South London Hardcore (Hold Fast Network)

Blur, Pink Floyd, Klaxon, JME and Humphrey Lyttelton are on the sixth volume of our playlist - acts that went to university in South London.

Velvet Underground, Bloc Party, James Blake, Hawkwind, Placebo and Natasha Bedingfield are on the sixth volume of our playlist - acts that went to university in South London.

Episode 145: Manfred Mann. We talk to Manfred Mann (Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Pretty Flamingo, Mighty Quinn) about his music career, covering Bob Dylan, trying to sell Paul McCartney a harmonium and South London.

The South London Book Club meets again to discuss two books by women from South West London - The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella.

This week we visit Putney, including the Putney Debates, Clement Attlee, William Pitt the Younger, Oliver Cromwell, Thomas Cromwell, Howard Carter, Sandy Denny and Mr Benn.

Chiptune pop punk duo Fakebit Polytechnic join us for a chat about their songs, gigs and unique instruments, and a wander through Deptford Market.

A meditation on Norwood.

Our latest local news roundup features some stolen lightbulbs, skyline preservation, WWE wrestlers, public urination, a vision of our care home future and John Loughrey, Diana Super Fan.

Spike Milligan, one of the most important figures in the history of comedy, is inducted into the SLHC Hall of Fame. We talk about his childhood in Catford and Brockley and a career that included The Goon Show.

This week we paid a visit to the newly re-opened Imperial War Museum. We talked about the sites historical use as a site of the Bethlem Hospital, the history of the IWM as an institution and some of the curatorial decisions made in the museum's new incarnation.

For this year's Elefest we hosted a live show where we lead the audience on an aural adventure, spiralling around the Elephant and Castle roundabout from the outside in. We cover schools and churches, cinemas and shopping centres, housing estates and subways before ending up in front of a stainless steel substation. Join us on this journey, this time at your own convenience, where we can guide you around the colourful and expansive history of this iconic South London spot.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler and Psmith in the City by P.G. Wodehouse. The South London Book Club meets again to discuss novels by two alumni of Dulwich College

The Cinema Museum, based in the old Lambeth Workhouse which Charlie Chaplin visited as a child, is packed to the rafters with equipment, signage, furniture, uniforms and ephemera from picture houses across the decades. We talked to Ronald Grant, the founder of the museum, about its history and their vast collection. Visit cinemamuseum.org.uk for full details about visiting the museum and a full list of upcoming events.

Artist Ed Gray talks about growing up in Putney, studying at Wimbledon, working in Peckham and living in Rotherhithe, as well as the many South London scenes he has painted.

John Grindrod is author of Concretopia: A Journey around the Rebuilding of Postwar Britain is new in paperback. We talk to John about his book, the National Theatre, the Festival of Britain, the prefabs in Catford and New Addington where he grew up. We also address the Croydon question.

Peep Show, the long-running Channel 4 comedy, is shot and set in Croydon. Lucky Feller, which starred a pre-Only Fools and Horses David Jason, was set in Lewisham and shot on a soundstage at LWT.

Miranda Sawyer, the Observer's radio critic, talks to us about Brixton, the heyday of Smash Hits and where radio and podcasts sit in the cultural conversation.

Brockley, taking in all the sights, including the Rivoli Ballroom, Hilly Fields and the Brockley Jack.

At the turn of the century there was a Gaumont Film Company studio on Champion Hill in Camberwell. There's nothing left of it now, but the Friends of Dog Kennel Hill Wood hosted a screening of films produced by the studio on the spot the sound stage was located this past Saturday night. We talked to the organisers about putting this extravaganza of Edwardian cinema together and have a chat about the films themselves as well as the innovation and creativity that still shine through.

Writer, comedian and podcaster Daniel Ruiz Tizon speaks to his about his life in South West London and the influence it has had on his work.

Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim and Mad Frank, the autobiography of Frankie Fraser are read for this week's South London Book Club.

Featuring Kate Bush, Oasis, Dexys, Manfred Mann, Sid Vicious, Young MC, Asian Dub Foundation, Procol Harum, Des'ree and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Mortlake and East Sheen, former home to mathematician and alchemist John Dee and Tim Berners-Lee, the man who invented the world wide web.

Con artists, counterfeit trainers, Rastafarian banners and our response to The Metro's 'Five reasons not to go to South London' article.

We visit the notable spots in South Norwood and talk about the area's most famous residents, including Pickles, the dog that found the World Cup, and Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant. Includes an interview with the South Norwood Tourist Board.

Join on us on a trip to South London's highest point, the newly re-opened Severndroog Castle, a folly on top of Shooter's Hill. We tramped through various woods to get there, including Oxleas, Castle and Jack, and finished our walk in Avery Hill Park.

The only South London spot on the Monopoly board - Old Kent Road. We stopped at the Thomas A Beckett pub, a former Soviet tank, the Hellraiser bus stop, the North Peckham Civic Centre and we talked about the history of the road, as well as the 1985 Arena documentary and Performance.

Rio Ferdinance, Ian Wright and Edgar Kail are among the big name footballers in our all-time South London XI.

Built between 1870 and 1901, Pullens Yards were designed as living and working spaces for craftspeople in the heart of west Walworth. Today, the workshops are still occupied by a remarkably diverse group of crafters, traders and businesses. We paid a visit to the Yards on their Open Day and spoke to artists, engineers, jewelry makers and a set designer for operas on our wander through the various studio spaces.

We went on a disappointing tour of Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the headquarters of the Anglican Church. Despite our reservations about the value of the tour, we still managed to gather enough material from inadvertent comedy and our own research on the Palace and the neighbouring deconsecrated church, St. Mary at Lambeth, which is now home to The Garden Museum.

Bermondsey - Shad Thames, the Rolling Stones rehearsal room, birthplace of the bourbon and garibaldi, world's first tinned food factory and Millwall FC.

Hardnoise were an early 90s hiphop posse. We spoke to DJ AJ about the group's brief but bright career. The Untitled Sessions EP is available now.

South London appears in Morrissey's work time and time again. We track the many references, starting at Battersea Park where You're the One for Me, Fatty was filmed, cut through Clapham for Interesting Drug and end up in Brixton, where the Smiths played their final gig. We're joined by Rob Pollard, journalist and Morrissey fan.

Austin Osman Spare, an artist and occultist who lived and worked across South London. We're joined by Tom Oldham, an amateur Spareologist and one of the people behind The Bones Go Last, a documentary that traces the work and workings of Spare's life.

Includes exclusive Ken Loach interview.

Arthur Conan Doyle lived in South Norwood and Sherlock Holmes, who famously resided at 221B Baker Street, often ventured south of the river to solve crimes. We discuss transpontine Holmes stories The Sign of the Four and The Adventure of the Norwood Builder and their many adaptations, the author’s time in South London and visit a lake named in his honour. Featuring readings by Joel Knight.

Katch 22 were a South London hip-hop crew in the early to mid-90s. We talk to rapper HKB Finn, known as HuntKillBury Finn when he was in Katch 22, about the Britcore scene and his solo career.

If you missed our Quiz Night at the Ivy House in Nunhead you can now play along at home! We also give a big shout out to the winning team, South London Bardcore, and to The Tupperware Man who generously donated the prizes.

The Brixton Bugle is a hyperlocal monthly newspaper. We spoke to co-editor Tim Dickens about the journalism, publishing and distribution and the paper's origins in the Brixton Blog, as well as Tim and the Bugle staff's views on the area. You can get the Brixton Bugle free from many places in Brixton, including libraries, Tesco Acre Lane and Bookmongers.

We wander through Penge and Anerley, finding almshouses, asylums and a very well-stocked charity shop while uncovering some local legends about bells and tunnels and discussing our favourite new fashion trend.

In celebration of St. Patrick's day we sat down with our pals Stephen and Isobel to talk about the experience of being Irish in South London. We discussed the different experiences Irish immigrants face in the 20th and 21st Centuries, growing up in an Irish family having been born in London and the various places that have served and entertained the Irish in South London over the years including Catholic Social Clubs, The Irish Festival in Peckham Rye and the South London Irish Association Centre in Wimbledon.

Neil from Transpontine, our favourite South London blog.

Local news including the renaming of the Heygate and Aylesbury Estates, the floods in Clapham, local MP Harriet Harman and news of the exciting reopening of Sevendroog Castle.

We pay a visit to artist Steven Appleby at his Camberwell studio to talk about his work in the NME, in animation, on the radio and 'The Good Inn', a new book co-written by Black Francis of The Pixies and Josh Frank, which Steven has provided illustrations for.

We explore around and under the peninsula, stopping by significant pubs, churches and docks, and visiting the Brunel Museum, Sands Films Studios and Canada Water Library. We also celebrate some of Rotherhithe's most notable residents and visitors, including Michael Caine, Max Bygraves, Fisher FC,

We retrace the route of one of London's earliest railway lines and discuss the history of the earliest. We discuss the industrial innovation that was involved in the creation of these lines and stop off at some of the stations to have a poke around.

Artists Kevin O'Neill joins us to talk about his life and career, including 2000AD, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Ro-Busters, and Nemesis The Warlock

Writer, comedian and podcaster Daniel Ruiz Tizon (The Letter, Daniel Ruiz Tizon is Available, Please Don't Hug Me) speaks to his about his life in South West London and the influence it has had on his work.

Graham Neale, a Liberal Democrat councillor who serves the South Bermondsey ward in Southwark. We talk to Graham about what a councillor does, typical casework, representing the community and dealing with the local press, as well specific issues like safety in cycling and extending the TFL cycle hire scheme further into the Borough of Southwark.

SLHC live at the Old King's Head, Borough. Where's the centre of South London? Who's our ultimate South Londoner? What's the best name of a shop on the Walworth Road?

In anticipation of our impending 100th Episode we've put together a selection of our finest moments from some early episodes. Where is Charles Babbage's brain? Can you sit down and eat in Brixton? And where IS Doctor Who's house? All the answers are here...

We take a look back at 2013 in South London, including Dulwich Hamlet's promotion, saving Lewisham Hospital, departures and arrivals and personal memories. Also includes Paul from United Rant podcast talking about Manchester United's trio of South Londoners.

Amy Winehouse, Katy B, Leona Lewis, Adele, Rizzle Kicks, Another Level, The Noisettes, Floetry, The Kooks, Jessie J, Imogen Heap, Bashy and Kate Nash

Sean O'Hagan, formerly of Microdisney and Stereolab, talks about his life in South London, Stereolab's South London roots, the transpontine tunes he recorded with The High Llamas and 'Here Come The Rattling Trees', his latest narrative music project which is set in Peckham.

We look at South London’s greatest wrestlers, including Giant Haystacks and Mick McManus, one of which will be inducted into the South London Hardcore Hall of Fame. We also saw a wrestling show at the Coronet, Elephant and Castle and got an exclusive interview with Colt Cabana about wrestling on the independent circuit scene, CM Punk, British wrestling and his own podcast, The Art of Wrestling. Contributing expert opinion all the way through are Dave Hatton and Michael King from That Wrestling Podcast. 

Oliver Reed, one of the great British actors, spent a lot of time drinking Wimbledon pubs. We follow his famous pub crawl talking about a film at each stop. The Devils, Oliver, Gradiator, Hannibal Brooks, Women in Love and The Brood.

Comic creator and retired rapper Lord Hurk joins us to talk about his work for the very first time. We talk about his considerable backlist,upcoming projects and the transpontine elements in his work. We also play four of his tracks and cap things off with a conversation about South London hip-hop of the late 80s and early 90s ahead of our forthcoming show on the music of the era.

Jack's wife Lakisha is back on the show for the first time in a year. We get her take on local news stories and she fields listeners' questions.

This week we joined Richard Reynolds for a spot of Guerrilla Gardening. We started off at St.George's Circus to clean up a site there, spoke to Richard about the various projects he has underway and finished off doing a spot of Guerrilla Gardening of our own.

In 1931 Boris Karloff (born in Honor Oak) starred in Frankenstein, one of the most popular and influential horror films of all time. The Monster that is now so iconic is as much Karloff's as it is Mary Shelley's. Karloff reprised the role in Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein, the former starring Elsa Lanchester (from Lewisham) in the titular role.

This week we spoke to our friend Ben about his life in South London. From his seminal childhood memories on the Pepys Estate in Deptford up to the transpontine influences on his love of cycling and music, Ben shares his own South London story...

Let us take you on a tour of Tooting. We start at the Lido and end up at the Broadway, by way of the Common, an athletics ground, two hospitals, a school, a bingo hall and flagship chicken shop.

We've spent the weekend at Elefest, the Elephant and Castle festival, taking in history, art, films, music, food and more. Our roundup of the festival includes interviews with founder Rob Wray, guerrilla gardener Richard Reynolds, muralist David Bratby and Incredible Edible Southwark.

For the first meeting of the South London Book Club we've read The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark and non-fiction Do You Remember Olive Morris? (available from Lambeth Libraries).

Pollarding, fruity foxes and South London's latest Asset of Community Value are among the topics that crop up in our latest Local News round-up.

This week we put up blue plaques for Elizabeth Burgwin, who introduced free school meals at the Orange Street School in 1894, and Ginger Baker, drummer with Cream, Blind Faith and many others, who grew up in New Eltham.

This week we took a trip to the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, enjoying the selection of taxidermy, musical instruments and alpacas. We also looked at the history of the place and discover it was built on tea, was home to an important theatrical figure and played host to some famous occultists.

It's raining cats, dogs and Brutalist architecture... This week we took a trip to Catford and talked about it's history, geography and famous locals, including Ben Elton, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and a load of musicians.

Sam Jeffers (Fridge) and Stephen Graham join us for our Elliott School playlist, which includes Fleetwood Mac, Hot Chip, Burial, The XX, The Damned, The Maccabees, Four Tet, Jeff Beck, Matt Munro, The Bee Gees, DragonForce, Adem, Basquiat Strings and Cleaners From Venus.

We've picked 12 statues around South London of cultural and historical significance. Our list includes emperors and philanthropists, a cosmonaut and a tennis player, and a dog that caused riots.

David White, Ricky Miller and Michael Gosden make up small press outfit Avery Hill Publishing. We talk about their South-East London roots and their work with local comic creators (including SLHC regular Owen Pomery). Check out averyhillpublishing.com for their marvellous and reasonably priced work.

We conclude our three-part David Bowie tribute with a look at his film career. Bowie has played some of the most memorable characters in cinema history in The Man Who Fell To Earth and Labyrinth, as well as historical figures Pontius Pilate, Nicola Tesla and Andy Warhol. We also pluck some lesser-known gems (and some stinkers) from his filmography.

This week we visited the Charlton Horn Fayre, an infamous annual event with roots in the 13th Century, banned by the Victorians and revived in the 1970s. Walking the traditional procession route, we started at Cuckold's Point in Rotherhithe and yomped across Greenwich to get to Charlton House for the festivities. We talked about the history of the fair and the traditions around it, the relationship between royals, nobles and common people that shaped its development, and this year's celebrations.

Live at Hold Fest, 11th January 2015. Local news special.

This week we're in Jack's hometown of Walworth. Previously we've talked about fellow former residents Charlie Chaplin, Charles Babbage, Michael Faraday and Michael Caine as well as East Street, the Aylesbury and Heygate Estates and Newington Library. We cover what's left of the area and recall personal memories of the Walworth Road, the high street that never gets any better.

This week we go back to our roots with a look at Camberwell, Steve's birthplace and a regular stomping ground for Jack. We explore the history and development of the area, uncover some other people born in Camberwell, both famous and infamous, and look at what the area is known for today.

Following the recent killing of a soldier in Woolwich and the response of the EDL the area has become a focal point for many who would use these events to inflame prejudice. This week we are joined by Lewie Peckham to talk about these incidents, the growing role of the public in recording them as they unfold, the response of mainstream media and how the actions of extremists from various factions has cast a shadow across South London.

This week we are joined by poet Bridget Minamore, as we discuss gentrification, the physical geography of South London and her upcoming appearance at the South Bank Centre as part of The London Literature Festival. Bridget was also kind enough to perform two of her poems for us.

Debtors, dissenters and disorder... This week we look at the Prisons of South London past and present, talking about the people that have spent time incarcerated in them and their changing role through history.

This week we mark significant places in the lives of three-time Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis, former Prime Minister John Major and penal transportee Mary Wade. We also give ourselves one, because if we don't, who will?

This week we look at South London's greatest boxers, from Don Cockell and Henry Cooper, to Frank Bruno and Lloyd Honeyghan, right up to David Haye.

This week we talk to journalist Martin Cloake who crossed the divide from North to South London on the differences (and similarities) between both sides of London.

Continuing our exploration of the music of David Bowie we look at his discography from 1980 - 2013.

We look at the history of Nine Elms and discuss a series of new developments that could leave the area unrecognisable within 20 years.

Regrettably, Steve Walsh has left South London Hardcore, so Jack is joined by Rosie Fletcher from the podcast Rosie and Jessica's Day of Fun. We've got local news, mostly from Bromley, where people are contacting aliens and getting irked about road works.

Wandering along the South Bank of the Thames we explore the history of the bridges that link us to the other side of London.

Our friend Hassan is Tooting born and bred and talks to us about the area, being Asian in London post-7/7, working in a South London bookshop and attending Emanuel School, the prestigious Battersea school.

On the day he released his 24th studio album, we induct David Bowie into the South London Hardcore Hall of Fame. Part One of three Bowie episodes: Brixton to Bromley to Berlin.

This week we’re joined by author Alan Moore and photographer Mitch Jenkins who collaborated on Unearthing, a psychogeographical examination of fellow writer Steve Moore and Shooters Hill, where he has lived all his life. The pair talked about the creative process, their relationship with Steve Moore, comics, the occult and Unearthing in its many forms. Alan Moore created Watchmen, From Hell and V For Vendetta and Mitch Jenkins is renowned for his work in the advertising industry. The episode was recorded at the launch of the new Unearthing book at Gosh! Comics in central London. We also recorded the Q & A they did afterwards.

Born in Dulwich, a student at the Camberwell College of Art and a resident of Wimbledon, Richy K. Chandler tells us about his experiences of growing up in South London and his work as an illustrator and comic artist.

This week we look at the rich history of Music Hall in South London, exploring the people places and events that make Music Hall such an important Transpontine development.

Tinie Tempah, The Kinks, Pulp, Bros, Big Audio Dynamite, Saint Etienne, Misfits, This Heat, Laurel Aitken and Jim Connell feature on the second volume of our playlist. With Stephen Graham.

We watched this 2010 independent film shot in Southwark, Lambeth and Wandsworth and we talk about all the familiar sights that are captured on screen.

This week we're joined by regular guest and Stockwell resident Owen Pomery to talk about the history of the area and Stockwell today.

We visited Champion Hill to find out what makes Dulwich Hamlet Football Club so special.

Lewie Peckham joins us to talk about the area that bears his name.

This week we talked about South London's most famous son. Actor, director, composer, star - Charlie Chaplin.

This week we talked about three films shot or set in Lambeth,Me and My Girl (filmed as the Lambeth Walk), Passport to Pimlico and We Are the Lambeth Boys (1959 documentary).

We took a trip to the London Wetland Centre, stopping by a couple of rock 'n' roll landmarks - Olympic Studios and the Bolan tree.

We visited the South London ZineFest at the Amersham Arms in New Cross to meet Transpontine zinesters and small pressers.