Council leader quits, junction plans betray voters, and Bolu still serves legendary lamb. Here’s SWhat’s happening…

🇬🇧 SW News

Clapham Park Family Faces Eviction Over Huge Rent Rise 🏠

A family of four who have lived in their Clapham Park home for eleven years face losing it after their landlord hiked the rent by 55%, pushing them into arrears. They appeared in court without legal representation and now owe more than £11,000, with a deadline to leave by 21 July. Source

Brixton Is Getting a New Irish Bar 🍺

Paddy's Yard on Coldharbour Lane is being relaunched as The Rattlin Bog, going all in on the Irish theme with the same name as its Clapham sibling just nine minutes away by bike. No website yet, but their Instagram promises locals a proper home away from home. Source

Brixton Artist Yiigaa Drops Soulful Love Letter to SW9 🎵

Local artist Yiigaa has released Tourguide, a soulful, Afro-inspired track reflecting on Brixton's ever-changing identity. Part personal memoir, part community portrait, the song holds space for pride, nostalgia and quiet loss as the neighbourhood continues to shift around the people who grew up here. Source

Wandsworth Council Leader Quits with Budget Storm Looming 💼

Wandsworth Council leader Aled Richards-Jones has resigned, saying his law firm role no longer allows him to give the position the time it needs. The timing could hardly be worse, with the council's full spending review due on 22 July and a £137 million gap still to be addressed. Source

Politicians Promised Junction Fix. Plans Say Otherwise. 🚦

Wandsworth Council has unveiled new plans for the Putney Bridge junction, but residents and local journalists quickly spotted the gap: the proposals do not deliver what Conservative candidates repeatedly promised before May's elections, with some changes actively contradicting their pre-election pledges. Source

🎉 Upcoming Events

Flamboyant Bone + Gravity Riot 🎸

Flamboyant Bone, the proudly shambolic DIY noise-maker from South London, brings pure-of-heart chaos to the Bread and Roses stage, joined by Gravity Riot for a night of raw, uncompromising underground music. Cheap, brilliant and completely unpredictable. Source

Sisters of Hysteria + Moxie Dolls + I Doris 🎤

Three fierce bands on one bill. Sisters of Hysteria bring loud, fast, politically charged riot grrrl punk. Bristol's Moxie Dolls bring big riffs and sharp hooks. And I, Doris serve menopausecore kitchen punk with wit, tea and songs that properly bite. Come early. Source

Big Friday Pop Party at Infernos 🪩

Infernos turns up the summer heat with a non-stop night of pop anthems from the 80s, 90s and beyond. Expect feel-good dancefloor energy, mass singalongs and the kind of crowd who knows every single word. Running until 4am. Source

UKG Bingo 🎱

Don your best Moschino shirt and re-rewind to the glory days of UK Garage, because UKG Bingo is back at Duo Clapham. Expect old school anthems, big prizes, crazy games and a chance to be crowned King or Queen of the night. Source

English Garden + Normal Village + Lots Of 🎺

South London quintet English Garden headline the Windmill with their frenetic brass and bass-driven post-punk, drawing comparisons to The Pop Group and Pigbag, supported by Normal Village and Lots Of. Loud, danceable and wonderfully unhinged. Source

Comedy Bandits Wednesday Comedy Show in Clapham 😂

Comedy Bandits bring their award-winning weekly stand-up show to The Railway Tavern, with a rotating lineup of new and established acts from across the UK comedy circuit. Free entry, great atmosphere and guaranteed laughs. Source

Brooki + Esmeralda Road + Jon 4eva 🎸

Dublin alt-rock four-piece Brooki, fronted by Sarah Brookfield and sometimes compared to Jeff Buckley and PJ Harvey, headline the Windmill with support from Esmeralda Road and Jon 4eva. Emotional, atmospheric and genuinely not one to sleep on. Source

✨ Hidden Gems

(Click each title to see them on Google Maps)

Poor Boys 🦐

A slice of New Orleans in South West London, Poor Boys is a two-brother independent serving up the iconic po' boy sandwich alongside grilled lobster, shrimp, buttermilk fried chicken, mac and cheese and some seriously good cocktails. Lively, generous and completely addictive.

La Delizia 1986 🍕

A Chelsea institution since 1986, La Delizia is a cosy, unpretentious Italian tucked away on Chelsea Manor Street, run by Neapolitan founder Michele Damiano. The wood-fired pizzas are the stuff of legend, the pasta is proper, and the atmosphere makes you forget you are in London entirely.

Bolu Restaurant and Takeaway 🥙

A proper Turkish institution serving authentic kebabs, kofte, falafels and freshly grilled meats since 1975. Portions are enormous, the lamb is tender, and every meal comes with complimentary bread, hummus and baklava. Cash only, so come prepared.