. I dealt with it by keeping my coat on – which now smell a bit of curry. The group that arrived to claim their large table at Elephant as we were leaving were dealing with it by getting rip-roaringly drunk, judging by the four bottle of Bells they put on the table. (Elephant is one of the few places in the Village still to allow BYO, although there was a small charge.)

The staff at Elephant were so friendly that I found myself in a polite-off. Our larger table was actually reserved from 8pm, could we possibly move to a smaller one while we finished our wine? Of course we could, we had been told about the 8pm thing. He was very sorry. We absolutely didn’t mind. He couldn’t have been more apologetic. We couldn’t have been more cheerfully obliging. I felt a bit like I was performing a Richard Curtis script.

My guest on Saturday has just come back from a couple of years in much sunnier climes, so although I was tempted to head back to the Village I thought a warmer spot might be preferable. Off we went to the Prince Regent to find a cosy corner and remove outer layers.

We hadn’t booked a table, but at 9pm there was room at the end of one of the long tables for us. Funny how the reserved dining area is annoying when you’re a drinker who wants a seat, but seems so civilised when you’re a diner on a Saturday night.

I ordered the duck, which came with a firm and perfectly square slab of dauphinoise potatoes and some rather nice red cabbage. My shivering companion had a starter portion of risotto. Slightly gloopily indistinct in the dim lighting, tasted brilliant. And was large. I’m afraid I didn’t take any pictures, I was too busy putting it all in my face. Also on the menu was the obligatory burger, an expensive steak, some sort of fish, and venison sausages with mash. The Prince Regent is quite pricy (about £10-15 a main) but the food is excellent and the atmosphere on Saturday was a very happy medium between pub and restaurant.

I moved to Brixton last weekend – though I’ve secretly considered myself an honorary Brixtonite for quite some time, having sought solace here from the cultural and culinary vacuum that is Clapham South for the past couple of years. Now I’m really properly here, I’ve joined the gym (well something’s got to offset living in one of London’s foodie hotspots) at Brixton Recreation Centre on Station Road. This road is always a hive of activity, with market stalls selling various Jamaican goods, Portuguese cafes and a Guyanese roti van which looks very promising, but on Friday I discovered that there’s a new weekly food market: #BrixtonFridayFood. At the moment it’s very small-scale, with just a few traders, but it’s set to surely grow.

I met the fabulous self-taught baker Mabel, who got up at 4am to make this impressive bounty:

I bought a loaf of her date and walnut soda bread loaf, which I intend to have with a waxy, creamy Manchego cheese from this fellow, Oscar from Taste of Spain.

As well as different sorts of Manchego, delicious salted almonds, olives and olive oils, Oscar was peddling a braised beef and red wine stew, and a calamari, spinach and potato casserole, both served with couscous for £4.50. It looked great, but I couldn’t resist a freshly cooked, hot chorizo roll made with crusty French bread, salad, tomato and olive oil vinaigrette. A steal for £3.50.

Oscar is also here on a Saturday, making paella between 1-1.30pm, so make sure you check it out!

Have a look at Rosie’s blog here for more food from South london and beyond or follow her on Twitter @RosieFoodie. She’s one of MSN’s most influential foodies you know!

It sounds like it will be the usual fun and frolics at the Village tonight. Oh, but with a cardboard log cabin. No, I don’t understand either but am definitely going to go and investigate. Grand opening is at 7pm.

Coldharbour Lane is going to be the scene of a craft-and -Christmas-off this weekend. Which will no doubt equal a whole lot of bunting. The New Vintage  is back at Living Bar on Saturday from 11am. If you didn’t make it last time there’s a post and some photos here. The Christmas cheer will be provided by a three-part harmony group called Swinging in Heels (no, not that kind of swinging) who will be singing festive tunes.

Not to be outdone, rival gang/market the Crafty Fox a few doors down at Dogstar is countering with a Christmas decorating workshop. They get points for stamina too, setting up shop both Saturday and Sunday.

I’m looking forward to some crafting smack-talk.

On Saturday night the Windmill is hosting ‘a festive evening of post and electro punk and mince pies’. Proving wrong all those doubters who thought punk wasn’t a pastry-friendly genre. 

Alternatively, £20 at Upstairs at the Ritzy gets you a full Caribbean buffet, a glass of punch and a night of reggae at the Rocksteady Christmas Party. 

And do you know who’s playing the Academy on Saturday night? It’s Ocean Colour Scene! Go on, you LOVED Moseley Shoals. Everyone did, it was the 90s! All together now, WO OH LA LA, WO OH LA LA. The after party’s at the Brixton Jamm. Just in case you want to, you know, sip another rum and coke…

Soz.

HANG ON: Update on the Log Cabin. There will be no Log Cabin opening tonight, I’ve just seen on Twitter that it’s been moved to next weekend.

Masterminded by Tim Dickens (@Brixton_Bugle) and Zoe Jewell (who writes the Brixton Blog) it was a chance for people who chat on Twitter, read each other’s blogs, or, er, just fancy a pint, to get together in the actual real world. And d’you know what? It was really, really fun.

Social media commentators are always banging on about how these things have changed the way we socialise and interact. And yes, it was a little strange to be asked on introducing myself as Liz, ‘Yes but who are you actually? On Twitter?’ But the fact remains that last night’s meet up wouldn’t have happened without it. And I wouldn’t have met such lovely people who are so ready to lavish praise on the place where they live. If Brixton was a person it would have been blushing.

So the people we follow on Twitter and whose blogs we read have faces! And here is a selection of them:

Tim (@Brixton_Bugle and also @Tim_Dickens if you’re a fan of Ilford) and Hannah (@koffs). They are considering performing in their own sketch show. Well, they’re not. But they should.

Joe (@joe_tanman) and Jamal (@dayes and @brixtontown – I honestly don’t know how some people have the energy for two Twitter accounts). They live near the windmill which Jamal particularly likes photographing. I assume ‘actual’ rather than ‘the bar’, but this was not entirely clear.

 Nicki (@northsouthfood), Wuuff (Matilda I think?) (@wuuff),and Issy (@brixtonvillage). Issy is the dedicated voice of the Village. You know the Village facebook page, the only source of good info about the Village? Well that’s all Issy. A little tweet of applause I think.

The Kiwi contingent. Neil (@neilyoung77) and Katy (@what_katy_did). Brilliant to meet some fellow Elm Park/Leander people.

 Lucy (@tvdinners)and Zoe (@BrixtonBlog). Lovely folk. Zoe’s live in Brixton all her life and has been writing the Brixton blog for two years I think she said.

And finally… URBAN75 MIKE TURNED UP! He may not be a fan of having his picture taken but it was excellent to meet him. The forums on Urban75  are a constant source of all Brixton knowledge, as well as being the original online presence for  Brixton and its residents, way before we upstarts stuck our oar in.

There’s plans for another meet up in the New Year, keep an eye on this for more info details.

#hangover

If you’re in Brixton today the Friday food market on Station Road (between 10 and 5) sounds like it could be a good source of lunch. I’ve not been, and I have heard mutterings that offerings are a little limited, but according to Twitter there’s both Korean barbecue and paella for sale today. I think: brilliant.

My Week With Marilyn has finally come to the Ritzy today. I’m not quite sure why it’s taken so long, I guess it’s just capacity. For those that prefer violence to Marilyn Munroe, the Ritzy is also showing Jamaican boxing film Ghett’a Life. I absolutely detest boxing, but this does actually look quite good.

Very happy birthday to Dogstar this weekend – sixteen years of fun and frolics. Time Out reckons it’s the longest running pub-club in the areaso wrap up a can of pedigree chum and head down. It’s free before 10 and a fiver after.

There’s still tickets available for the Kills at the Academy on Saturday. Support act is the excellent (and beardy ) Josh T Pearson, and some band I’ve never heard of – Trailer Trash somethingorother.