Faith, safety and human connection
Plus new EP links Tokyo and Chatham, we review the Royal Crown, events this week, and more
Following on from our piece earlier this week on the safety of the Jewish community in Medway, today we hear from Ajaib Hussain of Medway Inter Faith Action on the challenges facing our religious communities. Further down, we hear about a new EP that links Tokyo to Chatham, which our music writer Stephen Morris reviews for us. On top of that, we review Sunday lunch at the Royal Crown, look ahead to the week’s events, and more.
Faith, safety and human connection in Medway
In our Tuesday edition, we featured an interview with Dalia Halpern-Matthews, the Chair of Trustees at Chatham Memorial Synagogue, about the safety of the Medway Jewish community following the attack at Manchester Synagogue on Yom Kippur. Since then, there has been an arson attack at Peacehaven mosque in East Sussex. We are following up our Tuesday piece with a statement from Ajaib Hussain, Chair of Medway Inter Faith Action, and the second part of our conversation with Dalia.
In a statement received by Local Authority, Medway Interfaith Action (MIFA) “condemned in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attack on the synagogue in Manchester, in which innocent worshippers were killed and others gravely injured.” They stated that their “hearts go out to the victims, their families and friends of the people tragically attacked,” and that they send “sympathies and prayers to the whole Jewish community reeling from this tragedy.”
They were equally “shocked and appalled by the latest arson attack targeting the Peacehaven mosque in East Sussex.” Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but they highlighted “this follows a pattern of increasing Islamophobic attacks on Muslim individuals and Mosques across the country,” with over 12 reported incidents since last month alone. MIFA also condemned “these appalling acts of violence in the strongest possible terms.”
The statement goes on to say that “we understand the profound pain when a place of worship is attacked. The right to practice one’s faith in peace and security is fundamental and must be protected for everyone. Any assault on this freedom is deeply distressing and must never be tolerated.” MIFA encourages residents to “remain calm and vigilant,” and they thanked the local police and civic leaders for their “support and reassurances during this difficult time.”
Following our conversation about the safety of Medway’s Jewish community on Tuesday, I spoke to Dalia about the response from the UK Home Secretary and news reports that had come out about the Israeli government inviting far-right thug Tommy Robinson to visit the country.
“I’m pretty appalled, actually,” Dalia tells me about the comments from the Home Secretary about it being un-British to protest, “because to me, one of the beautiful things about being British is the freedoms we have, the democracy”. Amongst those is the right to protest. “That is so fundamental to being British.”
Dalia finds Shabana Mahmood’s proposals to curb that freedom appalling. “That is one of those things that is going to wear down our freedoms and ultimately make us less safe.” Dalia believes that protests planned for Palestine should go ahead, despite the recent attack in Manchester. “It is really important that protest, if it’s the right thing, that we consider how we do it and that we are respectful, but we don’t lose that right to do so.”
We also spoke about the Israeli government’s invitation to the far-right Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, popularly known as Tommy Robinson, who has been previously convicted of assault, using a fake passport, mortgage fraud, and contempt of court.
“I find that unbelievable,” says Dalia. She tells me that a number of UK Jewish organisations, that she doesn’t necessarily agree with many aspects of, understand that he is not someone “we want to be associated with as Jews. He is not someone who is our friend.” Dalia tells me that for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery, to associate himself with ‘Tommy Robinson’ is “a good demonstration perhaps of his own character.”
We talk about how, just as with Christians and Muslims, “two Jews are not alike.” Whilst there are Jews who “believe in Zionism, who believe that Israel is our homeland,” there are some who do not. There are “some Jews that think that what Israel is doing in Gaza and the West Bank to be the right thing, and there are some who believe it is not.”
The UN and multiple international organisations say Israel is committing a genocide, and Dalia tells me that “it’s important to point out firstly, that protest on Saturday against what Israel’s doing in Gaza was not inherently anti-Semitic. There were many Jews there who don’t agree with what’s being done. Some of those will have been Zionists and some of them will not have been Zionists.”
Dalia found the statements about the protest immediately after the attacks, as “conflationist discourse,” disagreeing that Jews should have to choose whether we support the victims of the attack in Manchester or the Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank. “The whole idea that liberty is something that must be protected, we need to understand that this is a wedge issue where the government use that as the lever to change a law. People might think that’s great, because of not understanding the full ramifications of how that can then be expanded to erode other rights.”
Bringing it back to Medway, for Dalia, “is to understand that it’s not just about security. To create safety and to create the society that I think that we want, we need dialogue. We need true human connection.”
Between Tokyo and Chatham
The end of September saw the release of an EP collaboration between Japan’s The 5.6.7.8’s and Chatham’s Ludella Black. We spoke to Ludella about the collaboration, and after that, we have a review from our own music writer Stephen Morris.
Ludella Black was a singer with The Delmonas, a 60s style rock and roll girl group, who covered their favourite songs. The band split in 1985, and she had the idea with Billy Childish of forming another girl group as a spinoff of his Thee Headcoats band, which became the Headcoatees.
Born Sarah Crouch, she thinks she was given the name Ludella Black by Bruce Brand. “We all had silly names given to us,” she recalls. Sarah, now a successful ceramics artist, liked the name and has kept it for singing performances. She sings as Miss Ludella Black, mainly with The Masonics. The Masonics are Bruce Band, John Gibbs and Sarah’s husband, Mick Hampshire. “I do my little bit as Miss Ludella Black with The Masonics. Occasionally, I’ll do a bit with Billy (Childish), but not very much these days.”
When we interviewed Sarah/Ludella last year, she told us:
“We went to Japan last year with The 5.6.7.8s. We did a tour with them in Japan this time last year. It was fantastic. This year they’re coming back to England, doing a British tour. I’m going to do some recording at Ranscombe Studios with the 5.6.7.8s. They’re playing at Poco Loco as well at the end of October. It sold out really quickly.”
The 5.6.7.8’s formed in 1986 when Sachiko and Yoshiko “Ronnie” Fujiyama, two sisters from Tokyo who both shared a passion for rock and roll, founded the band with two other members. The band has a sound that draws heavily from 1960s garage rock, rock’n’roll, surf, rockabilly, punk rock, psychobilly, and beat. Of course.
After several line-up changes (including the bassist Yoshiko “Yama” Yamaguchi, who was the bassist featured in the Kill Bill movie), the band eventually became a trio. Yoshiko and Sachiko are still the main components in the band, and now Akiko Omo, who originally joined in the early 1980s, has rejoined the band as the bass guitarist.
Sarah told us that the Headcoatees saw the 5.6.7.8s in Tokyo in the early 90s, when they were on tour. “Now I know them, it turns out they were massive fans of the Delmonas and an inspiration to them.” Sharing stages throughout the years, across the land, in 2022, The 5.6.7.8’s were joined by The Masonics on their five-night UK tour, with Miss Ludella Black joining both groups onstage.
During The 5.6.7.8’s eight-night UK tour in 2024, Miss Ludella Black joined the band onstage at London’s 229 venue, but they also booked into Medway’s Ranscombe Studios to record four of their favourite hits. It is this EP which has now been released as a 7”, with covers of The Pretty Things’ ‘Come See Me,’ Ray Charles’ ‘What I’d Say,’ John Barry’s ‘Beat Girl’ and The Pretenders’ ‘Kid.’ Beat Girl is limited to 1000 copies on vinyl by Spinout Nuggets, who say there are only seven copies left. So don’t hang around if you want to get a copy.
Review: Beat Girls EP
by Stephen Morris
It’s unsurprising that Tokyo’s The 5.6.7.8’s have a longstanding connection with some of Medway’s finest garage band luminaries. There is something very complementary between the raw 60s thrash of Fujiyama, Fujii and Omo’s sound – as prominently featured on Kill Bill Volume One - and that of the likes of The Masonics.
A couple of years ago, the trio commemorated their tour of Japan with Micky Hampshire, John Gibbs and Bruce Brand, releasing a split EP of originals and covers.
Now the connection between Tokyo and Medway has been further cemented with the release of the Beat Girls EP (out on Spinout Nuggets), with guest vocals from our very own Ludella Black.
Beat Girls is, as the name suggests, standard garage fare – at once familiar and thrilling. There’s ‘Come See Me,’ themed around the innocence of limerent love, the shimmy-shimmy blues of ‘What’d I Say,’ and a doowop-infused ballad of heartbreak in the form of ‘Kid’ (complete with Bruce Brand on stylophone) during which Ludella Black gives Édith Piaf’s vibrato a run for her money.
And there’s a spectacular twangy instrumental (filled with plenty of “oooh”s from Black) on ‘Beat Girl’ – a tune which could easily form the backdrop for the next Tarantino fight scene.
Beat Girls is an excellent collection of songs that leaves the listener desperate for further music from this quartet of international collaborators. More please!
Out to Sunday Lunch: The Royal Crown in Rochester
A Sunday roast is a British staple, a tradition that Wikipedia helpfully highlights we usually have on a Sunday. Though there are apparently some anarchists out there who will have them on other days. For something that is an essential of British life, whilst the menu options in restaurants are often incredibly similar, the results on the plate can be hugely variable, with even high-end, high-quality restaurants failing to plate an enjoyable roast dinner.
As such, I have set out to find the best Sunday lunch that Medway has to offer. I started off at the Royal Crown, the last pub in Rochester before the bridge takes you across the river to Strood. The Royal Crown is a popular destination, and if you want to eat there, booking a table is recommended. It is a comfortable, welcoming destination, with friendly, helpful staff.
I ordered roast beef, with a selection of vegetables, roast potatoes, mashed swede, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. With the increasing costs in hospitality, the food is both similarily high and reasonably priced. Make of that what you will.
The beef was well-cooked, generously portioned and full of flavour. The roast potatoes, often where a venue will fall down, were good. Not great, but very edible. The mashed swede was delightful, accompanied by red cabbage. The all-important Yorkshire pudding, the gravy delivery device, passed standard with gusto.
Take your loved ones and enjoy a true British tradition with Sunday lunch at the Royal Crown.
Events this week
🥁 Sat 11 Oct - Echoes of Black Britain // Immersive music exhibition with live performances, artefacts, food, and more. Glassbox Theatre, Gillingham. Pay what you can.
🎶 Sat 11 Oct - Night at the Musicals // Fun-filled variety show, of young singers and dancers performing beloved musical numbers. Spotlites Theatre, Chatham. Pay what you can.
🎸 Sat 11 Oct - The High Span + Darryl Hartley + Chris Hearsey // Local bands play local show. Rams Micropub 12 Degrees, Rochester. Free, donations welcome.
💞 Wed 15 Oct - Murphy’s Multiverse // Music, animation and other dimensions. Coor Brow-Obles and Nadia Perrotta, performing in her Cantastorie alter ego. Animated music video, live music and cosplay. Poco Loco, Chatham. Free
🗣️ Thu 16 Oct - Full Medway Council meeting // Politicians bicker with each other over how to get things done. St George’s Centre, Chatham. Free.
🖌️ Thu 16 Oct - The Art History of Studio Ghibli // Talk about Studio Ghibli’s art, taking inspiration from mystical qualities and traditions from Japanese culture. Glassbox Theatre, Gillingham. Tickets £12.
📸 Thu 16 Oct - Anthony Luvera Photography Talk // Socially engaged photographer and artist delivers talk on his work to document social segregation in housing. Sun Pier House, Chatham. Free.
More Authority
Yesterday, we announced our latest live event, an experiment in whether conversations can lead to better things. In a couple of weeks, we’ll be pondering whether Medway can make you happy at MidKent College, and we’d love for you to be a part of it. Read the full piece to find out what it’s all about.
Can Medway make you happy?
Steven introduces our newest experiment in doing democracy differently: the Local Democracy Café. Find out what it’s about, who’s joining us, and how to grab your seat…
Footnotes
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