Ceri James and his guitar have been a feature of the New Cross music scene for some time. His third solo album, The Lost Souls Parade, is out now and includes the song The Real Coffee Shop - not only a catchy upbeat number, but also a nice slice of cultural history celebrating an actual cafe in early noughties New Cross Road (think it was open for around 18 months from around 2000 to 2002, coinciding with the last days of the Goldsmiths Tavern in its wild south east phase).
The Real Coffee Shop
Do you remember the coffee shop?
Well I admit that I almost forgot
And It was run by Robbie who was loved by Melanie
And it was open whenever you wanted to throw a party
I once saw the crackheads who were smoking in the alley
Beneath the posters of the latest rally
Did you get involved?
At the Coffee Shop A
place that starbucks couldn’t stop
Somewhere South of The Thames
It was a real Coffee Shop
The building was in desperate need of some renovation
But inside you could always find a decent conversation
It opened just before the internet super highway and you could read a book there by Chomsky or Hemingway
Let’s say the toilet wasn’t always a pretty site
But you could smoke in the lounge all through the night or pass your spliffs if you liked
And it happened a lot
At the coffee shop
Somewhere in New Cross
They had things Costa didn’t stock
It was a real coffee shop
Student philosophers, artists, punks and hippies
All showed up to satisfy their curiosity
Side by side but never in complete harmony
But they tolerated each others company
Outside in the garden there were art installations
But the Police talked about the legal complications
There were undercover cops
At the coffee shop
Where we used to dance alot
It was South of the Thames
A place that Costa couldn’t stop
It attracted outsiders, travellers and renegades
And all kinds of music was DJ’d
Marathon guitar jams with mandolins and banjos
And someone playing on the out of tune piano
Live performers and other festivities
But I don’t remember ever buying a cup of coffee
It wasn’t necessary
When you went
To the coffee shop
Where we used to drink a lot
It was Somewhere in New Cross
They had things Starbucks couldn’t stock
Yes I remember the coffee shop
But the shenanigans had to stop
It all seemed to disappear somewhere into the ether
And the class A’s didn’t help much either
When Robbie needed to move away
The businessman next door opened a new cafe
And it was the end of the cabaret
At the coffee shop
A store that high streets haven’t got
Where we smoke a lot
Somewhere South of The Thames
The real Coffee shop
The real coffee shop
The video was shot in New Cross Road and includes some old footage from the Coffee Shop itself, which I believe was located at 310 New Cross Road. In fact the video was directed by Robert O'Meara, who was involved in running the Coffee Shop - apparently he is the Robbie mentioned in the song, and Melanie is the Mel who still runs Prangsta. Robert recalls: 'The Coffee Shop was a squat which turned a run down empty space into a vibrant hub and resource for the community'.
Deptford Broadway
Back in 2004, Ceri's former band Zen put out another South London song: Deptford Broadway.
The Real Coffee Shop
Do you remember the coffee shop?
Well I admit that I almost forgot
And It was run by Robbie who was loved by Melanie
And it was open whenever you wanted to throw a party
I once saw the crackheads who were smoking in the alley
Beneath the posters of the latest rally
Did you get involved?
At the Coffee Shop A
place that starbucks couldn’t stop
Somewhere South of The Thames
It was a real Coffee Shop
The building was in desperate need of some renovation
But inside you could always find a decent conversation
It opened just before the internet super highway and you could read a book there by Chomsky or Hemingway
Let’s say the toilet wasn’t always a pretty site
But you could smoke in the lounge all through the night or pass your spliffs if you liked
And it happened a lot
At the coffee shop
Somewhere in New Cross
They had things Costa didn’t stock
It was a real coffee shop
Student philosophers, artists, punks and hippies
All showed up to satisfy their curiosity
Side by side but never in complete harmony
But they tolerated each others company
Outside in the garden there were art installations
But the Police talked about the legal complications
There were undercover cops
At the coffee shop
Where we used to dance alot
It was South of the Thames
A place that Costa couldn’t stop
It attracted outsiders, travellers and renegades
And all kinds of music was DJ’d
Marathon guitar jams with mandolins and banjos
And someone playing on the out of tune piano
Live performers and other festivities
But I don’t remember ever buying a cup of coffee
It wasn’t necessary
When you went
To the coffee shop
Where we used to drink a lot
It was Somewhere in New Cross
They had things Starbucks couldn’t stock
Yes I remember the coffee shop
But the shenanigans had to stop
It all seemed to disappear somewhere into the ether
And the class A’s didn’t help much either
When Robbie needed to move away
The businessman next door opened a new cafe
And it was the end of the cabaret
At the coffee shop
A store that high streets haven’t got
Where we smoke a lot
Somewhere South of The Thames
The real Coffee shop
The real coffee shop
The video was shot in New Cross Road and includes some old footage from the Coffee Shop itself, which I believe was located at 310 New Cross Road. In fact the video was directed by Robert O'Meara, who was involved in running the Coffee Shop - apparently he is the Robbie mentioned in the song, and Melanie is the Mel who still runs Prangsta. Robert recalls: 'The Coffee Shop was a squat which turned a run down empty space into a vibrant hub and resource for the community'.
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| The Coffee Shop |
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| The shop today - next door but one to Cafe Crema |
Back in 2004, Ceri's former band Zen put out another South London song: Deptford Broadway.
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