"Rock down to Electric Avenue (or Coldharbour Lane)" Brixton by Zarasher

"Oh no
We gonna rock down to
Electric Avenue
And then we'll take it higher
Oh
We gonna
And then we'll take it higher"

EDDIE GRANT - ELECTRIC AVENUE

I was browsing through VT and looked under Brixton... SHOCK HORROR... It was all so negative... talking about crime and how much of a dump it is... Well no more that any other parts of London I say.

In the newspapers there is always talk about yardies and gun crime and there are alot of Jamaicans in Brixton so I can only take it that people have noticed this and felt somewhat threatened. I find that people always find somewhere "dangerous" when there are alot of people unlike themselves gathered in one spot... OH WELL!

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD.

I am in Brixton almost everyday and I have never so much as had a dirty look thrown at me! (OK thats and exageration... but you get my point!) On a serious note though Brixton does have alot of offer and I think that its a great place to visit.

Coldharbour Lane

Coldharbour Lane is a road in South London that leads south-westwards from Camberwell to Brixton, with the part in Brixton being particularly lively with a lot of shops, bars and restaurants being near the market. The first part of Coldharbour Lane, running from Denmark Hill in Camberwell SE5 to Brixton (the other end is in SW9), marks part of the boundary between Lambeth and Southwark boroughs. Colharbour Lane is where Satay Bar, Living room, The Prince, Prince Albert (bars) are, as well as the shop joy and the entrance to the market place.

Crime on and around Coldharbour Lane has increased over the years, due to the presence of crack dealers and street gangs, who are largely to blame for the growing number of gun crimes in the area. Because of its notorious image, it has gained the nickname "Crackharbour Lane"

St Matthew's Church

St Matthew's was one of four new Lambeth parish churches built in response to the growing population in the early 19th century. Consecrated in 1824, the church featured an imposing facade created by the architect .

Externally, very little has changed over the years, but there's been some major structural changes inside the church. Falling congregations resulted in parts of the building being used as a restaurant, a bar, a club and a community resource, although the Anglican Church of St Matthew's still worships on the site. In the 1990s, the church also briefly housed Brixton's last theatre, The Brix.

This is where Babalou restaurant and bar is hosted, Mass Club nights, as well as Samba classes on a Thursday night.

• Pros:Untouristy, busy, multicultural, heaving with bars
• Cons:Shooting in the Mickey D's on a weekday afternoon
• In a nutshell:A world away from the West End