Big Takeover is a DIY community music project born in London in Summer 2009, as a productive response to the lack of all-ages, non-corporate, stimulating spaces to witness and participate in live independent music and art. So far we’ve created events in railway arches, disused offices, fire stations, the hull of a boat on the Thames, empty department stores, warehouses, many radical social centres, in every part of the city, and even the roof of the Hayward Gallery. For one night only we bring the best local and international DIY bands (from Japan to Australia to Mexico to Canada, and all over the US and Europe) to these amazing spaces, and donate all profits to social justice causes. Here’s an archive of images and stories from previous Big Takeovers. We’re always looking to collaborate with space owners, collectives and interested parties, or get tip offs about new spaces: bigtakeoverlondon@gmail.comTumblr (3.0; @bigtakeoverlondon)http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6gi3BjLa1qj81gyo1_400.png"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6gi3BjLa1qj81gyo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Xmas 2010 - The Big (BOAT) Takeover!</p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17369155122http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17369155122Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:39:39 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6gdit5oe1qj81gyo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6gdit5oe1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6gdit5oe1qj81gyo6_r1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6gdit5oe1qj81gyo7_r1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Big Takeover 9 - The Roof of the Hayward Gallery.</p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17369099508http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17369099508Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:36:00 -0500<p>BTO 5: April 23rd ‘10: Deal with It, Nowhere Fast, Ark of the Covenant, Clean Slate (Tremors)  @ 195 Mare Street, Hackney<br/>Benefit for Asylum Aid </p> <p>BTO 4: April 7th ‘10: Facel Vega, The Sceptres, The Love Triangle, Flats, Bird Calls @ 195 Mare Street, Hackney<br/>Benefit for U-turn Project  </p> <p>BTO 3: Oct 30th ‘09: Social Circkle (Boston, MA) , The Wankys, Methodist Centre, Skiplickers, The Sceptres @ Disused office on Lower Clapton Road<br/>Benefit for Calais Migrant Solidarity </p> <p>BTO 2: Sept 19 ‘09: Vogue (Holland) , Moat, Guilty Parents, Black Mamba Beat, Sex Dungeon @ Ramparts Social Centre, Whitechapel<br/>Benefit for Rape Crisis </p> <p>BTO 1: July 10 ‘09: Logic Problem (North Carolina), Mob Rules, Ironclad, Nowhere Fast, Black Time, Shitty Limits @ Arch 598, London<br/><br/></p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17273511973http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17273511973Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:25:42 -0500<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1igq4Xsh1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1igq4Xsh1qj81gyo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1igq4Xsh1qj81gyo3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>BTO18, this time in the main downstairs space of. Total Control from Australia were incredible. Less than a week after this, a fire would rip through the building and a protection order and 20 very unnecessary riot police would follow. RIP Oliver House.</p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17222176282http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17222176282Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:12:09 -0500<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1haijiOr1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1haijiOr1qj81gyo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Squatted quietly for ten years, Oliver House sat in the heart of the city, somehow unnoticed despite its crazy penny covered door and incongruous 50s office building chic amongst the concrete and glass abominations. For BTO 17 we had Inservibles from Mexico invade its garage space. This was October 2011.</p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17220944787http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17220944787Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:08:00 -0500<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1f8808VH1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1f8808VH1qj81gyo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>This was Big Takeover 16, which happened in a Fire Station in Stoke Newington.</p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17219080164http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17219080164Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:24:08 -0500<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1f2c2mK31qj81gyo1_500.png"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1f2c2mK31qj81gyo2_400.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>The disused office on Lower Clapton Road that was the venue for BTO3.</p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17218947344http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/17218947344Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:20:36 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyj8smYCAO1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyj8smYCAO1qj81gyo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>RampART, in Whitechapel, East London, was a social centre that existed from 2004 to 2009. It was also the site of the second Big Takeover, with Vogue from Belgium, a show that was a benefit for Rape Crisis. This show marked the beginning of trying to use this project to reconnect independent music with autonomous spaces, surely its most natural home.</p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/16662988759http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/16662988759Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:48:22 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyj8dwxBWr1qj81gyo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyj8dwxBWr1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>BTO attendees on the roof of a building that is dust now (recently completely demolished) the Ratstar in Camberwell, venue for BTOs 9, 10 and 11 in Summer 2010 (The headliners of which were: Punch from California, GLAM from Spain, Urban Blight from Canada respectively) An autonomous social centre in a high-street block that carried on even after being raided on the eve of the royal wedding by very misguided riot police, Ratstar was full of hastily assembled walls and constantly evolving murals. Let us hope that persistent echoes of feedback will hum in the ears of the residents of the luxury flats to be built in its place for a long time to come.</p> <p>(Photos by Pawel aka Harry.)</p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/16662510314http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/16662510314Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:39:00 -0500<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwecqaq7671qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>This is <em>195 Mare street, Hackney</em>. Venue for BTOs 4 and 5.</p> <p>Read a bit about<a href="http://www.hackneysociety.org/page_id__22_path__0p3p.aspx%20" target="_blank"> its history, here. </a> Sadly the hope for restoration on that page is out of date as it has long since been bought by a bank and is now empty aside from live in security that live not in the grand old functional and quite warm building but in freezing portakabins outside, ha. Thanks world!</p> <div></div>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/14398837090http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/14398837090Sun, 18 Dec 2011 06:18:00 -0500<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lux2t1K4kq1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/13016517868http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/13016517868Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:51:00 -0500<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljtiv27h8O1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701240077http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701240077Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:37:50 -0400Past<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljtio3bKYF1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701125036http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701125036Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:33:39 -0400Past<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljtin7xnUD1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Date: October 31st</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Venue: The Woodmill</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bands: Straight Jacket Nation, Mob Rules, No</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Benefit: This was a benefit for HollabackLDN</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Woodmill is a huge space for artist’s studios that kindly let me takeover one of their warehouses. SJN’s only UK show was incredible. The sound was very echoey due to very high ceilings but the setting was super cool and there were some excellent Halloween costumes, too. </p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701110136http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701110136Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:33:00 -0400Past<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljtils7dI41qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><p class="MsoNormal">Date: October 9^th</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Venue: The Threshold centre</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bands: Coke Bust, Abolition, Hooghwater, Joshua’s Song (Abolition replaced Harbour)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Benefit: Having spend £100+ on PA hire for every BTO, I bit the bullet and bought a PA with the proceeds of the gig as a resource for London DIY promoters and events.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This was a gamble on the venue front, a community centre in the heart of Hackney usually used for Zumba classes, but it worked out.</p></p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701086768http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701086768Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:32:00 -0400Past<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljtik6RMs51qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><p class="MsoNormal">Date: 31^st August</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Venue: the Ratstar</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bands: Urban Blight, Shitty Limits, The Hardway, Pettybone, Ripped to Shreds</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Urban Blight were super awesome at this gig, it was another rammed one. Pettybone totally band of the night. We raised over £300 for No Borders.</p></p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701060684http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701060684Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:31:00 -0400Past<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljtihcq3TI1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><p class="MsoNormal">Date: July 31^st 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Venue: The Ratstar</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bands: Glam, Hygiene, Saturday’s Kids, The Lowest Form</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Benefit: Spanish Anarchist prisoner support</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Glam were amazing and The Lowest Form played their first ever gig at this show.</p></p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701013309http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4701013309Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:29:00 -0400Past<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljtie3uvjY1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><p class="MsoNormal">Date: 17^th July</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Venue: <span> </span>The Hayward Gallery</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bands: The Love Triangle, Black Mamba Beat, the Haxan Cloak</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I received an email out of the blue asking if I wanted to help programme a BTO as part of an event called ‘Daily Action Poetry’ happening in the Hayward Gallery, which hilariously/bizarrely is part of the same cultural complex in which I was, at the time, selling ice creams to Opera buffs as a temp on whatever shifts I can beg. There were zine and record tables and the bands played outside, quite high up, parallel to Waterloo Bridge, so people waved down at us from the double decker buses.</p></p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4700960283http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4700960283Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:27:00 -0400Past<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljti1ySJC71qj81gyo1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><p class="MsoNormal">Date: April 23^rd 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Venue: 195 Mare Street</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Benefit: Asylum Aid Women’s Project</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bands: Deal with it, Ark of the Covenant, Nowhere Fast, Clean Slate</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A second time in 195 Mare street, the show was packed. Lots of people’s first time in a squat. Squatters did a slamdance, Moshers got their trainers dirty, Nowhere Fast covered Void, Clean Slate (who would become Tremors) played their first set and Ark of the covenant did some 90s. A guy got turned away at this gig for having no money and being wasted, and while it was donations on the door, I received a hilarious rambly set of emails from him shaming me for my use of handstamps – “tools of the bourgeouisie.” I especially loved this gig because it showed to many people who didn’t know this as a fact just how much more exciting hardcore punk is outside of boring bars.</p></p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4700762828http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4700762828Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:25:00 -0400Past<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljti7uyQ7b1qj81gyo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><p class="MsoNormal">Date: July 9th</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Venue: the Ratstar</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bands: Punch, Hammers, Ekai Keshiki, the Sceptres, Can’t Relate</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Benefit: Brixton Refugee Support centre</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Between the epic fail of the previous BTO and me being in the USA for a month, a huge new social centre squat had sprung up in Camberwell. The Ratstar’s huge outdoor roof terrace was awesome way of not having to worry about people spilling out into the street. The singer from Can’t Relate shouted ‘Big Up Dalston’ during their set. Ekai Keshiki were loud as hell, and that kid Sean knocked Meghan from Punch’s front tooth out ¾ of the way through their set. The Sceptres jumped on this gig because we were meant to play with Punch in Manchester the previous night, but nearly died in a car crash on the way there. Bumtimes. It was a sweaty and very busy gig.</p></p>http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4700859652http://www.bigtakeover.co.uk/post/4700859652Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:23:00 -0400Past