Q&A: Sister Magazine's Beccy Hill

We caught up with Sister Magazine's editor, Beccy Hill, for the lowdown on their forthcoming party to celebrate the release of their Size issue.

Q: You gave birth to Sister whilst at university, can you tell us about its genesis? 

A: I studied Fashion Journalism at university, and for our final major project we had to create a magazine of our own. Sister was born and I ended up pouring blood sweat and tears into it, for it to get the lowest grade I'd ever received in my time there.

Q: Skin and Blister, your little sister publication, was launched at the Feminist Library which recently had to fight to remain open. Were you active in their recent campaign against closure?   

A: We have a whole article about the fight to keep the Feminist Library in the new issue. It's something that's very close to my heart as I've been going to the library for years, and they've always supported everything that we have done. It absolutely has to be saved.

Q: You're working at the intersection of fashion, women's issues and the DIY scene. Who were your influences?     

A: I became obsessed with Butt magazine whilst I was at university. It was my biggest influence; the layout, the typography, and of the course the content. I wanted to create something which was slightly more accessible for a younger and female audience. It still inspires me now, I constantly reference it.

Q: You'll be launching your next edition, The Size issue, here at VFD on Sept 17th. What can readers expect from your latest instalment? 

A: This is our biggest issue yet, which is apt considering the theme. Expect behind the scenes madness from the girls at Sink The Pink, an exclusive shoot and interview with tattooist and internet sensation Grace Neutral, plenty of heartfelt opinion pieces and some Theresa May bashing.

Q: Without blowing any surprises, what can we expect at the event? 

A: Angel Rose is bringing her Cool Universe to the basement - what more do you need to know?

Sister Magazine: The Size Issue: Launch Party

Sat 17 September @ VFD

7pm - late 

https://www.facebook.com/sisterzine/

Thu 20 Oct: Matthew Glamorre's SCISM

SCISM Night Club?Show up and DO YOUR SHIT! A Space? A Workshop? A Rehearsal? A Free for All? YES YES YES Anyone and everyone is offered a 15min slot – to do, say, project or play anything they want! Tech needs supported.

Wed 19 Oct: Spoken Word London

Spoken Word London is an open-mic poetry and performance night for anyone to come and join in, whether to speak or listen. Everyone who wants to speak gets five minutes, but no one gets more than five minutes. Speak in whichever format you want, sharing your own or others' work. Doors open 7.30pm, sign up for a slot 7.30-8pm, readings begin at 8pm.

Free entry, but please buy a drink (or more) at the bar.

***

Watch a brilliant short documentary upon SWL and some of its regular readers, made by Amelia Hazlitt, here: http://vimeo.com/103176010

And a feature length film of our first anniversary of SWL 'Anti-Hate', made by Timothy Lock, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk-TXhERNHo You can also read an academic dissertation written on SWL here, by William Barns-Graham, on 'Lost in the Moment: Opening Up Utopian Performance With the Lost Generation at Spoken Word London':https://www.academia.edu/9916694/Lost_in_the_Moment_Opening_Up_Utopian_Performance_with_the_Lost_Generation_at_Spoken_Word_London

SWL host Patrick Cash talks about SWL and spoken word in London on Lunar Poetry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrwOqqiqeOk

SWL's second anniversary Anti-Hate is covered on Push Pony by Tracy Kawalik: http://pushpony.com/culture/word/

Tue 18 Oct: Extra Second London - The Role of the Artist

Extra Second London is a themed monthly poetry/discussion night where we take an extra second to reflect on the ideas touched on by our featured poets. We give you, the lovely audience, a chance to make your voices heard- because poetry shouldn't be a spectator sport. This month's theme is 'The Role of the Artist'. We'll be discussing what role art and artists play in our personal lives and in society as a whole, as well as how this has changed through history and how it may change in the future.

Once again we will have three brilliant featured performers as well as an open mic followed by the main event: a round-table audience discussion. The quality of the discussions at our last two nights has been incredible and I expect nothing less from this one.

Doors open at 7.30, entry is £5 and the open mic sign up is first come first served at the door.

This month's features:

JAH-MIR EARLY is an American poet, storyteller and improv spoken word artist. His style has been described as "impassioned, lyrical story telling, meandering just to the left of chaos. Drawing you into his feeling and his life while examining the world with no amor, speaking like a preacher or school teacher,all off the top of his head." Jah-Mir recently performed for the BBC at the Edinburgh Fringe,.featuring during the BBC Poetry slam and as a part of 'Other Voices'. He lives in London where he works with SEN students and produces/hosts two monthly poetry nights, "Spoken" and "A slam called Spout" with his team 'Spoken in London'.

MADDIE GODFREY is an Australian-bred writer currently living in London. Above all, her work aims to facilitate a compassionate conversation about social issues. Over the past year she has performed at the Sydney Opera House, co-written a poetry stage show, been internationally published, organised a fortnightly spoken word event, hosted creative writing workshops and featured at multiple festivals. She has also won poetry slams in Australia, Oxford, Cambridge and all over London.

THE REPEAT BEAT POET (Peter deGraft-Johnson) is a spoken word artist, student of Hip Hop, meticulous rhymer and an unashamed tea enthusiast. Drawing from his two main influences, Hip Hop and beat poetry, he crafts pieces dealing with the malleability of truth and meaning, blackness and racial identity, politics, and his own life experiences, all with passionate, precise, and powerful delivery. Through his poetry, Peter has performed across the country, won slams in London and at UK festivals, featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and also writes with the TypeFace Poetry Collective, and the Little Versed Poetry Collective. Peter is also a co-creator of The PAD, a creative arts hub in Dagenham, East London, where he hosts the monthly night Poetry At The PAD.

BE THERE, click GOING and arrive early if you want an open mic slot

Mon 17 Oct: Wig Out - launch party

A weekly dance gathering. Dance like no one's watching and shake off those Monday blues to the ruffest, tuffest sounds from African beats to Ragga and Bhangra with A LOT of Hip Hop.

Music you can't sit still to and that will make you sweat!

Sack off the gym and come and dance yourself fit instead.

£10

Sat 15 Oct: Gay Vinyl

GAY VINYL LONDON returns with

DJ sets by

NKISI (NON RECORDS)!!!!

MISCHA MAFIA (PDA)!!!!

PRINCE HARVEY (NYC) LIVE!!!! NO BRA LIVE!!!!

WINNIE THE POOF LIVE!!!!

MORE TBA!!!

XXX

Click going for updates

Fri 14 Oct: Rad Festa

When Lucifer fell he did not fall alone, his children still dance below our feet. Legend has it the further underground you get you can hear them screeching and singing unreleased Cher songs. The nights are growing darker, colder, and warmer, maybe it's time to call a friend? As we enter the most unholy month of the year. There is a place not far from here, a place where it is said you can hear the children of Lucifer's joyful whispers, a place deep underground, a hole... called VFD! Every so often it is said that the children congregate in this hole in lavish dresscode and dance round the fires of hell - rumour has it that on the 14th of October one such congregation is happening... THATS RIGHT CHILDREN!!!  RAD FESTA IS BACK!!!! and this time we're celebrating one of Lucifer's favourite children's birthdays, Amelia Sophie Webb the wicked witch of Holland and Barrett!!!

Rituals will be performed throughout the evening that will make you gag and music that will awake Lucifer from his fiery tomb !!!!!!!! So come and start your unholy month the right way with a bit of good old sin down at RAD FESTA!!!!

Performers: Eugenia Shishkina Kallola Montana aka Kalender Dogan Jender Anomie Ms Kevin Le Grand

Djs: Alexandre Simões Josh Quinton

(and more to be announced)

in case of emergency dial 666

Thu 13 Oct: Matthew Glamorre's SCISM

SCISM Night Club?Show up and DO YOUR SHIT! A Space? A Workshop? A Rehearsal? A Free for All? YES YES YES Anyone and everyone is offered a 15min slot – to do, say, project or play anything they want! Tech needs supported.

Sat 8 Oct: Mammory Tapes

Bringing your mammories out of the closet and onto the dancefloor. DON'T STAY IN. COME OUT.

Because we all know the best part of a night is hang times with the gals (or guys) at home, but what if you could bring your bedroom beats (it's cool, we're still listening to Britney when we get ready too) to the big speakers?!

Requests at the ready, come and make mammories with us at our launch party! #makingmammories

VFD £3 ADV / £5 DOOR 10pm-3am We shake our money makers to the likes of:

THE SLITS | YEAH YEAH YEAH | CHVRCHES | ICONA POP | LE TIGRE | BANGLES | BLONDIE | SHANGRI-LAS | HAIM | HINDS | GRIMES | MADONNA | ROBYN | JENNY LEWIS | KATE BUSH | LAURYN HILL | BEYONCÉ | GIRLS ALOUD | LITTLE MIX | SPICE GIRLS | LA ROUX | SHOPPING | TLC | THE RUNAWAYS | CYNDI LAUPER | DESTINY'S CHILD | TRASH KIT | COURTNEY BARNETT | PJ HARVEY | SISTER SLEDGE | DOLLY PARTON | DONNA SUMMER | BUSH TETRAS | B52S | SLEATER KINNEY | AU PAIRS | DELTA 5 | SLANT 6 | MARINE GIRLS | RAINCOATS | SHURA + LOADS MORE

Plus, this month we're remembering all the rad women in our lives - mums, sisters, aunties, friends. And their mammories.

On that note, we'll be collecting for Breast Cancer Care on the night, so bring some change to help make change for people affected by breast cancer.

Advance tickets available here.

Follow our mammories: Twitter: https://twitter.com/mammorytapes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mammorytapes/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mammorytapes/

Sat 7 Oct: Bentfest's Get Bent

Those queer rapscallions behind BENT FEST are back, bringing you a QUEER PUNK DISCO night at popular nitespot VFD. Expect your most raging and most sissy fav bangers from LIMP WRIST to HUGGY BEAR and DOWNTOWN BOYS to TRASH KIT or like maybe JAYNE COUNTY to MARTHA.

Big shout out to the orig 'Get Bent' events/collective of Manchester in the mid 2000s sorry for stealing your name, its v. much in tribute.

No wankers, let's make this a sick super fun queer disco in the heart of the Dalston strip.

Wed 5 Oct: Spoken Word London

Spoken Word London is an open-mic poetry and performance night for anyone to come and join in, whether to speak or listen. Everyone who wants to speak gets five minutes, but no one gets more than five minutes. Speak in whichever format you want, sharing your own or others' work. Doors open 7.30pm, sign up for a slot 7.30-8pm, readings begin at 8pm.

Free entry, but please buy a drink (or more) at the bar.

***

Watch a brilliant short documentary upon SWL and some of its regular readers, made by Amelia Hazlitt, here: http://vimeo.com/103176010

And a feature length film of our first anniversary of SWL 'Anti-Hate', made by Timothy Lock, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk-TXhERNHo You can also read an academic dissertation written on SWL here, by William Barns-Graham, on 'Lost in the Moment: Opening Up Utopian Performance With the Lost Generation at Spoken Word London':https://www.academia.edu/9916694/Lost_in_the_Moment_Opening_Up_Utopian_Performance_with_the_Lost_Generation_at_Spoken_Word_London

SWL host Patrick Cash talks about SWL and spoken word in London on Lunar Poetry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrwOqqiqeOk

SWL's second anniversary Anti-Hate is covered on Push Pony by Tracy Kawalik: http://pushpony.com/culture/word/

Sat 1 Oct: Winky Winky Fanny Pun

She's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!! Save the date: Sat 1 Oct, for the 2nd edition of Winky Winky Fanny Pun.

Our first party was an absolute riot and we're just about recovered and ready for round 2...

Winky is the bastard child of two discerning lesbians with a love of soulful house, and a penchant for soulful ladies.

**All welcome in our sanctuary of non-binary finery**

Expect: classic house, jackin' grooves, goosebump vocals, and some truly outrageous moments in a basement of friendly faces. Strictly rhythm / strictly no attitude / house music all night long.

Girl DJs packing some massive deck action on the night will be:

Dawn Chorus MamaSutra Mitch Imeanit

Click GOING for £5 entry all night

Fri 30 Sep: Sassitude

Summer is dead (RIP).Your hopes of an Indian summer have been washed away with the torrential rain that has swept the nation. But fear not, for the weather may be getting colder but the sass is only getting stronger. As TLC once said, don't go chasing waterfalls, stick to the sass that you're used to.

That's right, we're back stronger and sassier than ever before. Grab your fur coat and high heels and get on down to VFD on Friday the 30th (but maybe sport an underwear as outerwear look underneath - it gets pretty hot inside when you're living for the dancefloor and have had 5 shots of tequila)

♥ ♥ ♥ UR DJS FOR THE EVENING ♥ ♥ ♥ Everyone's favourite portu-gal diva ALEX SIMOES Sassy startlet of the night EMILY ROSE ENGLAND

+ more to be announced

£5 entry all night 10pm-3am #keepitsassy

THU 29 SEP: Matthew Glamorre's presents SCISM

Matthew Glamorre presents SCISMEVERY Thursday at VFD.

Check this out for a taster ! SCISM Referendum Night Show https://goo.gl/YK6eCE

“A nightclub should challenge current ideas and aesthetics, break new boundaries and create new modes: it should be a beacon to the brilliantly dispossessed.”

Known as one of British Nightlife’s most significant innovators, Matthew Glamorre’s clubs are more installation art than disco.

SCISM is Matthew’s new audio visual project: a band, a club and a show. This weekly residency @ VFD is the 'Club Experiment' where Glamorre explores "'new musical directions, people & possibilities, I am going back to go forward, my first club in 10 years. For me the nightclub is essential,exciting, the crucible of the zeitgeist. What is born on the tiny floors of London can later move the world"

SCISM is all about polarities "… as the world becomes more polarised so ideologies and identities become more extreme. I explore the fault lines between the black & the white, the yin and the yang, that’s the field of potential, where opposites collide.”

SCISM is video & sound manipulation fused with performance, technology, politics and ideology.

SCISM launched on the night of the EU referendum “heralding the great British division”

SCISM Night Club will feature The Rainbow Curtain, an interactive light installation by artist Terry Payman.

Bio Glamorre has been at the forefront of many British underground movements since 1987, his clubs like 2XS, Smashing, HARDERFASTERLOUDER, The Siren Suite & Kash Point were instrumental in the development of the music, art and fashion of the times. He is also an award winning short film and video director.

In 1991 Glamorre pulled the band Minty together around Leigh Bowery & Richard Torry and went on to front it after Leigh's death. He founded & directed The Offset, am amorphous live art collective; artists such as Ron Athey, Grayson Perry, David Hoyle & That Donald worked alongside musicians and technicians to create epic 5 hour shows. Most recently he completed a world tour of 'Albion Voice', a 10-year collaboration with the artist & singer Bishi. He co-wrote and produced the album, designed the artwork and directed the videos and live AV performance.

A multi-faceted artist for sure this ‘Dalston period’ promises an ever-evolving sketchpad of ideas, provocations, and confrontations; where technology and performance will be harnessed to question our divisions and play with what unites us.

SCISM Night Club will bring together an exciting range of multi-disciplinary artists and performers, no one night will be the same !

£5 // £3 g-list

Sun 25 Sept: Sunday FUNDAY - binbag ball 2016!!

After the colossal party that was [error_404_] bet you didn't think we had it in us for another one, but we're back and this time we're getting fashionable darlings!!! In light of Vogue's September issue and Yeezy's latest atrocities, Maxi More and her merry Sunday~Funsters are flagrantly disregarding normative notions of clothing and costume to bring you THE BIN BAG BALL 2016!!!

That's right, we're throwing a trashy toga party, where everyone is Donnatella Versace!

With even the tattiest of Dalston fashions now prohibitively priced due to brexit and luxury flats, the future relies on us being able to express ourselves through cheap immediate fashion! SUNDAY~FUNDAY is here to ignite the flame of fashion inside you, whilst reminding us all that everything is trash and our colourful lives are trash, and even the shiny perfect people in your newsfeed, THEY'RE TRASH TOO!!!

(If you think this is harsh, then you're not cut out for fashion).

The Bin Bag Ball 2016 will be all the FUN you've come to expect from our Sunday night queer dance party come late~night~drag~show, but basically covered in bin bags. But because we know all about fashion now, there are a few extras!

Because of fashion, we're being all edgy and have live music performance, which is very AW16. There will also be a promenade (some call this a catwalk) of our most outlandish bin bag fashions, and our esteemed judges will decide who gets the crown and title of "MISS BIN BAG 2016", as well as a hamper of coveted fashion accessories and £10 to start your own fashion empire!

Doors open from 9pm, with fashion show and cabaret from 10:30 onwards.

DANCE~DRAG~DRINK~GAMES~SHOWS~MORE!!!

Fri 23 Sep: I'm Not Okay

SEASONS CHANGE, PEOPLE MOVE ON, BUT EMO IS FOREVER, IT'S NOT A PHASE MOM ! It's September, we're feeling the seasons change. It's getting a bit darker and a bit colder and all these bloody leaves are about, and we're feeling very emo.

Ten years ago, it was tough being gay or a girl (or a gay girl) and being emo to boot. You spent your days crying and painting your nails black while listening to sad boys in eyeliner, singing songs that expressed somehow, exactly how you felt inside. Writing the lyrics in your MSN messenger username, complaining about how your parents don't get you, constantly changing the spelling of your birth name to sound cooler, taking high angle selfies so you got your ENTIRE fringe plus your Converse in the photo, seeing just how many letters you can remove from a word before it stops being that word coz you only had 160 characters per 34p text message and you only have £10 credit per month, wearing that Nirvana hoodie till it literally fell apart, answering 100 pointless questions on a Myspace bulletin and posting "PC4PC" on all your friends photos. Recently we all got a bit of a heart attack when MCR posted THAT VIDEO, and suddenly all these things came flooding back (or perhaps they never left) and since it turns out there is no reunion tour (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ we are going to throw a flippin party instead! Dress to the nines in your best Disco Goth and come down to our Emo Ball to mosh around/scream at the top of your lungs/cry standing still to your favorite bleeding heart tunes.

All night we'll be playing bands like Panic! ATD, My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte, Green Day, The Used, Hawthorn Heights, Papa Roach, System of a Down, Fall Out Boy and basically anything emo or pop punk from around 2001 onwards and there will be absolutley NO Lostprophets.

£5 entry all night, we are so DAMN EXCITED Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

Thu 22 Sep: Matthew Glamorre presents SCISM

Matthew Glamorre presents SCISMEVERY Thursday: launch night 22nd

*** SCISM’s new single The Dalston BUMP will be out soon Scenes for the video will be shot on the opening night ***

Check this out for a taster ! SCISM Referendum Night Show https://goo.gl/YK6eCE

“A nightclub should challenge current ideas and aesthetics, break new boundaries and create new modes: it should be a beacon to the brilliantly dispossessed.” Known as one of British Nightlife’s most significant innovators, Matthew Glamorre’s clubs are more installation art than disco.

SCISM is Matthew’s new Audio Visual project, a Band, a Club and a Show. This weekly residency @ VFD is the 'Club Experiment' where Glamorre explores "'new musical directions, people & possibilities" he says: "I am going back to go forward, my first club in 10 years. For me the nightclub is essential, exciting, the crucible of the zeitgeist. What is born on the tiny floors of London can later move the world"

SCISM is all about polarities Glamorre explains : "… as the world becomes more polarised so ideologies and identities become more extreme. I explore the fault lines between the black & the white, the yin and the yang, that’s the field of potential, where opposites collide.”

SCISM is video & sound manipulation fused with performance, technology, politics and ideology. SCISM launched on the night of the EU referendum “heralding the great British division”

SCISM Night Club will feature The Rainbow Curtain, an interactive light installation by artist Terry Payman.

Bio Glamorre has been at the forefront of many British underground movements since 1987, his clubs like 2XS, Smashing, HARDERFASTERLOUDER, The Siren Suite & Kash Point were instrumental in the development of the music, art and fashion of the times. He is also an award winning short film and video director.

In 1991 Glamorre pulled the band Minty together around Leigh Bowery & Richard Torry and went on to front it after Leigh's death. He founded & directed The Offset, am amorphous live art collective; artists such as Ron Athey, Grayson Perry, David Hoyle & That Donald worked alongside musicians and technicians to create epic 5 hour shows. Most recently he completed a world tour of 'Albion Voice', a 10-year collaboration with the artist & singer Bishi. He co-wrote and produced the album, designed the artwork and directed the videos and live AV performance.

A multi faceted artist for sure this ‘Dalston period’ promises an ever-evolving sketchpad of ideas, provocations, and confrontations; where technology and performance will be harnessed to question our divisions and play with what unites us.

SCISM Night Club will bring together an exciting range of multi-disciplinary artists and performers, no one night will be the same !

Click GOING for updates.

Wed 21 Sep: Spoken Word London

Spoken Word London is an open-mic poetry and performance night for anyone to come and join in, whether to speak or listen. Everyone who wants to speak gets five minutes, but no one gets more than five minutes. Speak in whichever format you want, sharing your own or others' work. Doors open 7.30pm, sign up for a slot 7.30-8pm, readings begin at 8pm.

Free entry, but please buy a drink (or more) at the bar.

***

Watch a brilliant short documentary upon SWL and some of its regular readers, made by Amelia Hazlitt, here: http://vimeo.com/103176010

And a feature length film of our first anniversary of SWL 'Anti-Hate', made by Timothy Lock, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk-TXhERNHo You can also read an academic dissertation written on SWL here, by William Barns-Graham, on 'Lost in the Moment: Opening Up Utopian Performance With the Lost Generation at Spoken Word London':https://www.academia.edu/9916694/Lost_in_the_Moment_Opening_Up_Utopian_Performance_with_the_Lost_Generation_at_Spoken_Word_London

SWL host Patrick Cash talks about SWL and spoken word in London on Lunar Poetry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrwOqqiqeOk

SWL's second anniversary Anti-Hate is covered on Push Pony by Tracy Kawalik: http://pushpony.com/culture/word/

Sat 17 Sep: Sister Magazine - The Size Issue - Launch Party

THE SIZE ISSUE IS COMING! Celebrate the fifth issue of Sister Magazine  ♥

Full deets coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Sat 17 Sep: TILDE SSW17 Presentation

TILDE SPRING/SUMMER/WHATEVER 17 A FASHION PRESENTATION ON THE LONDON OVERGROUND

DEPARTING 15:00 FROM NEW CROSS STATION (PLATFORM D)

ARRIVING DALSTON JUNCTION 15:22

(JOIN AT ANY STOP ALONG THE WAY!)

------------------------------------------------ AFTERPARTY TO FOLLOW AT VFD 66 STOKE NEWINGTON RD, N16 7XB

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Spring/Summer/Whatever 17 is a pastiche of fashion objects inspired by domestic handicraft and American art in the 1970’s, intended to defy the traditional restraints fashion imposes on gender and genre.

“My inspiration started by imagining a hapless teenage punk band in the late 70’s practicing in their grandmother’s basement and using the textiles found there to make their own clothes.”

Tilde Snyder is a designer, performance artist, and musician (formerly of SAILOR POON), originally from Austin, TX now residing in London. She primarily works with vintage fabrics and reclaimed materials to create one off and limited run pieces, an antithesis to the mass production fast fashion model.

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Not in London? Excessive social engagements? Follow live coverage via Snapchat & Periscope! (@tildesnyder)

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www.tildesnyder.com Sales/Info: info@tildesnyder.com Press: kassie@tildesnyder.com