Squat Safety
2026-06-05 19:00 (Europe/London) | Lesnes estate, Thamesmead,

PEACE OF MIND + OVERPOWER + DEFIANCE + SOULPRISON
2026-06-05 19:00 | Blue Monk, 71 Enid Street, SE16 3RA
We’re honoured to present you with a date where UKHC unites with the finest representative of German Hardcore, touring Europe this summer – Peace Of Mind – after almost a year following the release of their second LP “Blood Is The Price”, a stronghold not only for German and Mid-East Hardcore as well as showing their Trash influences (and some of the wildest guests)
They are just back from raising hell in April In the US and Canada, they’ll be stopping by the Blue Monk in Bermondsey alongside Overpower, Defiance and SoulPrison.
Are you ready London?

BOOK LAUNCH: 'FLAMBOYANCE' WITH JACK PARLETT
2026-06-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road King’s Cross, N1 9DX
JACK PARLETT IN CONVERSATION WITH AMELIA ABRAHAM Flamboyance is Jack Parlett’s follow up to his acclaimed Fire Island (A Housmans bestseller of 2022). This new book has all the qualities one has come to expect of Jack’s work; big hearted and erudite in equal measure.
Flamboyance ignites every aspect of our lives, from art and entertainment to ritual and protest. The word conjures exuberance and unashamed passion; in thought, expression and dress. Yet historically the term ‘flamboyant’ has been reserved for the over-the-top and the outré, invoked at times as a pejorative innuendo or worse.
In his fascinating new book, Jack Parlett argues for its value as an empowering and creative force, illuminating the ways in which flamboyance is a fundamental aspect of human conduct that both marks and transcends difference.
Taking in an eclectic array of examples, from Gothic architecture to the orange flowers of Dungeness, and populated by figures such as Oscar Wilde, James Baldwin, Elton John, Amy Winehouse, Lil Nas X and Chappell Roan, this is a book about flamboyant art and the art of flamboyance. And having both aspired to it and rejected it, Jack recounts his personal relationship to flamboyance while also finding new meanings of the word, exploring its surprises and contradictions, and reconnecting with its radical power.
Jack will be joined in conversation with Amelia Abraham. They with be in conversation for around 45 minutes to an hour, followed by a q&a and signing session.
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.
Share this:
Share on X (Opens in new window)
X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Facebook Share on Insta (Opens in new window)
Insta
Like this:Like Loading…

BOOK LAUNCH: 'FLAMBOYANCE' WITH JACK PARLETT IN CONVERSATION WITH PETER SCALPELLO
2026-06-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road King’s Cross, N1 9DX
JACK PARLETT IN CONVERSATION WITH PETER SCALPELLO
Flamboyance is Jack Parlett’s follow up to his acclaimed Fire Island (A Housmans bestseller of 2022). This new book has all the qualities one has come to expect of Jack’s work; big hearted and erudite in equal measure.
Flamboyance ignites every aspect of our lives, from art and entertainment to ritual and protest. The word conjures exuberance and unashamed passion; in thought, expression and dress. Yet historically the term ‘flamboyant’ has been reserved for the over-the-top and the outré, invoked at times as a pejorative innuendo or worse.
In his fascinating new book, Jack Parlett argues for its value as an empowering and creative force, illuminating the ways in which flamboyance is a fundamental aspect of human conduct that both marks and transcends difference.
Taking in an eclectic array of examples, from Gothic architecture to the orange flowers of Dungeness, and populated by figures such as Oscar Wilde, James Baldwin, Elton John, Amy Winehouse, Lil Nas X and Chappell Roan, this is a book about flamboyant art and the art of flamboyance. And having both aspired to it and rejected it, Jack recounts his personal relationship to flamboyance while also finding new meanings of the word, exploring its surprises and contradictions, and reconnecting with its radical power.
OUR SPEAKERS:
Jack Parlettis the author of three books: The Poetics of Cruising: Queer Visual Culture from Whitman to Grindr (a monograph with University of Minnesota Press), Same Blue, Different You (a poetry pamphlet with Broken Sleep Books), and Fire Island: A Queer History (Granta), which was named one of the Best Books of 2022 by the New Yorker and shortlisted for the Polari Book Prize 2023. His writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Document Journal, BBC Culture, Boston Review, Literary Hub and Poetry London.
Peter Scalpello is a writer and psychotherapist from Glasgow, based in London. Their second book, Mirrorstage, was published this year with Cipher Press.
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.
Share this:
Share on X (Opens in new window)
X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Facebook Share on Insta (Opens in new window)
Insta
Like this:Like Loading…

Carrie & the Coaxers / Poorly Trained Radicals / Regrettables - Biddle Bros.
2026-06-05 19:00 - 23:00 | Biddle Bros, 88 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0QR
Sad House Daddy presents
CARRIE AND THE COAXERS
POORLY TRAINED RADICALS
REGRETTABLES
Free entry – live music from 8pm

Fundraiser for Sudan
2026-06-06 09:25 | , ,
Fundraiser for Sudan £10 entry or what you can afford All proceeds donated to SAG Location TBA on infoline Performances from 10 Mezzo/Mandi/Post Woke/Leftovrrs/Senrab/Problem in the Attic DJs till late Ayumesi/Chichi/AVGDJ/Alyx/DJ Perra and more Stalls Zinebox/Hackney Anarchists/Of the Earth/Scalpel and more

Black Feminist Reading Group Workshop
2026-06-06 12:00 | The Feminist Library, 161 Sumner Road, SE15 6JL
The Black Feminist Reading Group is back for another wokshop! On Saturday 6th June 12:00-3:30pm at the Feminist Library. We’ll be taking time to reflect and imagine together. The workshop will be centred on a few fun creative reflection activities. We’ll be using collage, reflective writing, and drawing to explore Black Feminism. What does the space we create here mean to us? What are we building together? New members are very welcome. Please sign up via Eventbrite so we can prepare the space. For questions, email nonki@feministlibrary.co.uk Reminder: This is a closed space for Black and POC folks. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1989902853000?aff=oddtdtcreator

Feral State + Tomb Slab + Regimes + More
2026-06-06 17:50 | The Endeavour, 39 Deptford Broadway, SE8 4PQ
Feral State (Leicster) – Back in London after the release of their full length ‘II’. Expect raging d-beat and crossover energy. Tomb Slab (Nottingham) – New crushing sludge filth from scene veterans. Regimes – Kings of Deptford. Ferocious and magickal hardcore chaos. Louse – HM-2’d up monstrous hardcore/crust. Vile Rapture – Negative hardcore infused death metal/crust. Helix – Raging UK82 sounding crusty hardcore. Mids – ABC meets 80’s Cock Sparrer from scene legends.

Acoustic Anarchy #105
2026-06-06 19:30 - 22:00 | Waterintobeer, Tara Terrace, 209-211 Mantle Road, Brockley, SE4 2EW
Regular acoustic night featuring three top folk-punk acts:
Pog are a Brighton based group with melodic folk-punk songs Wob is a one-person force of nature, bouncing all over the place with catchy song. The Daffodildos are a neuro-diverse queer punk band

DISORDER, DREAD MESSIAH, DEFLAGRADOR
2026-06-06 22:00 | Helgi’s, 177 Mare Street, E8 3RH
Disorder, Dread Messiah, Deflagrador @ Helgi’s http://Dice.fm

Excide + Hollow Suns: Bastard Hymns
2026-06-08 18:00 | New Cross Inn, 323 New Cross Rd, SE14 6AS
Real Life Presents
BASTARD HYMNS ACROSS THE UK Excide Carolina fury on Sharptone Records
Plus special guests Hollow Suns Ice Grills nu-grunge
Wears Me Out South East Emotional Hardcore
elentari New London Discordance
New Cross Inn, nearest stations New Cross Gate and New Cross £15

The Brockley Anarchist Reading Club
2026-06-08 18:30 - 20:00 | Brockley Brewery, 31 Harcourt Road, Brockley, SE4 2AJ
The Brockley Anarchist Reading Club is excited to dive into Bob Black’s infamous anti-work manifesto, The Abolition of Work. In this provocative text, Black argues that work is the central source of misery, oppression, and social control in the modern world. Moving far beyond traditional leftist demands for “full employment” or better wages, he advocates for the total destruction of the workplace. Black challenges us to reclaim our lives by transforming necessary production into autonomous, playful, and voluntary activity. All are welcome! Whether you are a lifelong anarchist or just beginning your journey, join us to discuss how breaking free from the cult of productivity is a necessary step toward building a truly liberated world. Meeting Details Book: The Abolition of Work by Bob Black Date: Monday, 8 May 2026 Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Location: The Brockley Brewery

Burn Brighter, It's Cold Out... I Should Kill Myself, Inner Dog, The Chomp & Living Spite | Real Life Presents
2026-06-09 18:00 | New Cross Inn, 323 New Cross Rd, SE14 6AS
Real Life Presents –
5 new heavy sounds from the underground
Burn Brighter
Anthemic big riff shoutalong hardcore
It’s Cold Out… I Should Kill Myself
Whitebelt aggro mathcore
Inner Dog
Post-hardcore bangers
The Chomp
New stompy hardcore from members of Safest Spaces
Living Spite
Heavy moshcore
New Cross Inn, nearest stations New Cross Gate and New Cross

Feminist Fightback reading group: Feminisms (Dog Section Press)
2026-06-09 19:00, 2026-06-16 19:00 | Sir Ralph Perring Centre, Golden Lane Estate, EC1Y 0SA
Join Feminist Fightback for our next reading group book: Feminisms, a collection of essays published by Dog Section Press. You can download a copy of the book or purchase it for £6 here: https://www.dogsection.org/product/feminisms. Feminisms is a collection of ten essays from a diverse milieu of writers on the subject of feminism. Each piece is illustrated by Cat Sims. Feminisms features: Ren Aldridge & Janey Starling, Stacey Clare, Abu Leila, Lola Olufemi, Leah Cowan, Emma Heaney, Nazmia Jamal, Sophie K Rosa, Sophie Lewis and Dilar Dirik. The book is 117 pages long. We will discuss this book in 2 sessions: Tuesday 9th June (50 pages): * Our Bodies Are Not Just Battlegrounds: They Are Weapons, Too by Ren Aldridge and Janey Starling * And the Academy Award Goes to… by Stacey Clare * Keeping the House, Building the Movement: the Housing Struggle and Feminism by Abu Leila * The Bank and The Mayor’s Office Won’t Give us our Freedom by Lola Olufemi Tuesday 14th July (59 pages): * What Stories Does Carceral Feminism Tell Us in Service of the Border Regime? by Leah Cowan *On the Baselessness of Sex by Emma Heaney * A Letter Fetish: To an unknown lesbian, living in Newcastle in the 1970s by Nazmia Jamal * A Feminist Archaelolgy of Self by Way of Words by Sophie K. Rosa * Feminists Against Women by Sophie Lewis * Feminism and Change: Accountability and Struggle by Dilar Dirak Please come having read the relevant chapters.
The sessions will take place at the Sir Ralph Perring Centre, Golden Lane Estate, EC1Y 0SA. The closest station is Barbican. This is in Golden Lane Estate by the swimming pool and tennis court. The venue is fully accessible. Please arrive at 7.00 for 7.15 start; we will finish at 8.30pm. All genders welcome!

BOOK LAUNCH: Privatising humanity by Kate Bayliss
2026-06-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road King’s Cross, N1 9DX
Kate Bayliss in conversation with Adrienne Buller PRIVATISING HUMANITY is a powerful exposé of how finance turns our basic human needs into assets.
We have entered a new era of turbo-charged financial extraction. Having amassed huge reserves, global finance capital is seeking out fresh areas for profitable investments. Virtually all aspects of our lives are now targeted by someone seeking to make a profit.
Kate Bayliss shows how wealthy investors, including asset managers, target our essential services. When it comes to investments in these sectors, shareholder profits are funded by us, the end-users and tax-payers who simply wish to meet our basic human needs for water, warmth and shelter. We have no alternative but to pay into these structures that often generate massive returns for investors and dysfunctional systems for society.
Unpacking the details of these processes in three sectors in the UK – water, energy and housing – Bayliss exposes the harmful consequences of this model, which is contributing to deepening inequality.
Kate will be joined in conversation by Adrienne Buller, author of The Value of a Whale: On the Illusions of Green Capitalism.
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.
Share this:
Share on X (Opens in new window)
X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Facebook Share on Insta (Opens in new window)
Insta
Like this:Like Loading…

Dalston Solidarity Cafe
2026-06-13 11:00 - 20:00 | , 31 – 33 Dalston Lane, Hackney, E8 3DF
Dalstong Solidarity Cafe – Join us second saturday of the month between 11am and 8pm at Halk Evi, 31 – 33 Dalston Lane E8 3DF for a workshop/presentation. If you would like to get involved on the day, we start cooking from 11am – the more the merrier! Feel free to bring along any food that would otherwise go to waste and get in touch if you have a food link up for us
From 2pm onwards we’ll have: Pay-what-you-can’ food & drinks Infoshop: zines, books, posters, stickers & more Free shop & clothes swap Free binders donated by @genderswap(limited sizes available) The space is wheelchair accessible (through Tyssen Street entrance)

Dalston Solidarity Cafe
2026-06-13 14:00 | , 31 – 33 Dalston Lane, Hackney, E8 3DF
Dalston Solidarity Cafe – Connecting grassroot networks over free food, tea & community resources every 2nd Sat of the month. Generally 2pm-8pm. What we practically do is rescuing food, turning it into delicious meals, serving it together with drinks on a “pay what you can basis down to £0“. Over the arc of the day, we also host a workshop, generally held by other local mutual aid groups and collectives, to then conclude with a film screening. From 2pm we also have an infoshop with zines/stickers/more, and a free shop/book swap/clothes swap including free binders from Gender Swap. The cafe takes place every second Saturday of the month at Halkevi, the Kurdish community centre in Dalston (London), with open assemblies every Tuesdays before and after the event. The space is wheelchair accessible (through the Tyssen Street entrance).

No Border Fair
2026-06-13 14:00 - 22:00 | Pelican House, 144 Cambridge Heath Road, E1 5QJ
Body Riot, Dance against Deportations and London Community Defence present……. A packed NO BORDERS FAIR at Pelican House on 13 June from 2 PM until late!!! ⋆.˚✮✮˚.⋆ Expect huge vibes and community-building all day! ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ MUSIC ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ ART EXHIBITION ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ INFO STALLS ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ STREET FOOD & DRINKS ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ HOME-MADE SYRUPS FOR ALCOHOL-FREE DRINK OPTIONS ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ DOCUMENTARY SCREENING (REFUGEES IN LIBYA) , ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ FUN FAIR GAMES ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ DIY BADGES, ZINE-MAKING, BEDAZZLING STATION ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ NIGHTLIFE SOLIDARITY ASSEMBLY ⫘⫘ ▼⫘⫘ NO BORDERS ASSEMBLY ꧁⎝ 𓆩༺✧༻𓆪 ⎠꧂ AND more…. We’re coming together to gather urgent support for our comrades: •⁠ ⁠Ibrahimah Bah, who is serving nearly a decade-long sentence for driving a boat for part of the crossing of the English Channel, saving multiple lives. •⁠ ⁠Our No-Border comrade, who is serving an unjust 4-year sentence in house arrest after taking action against an illegal border wall in 2016 •⁠ ⁠Refugees in Libya, a refugees-led organisation that is leading an urgent campaign against the EU’s violent border regimes •⁠ ⁠Queer Mutual Aid Lebanon, a grassroots collective that is providing essential on-the-ground support in the face of imperialist aggression. Pay what you can (£5-15 online), no one turned away for lack of funds https://www.outsavvy.com/event/35950/no-border-fair

SOUTH LONDON PUNX PICNIC 2026!
2026-06-13 18:00 | New Cross Inn, 323 New Cross Rd, SE14 6AS
South London Scum presents: SOUTH LONDON PUNX PICNIC 2026 Saturday 13th June picnic- FREE FROM 3PM AT FORDHAM PARK (just down the lane from the venue!) GIG- 6-11PM // £12 ADV/£14 OTD @ NEW CROSS INN 323 New Cross Rd London SE14 6A featuring the talents of: OI POLLOI (Scotland/Germany/Finland) https://ruinnationrecords.bandcamp.com/album/saorsa RANK (Bristol hardcore punk) https://rankhc.bandcamp.com/ CONTRACT KILLER (Cambridge/London thrash crust) https://contractkiller.bandcamp.com/ WIND OF KNIVES (London metal crust)
DINOSAUR SKULL (Thorton Heath punk duo) https://anthraxuk.bandcamp.com/album/tales-from-the-heath

The Word in Others' Mouths: Susan Rudy and Shelly Harder in conversation
2026-06-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road King’s Cross, N1 9DX
The Word in Others’ Mouths: Susan Rudy and Shelly Harder in conversation Susan Rudy and Shelly Harder come together to launch new chapbooks from Ottawa’s above/ground press.
Rudy’s Consequences gathers a thousand sentences — from feminist theorists, queer poets, songs, private conversations, and decades of notebooks — stripping them of hierarchy and ownership, letting Brossard and Bronski Beat and Butler sit side by side, voices refracting across queer and trans thought, motherhood, desire, and the ongoing problem of telling the truth about a body.
Harder’s pinion begins in the 2020 lockdowns. Alternating between narrative and lyric, this collection explores isolation, fragility, and interconnection with humour and yearning.
Both books know that language was not built for us, and both find forms that work anyway. This evening brings their authors into conversation about writing queerly, playing at the edges of genre and gender, and what it means to claim a word that began in someone else’s mouth.
THIS IS A FREE EVENT BUT PLEASE RSVP BELOW.
Share this:
Share on X (Opens in new window)
X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Facebook Share on Insta (Opens in new window)
Insta
Like this:Like Loading…

Anarchist Breakfast Club
2026-06-14 11:00 | Hackney Downs Park, , E5 8NP
Hackney Anarchists are back conquering bread 🍞
Every second Sunday of the month find us at the centre of Hackney downs cooking together, sharing food and discussing politics.
Our food is free to share with whomever might need it or want it. Everyone is welcome, no questions asked.
We are hoping to share food and its preparation with those who want to join. Come at 11 to help us prep and cook. This is also a joyful way to have political conversations and develop mutual aid tools.
This is a shared process and everyone can get involved however they want. We also welcome ingredients, leads for food sourcing, recipe suggestions (vegan), or just your company.
🍲 Abolish the bourgeoise butter bean! We feed ourselves 🏴

Freya / Low Life / Temperance / Guided By Malice
2026-06-15 18:00 | New Cross Inn, 323 New Cross Rd, SE14 6AS
Real Life Presents
Freya Apocalyptic metalcore featuring Karl Buechner of Earth Crisis, back at full strength and ready to explode.
+ Support from Low Life The realest LBU heavy hardcore
xTemperancex New straightedge hardcore ft. members of Break Them and many more
Guided By Malice New London metalcore, members of Bullet
New Cross Inn, nearest stations New Cross Gate and New Cross
Monday 15th June £14 Doors 6pm

Practical squatters evening
2026-06-15 19:00 | , ,
Welcome to practical squatters evenings where you can meet old and new squatters to get you ready for a new squatting life Get your burning squat questions answered (for correct legal ones ask Ass and the squatters handbook) Share skills and hang out Location is in different squats every time or decentre email practicalsquatters@riseup.net before each time

BOOK TALK: Absolute Ethical Life: Michael Lazarus in conversation with Bruno Leipold
2026-06-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road King’s Cross, N1 9DX
Aristotle, Hegel and Marx: Michael Lazarus In Conversation with Bruno Leipold Karl Marx gave us not just a critique of the political economy of capital but a way of confronting the impoverished ethical quality of life we face under capitalism. Interpreting Marx anew as an ethical thinker, Absolute Ethical Life provides crucial resources for understanding how freedom and rational agency are impacted by a social world formed by value under capitalism, with consequences for philosophy today.
Michael Lazarus situates Marx within a shared tradition of ethical inquiry, placing him in close dialogue with Aristotle and Hegel. Lazarus traces the ethical and political dimensions of Marx’s work missed by Hannah Arendt and Alasdair MacIntyre, two of the most profound critics of modern politics and ethics. Ultimately, the book claims that Marx’s value-form theory is both a continuation of Aristotelian and Hegelian themes and at the same time his most distinctive theoretical achievement.
In this normative interpretation of Marx, Lazarus integrates recent moral philosophy with a historically specific analysis of capitalism as a social form of life. He challenges contemporary political and economic theory to insist that any conception of modern life needs to account for capitalism. With a robust critique of capitalism derived from the determinations of what Marx calls the “form of value,” Lazarus argues for an ethical life beyond capital.
Michael Lazarus will be joined in conversation with Bruno Leipold. We expect the conversation to last from around 45 minutes to an hour, followed by an open discussion with the audience.
Our Speakers:
Michael Lazarus is Lecturer in Political Theory in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London. Before coming to King’s, he was Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University and Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Institute. He holds a PhD in Politics from Monash University. His research covers major themes and thinkers in political theory, political economy and moral philosophy.Absolute Ethical Life: Aristotle, Hegel and Marx, published by Stanford University Press, is his first book. He is currently working on a second book project related to the ideas of labour, money and colonialism in Adam Smith and G.W.F. Hegel. In addition to his many scholarly publications, he regularly writes for non-academic venues.
Bruno Leipold teaches at the London School of Economics. He works on the thought of Karl Marx, the republican political tradition, democratic theory and nineteenth-century political thought. He is the author of Citizen Marx (Princeton University Press, 2024) and the co-editor of Radical Republicanism (Oxford University Press, 2020). Before coming to the LSE, he held post-doctoral positions at The New Institute, the European University Institute and the Goethe University Frankfurt, and he received his DPhil from the University of Oxford.
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.
Share this:
Share on X (Opens in new window)
X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Facebook Share on Insta (Opens in new window)
Insta
Like this:Like Loading…

BOOK LAUNCH: THE NEXT FIX by KOJO KARAM
2026-06-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road King’s Cross, N1 9DX
The question is no longer if we should legalise drugs. It’s: what happens when we do?
The future of drugs is here, and it’s dangerously unequal. Over the last decade, the status quo around drugs has collapsed. Drugs once sold as safe cures have been revealed as ineffective or dangerous, while substances criminalised for generations are being reborn as breakthrough mental health treatments, wellness supplements, Silicon productivity tools and billion-dollar investment opportunities. How did this reversal happen — and who stands to benefit?
Join us as we welcome the brilliant Kojo Karam to Housmans to celebrate the launch of his essential, brilliant and harrowing new book. In The Next Fix, award-winning author Koram travels from Scotland to Colombia, Ghana to the United States, to uncover the forces reshaping the global drug landscape. Moving between glossy corporate cannabis expos to grassroots activist campaigns and the question of reparations, he traces the growing tension between movements fighting for justice after decades of prohibition and the finance-world race to profit from a newly legal frontier. Will drug reform finally undo the racial violence, environmental destruction and public health failures of the War on Drugs? Or will it simply open a new chapter in global capitalism, creating a smooth transition from cartel barons to Wall Street oligopolies?
Urgent, moving and deeply reported, The Next Fix asks whether the War on Drugs is really over – or merely changing its chemical formula.
‘Brilliantly arranged and rich with fresh insights‘ Akala
‘A radical, beautifully written understanding of our history‘ Owen Jones
Kojo Koram is a Professor of Law, author and investigative journalist. This year he co-founded a new global research centre at Loughborough University which will examine how drug markets are changing. Born in Ghana and raised on Merseyside, he is now based in London. In addition to his academic work, he regularly contributes to the Guardian and Novara Media and has also written for the New Statesman and NYT. He is the author of Uncommon Wealth (2022) which won the English PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize, was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing and the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing and was a Guardian book of the year.
Kojo will read from the book, followed by a discussion that should last for around 45 minutes. We will then have a q&a. The shop has limited space, so please book ahead to avoid disappointment.
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.
Share this:
Share on X (Opens in new window)
X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Facebook Share on Insta (Opens in new window)
Insta
Like this:Like Loading…

BOOK LAUNCH: THE NEXT FIX by KOJO KORAM
2026-06-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road King’s Cross, N1 9DX
The question is no longer if we should legalise drugs. It’s: what happens when we do?
The future of drugs is here, and it’s dangerously unequal. Over the last decade, the status quo around drugs has collapsed. Drugs once sold as safe cures have been revealed as ineffective or dangerous, while substances criminalised for generations are being reborn as breakthrough mental health treatments, wellness supplements, Silicon productivity tools and billion-dollar investment opportunities. How did this reversal happen — and who stands to benefit?
Join us as we welcome the brilliant Kojo Koram to Housmans to celebrate the launch of his essential, brilliant and harrowing new book. In The Next Fix, award-winning author Koram travels from Scotland to Colombia, Ghana to the United States, to uncover the forces reshaping the global drug landscape. Moving between glossy corporate cannabis expos to grassroots activist campaigns and the question of reparations, he traces the growing tension between movements fighting for justice after decades of prohibition and the finance-world race to profit from a newly legal frontier. Will drug reform finally undo the racial violence, environmental destruction and public health failures of the War on Drugs? Or will it simply open a new chapter in global capitalism, creating a smooth transition from cartel barons to Wall Street oligopolies?
Urgent, moving and deeply reported, The Next Fix asks whether the War on Drugs is really over – or merely changing its chemical formula.
‘Brilliantly arranged and rich with fresh insights‘ Akala
‘A radical, beautifully written understanding of our history‘ Owen Jones
Kojo Koram is a Professor of Law, author and investigative journalist. This year he co-founded a new global research centre at Loughborough University which will examine how drug markets are changing. Born in Ghana and raised on Merseyside, he is now based in London. In addition to his academic work, he regularly contributes to the Guardian and Novara Media and has also written for the New Statesman and NYT. He is the author of Uncommon Wealth (2022) which won the English PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize, was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing and the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing and was a Guardian book of the year.
Kojo will read from the book, followed by a discussion that should last for around 45 minutes. We will then have a q&a. The shop has limited space, so please book ahead to avoid disappointment.
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.
Share this:
Share on X (Opens in new window)
X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Facebook Share on Insta (Opens in new window)
Insta
Like this:Like Loading…

BOOK LAUNCH: TURNING AWAY by BENJAMIN A. SALTZMAN
2026-06-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road King’s Cross, N1 9DX
A sweeping account of how we are at our most human when we turn away from the pains of the world. This is a work of breathtaking scholarship. We are delighted to welcome its author, Benjamin A Saltzman, to Housmans for its UK launch. He will be in conversation with Revd Dr Ayla Lepine. Why do we look away from the suffering of others? Why do we cover our faces in shame? Why do we lower our heads in grief? Few gestures are as universal as the averted gaze. Fewer still are as ambivalent and inscrutable. In this incisive study, Benjamin A. Saltzman reveals how the kaleidoscopic appearance of these gestures in art, poetry, and philosophy has turned them into an essential language for our uncomfortable engagements with the world, challenging us to reflect on the ways we fundamentally relate to others.
Into the horizon of contemporary discourse, Turning Away sets out from five influential scenes in which figures avert their gaze: Timanthes’s Sacrifice of Iphigenia, Plato’s Republic, Augustine’s Confessions, Christ’s Crucifixion, and the Fall and Expulsion of Adam and Eve. The gestures of aversion in these scenes refract across visual media, through philosophy and politics, into modernity and the present day, having been reimagined along the way by thinkers like Hannah Arendt, artists like Marc Chagall and Salvador Dalí, poets like Langston Hughes, and many others. Saltzman offers a timely critique of the privilege of turning away and of the too-easy condemnation of our tendencies to do so.
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.
Share this:
Share on X (Opens in new window)
X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Facebook Share on Insta (Opens in new window)
Insta
Like this:Like Loading…

Ingrown / King Street / Flesh Prison / Rabbithole | Real Life at The Piehouse
2026-06-17 19:00 - 23:00 | Piehouse Co-op, Arches 213-214, Edward St, Deptford, SE8 5HD
Real Life Presents
Ingrown, Feral Idaho powerviolence + support from King Street, London Style Hardcore Flesh Prison, BN1 Powerviolence Stomp Rabbithole, Filthy Hardcore Death Youth
£12, doors 7pm

Twenty One Children, Ursula, State Sanctioned Violence & Shunkai | Real Life
2026-06-18 18:00 | New Cross Inn, 323 New Cross Rd, SE14 6AS
Real Life Presents
Twenty One Children
LACE UP YOUR MOSHING SHOES. DIY Hardcore grit from the heart of Soweto.
+ Support from
Ursula
Distressed hardcore violence from California
State Sanctioned Violence
LONDON HARDCORE PUNK
Shunkai
Emocrust revolutionaries
New Cross Inn, nearest stations New Cross Gate and New Cross
£12
14+, u16s with an adult 18+
