BBE Store
London Fields’ BBE Store needs your help. The independent record shop, bar and community space is the latest much-loved local hangout to be facing a review of its premises licence, following - you guessed it - noise complaints.
Home of the BBE (Barely Breaking Even) Music record label, which has been around since 1996, the BBE Store opened on Helmsley Place back in 2016. Since then, it’s brought countless people together over drinks and a shared love of music.
The team says noise complaints began after a new residential building went up on the mostly commercial street. They’ve worked with Hackney Council to install noise limiters and acoustic curtains, but “there doesn't appear to be any compromise from what appears to be a specific set of residential neighbours continuing to complain,” says co-founder Peter Adarkwah.
BBE is asking supporters to sign the petition to support BBE Store ahead of this Fri 23rd Oct, when Hackney’s Licensing Sub-Committee is due to review the venue’s case. It only takes a moment, so please do it now.
They have also launched a fundraiser, since “fighting this review means paying for solicitors, planning consultants, preparing evidence and representing ourselves at a licensing hearing, and the costs are quickly getting out of our control,” reveals Peter.
“Our ethos has always been simple: anyone can come in and enjoy the space. Some of the world’s biggest DJs have played here, and every time it’s been open to the public for free. Now we’re asking if you could dig into your pockets and donate whatever you can. No amount is too small - or too big!”
This clear case of potential cultural vandalism is exactly the kind of thing The Wick’s rolling Nightlife Campaign is aiming to prevent happening here in Hackney Wick & Fish Island, with hundreds of new homes about to go on the market right next door to long-standing late night businesses.
It follows hot on the heels of the successful campaign to prevent planning consent being given for flats right next door to The Lord Napier pub, with the Mainyard-based campaigners Save Our Scene galvanising the resistance, just as that are currently busy doing for the BBE Store (and further afield, such as at Digbeth in Birmingham, where the entire cultural quarter is at risk of being flattened for redevelopment).
Thankfully, pro-culture people-power is carrying much more sway than it used to, also demonstrated by the successful saving of Hackney’s Moth Club earlier this year, but many of these victories remain under the shadow of well-funded appeals being prepared by developers.
We still await the verdict on Fish Island’s Vittoria Wharf, which includes music venues at Vittoria Wharf Studios and Two More Years.
On the flipside of these battles for survival, it is good to see that the forthcoming Wickside development has had its licences for assorted new hospitality spaces and canalside public realm events granted by Tower Hamlets Council.
East London may be relentlessly changing, but the silent majority who love the cultural fabric that exists here are ready to fight for it - and their collective voices are now being heard louder than ever.
THINGS TO DO
Live Drafts: Lifegame at The Yard Theatre
🤠 Dust off your cowboy boots, Hackney Wicked Women are holding their first official meeting of the membership year at Beer Merchants Tap, tonight Wed 21st Oct, starting with a line dancing session led by instructor Bea. Membership is just £60 for the year, drop them a message on instagram if you want to get involved.
🎬 The New Black Film Collective are holding a free screening of Michael Jackson biopic Michael as part of Black History Month at The Lounge, Type Building at Stratford’s Sugar House Island Thu 22nd Oct, including an introduction before the film and a panel discussion afterwards.
👻 Sapphic Halloween party RHIZOWEEN: Garden of Earthly Delights lands at Algha Works on Fri 23rd Oct. Come as your favourite weird and wonderful Hieronymous Bosch creation, take part in the costume contest and play some games.
🎭 No two stories are quite the same in Live Drafts: Lifegame, coming to The Yard Theatre on Fri 23rd Oct. This WIP version sees a surprise guest sits down with the cast, who turn their life stories into sketches, songs and scenes on the spot.
🦇 Get spooky at Process Open Mic Halloween Special at LVLS on Tue 27th Oct. Hosted by UK Poetry Slam Champion Tyrone Lewis and writer-director Kayla Martell Feldman, costumes encouraged for this edition of their monthly spoken word night.
👗 The Collections Soiree and Presentation comes to Hyatt Regency Stratford on Sat 24th Oct, bringing together UK and international designers for a fashion presentation inspired by Josephine Baker. The programme also includes the Angelman Syndrome Awareness Designer Award, combining a celebration of design with a charitable cause.
⛵ Model Boat Demonstration is back at Victoria Park’s East Model Boating Lake on Tue 27th Oct - a chance to see model boats in action and enjoy some fresh air in half-term.
🖼️Two More Years kicks off the latest artist residency with Here & Now by Nefer Tipi, exploring the passage of time, identity, the pressures of contemporary life and what it means to live consciously. Selected wall sculpture works from Tipi’s Memento Mori, Memento Vivere series, will feature alongside exploration sketches and works on paper. Meet the artist and check out the exhibition at the opening party 7pm tonight, Wed 21st Oct.
THIS WEEK’S FEATURES
More local profiles, culture reviews & features
every week on thisisthewick.com
MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
Kiitaka at Grow
🎷Jazz meets electronics as Chiminyo presents: NRG Trio Live at Number 90 on Thu 22nd Oct. The drummer/producer brings his NRG Trio back for another live set in the fourth week of his residency.
🌍 Immigrant Party presents Chase Tha Worst (live) at Grow on Fri 23rd Oct, with the full band on stage blending cumbia, reggae and soca with psychedelic guitar and brass. Immigrant Party residents dan PARTIES and Mithun will be on the decks too, spinning some zouk, salsa and samba.
🎺 World Music Big Band returns to Fabwick for an uplifting live set on Fri 23rd Oct, led by trumpeter Steve Pretty, with Alison Rayner on bass and Mark Huggett on drums. Their sound takes in jazz, African and Latin grooves, with music by artists including Abdullah Ibrahim, Ebo Taylor, Mulatu Astatke and Fela Kuti.
🪩 Enjoy some festive fun with club FLUiD: Halloween Special at Colour Factory on Sat 24th Oct. The night brings together R&B, hip-hop, dancehall, afrobeats and baile funk.
🎸KiiTAKA launches her new single The HEROINE at Grow on Tues 27th Oct with a live set that mixes trip hop, folk, alt rock and electronics - with Anwar Sattar taking over after for a DJ set blending old school jungle, acid electro and Middle Eastern sounds.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
🌮 Street Food in the Yard is back at Here East today, Wed 21st Oct, from 11am-3pm. This month’s line-up includes Pakistani, Middle Eastern and Japanese food, plenty to tempt you away from your desk…
🍚 There’s a new food spot in town: Rice Gang, which opened last week, bringing Cantonese classics to White Post Lane, so head over to check out what’s cooking. They’re open Thurs to Sat, 12–8pm. Have a look at their website or Instagram for more details.
🍷 Friday Wine Club is now running at The Lord Napier every Fri, with any bottle of non-sparkling wine £30 before 9pm.
🌿 Nature Heroes is at Hackney Bridge on Tue 27th Oct - a free drop in session of nature themed craft and activities for kids aged 5–11.
🎭 New Saturday drama classes are launching at Theatre Deli on Sat 7th November for ages 4–16. The Drama Centre Hackney is offering drama, public speaking and LAMDA classes, with £10 trial sessions available.
✊🏿Hackney's Black History 365 programme is now running through to November, with a newly announced programme of grant-funded cultural projects - ranging from dance and carnival workshops to creative writing, heritage and storytelling projects. Check out the full programme here.
JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES
💻Informal webinar Arbeit Studios in Conversation: Business Rates takes place Mon 26th Oct. Paul Phillips from Appeal My Rates will introduce what business rates are, explain when and how to apply for them, and answer some frequently asked questions. More details and registration found at the website.
🎨 V&A East Youth Collective is looking for 12 young locals aged 16–24 to help shape how the museum and Storehouse connect with young people. The 8-month paid programme includes creative workshops, research trips and 16 evening sessions, with participants contributing ideas around creativity, wellbeing and making museums more welcoming. Applicants must live, work or study in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest. Applications close Sun 1st Nov.
📱 Hackney Empire is recruiting a Social Media & Content Creation Trainee to join its Creative Development and Marketing & Communications teams. The part time role averages 21 hours a week at £14.80 an hour, with hands-on experience creating social media content and campaigns, designing flyers and posters, communicating with local communities, and supporting programmes and shows including Alter Ego and the Nannies of Today podcast. This opportunity is specifically for someone with lived experience of forced displacement who has sought asylum or refuge in the UK. Applications close Mon 23rd Nov.
🎨 Royal Docks Originals returns in autumn 2027, and the call is out for local artists, creatives, businesses and community groups to get involved. There are grants available for new projects, including collaborations between artists and local venues, as well as funding for groups of creatives working in the same studio space. The free festival will bring a month of art, installations and performances to the waterfront, so now’s the time to get your ideas moving. Applications close on Mon 23rd Nov.
🎵 The Youth Music Trailblazer Fund is now open for applications, offering grants of £2,000-£30,000 to organisations running projects that help children and young people make, learn and earn in music. The fund is particularly interested in projects that trial a new way of working, help sustain a grassroots programme, disrupt the status quo - or ideally, all three. Applications close on Fri 20th Nov.
NEXT: Wed 28th Oct 2026
The Lord Napier Star, 25 White Post Ln, London E9 5ER
CIG 4pm-5.30pm / Social Drinks 5.30pm-7pm
AGENDA
Lord Napier Star/27 White Post Lane update - Rob Star
VR Regenerative Placemaking - Rasim Savaskan
Gamuda Marshgate Lane - Enqi Wong & Dan Navarro
Mclaren Remus Road - William Key
Sonic Tonics (product tasting) - Alex Harris
Working together towards a permanent sustainable creative economy in Hackney Wick & Fish Island
GET INVOLVED
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