A trip….north of the river with the Actionettes -

Being a dyed in the wool Brixtonite, I always feel mighty uncomfortable when I’m asked to venture north of the river, but tonight I made an extra big effort to haul my south London-loving arse up to the bleak northern territories of Stoke Newington (heck the place hasn’t even got a tube station!!!)

After preparing myself for the journey with a comforting pint or two in the Albert, I embarked on the journey to Green Lanes, Stoke Newington to a lesbian bar/club called, ‘Lower the Tone’ in The Oak Bar.

I’d been lured up north to see The Actionettes perform and – happily – it was well worth the journey. They went down a storm with the lively, up-for-it crowd.

The bar was packed (it was the club’s second birthday) and although the DJing perhaps wasn’t the most discerning I’d ever heard, with such a warm and friendly crowd, it didn’t really matter.

The Actionettes put in a lively set that had the predominantly female crowd a-whooping with joy. An all girl crowd can make quite a noise!

We stayed for a few beers and a shuffle (“Mirror Man”: Human League – respect!) before contemplating the

expected unspeakable horrors of getting back to base camp Brixton at 1am.

Fortunately, we managed to grab a taxi in minutes and were driven back to the welcoming confines of south London at amber-light-jumping speed, courtesy of an impossibly large Turkish driver.

All things considered, it was a good night. North Londoners – check it out!