Hello, paper punks. Another week of looking at the Halloween listings and wondering what costume to go as and how many spooky Desperados I will inevitably buy on the second off licence run. (What's your CHAOS BEVERAGE?)

Quick update this week to say that, somehow, I have run out of October issues and so if you want a paper copy, go get one in your favourite record store (as long as it's Aaja Deptford, Disc World, World of Echo, Tome Records, Crypt of the Wizard, Books Peckham, Duplikat Press, The Horse Hospital or Green Onions) or with your COTW or Maggot Death internet order. (Or if you want a PDF, let me know.) As ever, well excited that people are digging the listings and will be printing more for November - still time to get involved or send your gig too, postcards to the usual address.

Couple of updates: if you're reading this tonight (that's Monday 11th), Sister Midnight have a livestream Q&A over Zoom which is worth tuning in if you're wondering about their crowdfunder; World of Echo, esteemed good shop and advert taker, are celebrating their birthday at Cafe OTO on Friday 14th; Good Night Out are hiring a part-time Operations Coordinator. Enjoy these links, and go to these gigs.

THIS WEEK'S GIGS

Tonight (11th)

• POWERPLANT, NUKULUK, MINOR CONFLICT, BINGO FURY
  The Social (W1W 7JD, Oxford Circus), 17:30-23:00, £9adv. Brand new south London experimental hip hop group meets gladly returning swagger punks. Proceeds to Black Minds Matter & Help Musicians.

Wednesday 13th

• FIGHTMILK, GOLD BABY, GUTTS The Victoria, 19:00-23:00, £9adv.
  First tour in 20 months and all in aid of second record ‘Contender’, with dreamy grunge pop and angry queer sax punk too.

• CRUELTY, CB6, MASTERMIND, BURN ALIVE, STINGRAY Old Blue Last (EC2A 3ES, Shoreditch High Street), 19:00-23:00, £8adv.
  Midweek metallic chaos for fans of Converge, with local hardcore and thrash metal.

Thursday 14th

• LINEA ASPERA, FRAGRANCE Studio 9294 (E9 5LN, Hackney Wick), 19:30-23:00, £14.30adv.
  The Berlin darkwave duo’s London debut, with cosmological Italo-inspired post punk.

Friday 15th

• GAD WHIP, THE PHONE CALL, SEAN SMITH (DJ) PinUps (N1 0XT, Angel), 19:30-23:00, £7adv.
  Deconstructed, wry garage punk and clicky riffs, with a new group from members of David Cronenburg’s Wife.

• MAKENESS, GRAVE GONZO, DOUBLE HELIX MON TUDIE (DJ) The Ivy House (SE15 3BE, Nunhead), 19:30-23:00, £6adv.
  Kyle Mollison’s elaborately broken dance punk project, drenched shoegaze and a DJ set with afrogroove/Latin/bangers.

Saturday 16th

• MORE OF THIS: DARKO, NO MATTER, DEMON SMILES, DROPTHIS, RXR, DYNAMITE DYNAMITE, THE REAL QUAID, THE DEAD ANYWAYS, GARETH JAMES New Cross Inn, 14:00-23:00, £3-10adv. All-dayer held in tribute to Steve Loki Todd, of 13 Stiches Records. Lots of reunions. Proceeds will go to Papyrus (Prevention of Young Suicide).

• LORAINE JAMES, FAUZIA Studio 9294, 19:30-23:00, £12.10adv. “A genre-splicing genius of British electronic music” tours the essential ‘Reflection’.

• THE WIDOWS, ATOMIC SUPLEX, HYGIENE, TV DEATH Paper Dress Vintage, 20:00-late, £7adv. Some Weird Sin with another large garage night. Play Hygiene’s ‘Big Six’ when queuing up for your petrol ration.

COVID TIME: For all of these events: regardless of the venue’s policies - do not attend if you have any COVID symptoms or haven’t tested negative on the day or just before. You can order free NHS lateral flow tests online, right now (you don’t have to swab your throat anymore, thank fuck) online right now, or go to your nearest pharmacy. Venues with security staff have been asking for negative tests or vaccine passports as of late so be prepared.

If you haven’t been vaccinated and you are able to get vaccinated, go to the NHS website and get that booked.

There we go, same again next week. Getting November's grid ready and playing my recent purchases of Exek's last LP and the musical version of the War of the Worlds over and over, but until then, go 2 gig -- B P / A S