Brixton has always made room for people pushed to the edges. That’s why the UPRISING finale at Brixton House is more than a party: it’s a living tribute to Pearl Alcock and to the Black queer spaces that helped shape this place.
Pearl Alcock—part of the Windrush generation—was an entrepreneur, dressmaker, and café owner whose spaces on Railton Road became a home base for Black LGBTQ+ Brixton. In the 1970s–80s she ran a boutique at 103 Railton Road with a much-loved shebeen downstairs, later opening a café at 105. After the unrest of the early 1980s, trade collapsed and, at times, the café even ran by candlelight—but her commitment to community never dimmed. She later emerged as a celebrated outsider artist.
On Saturday, Brixton House honours her with a late-night “shubeen”—a nod to Pearl’s café—while Kiki House Maison Laveaux hosts the On The Block Kiki Ball, closing a season that marks the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Brixton Uprising.
What’s happening on the day (Sat 25 Oct)
Workshops — Runway (11:30), Vogue Femme (13:00 & 15:30). These sessions teach runway (European vs All-American) and the five elements of Vogue Femme. Tickets from £7.50. Recommended age: 16+.
Dope Black Queers: The Forum — 19:00 community conversation ahead of the ball.
On The Block Kiki Ball — led by Mother Bambi Laveaux with Princess Amani, Isaac & Eli Laveaux. First-release ball tickets: £15. The night rolls into late-night DJs in the bar.
🎟️ What’s On in Brixton (Thu 23 → Wed 29 Oct)
🎶 Music & Nightlife
✨ Thu, 23 Oct – TOKiMONSTA @Phonoxlondon 9:00 PM – 2:00 AM | Phonox, 418 Brixton Rd LA beat-architect TOKiMONSTA lands in SW9 for a rare, bass-rich club set—hip-hop DNA, neon synths, future-soul edges. Expect precision builds and elastic low end on Phonox’s intimate floor. Arrive early; the queues will snake.
🎟️ Book via DICE
✨ Thu, 23 Oct – Bia Ferreira @Hootanannybrixton 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Hootananny, 95 Effra Rd Brazil’s Bia Ferreira brings radical joy and razor-sharp lyrics—soul, rap and Afro-Brazilian rhythms in one combustible set. A voice built for movement-building and big choruses. 🎟️ Tickets
✨ Thu, 23 Oct – Scarsdale Fats + Lady of Mars + Kanukai @ Windmill Brixton
7:45 PM | Windmill Brixton, 22 Blenheim Gardens Classic Windmill triple-bill—new bands, loud rooms, cheap tickets, cult atmosphere. Turn up this is one of those “I saw them at the Windmill” story. 🎟️ Book
✨ Fri, 24 Oct – Julia + Toast Club + Big Fossa @ Windmill Brixton
8:00 PM | Windmill Brixton Indie edges, jagged guitars and a room built for sweat-level singalongs. South London’s incubator stays busy. 🎟️ Book @windmillbrixton
✨ Fri, 24 Oct – Transmission: The Sound of Joy Division @ Hootananny
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Hootananny A faithful, full-band plunge into the cavernous sonics of Joy Division. Shadowy atmospheres, wiry basslines and mass sing-alongs to “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” 🎟️ Tickets @hootanannybrixton
✨ Sat, 25 Oct – Satin Jackets (Day-Into-Night) @ Phonox
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Phonox Velvet-smooth disco and Balearic house from the German groove sculptor. An early start rolling into golden-hour hands-up moments—perfect if you want the club and your Sunday. 🎟️ Book @phonoxlondon
✨ Sat, 25 Oct – Ferocious Dog + Voodoo Radio @ Hootananny
7:00 PM – 10:30 PM | Hootananny
Celtic-folk-punk with protest bones and big choruses—built to shout along. Support from Voodoo Radio brings snarling garage bite.
🎟️ Tickets @hootanannybrixton
✨ Sun, 26 Oct – Otala + Pink Eye Club + Jamie She + Rampressure @ Windmill Brixton 7:30 PM | Windmill Brixton| Four-act Sunday—left-field grooves, art-punk spirit, community crowd. 🎟️ Book @windmillbrixton
🎨 Art & Heritage
✨ Thu, 23 Oct – “The Saying And The Said” @Studio 73 Art Opening Preview 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Railway Arch 18, Valentia Place, Brixton SW9 8PJ – Free entry.
Explore the new exhibition by London-based artists Katy Binks and Lucy Spanyol, whose bold, contemporary works in painting and prints reflect time in Brixton and bring dynamic new perspectives from their shared roots. A great opportunity to combine local art, community-culture and creative networking. 🎟️ — Free entry, no ticket required.
✨ Thu–Wed, 23–29 Oct – Made From Home (Group Exhibition) @ Photofusion
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Photofusion, 155 Railton Rd
Nine emerging photographers reflect on domestic space, care and creativity—work made in and about the places we live. Quiet, intimate, sharp. Drop in during gallery hours. 🎟️ Exhibition Info @photofusion
✨ Wed, 29 Oct – Unearthing Your Roots: Beginning Your Research (Online, BCA)
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM | Black Cultural Archives (online) Start your family-history project with genealogist Selena Carty. Tools, research routes and Q&A—designed for diaspora storytelling. Free for BCA Black Card members.
🎟️ Register @bcaheritage
🧩 community, food, workshops, markets, talks
✨ Sat, 25 Oct – Unity Market @ Brixton House
11:00 AM – 7:00 PM | Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Ln
A community pop-up spanning makers, food, art and music in the Brixton House foyer—local brands, warm crowd, easy Saturday plan. Free entry.
🎟️ Free RSVP @brixtonhouse
Stop working from home, work from Brixton's most loved coworking for £150pm. Business address @ £12.50/m and Private office @ £400/person @ Impact Brixton.
TheBccList Film & Theatre Guide (Thu 23 → Wed 29 Oct)
🍿 Ritzy Cinema — What to catch this week
🍿 Thu 23–Wed 29 Oct – Frankenstein @ Ritzy (Picturehouse)
Guillermo del Toro recharges Mary Shelley’s myth with Jacob Elordi’s creature squaring off against Oscar Isaac’s obsessed Victor—an elegant, bruising duel about creation, power and consequence. Built for the big screen and a lively post-film debate.
🧪 Rotten Tomatoes: 87% 🎟️ Book at The Ritzy
🍿 Thu 23–Wed 29 Oct (selected dates) – After the Hunt @ Ritzy (Picturehouse)
Julia Roberts leads Luca Guadagnino’s thorny campus thriller as tenure, loyalty and memory collide after a student’s allegation. Cool surfaces, sharp dialogue and an ending people argue about long after the credits.
🧪 Rotten Tomatoes: 40% 🎟️ Book at The Ritzy
🍿 Thu 23, Fri 24, Sun 26, Mon 27 & Wed 29 Oct – A House of Dynamite @ Ritzy (Picturehouse)
Kathryn Bigelow returns with a pressure-cooker procedural: an unclaimed missile triggers a sprint through control rooms and chain-of-command decisions. Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson anchor a tense, no-easy-answers thriller made for cinemas.
🧪 Rotten Tomatoes: 81% 🎟️ Book at The Ritzy
Brixton Discounts
Supercute Brewhouse - Every Tues, Weds & Thurs 5-7pm. Offering £5 pints or ‘lalala’ lager, ‘mama’ session IPA or ‘nobody loves you’ stout (all brewed on site) as well as £5 med wine or single spirit & mixer.
Impact Brixton - Free £35 coworking day pass for all readers of the Bcclist during July and August. One time application
Nuvola Pizza - Half-price pizza deal on Tuesdays at Nuvolapizza in Market Row, Brixton. Nuvolapizza is offering 50% off all pizzas on Tuesday.
Full Moon Designs - up to 50% Online sale and instore discounts on jewellery and homeware in August.
Want to sponsor us and get in front of 17000+ Brixton locals? Get in touch.
Until next Thursday, 11.11am
The BCC list