Nine years ago, a group of art and music graduates moved into The Rising Sun, an ex-pub, ideally located in the centre of south-east London, between New Cross and Peckham.
In 2021, with The-Rising-Sun-spirit of DIY, collectivism, and community, we decided to try and purchase the house in co-operative ownership - claiming the property out of the snatching grip of luxury developers and guaranteeing that it remains an LGBTQ+ friendly interdisciplinary cultural hub, affordable housing and studio complex for south-east London FOREVER.
After rallying the community, we raised the money to bid for the property... but were immensely sad to suddenly learn the landlord was pulling the property off the market: blocking the conversation, and scuppering a bold attempt at creative action.
Jump to 2024... The Rising Sun is back on the market! We still have a mortgage in principle from Ecology Building Society and Co-operative and Community Finance, plus loans from our investors for a large proportion of the money we need. Since the price of the property has been increased, we have to raise a total of £200,000 to pitch-in and buy the house once and for all!
Over the years we have transformed the space into a cultural hub, studio complex, home, and the heart of a growing art and music collective.
The Rising Sun Collective is a growing diverse network of talented creatives, who believe in sharing resources and supporting each other. Our open-door policy facilitates collaboration across the arts. We built a recording studio in our basement and made it accessible to emerging talents, early in their career. This is vitally important as music facilities are usually prohibitively expensive.
We’ve pooled resources to invest in professional equipment and created rehearsal and performing spaces for DJs, musicians and visual artists. Hosting sets from AJ Tracey, Obongjayar, Yussef Dayes, Reni, Novelist, Teki Latex, Nina Las Vegas, Black Midi, Muva of Earth and Andy Blake. For many of these artists, having space to rehearse and perform was a springboard for their careers.
The Rising Sun are reaching out to music and art fans as well as anyone who believes the city should provide for local people and artists who make our communities worth living in. We can’t do this without your support.
What is a Housing Co-operative?
Housing co-operatives are governed by their members, where each member has an equal say in the decision-making process. As tenants, we are all members whilst we live in the property. Importantly, we cannot profit from the property. The Rising Sun Co-op is also in common ownership, creating a permanently affordable and commonly owned asset/home, even long after the original members have left.
We have been registered by the FCA as a Co-operative society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 using the Radical Routes Fully Mutual & Common-Ownership rules.
Once we have paid off our debts we aim to fund other similar start-up co-operatives, with the goal of widening access to affordable housing for future generations. We believe that the dark days of this crisis can lead to a better future, and we can make better, fairer cities that support people and diverse ways of life if we construct them together. The Rising Sun cooperative housing can embody an alternative to both private renting and owner-occupation, in democratic control, while providing an environmentally pioneering building where artists can develop and perform.
Our city is losing affordable housing and cultural spaces at dramatic rates. In the last 15 years, London has lost more than a third of its grassroots music venues and more than half of LGBTQ+ nightlife spaces. Due to the pandemic, the number of clubs in operation is expected to fall by as much as 50%, according to the Night Time Industries Association. This means that alternative spaces for the creative community to come together are more important than ever.
The mixtape
The mixtape features a selection of artists from the Rising Sun Collective and invited guests responding to the theme ‘emo songs’, including Lynks, Sweat, Lightningboy, Henny Seear, Olan Monk, Byfyn, Ramara, 13XL, Hoyah, scotthatesyou, Nissan Microdose, Gummi, acab brik, Chevy Blazer, Allison’s Gate, Boyan Levchev, Issermann, Glows and Crushed Beaks. Rather than define the mixtape by any particular musical style or genre, the collective chose to respond to the theme ‘emo songs’, a theme that broadly reflects the sombre mood of over a year living through the coronavirus pandemic. As tough as lockdown has been for many of us who were making a living through the gig economy, this period has provided an opportunity to focus on recording new music, some of which is showcased on this new mixtape.
All the artists on the mixtape have kindly agreed to donate all proceeds towards saving The Rising Sun. So please give generously if you can afford it, whether you get it here or on Bandcamp.
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Please help us call people to action by directing people to our website, where you can find more info on the Rising Sun Collective and how to help save the Rising Sun.
We welcome culture-supporting investors to get in contact with Scott at [email protected] to take advantage of our loan stock offer -- an investment at a rate of up to 3% return, that will help guarantee our future.