In the first of a series of regular collaborations with Canary Wharf’s guitar school, Kitchen Jam, we take a look at the history of a track with a local link and deliver some tips on how to play it
Kitchen Jam founder Darryl Powis has created a video tutorial to help Wharfers get their fingers around the riff that drives Rebel Rebel. Simply follow this link to get playing
To play the whole track you’ll need the chords below:
All the chords you’ll need to play Rebel Rebel by David Bowie – image by Wharf Life
looking back on the history of the track and its link to Docklands
BY ZAINAB HASSAN
Picture this – it’s early 1990, and David Bowie has just announced the Sound+Vision tour, a series of gigs where he’d play his biggest hits live for the very last time.
Rather than choose the setlist himself, he handed the decision to his global fanbase through telephone voting.
Dial 1-900-2-BOWIE-90 on your landline, and you were taking your chances at getting your favourite track onto the bill.
As calls flooded in from every corner of the globe, Bowie built the setlist from a mix of UK votes, American votes, and requests from everywhere else in between.
It was a truly global selection, curated to reflect what the world wanted to hear.
echoing on the island
For three nights that March, the tour landed in the capital at the London Arena, an indoor venue on the Isle Of Dogs that held up to 15,000 fans.
Demolished in 2006, the landscape is markedly different to when Bowie’s genre-shifting hits were last played, but the echoes of his riffs still resound in the hands of guitarists to this day.
glam rock swagger
The Sound+Vision tour setlist was shaped with deep cuts standing shoulder to shoulder with Bowie’s biggest hits.
One such song, Rebel Rebel, came early in the setlist. Salvaged from a scrapped Ziggy Stardust musical, it was the lead single for 1974 album Diamond Dogs and was the last of Bowie’s singles to swagger with true glam rock bravado.
Deceptively simple, yet roaring with a Rolling Stones-esque ferocity, the main riff loops around three chords – D, A and E – and an unrelenting descending melody that’s as instantly singable as it is impossible to shake.
the end of two eras
As a swan song to glam rock, Rebel Rebel was the end of an era for Bowie.
The Sound+Vision tour was the end of another, as he retired the hits from his live sets for good.
Two farewells, made decades apart, overlapped for three nights at the London Arena.
But all these memories remain in music. Just listen to that rebellious opening riff – it all comes flooding back.
For those who’d like to know more, east London is also now home to the David Bowie Centre in Stratford.
Based at the V&A East Storehouse, the collection includes more than 90,000 items from the artist’s archive and is free to visit.
key details: Kitchen Jam
Kitchen Jam offers guitar lessons rooted in musical connection and community from its studios in Canary Wharf and Stratford.
“The aim of Tech Academy is to give people a crash course in the technical aspects of theatre production – hopefully to act as a springboard that will get them into long-term careers,” said Matthew Jameson, artistic director at The Space on the Isle Of Dogs.
The Westferry Road theatre and arts centre is running a two-day session for up to 15 people who are living in Tower Hamlets and are not currently in education, employment or training.
It’s intended as a gateway to working in the sector.
The pilot scheme, which is supported by the East End Community Foundation, aims to give participants a solid grounding in the key technical elements needed for a fringe theatre show – lighting, sound and stage management.
“Across two intensive days we’ll deliver an introduction to all things technical,” said Matthew.
“The staff here, including our executive director Sarah Reed, have a wealth of experience in the industry to pass on – we want to provide an environment where people can learn safely and fail safely so they get a real understanding of what it’s like to work in this environment.
“We cover vocabulary and terminology because it can be terrifying for people to feel out of their depth if they don’t know the right words to use.
“There’s a lot of jargon and we’re here to demystify and clarify what’s happening.
“We’ll also be showing people all the equipment, how to set it up, treat it with respect and use it in a safe and responsible manner.
“The course covers things like manual handling, working with ladders, hanging, focussing and programming lights.
“The idea is to cover everything to see a show through from setting it up, pressing the buttons to make it go and then clearing up at the end.
“It’s every single step you need to be aware of to work behind the scenes on shows at venues like ours or in bigger theatres.”
Artistic director at The Space, Matthew Jameson – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
opening doors to opportunity
While the course doesn’t lead to a formal qualification, The Space hopes it will result in opportunities both within its own programming and at other venues.
“We’d like this pilot scheme will develop into a longer-term programme at The Space in the future,” said Matthew.
“The uptake has been fantastic so far and there’s clearly potential to take it further, which is what we’d like to do in the future.
“There is an identifiable need here and we want to help people explore careers in this sector.
“We really hope these Tech Academy sessions are the springboard for participants to find a discipline they love and identify with.
“While the course covers a range of skills, for longer term opportunities people tend to gravitate to a particular area.
“They might prefer working with lighting to sound, for example.
“We hope these sessions will help participants discover those pathways.
“That might be more on the stage management side – learning how to mark up the props table and how to run a show safely and efficiently back stage.
“It can also be very important for theatre-makers, directors, writers and actors to understand how it all works – what’s possible and what roles everyone is playing when they’re doing the fluffier side of creating performances.
“In the end, all the departments have to work together to make something far greater than any of them are capable of individually.
“This is something I’ll always love about live theatre – that the planning and talents of a group of people can come together to create something extraordinary.
“That’s when performance is at its peak – a well-oiled slick machine, where actors are not bumping into the furniture, everything is exactly where it should be, the sound and lighting are perfectly in sync and the audience are responding to it.
“It’s just wonderful to see.”
Participants get a grounding in a range of skills including how to work safely at height – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
a grounding before specilisation
While the Tech Academy sessions are intended to deliver a good grounding, they’ve also been designed to test participants.
“We set up what we call obstacle courses up as part of what we’re doing and an element of one of those is where Sarah and I perform a short, two-page scene,” said Matthew.
“We’re going to be asking the participants to operate a series of sound and lighting effects based on the scene as though we were doing a real performance.
“But actors can be fallible. What happens if one of us makes a mistake?
“Maybe some things will go wrong. That’s just show business.
“One of the lessons we aim to pass on is that live theatre is unpredictable and anything can happen.
“We have to be prepared as theatre-makers to find a way through, to keep that audience there and engaged.
“It’s really important to recognise the power that technicians have and their responsibility.
“Theatre relies on the power of the imagination – the incredible acts of trickery by the people audiences don’t see so that sounds, music and light can help transport them and set their pulses racing.
“That making all of those happen at the right time for what’s happening on stage is also a performance and takes real skill.
“I hope that the people who participate in Tech Academy will feel that technical theatre is demystified and is a real and plausible career that they can consider.
“People should know that it’s not highly specialised, that you can learn the buttons to press and see the routes through to get gigs.
“Hopefully, this time next year, they’ll be preparing to go up to the Edinburgh Festival, and a couple of years down the line, they may be touring internationally.”
The sessions cover sound, lighting, stage management and more – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
key details: Tech Academy at The Space
The Space on the Isle Of Dogs is currently recruiting participants for its next two-day session – set to take place in August or September, 2026.
Applicants should be Tower Hamlets residents who are not in education, employment or training.
The course is free to attend and includes lunch and snacks.
It’s an archive that now extends to more than a million individual documents and images.
Frontispiece is the business he established in 1989 to trade in such items, later adding a framing service as a natural extension to its operation.
It – like Reg – continues to have a storied existence and deserves to be a natural point of exploration for anyone moving to this part of London and seeking something of the place they’ve relocated to.
It’s also a fantastic resource for interior designers seeking to bring an authentic connection to history in their creations.
Reg began buying prints and documents as a teenager, initially from dealers and then at auctions in lots of multiple items.
“I was interested in the history of east London when my dad was a lad in the 1890s,” he said.
“People didn’t really have things on the wall when I was growing up apart from stuff like ‘Jesus Saves’ or ‘Welcome Home’ – no artwork.
“But I’d put up these prints.
“A chap I used to buy from suggested I go to an auction and buy 500 prints in a single lot, keep the ones I wanted and then sell the rest on.”
Detail from Victoria Dock Canning Town and East India Docks Poplar antique map, 1902, £48 – image supplied by Frontispiece
from collector to dealer
However, it was some time before Reg would turn that enthusiasm into a business.
He worked as a “camera operator” for the press, snapping musicians and football games as well as garden parties at Buckingham Palace.
After about eight years of pressing the shutter, he “became fed up with that” and pursued another passion – the railway.
“I was a train-spotter as a kid,” he said.
“You’d be standing on the bridge and get swamped with smoke and steam. I became a fireman on diesel engines.
“You see things from the footplate you can’t see from the train. I loved it.”
After a spell travelling, he returned to the East End to work as a labourer at Truman’s Brewery, before deciding – on the advice of his brother – to apply to university.
This was despite having no qualifications, having left school at 15.
After successfully negotiating the entrance exam, he trained as a teacher, returning to east London to work in the classroom – a career that took him through to the launch of Frontispiece.
In his time, Reg has been a male model, photographed the likes of the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds and Duke Ellington and has been a magistrate since 1986.
He’s a Freeman of the City Of London, a former master of the Worshipful Company Of Poulters and has held the positions of deputy mayor of Tower Hamlets and trustee at Whitechapel Art Gallery. He also plays a mean blues on the mouthorgan.
Having originally opened at Tobacco Dock in Wapping when it became a shopping centre, Frontispiece relocated to Canary Wharf to become the first retail business to open on the estate in the early 1990s, trading successfully in the malls for many years.
Today both his antique maps and prints business and framing services continue to operate from rooms at Cannon Workshops close to West India Quay.
Reg in the process of making a frame for a picture – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
an extensive inventory at Frontispiece
Like his life, Reg’s business contains multitudes.
His files and shelves are filled with images, documents, clippings and maps that tell stories.
“I have a particular focus on Docklands,” he said.
“For example, I have more than 500 images of the Great Eastern – Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s ship, which was built on the Isle Of Dogs as well as pictures of the engineer himself.
“Those are some of the most popular items we have.
“People also like to have maps of the places they’re living in and images of how these places used to be.”
Frontispiece has digitised more than 6,000 items, which are now available through its website.
Those browsing there will find everything from pages from The Illustrated London News in the 19th century to prints of flower fairies, sketches of ladies’ fashions, maps and images of maritime history.
There’s also a strong focus on military history, with Reg passionate about The Royal Regiment Of Fusiliers – based at the Tower Of London – which his father served with during the First World War.
Detail from Pheasants And Peacocks antique print, published 1862 in Oliver Goldsmith’s A History Of The Earth And Animated Nature, £45 – image supplied by Frontispiece
fit for the wall
“We started offering frames while we were still at Tobacco Dock,” said Reg.
\“I’d met a chap at a trade fair who would come down from Bedfordshire with the sizes we needed.
“But he didn’t want to keep doing that, so he taught me and people started coming to us for that service.”
Whether for his maps and prints or a client’s own pieces, Reg offers a bespoke service in wood and metal.
One notable client is Sir Michael Caine’s wife, who had the actor’s medals framed for him from his time in the Fusiliers as a gift on his 90th birthday.
Frontispiece also created a golden frame for King Charles, who’d donated a copy of his favourite photograph of himself as a boy with his late mother to a charity auction, raising £35,000 for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.
“We’re more than happy to discuss any job and if we can help, we will,” said Reg.
“Most people these days want frames that are quite simple, although some want designs that are more grand.
“The cost depends on how big the item to be framed is and the materials we’re using – what moulding we choose.
“We have all sorts of woods and metals in stock to suit what people want, starting at 48p per inch.”
As for the prints and maps, prices vary depending on size and rarity, but many are listed around £35 or £45.
Isle Of Dogs based childcare offers minibus connection to the estate for summer holiday club that prioritises open air activities and adventures
CEO at The Dockland Settlements, Lorraine Cavanagh and centre coordinator at Calder’s Wharf, Tommy Tracey – both part of the Parkview Outdoor Play team – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
Parkview Outdoor Play has a long history of supporting parents through childcare on the Isle Of Dogs.
Running after-school clubs for pupils at local primaries and holiday play schemes, the organisation is well known for looking after kids aged 4-11 from its base at The Dockland Settlements at Calder’s Wharf.
Now it’s trying something new, extending its outdoor sessions to parents working in Canary Wharf to lend a hand over the summer holidays.
“One of our parents said how nice it would be if they could bring their children into work with them – where we would be waiting to pick them up, take them out for the day and then drop them off back in Canary Wharf,” said Lorraine Cavanagh, CEO at The Dockland Settlements, a charity that’s been supporting communities in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Southwark for more than 130 years.
“We thought that sounded like a great idea – something that would stop parents at work worrying if they were stuck on trains, anxious about being there to collect their children on time.
“We’ve got a fleet of five minibuses, so we’ve decided to offer a morning pick-up and evening drop-off service.
“What we say about Parkview is that it’s where memories are made.
“Our focus is always on playing outdoors – we aim to take the children out every single day for experiences they wouldn’t normally have.
“Our programme allows them to test themselves within a safe, supervised environment so they can understand what it’s like to take risks and develop resilience.”
The scheme offers trips to a wide range of locations with a focus on adventure – image supplied by Parkview Outdoor Play
a day spent at Parkview Outdoor Play
Days begin with breakfast and free play with a range of activities on offer at the Calder’s Wharf centre.
Then, around 10.30am the kids are placed in groups and board minibuses with parent-provided packed lunches and head off on that day’s adventure, returning at 4.30pm – some for parents to pick up and others to stay at the centre for an evening meal and then pick-up or drop-off at 6pm.
“We have two age groups – four-sevens and eight-11s,” said Tommy Tracey, centre coordinator at Calder’s Wharf, who’s worked at The Dockland Settlements with Parkview since he was 17.
“It’s all about understanding what the individual child is capable of and finding what will be challenging for them, without pushing them too far.
“A lot of the time for the younger ones that’s simply letting them run around in a supervised environment so they can burn off their energy and just have fun.
“For the older children we’ll organise activities with a bit more structure so they’re learning skills to take away and use again while also enjoying themselves.”
Youngsters on a trip to the beach with Parkview – image supplied by Parkview Outdoor Play
making memories on trips
The day rate for Parkview Outdoor Play for supervision is £35 for a 4.30pm finish and £40 for up until 6pm.
The daily trips mostly cost extra and vary in price depending on the destination, although some excursions are provided at no extra fee.
Parkview is also able to negotiate reduced rates at many attractions, as it’s a frequent customer and a group client.
“We don’t allow mobile phones, tablets or other similar devices,” said Lorraine.
“It’s all about them making relationships.
“Those are things that can last a lifetime.
“For example, we take them to the Forest School at Mudchute Park And Farm where they learn to make their own fires and to toast marshmallows.
“When I’m talking to adults about what we do, those are the experiences they remember from their own childhoods – those smells and tastes.”
An outing to play Laser Tag – image supplied by Parkview Outdoor Play
a focus on fun and adventure
Parkview prides itself on putting on a wide range of activities with a strong focus on exercise and adventure in a variety of locations.
“One of our most popular locations is Nuclear Races in Brentwood,” said Tommy.
“It’s like an assault course, not too physical, but there’s plenty of mud and you know everyone will be going home tired and chilled out.
“The kids especially love it when the staff get involved – you see them egging us on and it’s lots of fun for everyone.
“One of the best things for me is when I see a child hesitate and then go on to try something that they discover they love. It’s amazing.”
Other activities include watching films at the cinema, exploring Diggerland, bowling, roller skating and even crabbing and the beach at Canvey Island.
“There are summer clubs that take the children out once a week, but with us they’re out every day doing things like canoeing, laser tag and visiting parks,” said Lorraine.
“One of our favourites for the younger ones is a trip to Monkey Bizness, which is a soft play centre, but it’s really high and they love that extra adventure.
“They’re usually all asleep on the bus on the way back.”
The activities are intended to help youngsters build relationships and get away from screens – image supplied by Parkview Outdoor Play
key details: Parkview Outdoor Play
Parkview Outdoor Play is based out of The Dockland Settlements at Calder’s Wharf on the Isle Of Dogs right next to Island Gardens.
The new service will pick children up from Bank Street in Canary Wharf and drop them off again at the end of the day.
In his role as student recruitment and conversion manager at the University Of Sunderland In London, he’s responsible for showcasing what the institution has to offer to prospective students.
But beyond increasing the numbers enrolling at its Isle Of Dogs campus, there’s a wider mission.
“While a lot of other universities focus on selling their courses, our goal is quite different,” he said.
“We’re very conscious of the role that we play in the community.
“If we’re able to go into schools and colleges, explain the benefits of studying at university and then see people decide to continue their education, then we’ve achieved something big, whether that’s with us or somewhere else.”
Having opened its new £10million campus in 2025, the University Of Sunderland In London is, however, also preparing to showcase its facilities next month.
Based at Harbour Exchange, it offers a wide range of courses in business, management, finance, nursing, health, tourism and hospitality as well as opportunities for postgraduate research.
The university’s LSEG Fintech Lab – image supplied by UOSiL
welcoming visitors to the open day
“It will be run by our recruitment and admissions team with the support of student ambassadors,” said Harpal.
“Students coming in on the day will get a presentation about life at university, an insight into what we offer here – not just the courses, but also the support.
“There will be a video from our graduates, to give an idea of what students can go on to do too.
“Then there will be a chance for visitors to speak to our staff, get assistance with making applications and even help applying on the day, if they would like to.
“There will also be tours of the campus, to see all the different facilities to help prospective students make an informed decision.
“For us, a big part of that is the student ambassadors.
“They can give visitors real personal insight into what they can look forward to if they study with us.
“This will be our second open day since we opened this campus.
“Having these facilities gives us a lot more to showcase and to offer so that prospective students and their families can really see what’s on offer.”
The university campus is located at Harbour Exchange close to Canary Wharf – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
catering for diversity
The university is well versed in dealing with the needs of a diverse student body that includes people coming from overseas to study in the UK as well as mature individuals seeking further education for a range of reasons including improved employment prospects.
“I studied marketing at Middlesex University and then found a natural route to working there in marketing,” said Harpal.
“My role gave me experience across that department and I really liked student engagement, so became a manager there working on that before moving into recruitment.
“I joined the University Of Sunderland In London in 2021 in a similar role as we look to increase the number of people from the UK enrolling here.
“To achieve that, one of the things we do in our department is to go into schools and colleges in the community, as well as recruitment fairs, so we can talk to prospective students directly.
“It’s also to raise awareness of who we are and what we do – that we are located on the Isle Of Dogs right next to Canary Wharf.
“That we have that proximity to the financial district and the companies that are based there is to our advantage and it’s something we can really shout about.
“Our teams work really hard to engage with the businesses here to secure both expertise and work experience opportunities for our students that will help them in their careers.
“Just walking over to us from the station really opens their eyes to what we have here and the environment they will be studying in.
“The building we have now is also fantastic with facilities such as our mock hospital ward and our fintech lab.
“One of the things we are looking for are more local education partners within a 10-mile radius that we can work with to help students find the right path.”
The simulation ward at the University Of Sunderland In London – image supplied by UOSiL
a strong student culture
Harpal said that, beyond the courses on offer, the culture of the university was also a key selling point.
“A lot of work goes into making students feel welcome here, whether they are international students or from the UK,” he said.
“What I enjoy here is the fact that the student body mixes very well, we have a lot of events and activities.
“We have a great student union space that hosts lots of activities and acts as a meeting space for those studying here.
“What I find most rewarding, however, is seeing students progress into jobs in the fields they’re gaining qualifications in.
“I know from my personal experience how beneficial a university degree can be.
“It feels really good when you see people you’ve engaged with choose to come to your university and then to embark on a career that is aligned with the course they’ve been on.
“The teams here do a lot of work to ensure that our courses are giving graduates the skills they need in the workplace.
“We are constantly evolving our offering and there’s a big emphasis on giving students practical experience that will be of use to them in their careers.
“I’d love anyone who’s interested to come along to our open day and see what we offer.”
In 2025, secretary of state for education, Bridget Philipson MP, opened the £10million campus in the presence of University Of Sunderland chancellor Leanne Cahill, vice-chancellor Sir David Bell, Alan, deputy directors of the University Of Sunderland In London, Lynsey Bendon and Geoff Paul and head of marketing, recruitment and admissions, Jelena Miljanic – image by UOSiL
key details: University Of Sunderland In London open day
The next open day at the University Of Sunderland In London is set to take place at the Harbour Exchange campus on July 11, 2026, and will run from 1pm-4.30pm.
Open days are also planned for September 12 and November 26.
The university also offers personal consultations that allow prospective students to explore the institution’s facilities and courses.
“Back in the day, access to venues and pubs was key for me in learning how to do what I do,” said Glenn Tilbrook, co-founder of Squeeze, who is set to play a gig in support of Theatreship on the Isle Of Dogs later this month.
“I wasn’t taught by anybody. I started out playing with Jools Holland in pubs in east and south-east London as well.
“We did that for a couple of years and it taught us a lot about communicating with people – there’s no real substitute for that experience.
“That’s where we got our training – how we got ourselves together to move on and climb the ladder.
“It’s why you need these spaces to do that work in – they’re so important, not just for musicians, but for people to come and access performances – for it not to be all about money.”
Glenn is set to perform on board Theatreship – image by Theatreship
playing the festival
Glenn is set to perform alongside his son Leon at the venue as part of the Music Venue Trust’s Everywhere At Once festival, which will see more than 1,200 gigs take place from June 26-28, 2026, nationwide.
Thousands of artists are set to participate with the likes of Fatboy Slim, Becky Hill, Tinie Tempah, The Divine Comedy, Rizzle Kicks and many more all performing.
Glenn, who has fond memories of performing early in his career at The Waterman’s Arms – just down the Isle Of Dogs from Theatreship – is scheduled to perform on the Sunday evening.
“I’ll be playing with Leon, who has joined Squeeze,” said Glenn.
“He’s 23 now and a great musician.
“We’ll be playing a selection of his songs and mine – we’ve just finished a short tour, so we’re well-versed in performing together and we’re sounding great.
“I first went to Theatreship about two months ago and I was so impressed by what they’ve done with the space – the atmosphere is great and it has a lovely bar at the back.
“I think it’s important for people to recognise what venues like this bring to an area.
“They’re quirky, but they work so well.
“Theatreship is clearly a place people will come and be surprised by what you can do on a ship.
“Squeeze have played on boats – we did a cruise gig last year, which was interesting.
“We were only on board for one day between Florida and The Bahamas, where we got off.
“It was a small stage, but it seemed like there were thousands of people in the audience.”
Glenn and squeeze will also be performing at The O2 Arena later this year – image supplied by MVT
how Glenn Tilbrook co-founded Squeeze
Born in Woolwich, Glenn grew up in Docklands, forming Squeeze after meeting Chris Difford via an advert posted in a shop window. Jools Holland also joined.
The band first found fame in the 1970s with albums such as Cool For Cats and Argybargy, with Glenn and Chris continuing their partnership to this day.
“Squeeze is having a bit of a moment in the sunshine and we’re relishing that,” said Glenn.
“We’ve got an album called Trixies out at the moment, which is a set of songs that Chris and I wrote when I was 16 and he was 19 in 1974.
“At the same time we did an album of new songs that will be coming out next year. I’m keen to prove that our chops are still intact and we’re still growing.
“The old songs really sound like they were written in 1974, and the influences in the songs were in the three years leading up to 1974.
“When you’re 16, you don’t have a lot of history, so we were listening to contemporary music at the time and that’s what we were absorbing.
“Now I’ve had a lifetime of going to see lots of different acts and I’m thrilled by it even now.
“I love the journey – it’s never-ending, it’s fantastic.
“Who would have thought that at this stage in our career more people would be coming to see us than ever?
“It feels really great and we’re a really tight, professional band – we sound fantastic.
“The reaction we get from audiences now is unlike anything we ever had, even from the beginning of our career.
“We were really exciting when we started out and we’re really exciting now, at the other end of my life.
“It’s wonderful to play locally. I have my studio just yards from the Thames in Charlton.
“I’ve always been around Greenwich, it’s where I grew up and I love it.
“I remember that there was a tradition among the people who worked in the dock and on the ships to sound the ship’s horn at midnight on New Year’s Eve, and it was a really thrilling noise.
“I also love what’s happened to Canary Wharf, which I can remember before anything was built, and I’m amazed at it – it’s a brilliant place.
“It was a big vision to develop that, and it’s ongoing – a really exciting place to be.
“What’s important is that it isn’t just on a monetary level.
“What places like Theatreship do is so good for people’s souls. I don’t think it’s too much to say that.
“It’s a place that brings people together, it’s so enriching.”
Inigo Lapwood, project director of Theatreship and Artship – image Matt Grayson
how Glenn Tilbrook is supporting Theatreship
Inigo Lapwood, Theatreship director said: “We’re so thrilled to be working with MVT for their Everywhere At Once festival.
“At the moment we’re sadly all too accustomed to hearing about grassroots music venues when they’re under threat of closing.
“We’ve lost almost a third of them nationwide over the last three years alone.
“The trust has worked tirelessly to try to stem that tide.
“At Theatreship we’ve been hugely grateful for that work – they’ve been instrumental in our own ongoing battles to stay afloat.
“Everywhere At Once is a great counterpoint to this narrative of loss – a nationwide celebration of the spaces that remain.
“We really appreciate this timely reminder that we’re not alone, that the UK is filled with passionate grassroots music venues showcasing incredible work, and that brilliant, inventive artists like Glenn can be found in them.
“Since opening Theatreship, we’ve been consistently amazed by the sheer depth of musical talent in London.
“From the upper decks of the ship you can see The O2 where Glenn will be playing later this year, but we’re absolutely certain that he won’t be the only artist currently performing on the grassroots music circuit who’ll be headlining stadium gigs in short order.”
key details: Glenn Tilbrook and Squeeze
Glenn And Leon Tilbrook are set to play Theatreship on June 28 at 7pm. Tickets cost £33, although the gig has now sold out.
Friday, April 17, 2026, saw the return of regular comedy to The Space theatre in Westferry Road – the first in a new series of monthly gigs that are set to pull in a series of potent line-ups to the Isle Of Dogs venue.
Shenanigans In (The) Space is the creation of producer, writer, promoter and sometime comic, Scott Fitzgerald, (who’s booking the acts) and regular MC Matt Price.
“I first came to The Space to see As You Like It, hosted by Sir Ian Mckellen [performed by all trans and non-binary theatre group Trans What You Will],” said Scott.
“I loved the whole ethos of the venue – a small theatre that doesn’t receive any funding or regular support.
“I met Matty Jameson, the artistic director, who’s a superstar in my eyes – all drive and responsibility, but smiling all the way through it like a beautiful robot.
“Then I met the board members and explained about my background – promoting comedy and performing – and what I thought we could do here.”
Shenanigans is hosted at The Space on the Isle Of Dogs – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
hosting Shenanigans At (The) Space
The result is a series of shows hosted by Matt, each featuring three stand-ups with headline spots from the likes of Sam Nicoresti (who won Best Show at the Edinburgh Festival in 2025), Craig Campbell, Marty Gleeson, Dan Tiernan and comic rap powerhouse Doc Brown.
“We’re able to get people of this level because most comedians want to support something,” said Scott.
“I contact them, tell them the story of the venue, why the fee is what it is and appeal to their human side.
“Many acts remember why they started in comedy, that first big laugh and the place they found their voice.
“We want to build that kind of community here with established comedians and those coming through.
“It also helps that a lot of people know Matt.
“He’s one of the best compères in the country and when they know he’s the MC, they’ll come and do the gig.”
The pair first met at an open mic night in 2003.
Scott had fallen out of a career as a window cleaner and into one as a theatre technician, before taking his own steps into stand-up.
Matt had stumbled into comedy having briefly boxed and then taken up writing about the sport.
Together they ran the Yellow Kangaroo Comedy Club in Cardiff and have remained friends ever since.
Scott is promoting the night and booking the comics – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
forged in a friendship
“I have memories of two speakers exploding on stage and Scott coming to sort them out,” said Matt.
“We became friends and I was deluded enough to carry on as a performer.
“I’d had a few fights as an amateur boxer, but I wasn’t very good and then I spent a couple of years trying to write a book about boxing before I fell into comedy and realised it’s the same thing as being in the ring, but without the punches.
“One wonderful comedian said that stand-up comedy is the most violent, non-contact sport in the world and I know what he means.
“There’s a saying in boxing: ‘It’s not why you start, it’s why you stay’.
“I started it because I was a failed boxing writer, and I stayed because, thankfully, I don’t take myself too seriously and I just genuinely love being a comedian.”
Having performed in 30 countries including Russia, Cambodia and “even Penzance” Matt said he was relishing the prospect of performing at The Space.
“I’ve been around a bit,” he said.
“One highlight was standing on a piece of wood on top of a former gangland criminal’s house, performing to south-east London’s criminal underworld.
“I looked at a man with a tattooed face who asked me not to talk to him.
“He’d just robbed a post office, but couldn’t stand being spoken to in public.
“Another was accidentally setting myself on fire at the Edinburgh Festival – I just walked backwards into a candle.
“People asked if I’d done it on purpose so I just said: ‘Yes’. I’ve learned to take a compliment.
“The Space already feels very special and I’m really enjoying working with Scott again.
“There’s something about supporting a local community and trying to build a night that people really like.
“There’s no pressure on acts here – we’re not going to say they’ve got to stick to every second as you do in more commercial clubs.
“It will be somewhere acts can come and experiment a bit.”
Matt has performed in more than 30 countries and is Shenanigans In (The) Space’s resident MC – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
building something on the Isle Of Dogs
Talking with the duo, there’s a sense both of them are quietly revelling in the process of putting the gigs together – a feeling that they’re at the start of something.
Scott had stepped away from comedy for a number of years, with this bigger goal tempting him to return.
“Not much would have got me back into it – it’s hard work and you can’t please everybody,” he said.
“But this venue should have more people in it – it’s that larger idea that makes me want to put myself through it again.”
The first Shenanigans saw Shaparak Khorsandi headline with sets from Don Biswas and Ciara O’Connor.
The next date – May 22, 2026 – is set to feature ventriloquist Lachlan Werner and softly spoken Welsh comic Morgan Rees.
“The night will be headlined by prop comic Spencer Jones who performs on stage as Clunkerdunk,” said Scott.
Best known for his recurring role as Mr Winner in BBC Shakespearean sitcom Upstart Crow, audiences can expect new material amid the unpredictability of live performance.
“Anything can happen,” said Scott.
“That’s the excitement of it – it’s still thrilling to us after all these years. You just never quite know what you’ll see.
“That’s why Matt is so good – he’s skilled at making almost anything funny and connecting with the audience.
Matt added: “There was one time I was being heckled by a drunk woman in the front row, who just wouldn’t give up, so I walked to the back of the room and got everyone to turn their chairs round, putting her at the back.
“She was very angry, stormed out and slammed the door.
“Some of the audience barricaded the door behind her – you learn how to play a room.
“In between jokes, you could hear her complaining to the manager.”
key details: Shenanigans In (The) Space
Shenanigans In (The) Space is set for a run of monthly performances at the Isle Of Dogs venue.
The reason silent films, were presented with live musical accompaniment before the advent of the talkies is hardly a mystery.
Overlay images with melody and the combination of sound and vision immediately delivers double the sensory input for the audience.
We’ve evolved to depend on both our ears and our eyes, so the fact we respond so readily to the two together isn’t especially surprising.
What is unexpected, perhaps, is the depth of the reaction they can provoke.
Recently, Theatreship on the Isle Of Dogs hosted a screening of Soviet classic Man With A Movie Camera alongside largely improvised music from Owen Spafford on violin and Joe Harvey-Whyte on pedal steel and electronics.
Part of the venue’s Silent Film With New Sound season, supported by the BFI, the evening was sold out.
Who knew in 2026 that people, with all the digital distractions in the world, would choose to spend an evening watching a 97-year-old black and white movie?
The improvised soundtrack by Owen Spafford and Joe Harvey-Whyte added remarkable depth to an already fascinating work
But those who attended won’t need me to tell them what a treat this marriage of the sonic and the silver screen was.
Firstly, there’s the film itself. Directed by Dziga Vertov and shot in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa in Ukraine, the feel is of a day-in-the-life piece showing the activities, technologies and behaviours of the time.
But its far more than that. Deliberately experimental, the film constantly shows the camera man and the set-up of the shots before revealing the results.
There are even scenes where we see the painstaking process of editing the piece together, with rolls of celluloid sliced up and labelled ready for composition.
But, while the piece is in part a meditation of the process of making film, it’s also brave, funny, sweet and, at times, shocking.
Amongst other things we see are a live birth and a corpse of a man in an open casket, presumably on his way to a funeral.
We’re shown trolley buses, factories and city dwellers at work and play.
In some senses it’s like stepping into a time machine. In others it’s more familiar than you might expect, after nearly a century of change.
But it’s really the skill of Owen and Joe that lends this extraordinary work meaning.
It takes a special kind of genius to craft sounds that sit so perfectly with the flickering screen and make it almost impossible to imagine watching Man With A Movie Camera without them.
From the musicians we get a highly nuanced spectrum of emotions that burst forth from the monochrome shots – Irish-tinged melancholy, exuberance, jagged, dissonant uncertainty, passion and even fear.
Watching is a rich experience, heavy with almost tangible appreciation from a packed auditorium.
5/5
*****
Theatreship features a 100-seat auditorium and is moored on the Isle Of Dogs – image supplied by Theatreship
protecting the future
The benefit of having Theatreship locally might be seen as similarly complementary to the lift that Owen and Joe’s music can deliver to silent images.
If normal everyday lives are the reels of film, then cultural venues are the soundtrack.
Taking the latter away is akin to muting existence for those who have come to relish and participate in this community.
I mention this because plans to demolish the nearby Sierra Quebec Bravo building at 77 Marsh Wall and replace it with a new residential tower are in the works and place something of a question mark over the future of Theatreship and Artship’s ability to operate.
At a time when venues are closing, the first new significant cultural additions to the Isle Of Dogs for many years must be protected and supported in their activities both during the build and after.
Hopefully the developer, Tower Hamlets Council and the Canal And River Trust will jointly recognise and fight for the clear benefits these remarkable craft deliver for local residents and, indeed, those considering a move to the area through the planning process.
These boats are golden assets for the borough and are just getting into their stride.
They should be treated as such by all parties to these proposals.
A sizeable chunk of the centre of the Isle Of Dogs is set to be developed following the approval of a planning application by Tower Hamlets Council.
Mastmaker Court, a joint venture by landowner Pirin Ltd and developer Fifth State, will see two towers built on a site just off Mastmaker Road.
two towers?
That’s right. One will rise to 43 storeys and the other to 27. The larger one will contain 843 co-living apartments, while the other will house 153 affordable homes.
They have been designed by Squire And Partners architects, also known for Landmark Pinnacle locally.
The scheme includes landscaping at ground level – image by Fifth State
co-living?
Essentially the larger block will be rental only following a wider trend in the residential development market.
The offer is typically self-contained flats with communal facilities to encourage socialising.
These are usually marketed to young professionals and key workers.
While Fifth State has built out a couple of office blocks in Shoreditch, its projects in Bermondsey, Hampstead, Croydon, Southwark, Deptford, Hornsey and Leicester Square – spanning co-living student accommodation and affordable housing – have yet to be completed.
Its website promises that accommodation includes a shower room, a kitchenette, a double bed, storage space, high speed broadband and flexibility on length of stay with a three-month minimum.
While details of its Mastmaker Court scheme have yet to be released, the company says its projects include wellbeing studios and facilities with a programme of classes and events for residents such as seminars and debates, cooking classes, brunch and supper clubs, guided group meditation, circuit and weights workouts and more.
co-working?
Again, while specifics have not been released, Fifth State says co-creating spaces lie at the heart of its schemes with facilities such as artists studios, private desks, communal workspaces, recording studios and conference walls to be expected.
The scheme features Squire And Partners – image by Fifth State
what about the affordable housing?
For its Isle Of Dogs scheme, the affordable tower will house 121 properties for social rent and 32 earmarked as intermediate homes, which may be offered as below market rent or shared ownership apartments.
Around two thirds of the social rent flats will have three or four bedrooms aimed at families.
a new school?
Two existing warehouse buildings will be knocked down to make way for the towers.
At ground level the affordable housing block will include a 161sq m community facility facing onto a new 1,500sq m park located in the south-west corner of the site.
The plans also include outline permission for a new alternative provision school for up to 100 pupils in the north-west corner of the site, which could deliver up to 4,510sq m of educational space.
key details: Mastmaker Court
Planning consent has been granted for the two-tower scheme at Mastmaker Court.
“Our first students are in their last few months of the course,” said Dr Yahaya Alhassan, head of academic operations at the University Of Sunderland In London.
In line with the university’s consistently practical approach, the programme was developed after Yahaya spotted a gap in the market.
“It was while I was working as an external examiner for another institution that I realised people were offering trading courses,” he said.
“Some were delivering fintech elements, but these were usually add-ons to finance courses dealing with things like online banking.
“My understanding of fintech is that it relates to specific technologies – things like artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrencies and machine learning – and how you apply those to finance.
“I couldn’t find a programme like that, which also included trading so, following some market research, I decided to develop a course that would bring the two together.
“I defy anyone to find a similar offering – as of today we are unique.”
Based at the University Of Sunderland In London’s Isle Of Dogs campus at Harbour Exchange, the one-year course features a dedicated Fintech Lab created in partnership with the London Stock Exchange.
The London Stock Exchange Group Fintech Lab at the University Of Sunderland In London – image supplied by UOSiL
putting practice at the heart of the course
“The approach we adopt with the delivery of this programme is hands-on, practice-based, with a small number of students to ensure we give them a very good level of experience,” said Yahaya.
“We work with a number of prestigious partners, with those on the course also receiving certificates from them as part of the programme.
“Students learn how to trade and invest in stocks – which are doing well and which are not?
“But the reason we combine this with fintech is so they can use technology to make predictions based on the data flowing into the lab.
“In the past, traders have made decisions based on their own experience while looking at such information.
“But with technologies such as AI, once you have a lot of data, you can use it to start forecasting whether the price of a stock will rise or fall.
“With blockchain and machine learning, our students are taught how to model and to build apps, enabling them to potentially create their own fintech businesses.
“We also work with companies to ensure our courses are delivering what employers, such as those at Level39 in Canary Wharf, expect from someone with an MSc from this university.
“We also constantly look at the needs of the students and changes in the market.
“Our programmes come up for review every five years, which is when they get revalidated.
“But with technology developing so fast, we can’t wait that long so we’ve adopted an enhancement plan where we look at our programmes every two months to make sure we’re flexible and giving the market what it needs.”
The University Of Sunderland In London is based at Harbour Exchange on the Isle Of Dogs – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
from Ghana to London via Sunderland
Yahaya himself is a good case study for the way in which education and exposure to new ideas can have a profound impact on the direction of a person’s life.
Originally from Ghana, he began his career in the higher education sector at the University Of Development Studies in Tamale not as an academic but as a member of its support staff as an assistant accountant.
“One day I was in the vice chancellor’s office and I saw an advert in a magazine for an MBA course at the University Of Sunderland,” he said.
“The VC had been in the UK himself, studying and working in Nottingham before he was recruited back to Ghana.
“I’d never thought about travelling abroad in my life, but I decided I might give it a go – I applied and then, honestly, I forgot about it.
“About two months later, a letter arrived containing a provisional offer to go on the course.
“I was supposed to pay £13,500 but it was a lot of money and I had no idea where I would get that from.”
In the end, Yahaya’s employer awarded him a scholarship to go on the course and he wound up bound for the North East and arrived improperly dressed for the weather.
“Arriving in Sunderland was the first time I’d seen snow in my life and I didn’t have a proper jacket,” he said.
“I didn’t know how to get to the university campus and I couldn’t understand the accent of the first man I met.
“Fortunately, I found someone who showed me where to go. I completed my MBA and returned to Ghana in 2003.
“That was part of the agreement for my scholarship but, after about nine months I was feeling discontented.
“Everything was so slow.
“When I came to the UK people were working from 8am, but I realised in Ghana it was going to be difficult for me because of the difference in pace.
“I told my boss I had to go back to England, and he said he understood, so I moved to London in 2004.
“My first job was at a college in Greenwich, teaching English in 2005 and I remained there until 2011.
“That’s when I saw that the University Of Sunderland was opening a London campus and I decided to apply.
“At first I was working 10 hours a week, then 20 and, after a couple of months, full-time – teaching on its MBA programme.
“After a year, the programme manager was leaving and so I applied and got that job in 2014 before going on to become assistant head of academic operations.
“Now, as head of academic operations, I make sure all the teaching and learning at the London campus goes well, dealing with quality assurance and making sure everything is done in line with our academic regulations.
“I am part of the senior managers team as well and I am responsible for the day-to-day running of the London-based academic programmes.
“The courses are led from Sunderland and run down here, which is why our campus has programme managers rather than leaders.
“I never thought I’d be working where I am now. I even told my friends in Ghana I would be coming back in a year.
“I still have that vision, to return one day, perhaps to follow my father in a political career.
“When I’m teaching, I say: ‘Who knows, maybe I’ll be president one day’.”
In the meantime, Yahaya’s passion is continuing to help develop the university’s offering with a BSc in Fintech And Digital Finance now available.
The intention of this three-year course is to act as a pipeline for those seeking to study the MSc, providing them with the relevant skills and knowledge to prepare them for the postgraduate course.
