To Lion Vibes on Thursday evening. For Selecter [erm] Thursday!
If it’s the first Thursday of the month, then it must mean that the Brixton Village space has another open deck session. It’s for anyone who wants their fifteen minutes of reggae love and appreciation.
The basic premise is that you book in a slot ahead of the session, and are then allocated fifteen minutes to play some of your fave tunes.
There’s no rules about which reggae style is acceptable. This is not a muso noodling session for people who really should listen to music alone at home.
It’s almost impossible not to SMILE when pretty much any reggae genre is blasted out of the Lion Vibes PA in a small space of appreciative people.
I made my way down Stockwell Road. Pendulum were playing at The Academy.
Oh - interesting, I thought. I paused for a few seconds and thought of cutting a deal with a tout.
Magnificent though Pendulum are, I would much rather prefer an intimate music experience up close.
Selecter Thursday it is then.
The room was already rammed when I arrived. I lurked a little outside the front of the shop for a few tracks, waiting for others to leave and free up some space.
Even outside I could feel the bass trembling me from foot to toe. I’ll have a bit of that - especially on a school night.
Soon I was inside. The Sisters of Reggae were on the decks. Rocksteady got the crowd dancing.
A change of Selecter and soon we were deep into roots territory. Smiles were everywhere in this most informal and accepting of environments. Love only please, YEAH.
Shout out to Ben and all at Lion Vibes who also organised a collection on the night for the Caribbean Disaster Appeal. People were generous in donating on what is an otherwise free night.
It’s quite a leap in trust to open up your shop once a month and allow a customer takeover. It’s helped to build Lion Vibes into something much more than a record shop in Brixton.
The space has become a focal point for an ever shifting reggae community in Brixton. And it’s not just old school, either. Mixing with some familiar faces was a largely young crowd.
It reminds me a lot of my own youth club days - not so much in terms of the style of music, but more about the desire to simply have fun through music with others.
Selecter Thursday has become the best Thursday night out in Brixton.
