eroding empire

SOLD OUT! CONTESTED COMMONS: A History of Protest and Public Space in England
2026-01-21 19:00 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road King’s Cross, N1 9DX
please note this event is now sold out. To be added to a waiting list please email shop@housmans.com
Proffessor Katrina Navickas In Conversation with Daniel Frost
For our first event of the year we welcome Proffessor Katrina Navickas to the shop to discuss what is an increasingly urgent political issue in our current cultural climate. Her recent book, Contested Commons is a radical history of the increasing restrictions against protest in England’s public spaces. The work is a gripping overview of increasingly restrictive policing and legislation against protest in public spaces. It tells the long history of contests over Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, Cable Street and Kinder Scout, as well as sites in towns and rural areas across the country. Navickas reveals how protesters claimed these spaces as their own commons, resisting their continuing enclosure and exclusion by social and political elites. She investigates famous and less well-known demonstrations and protest marches, from early democracy, trade union movements and the Suffragettes to anti-fascist, Black rights and environmental campaigners in more recent times. Contested Commons offers positive as well as troubling lessons on how we protect the right to protest.
Katrina Navickas is Professor of History at the University of Hertfordshire. She is the author of Protest and the Politics of Space and Place, 1789–1848 (2016) and Loyalism and Radicalism in Lancashire, 1798–1815 (2009). She will be joined in conversation with Daniel Frost. They will discuss the book and its themes for around 45 minutes, followed by a open discussion with the audience.
As always, tickets are priced on a sliding scale. If you are unable to pay for a ticket please do not hesitate to contact us at shop@housmans.com, and a free ticket will be made available.
If you choose ‘book +entry’ your copies of the book will be available to collect on the evening. If you would like to collect it earlier, or arrange for delivery, please contact us (postage is £2.95). Telephone 020 7837 4473 or email shop@housmans.com.
Doors Open at 6:45pm, Event Starts 7:00.

black feminist reading group: little rot
2026-01-20 18:30 | The Feminist Library, 161 Sumner Road, SE15 6JL
The Black Feminist Reading group is back again this month!
The next session will be taking place on Tuesday 20th January from 6:30-8:00 at the Feminist Library.
We’ll be reading Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi and exploring the connections between Black Feminism and fiction.
Sign up at the link in our bio or email nonki@feministlibrary.co.uk for the text.
Reminder: The Black Feminist Reading Group is a closed space for Black and POC folks.

Practical Squatters Evening @ a local squat!
2026-01-19 19:00 | , ,
By squatters for squatters! Join us for evenings of practical squatting knowledge, skillshares, and meeting squatters new and old. Whether you’re looking to join a crew, looking for more people to join your crew, or just coming along to skill up, we hope that Practical Squatters Evenings can provide something for everyone, and bring together people in the squat scene in London. _________________________________
After a recent meeting, the Practical Squatters Network has decided on some changes to make the network and monthly sessions more useful to people looking to know more about squatting or to share and improve their skills in many of the aspects of squatting life. The Practical Squatters Network has been operating for countless years running regular sessions to introduce people to squatting, and to help those already squatting to meet others and share skills. The frequency of meetups along with the content has changed over years according to the changing landscape of squatting in the UK, but currently runs once a month on the 3rd Monday. It fluctuates between being hosted at Decentre, above Freedom Bookshop, and on alternate months in a local squat. Going forward all Practical Squatters Evenings will take place in a local squat, only using Decentre or other anarchist social centres as backup venues in the case a squat falls through for whatever reason. They will continue to run regularly on the 3rd Monday of the month. Each session will also take a particular focus on a topic or skillshare, to make sessions of more use to people who have already attended previously and heard the usual introductory speil. There will still be fair focus given to anyone who is new and ensure they are not left behind with questions about the basics of squatting.

Brockley Anarchist Reading Club
2026-01-19 18:30 - 20:00 | Brockley Brewery, 31 Harcourt Road, Brockley, SE4 2AJ
The Brockley Anarchist Reading Club is continuing our discussion of David Graeber and David Wengrow’s The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. This book fundamentally challenges the standard narrative of human history, arguing against the notion that hierarchies and the state are inevitable. Graeber and Wengrow compel us to look past the confines of capitalism and actively practice imagining necessary political futures based on historical examples of freedom and self-governance. All are welcome! Whether you are a lifelong anarchist or just beginning your journey, join us to discuss how recognizing the long history of human political experimentation acts as a necessary step toward revolutionary change. Meeting Details: Book: The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity (Discussing Chapters 6 & 7 Date: Monday, January 19th, 2025 Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM (18:30 – 20:00) Location: The Brockley Brewery

Healers, Midwives, Witches
2026-01-19 18:00 | The Feminist Library, 161 Sumner Road, SE15 6JL
Healers, Midwives, Witches is an experimental documentary that traces connections between village midwives and the figures of healers and witches found in historical archives. Moving between archival engravings from London and intimate conversations with the filmmaker’s grandmother and great-aunt, former midwives in rural southeast Turkey, the film brings different times and places into dialogue. Through archives and oral histories, recurring gestures, rituals, and ways of care reappear across centuries. The film approaches the witch not as a myth, but as a figure shaped by fear, control, and misogyny, carried forward through women’s memory, labour, and survival.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/healers-midwives-witches-tickets-1979985271246

56a Infoshop Open
2026-01-17 14:00 - 18:00, 2026-01-15 14:00 - 20:00, 2026-01-10 14:00 - 18:00, 2026-01-08 14:00 - 20:00, 2026-01-03 14:00 - 18:00, 2026-01-01 14:00 - 20:00, 2025-12-27 14:00 - 18:00 | 56a InfoShop, 56 Crampton Street,, SE17 3AE
Open: Thurs 2-8 / Fri 3-7 / Sat 2-6
56a Infoshop is a long-term volunteer-run, 100% unfunded, DIY social centre in Walworth, South London since 1991. We share a collectively-run building with the brilliant Fareshares Food Co-op and the awesome 56a Bikespace.
we sell radical books, zines, magazines, pamphlets and other printed matter on a wide variety of topics from Anarchism to Zapatistas via everything in between.
we have a massive open-access archive so you can read and research about all sorts of radical politics (both local and international).
you can hang out and meet people in the space. Tea and coffee is free!
find out about what’s going on with other centres, squats, struggles and campaigns.
come and help us put on small events in our space. We can offer free meeting space for groups / study groups / book launches etc. We fit about 15 ok inside plus we have the outside large yard space good in Spring through early Autumn.
Use our SQUATTERS NOTICEBOARD to meet other squatters, post up info on empty buildings, read legal advice etc.
For exceptional closures check Twitter: @56aInfoshop

Squat Safety
2026-01-16 19:00 | Lesnes estate, Thamesmead,

Benefit gig for Mildmay Community Centre - Rites of Hadda, Groove Toys, Mazil Brush and DJ Jessing Gown
2026-01-16 19:00 | The Others, 6 Manor Road, N16 5SA
Raising funds for Mildmay Community Centre, foodbank and pet foodbank.
Anarcho, pagan , gothic , psychedelic – queer Witch Punk… Tap dancing and a Raffle… what more could you need?
RITES OF HADDA // GROOVE TOYS // tap dancer MAZIL BRUSH // DJ JESSING GOWN
£5 skint / £10 less skint!
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rites-of-hadda-benefit-gig-for-mildmay-community-centre-tickets-1977492106122
https://www.mildmaycommunitycentre.org/

Reality Unfolds Fest 2026
2026-01-16 17:00 - 2026-01-18 23:00 | New Cross Inn, 323 New Cross Rd, SE14 6AS
Real Life Presents
Reality Unfolds 2026
Friday 16th January
Arkangel
H8000 hardcore legends. Show me what you got.
[www.instagram.com/arkangelbxl/]
Your Demise 2004
Ignorance never dies.
[www.instagram.com/yourdemise2004bruv/]
Negative Frame
London hardcore warriors. On the team since day 1.
[www.instagram.com/negativeframeldn/]
Grief Ritual
Confessional metalcore breakdowns on Church Road records.
[www.instagram.com/grief_ritual/]
Break Them
Big riff ukhc party starters.
[www.instagram.com/breakthemhc/]
Regress
London style mosh crew.
[www.instagram.com/regressukhc/]
Saturday 17th January
Colin Of Arabia
Raw Boston hardcore for the people. UK exclusive.
[www.instagram.com/coaisforthepeople/]
Splitknuckle
The kings of essex. National treasures of UK hardcore.
[www.instagram.com/splitknuckle.skc/]
Endless Swarm
Scottish Powerviolence. Get fucking stupid.
[www.instagram.com/endlessswarm/]
Street Power
Boston hardcore stomping realness on Triple-B. UK exclusive.
[www.instagram.com/streetpowerbhc/]
Calcine
Paris heavy hardcore on Church Road Records.
[www.instagram.com/calcine_hc/]
xApothecaryx
Edge Metal mosh squad.
[www.instagram.com/xapothecaryx/]
Believe In Nothing
Disgusting sludge noise destruction
[www.instagram.com/believeinnothing_noise/]
Rescue Cat
Furious Italian emoviolence.
[www.instagram.com/rescuecat00121/]
Mindless
The return of Blood Soaked Style
[www.instagram.com/mindless.uk/]
Fractured
Deathcore. Cap City Killaz.
[www.instagram.com/fracturedldn/]
Agency
LDN style repping Rucktion Records.
[www.instagram.com/agency.ldn/]
Bullet
New blood London hardcore stomp.
[www.instagram.com/bullethxc/]
Sunday 18th January
Boneflower
Raw Madrid post-hardcore on Deathwish records
[www.instagram.com/weareboneflower/]
Temple Guard
Members of UKHC legends (Renounced, xRepentancex, Ego Trip…) bringing righteous edge metal fury
[www.instagram.com/templeguardhc/]
Kid, Feral
Screamo from Skovde. First UK show for one of the best to ever do it.
[www.instagram.com/kid.feral/]
Crowquill
Distorted moshy mathcore nightmares.
[www.instagram.com/crowquillhc/]
Cassus
UK screamo legends, making up for lost time.
[www.instagram.com/cassusband/]
I’m Sorry Emil
Representing the new wave of UK Skramz.
[www.instagram.com/imsorryemil/]
Not Without Punishment
Southampton realness. Hardcore for moshers.
[www.instagram.com/notwithoutpunishment/]
Tension
Bristol’s stompiest hardcore.
[www.instagram.com/tension_wcc/]
Afraid To Die
Our 2026 debut – members of Heights, Svalbard, Ravachol and *shels playing heavy mosh music
[www.instagram.com/afraid_to_die_/]
Mountain Peaks
Norwich screamoviolence
[www.instagram.com/mountain.peaks.band/]
Sunday Best
Post-emo heathen anthems
[www.instagram.com/thisissundaybest/]
16th-18th January 2026
£60 weekend tickets
Friday – £25
Saturday – £30
Sunday – £20
New Cross Inn
Doors 5pm Friday / 12pm Saturday / 1pm Sunday
https://pit.live/events/reality-unfolds-1

56a Infoshop Open
2026-01-16 15:00 - 19:00, 2026-01-09 15:00 - 19:00, 2026-01-02 15:00 - 19:00, 2025-12-26 15:00 - 19:00 | 56a InfoShop, 56 Crampton Street,, SE17 3AE
Open: Thurs 2-8 / Fri 3-7 / Sat 2-6
56a Infoshop is a long-term volunteer-run, 100% unfunded, DIY social centre in Walworth, South London since 1991. We share a collectively-run building with the brilliant Fareshares Food Co-op and the awesome 56a Bikespace.
we sell radical books, zines, magazines, pamphlets and other printed matter on a wide variety of topics from Anarchism to Zapatistas via everything in between.
we have a massive open-access archive so you can read and research about all sorts of radical politics (both local and international).
you can hang out and meet people in the space. Tea and coffee is free!
find out about what’s going on with other centres, squats, struggles and campaigns.
come and help us put on small events in our space. We can offer free meeting space for groups / study groups / book launches etc. We fit about 15 ok inside plus we have the outside large yard space good in Spring through early Autumn.
Use our SQUATTERS NOTICEBOARD to meet other squatters, post up info on empty buildings, read legal advice etc.

Monthly Drop In
2026-01-15 19:00 - 20:00 | LARC, 62 Fieldgate Street, E1 1ES
Need advice about an issue with your boss or landlord? Want support organising in your workplace or community? Want to talk about anarchism or syndicalism? Want to meet members of the group and find out how SolFed works? Just want to say hi? Then come see us at one of these drop in sessions.

Skinhawk / Ohnemus / Heavy Cummerz
2026-01-14 18:00 | New Cross Inn, 323 New Cross Rd, SE14 6AS
New Cross Live Presents
Skinhawk
Monster punk four piece from Reading.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1dGicHIyl9lakF75qwCXVE
Ohnemus
New girl band from Birmingham.
[www.instagram.com/0hnemus/]
Heavy Cummerz
Heavy Cummerz are a fast paced, Hardcore Punk Rock band from the South East to the North East of London.
https://linktr.ee/HeavyCummerz
Wednesday 14th January 2026
New Cross Inn
Doors 6pm
Tickets £7 ADV STBF
https://pit.live/events/skinhawk

South London Scum presents: BOMBER + LOUSE + NEVER ARISE
2026-01-10 20:00 | The Birds Nest, 32 Deptford Church Street, SE8 4RZ
South London Scum is proud to present:
Saturday 10th January 2026
BOMBER (Brighton hardcore punk)
LOUSE (Bristol neocrust)
NEVER ARISE (London crust)

Stand Your Ground: Legal Observer Training for Squatters
2026-01-10 14:00 | Autonomous Winter Shelter, Charlton Area,
We’ve had enough of dodgy evictions and violent cocky high court thugs.
ASS is looking for volunteers to be legal observers at evictions, so we can provide better legal support to squatters who are threatened with eviction and state violence, and so we can hopefully stop more dodgy evictions.
To get things rolling, ASS will be providing free legal observer training at 2pm on 10 January 2026 at the Autonomous Winter Shelter in Charlton. The training will be useful whether you want to get involved, or if you just want a better understanding of your rights when dealing with bailiffs. (You don’t need to be interested in volunteering to come to the training).
As the AWS does not publicly annouce its address, please email advice@squatter.org.uk or meettheautonomy@proton.me for the address.

Molten Slag / Regimes - Deptford Rock City
2026-01-07 19:00 | Deptford Junction, Unit 8 Ffinch Street, SE8 5QA
Molten Slag
REGIMES
Animal Blundetto
Decoy

Mean Pills / Kill The Snitch / Heart On
2026-01-06 18:00 | New Cross Inn, 323 New Cross Rd, SE14 6AS
New Cross Live presents
Mean Pills
UK queer emoviolence
https://bellsemoviolence.bandcamp.com/
Kill The Snitch
Post-Hardcore band from London
https://linktr.ee/killthesnitchband
Heart On
Punk band in London. Prepare to be let down
https://heartonband.bandcamp.com/
Tuesday 6th January 2025
New Cross Inn, London
Doors 6pm
Tickets £7 ADV STBF
https://pit.live/events/mean-pills

Brockley Anarchist Reading Club
2026-01-05 18:30 - 20:00 | Brockley Brewery, 31 Harcourt Road, Brockley, SE4 2AJ
The Brockley Anarchist Reading Club is beginning our discussion of David Graeber and David Wengrow’s The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. This book fundamentally challenges the standard narrative of human history, arguing against the notion that hierarchies and the state are inevitable. Graeber and Wengrow compel us to look past the confines of capitalism and actively practice imagining necessary political futures based on historical examples of freedom and self-governance. All are welcome! Whether you are a lifelong anarchist or just beginning your journey, join us to discuss how recognizing the long history of human political experimentation acts as a necessary step toward revolutionary change. Meeting Details: Book: The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity (Reading Chapters 1-5)

First Friday Freedom Fun board game night!
2026-01-02 19:00 | Freedom Bookshop, Angel Alley, 84b Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX
Come and join us for a night of frivolity, fun and friendly competition. Every 1st Friday of the month. Next one is the 1st November, 7pm Decentre.

Pentonville Prison Noise Protest
2025-12-31 20:00 | Pentonville, , N7 8TT
On December 31st we will be gathering outside Pentonville prison to play our small part in the anarchist tradition of reminding our comrades within each and every prison cell that they are not forgotten, they are not alone, and they will not be left behind in the hands of the state.
Now, more than ever, the threat of imprisonment looms over every action we take. A pathetic and complicit state flails wildly in its throes of dedication to business-as-usual in the face of the Gazan genocide, attempting to smother even the most minor act of insurrection. When faced with this, open and loud solidarity towards those incarcerated must come to the forefront of our political actions.
The importance of this solidarity is brought into focus by the current carceral climate – one of indefinite detention without trial, such as that doled out to the Filton24, and one of deep suffering, such as that experienced by those continuing to fight with the only thing left to them from within the prison walls – their bodies.
They are: Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink, Kamran Ahmed, Lewie Chiaramello, Muhammad Umer Khalid, Teuta Hoxha, and Qesser Zuhrah.
So come join us at Pentonville prison. Let Kamran hear you. Let all prisoners hear your support shuddering through the prison walls.
Show up at 8pm on New Years Eve, spread the word.

Brixton Prison Noise Protest
2025-12-31 18:00 | Brixton Prison, Jebb Avenue, SW2 5XF
Noise Demo!
Bring Drums, Bring Noise!
For all the prisoners.
For all the detainees.
For the hunger strikers.
Brixton Prison, NYE, 6PM.
Every year, people from everywhere on the planet hold noisy demonstrations outside prisons on New Year’s Eve.

Critical Mass
2025-12-26 19:00 | South Bank, ,
The London Mass meets at 7:00pm, on the last Friday of every month on the South Bank under Waterloo Bridge, by the British Film Institute. WHAT’S IS ALL ABOUT? Critical Mass is often described as an ‘unorganised coincidence’. It happens when a lot of cyclists happen to be in the same place at the same time and decide to cycle the same way together for a while. WHAT’S THE PURPOSE? “Everyday, all over the world, people are resisting the problem culture of the car by getting on their bikes and riding, instead of driving. Critical Mass is a celebration of the alternatives to cars, pollution, accidents and the loss of public spaces and freedoms. Not an organisation or group, but an idea or tactic, Critical Mass allows people to reclaim cities with their bikes, just by getting together and out-numbering the cars on the road” WHAT HAPPENS ON A CRITICAL MASS? Each one is different and they follow no set route, with the direction being spontaneously chosen as people cycle along. Anyone is free to join or leave the ride as it pedals along. The ride lasts no more than a couple of hours (depending on the weather!) and usually ends in a conveniently placed pub (or squat) for more drinks. Most all, they are peaceful, safe and fun! DO I NEED A BIKE? Nope! Critical Mass is not just for bikes – skateboards, roller blades, wheelchairs, pogo sticks – in fact any form of non-motorised, non-polluting transport are all very welcome!
