Join us on Friday at The Bohemia for an evening of music with The False Dots

The False Dots

The Save London Music Campaign is delighted to launch the first of a series of gigs bringing high quality live music back to the High Street in North Finchley. We kick off with Mill Hill Legends, The False Dots + Support. The False Dots have been playing their blend of psychedelic rock, tinged with dark humour and a punk ethos since 1979. In the 1980's the band toured the UK and Europe and had a strong cult following in London. They are soon to release their long awaited new album "Songs of Love and War".

They launch our very special series of gigs at The Bohemia as part of our "Down the Road from The Torrington" series of gigs. Admission is free, to help lead guitar Rog T celebrate his birthday, so please come along for a truly awesome night in one of Londons finest Brewpubs!

Save London Music Special - The Torrington rises over N12 (in Spirit) as live music returns

We have some very exciting news from The Save London Music Campaign. Whilst last year was primarily one where we were promoting a message, this year, we've had a very different focus. We've been working on a few projects to bring music back to some iconic places. Many of you will remember the highly successful North Finchley Festival in May, where over 1,500 people watched 50 acts in six venues over a weekend in May. Putting that together was a supreme effort, but the plan was to prove that the people of North Finchley wanted to see high quality live music back in N12. We were then very tied up with the Mill Hill Music Festival, Jesterfest in West Hampstead, the Cricklewood Festival and finally The Wembley Festival.

Well there is some great news. The Save London Music campaign has not only secured a night at The Bohemia to put music back on North Finchley High Street. We are also working with long time promoter of The Torrington, Pete Feenstra, to help him promote a live music at The Old Finchleans club in Southover, near Woodside Park Tube station, under the title of "Spirit of The Torrington".

North Finchley is one of the iconic homes of live music in London, as we blogged last month. We are committed to making sure that the future is as bright as the past for North Finchleys live music scene. Whilst the Torrington may be no more, we are sure that with two great venues, it can be twice as good!

Here are the details

Spirit of The Torrington – Eliza Neals and The Narcotics + Troy Redfern Band

September 10 @ 7:45 am - 11:00 pm

We are proud to welcome, all the way from Detroit USA, Eliza Neal & The Narcotics. The award winning sultry and powerful blues rock soul vocalist, recording artist, composer and performer is being compared to greats like Janis Joplin, Etta James and Ricki Lee Jones.

The band features a powerful mix of blues, rock and psychedelic soul, with  a twist of Jam band, originals  and southern rock covers. They’ve won best Blues songwrite twice and best rock songwriter in the detroit Music Awards. Do not miss this amazing band!

Support from awesome slide guitar rockers, The Troy Redfern band - For more details of Pete Feenstra gigs - www.feenstra.co.uk

Down The Road from The Torrington – The False Dots + Support live at The Bohemia!

September 22 @ 8:00 pm - 11:30 pm

The False Dots

The Save London Music Campaign is delighted to launch the first of a series of gigs bringing high quality live music back to the High Street in North Finchley. We kick off with Mill Hill Legends, The False Dots + Support. The False Dots have been playing their blend of psychedelic rock, tinged with dark humour and a punk energy and ethos since 1979. In the 1980’s the band toured the UK and Europe and had a strong cult following in London.

 They are soon to release their long awaited new album “Songs of Love and War”. They launch our very special series of gigs at The Bohemia as part of our “Down the Road from The Torrington” series of gigs.
Admission is free, to help lead guitar Rog T celebrate his birthday, so please come along for a truly awesome night in one of Londons finest Brewpubs!

Guest Blog - The story of the Bohemia occupation - A documentary by Aaron Jolly

Last year, there was a brief flourishing of artistic and community creativity in North Finchley. This documentary tells the story.

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Aaron Jolly is a musician and videomaker. He is currently studying Broadcast Media at Brighton University

Bohemia Eviction - Update

Yesterday I mentioned comments regarding the Bohemia eviction made off the record by a friend who is an officer in the Met Police. He asked me to clarify a couple of points. Please note that he is speaking in a personal capacity and does not wish to be identified.

1. The occupiers had a county court judgement against them. They were therefore illegally occupying the building.

2. The occupiers were members of Occupy, which is an organisation with a track record for large demonstrations and has many affiliates. They had been circulating calls for a mass protest to protect the occupation.

3. The riots two years ago started following a small local demonstration at a police station getting out of hand. The Metropolitan Police learned lessons from dealing with such demonstrations. Whilst there is no suggestion that the Occupiers were looking to cause a riot, as with the 2011 riots, situations can spiral out of control if not properly managed.

4. There was no suggestion of "police brutality" in the operation. There was plenty of aggressive shouting and posturing, but no one was beaten up or taken to hospital. The Occupiers had been asked to leave and were defying a court order. When an operation is underway, the safest way for Police to behave is to be in total control of the situation.

It was pointed out that when the riots of 2011 occurred there was huge loss caused across London. It is a top priority of the Police to ensure that such situations do not occur.

This is what actually happened


We are awaiting more footage.

The one thing that no one has explained thus far is why the administrators for the Antic took such an aggressive stance in regards to the Occupiers, given that they had said they would vacate when a new tenant was identified. They have incurred large costs and I cannot see any great financial gain for them (unless there is a tenant lined up who they suspect will not be to the liking of the local community).

It is clear that there is a need for a community space in North Finchley. It seems sad that all of the positive energy and activities lined up for the Bohemia have simply been crushed. As I said in my blog yesterday, I don't think anyone has come out of this as a winner. If the administrators had engaged with the Occupiers and come to an amicable arrangement, we'd not have any blogs or any debates about Police and their priorities. I am sure some people see what happened on Friday night as good, as it fits some sort of authoritarian political agenda. I just think it is all rather sad. Yesteday there was a mental health roadshow outside the locked building, in the freezing cold. Sad really when there was a perfectly usable space on the other side of the ramparts.

Bohemia - A sad debacle with no winners

Last night, High Court bailiffs, supported by the police, evicted members of the Occupy movement who had been in residence for the last six weeks, operating a community centre on the premises. According to the claim made to the High Court, the eviction has cost the leaseholder £23,000 in costs. As far as I understand, the occupiers had been cooperating with Landlords and showing tenants around. There was no suggestion that damage had been caused by the occupiers, in fact they have made improvements and as anyone with property will know, it is better to have someone in a building. The Occupiers had also offered to peacefully vacate if a tenant was found.

Many texts and messages I received showed a degree of anger at Police for a very heavy handed approach.I find it quite interesting to read about the huge resources invested by the police in the operation. I wish they had mounted a similar operation when an elderly neighbour of mine was burgled last year. I don't blame the police for enforcing the law. When it comes down to it, that is there job. I do question the priority they put on this operation. In effect the taxpayer subsides an operation to close down a community project, for the benefit of a private Landlord. I wonder how many other private Landlords will be receiving such police help when they want awkward tenants evicted.

A senior Police officer I know informed me that the cost of the operation at the Bohemia yesterday was likely to have cost in excess of £5,000 in planning and execution. His view was that the operation was necessary to send a message that the law will be enforced in Barnet. When the occupiers told the press that they believed in Civil Disobediance, the operation and scale became inevitable. In effect the statement was a challenge to the forces of law and order and to the jurisdiction of the High Court. In his view, any such statement, in the face of High Court judgement, will always receive such a response. He also made a comment which I found interesting to say the least. He said the local Police would have seen the operation as an excellent opportunity to test their procedures and operational readiness. They would have been fully aware that the occupiers were unlikely to be violent or aggressive. As such it is a great chance to make sure things work properly, so if there is a situation where a "hard" response is required, everyone knows what they are doing. I suggested that most Barnet residents would prefer a training exercise against Burglars, human traffickers or local gangs. His response was that the Bohemia was a far more useful operation as it was "unusual" and had considerations unlike most police operations, not least local interest and anticipation. So if you were in anyway involved with the Bohemia, you can sleep soundly knowing you've helped the Barnet Police maintain their operational readyness against the forces of anarchy and public disorder.

Then lest consider the Landlords - Mitchells and Butler. This is what is somewhat disengeniously known as a "Pubco". You would think that with such a name, they would be interested to explore the concept of a community pub and may have considered it worthwhile working with the community to explore options to do this. Sadly the plonkers who run Mitchells and Butlers have no concept of what a community pub really is. I spend much of my life in pubs. I love them. Mitchells and Butlers own many pubs in the London Borough of Barnet. Examples that are successful are The Orange Tree and The Arkley. When we say successful, we of course mean financially as opposed to as pubs. The M&B model is not actually a pub. It is a food outlet that sells beer as a sideline. The last thing they want is someone like me to turn up with my mates and drink ten pints of guinness and talking football all night. They certainly don't understand the concept of the community pub. When M&B took over my local, the Three Hammers, they did sseveral things. They removed Sky Sports and the Darts Board. They banned children. They banned dogs from the premises. They also evicted the Mill Hill Jazz Club. Those of you who don't know the Hammers, it was a thriving community pub prior to M&B. It is next door to the Retail trust, which is an establishment for the elderly. Many families would come to bring their elderly relatives for a meal. As children were banned, this trade virtually stopped. The Hammers is on a popular walking route, being adjacent to Totteridge Valley. Dog walkers were banished. The Mill Hill Jazz club, which had been successfully running on a Wednesday night for years was kicked out, as it didn't "fit the profile of the pub". The Darts players were evicted, many who had been patrons for decades. People who would meet to watch football were also evicted. The Pool table disappeared. In short, whole local communities of friends were effectively abandoned. The pub were chasing a new market. One who wanted to eat bog standard pub food, have a half of lager and then drive home. I drink in the Hammers every Thursday with my football team. It has been styled as a bad hotel lounge. The staff are mainly teenagers (some are children of friends) on minimum wage, working with minimum motivation.

Contrast that with the vibrant social scene which was developing at the Bohemia. If I was a director of M&B, I'd have come down and checked out the Open mic nights and other activities being organised. If that had been incorporated into an establishment with cheap, healthy food and inexpesive beer, they would have been onto a winner. Although many pubs around the country are failing, there are plenty that are bucking the trend. They do this by catering for their community. The M&B model is a "one size fits all solution". They have put the postcode of the Hammers into their "demographic profiling" system and it's popped out a solution. It takes no account of the local walkers, elderly, darts and pool players, who used the pub for years. The Bohemia under the Antic Brand had the potential to be a superb pub. It was however suffering from massive under investment. It was an ideal venue for music, but there was no soundproofing, so this was impossible without alterations and upsetting neighbours. A small investment could have fixed this. There was also huge amounts of space which were totally unused. Any company which has aspirations to succeed must continulaly think of new ways to regenerate their business model and stay ahead of the game. It is clear that M&B have run out of ideas. Last Wednesday, I did a pub crawl around the London Bridge area. The pubs we visited were all proper pubs and all busy. We started at the Market Porter in Borough Market. This is how a pub should be. There is a place for the M&B model, it works well at The Orange Tree, but please can we have our proper pubs back?

So as I survey the fallout of the Bohemia debacle, it is clear that we've all lost. The taxpayer has had to fork out £5,000+ for a Police operation. The Police have wasted a day on achieving nothing, whilst burglary, human trafficking, Cannabis Farms, Brothels and Gangs run riot. Mitchell and Butlers have missed a golden opportunity to develop a new model that may have made them millions and if it hadn't would have cost them virtually nothing. The High Court have come out of the debacle also looking unduly harsh. I don't understand why they didn't give the Occupiers a week to make an orderly departure and saved us the cost of a Police operation. The occupiers who were living at the Bohemia have been kicked out onto the streets in the middle of a very chilly spell. The local community has lost the chance to have a great resource.

I am also saddened to read some of the comments left on twitter and newspaper websites. I run a successful business. I employ people and I have done this by looking and learning and talking to my customers. Sadly many of the gloaters have no experience of this and no understanding of what a fantastic opportunity has been missed. The Friern Barnet Community Library showed what can be achieved when people work together. Sadly that was a lesson which seems to have completely passed Mitchells and Butlers by.

The Friday Joke and other local news

Firstly, here is our Friday Joke

A girl brings her boyfriend home to meet her parents.

After dinner, her mother tells her father, a business
tycoon, to find out about the young man. He invites
the boy to his study for green tea.

"So what are your plans?" the father asks the boy.
"I am an religious scholar and want to marry your
daughter" he replies.
"A scholar," the father says. "Admirable, but what will
you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to
live in, as she's accustomed to?"
"I will study," the young man replies, "and God will
provide for us."
"And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring,
such as she deserves?" asks the father.
"I will concentrate on my studies," the young man
replies, "God will provide for us."
"And children?" asks the father. "How will you support
children?"
"Don't worry, sir, God will provide," replies the boy.
The conversation proceeds like this, and each time the
father questions, the boy insists that God will provide.

Later, the mother asks, "How did it go?"
The father answers, "He has no job and no plans,
but the good news is that he thinks I'm God."

And now the local news.

Please come down to the local news. Please join us at the Bohemia at 7pm. I will be playing my guitar with my band, The Falsedots (well actually just with my singer Allen Ashley). Also appearing will be the amazing Cecilia on piano, Elanor and Josh, Just Lily, The Amazing Uilleann Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Sarah Bear, Louise Loudspeaker and many more. 

Finally please sign this petition - http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/capita-keep-our-jobs-in-barnet It has been started to keep jobs in Barnet in response to the proposals by Capita to relocate 300 jobs to elsewhere in the country. These jobs are funded by local taxes and I believe the money should stay in the local economy.

OurBohemia - Open Mic night on Friday at 7.30pm - Your chance to see Rog T play guitar in the flesh

Last Friday a very successful open mic night was held at the reopened Bohemia Community Space. Nine acts raised the curtain and quite literally brought the house down. I had hoped to perform with my long time collaborator and vocalist Allen Ashley, but Allen was at a book signing (he's also a well known author and Poet and was supporting a pal of his).Myself and Allen played together in my Band, The False Dots in 1985. It was one of the most creative periods of my musical career. We will be reprising some of the songs from that era under the title "songs of love and war" at the Bohemia. If you've never seen The False Dots featuring Allen before, it is a treat of black humour, romantic love songs and stories of the woe of existence in troubled times. We have carefully selected a short set to highlight all of these themes.We will be playing as a duo (unless plans change !).

 We will be playing around 8:30pm, so please arrive early (and stay till the end !). You will also have another oppotunity to see the amazing Christine on piano, who was undoubtedly the star of the show last Friday.

Other acts are being lined up. I will list the program as it evolves through the week. Please support your community space. Make it happen. Lets make Barnet the culture capital of London. London is the culture capital of the world, so lets put our community at the heart of the scene. It is not often that such an opportunity presents itself. Lets not throw it away through apathy and sloth.

See you on Friday. I will also be auctioning a painting by my mother to help raise money for an in house PA for the space. Please bring your wallet.

The Bohemia Music Night - Friday 4th October

Hamptons live at the Bohemia music night

Regular readers of the blog may have noticed we've been less prolific in our output than normal recently. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) for our readers, we have other work commitments and have been exceptionally busy of late. This means that the time for researching various themes we normally cover has been restricted. Much as I'd love to spend all my hours working on the blog, I have to pay the mortgage and buy food for the kids & dogs. I have several big projects on the go. Perhaps the biggest is the new documentary film about Capita. For the two films we made last year, we simply got a stack of people of interest locally to come in and talk about subjects that they care about. For the new film, we need to do a whole stack of research and the interviews are located around the country. The logisitics of what we are doing are ten times greater.

I also have my other business interests and work to do. This is busier now than any time in the last couple of years. In all of the juggling of interests and work I have to balance, the thing which has suffered most is my music. I have had little chance to pick up a  guitar, let alone spend time writing songs. This has been a source of much grief to me. Since the age of 15, I have dedicated the vast majority of my spare waking hours to making music. To have no time to do this is a huge strain.

On Monday I received a text from my friend Helen Michael, who runs Cafe Buzz in Finchley. The new tenants in the Bohemia had decided to have a music night. Could I provide a sound system and lights? As my business is a music studio and hire business, dedicated to promoting the local music scene, I could hardly refuse. Helen also asked if I could supply some musicians. I would have dearly loved to have played myself, but having no time to rehearse, niothing prepared and most of my regular collaboraters available, I had to sit it out.

Instead I took on the role of sound man/stage manager for the night. I arrived at 6.30pm  with a PA, lights and a Dj station to get the show on the road. I arrived to meet Pete Phoenix, the organiser and work out the program. Due to the lack of lighting, the first phase was to set up the stage lights. Local green activist, Mike Gee had built a stage and so the area was well prepared. Having set up the lights, the nest thing to do was set up the PA and get some music on. For such events, I find that some chilled out reggae is a pretty safe bet. Having got the music going, I quickly soundchecked the mics and we were ready for the acts.

As I was working and pretty busy all night, I didn't have the luxury of a pen and paper to write notes. I was quite excited to find out that one of the performers was Charles Shaar Murray  who was a writer at the NME when I was a young punk rocker. Seems like he's a big friend of the team at occupy who reopened Friern Barnet Library. I'd have loved to have had a beer and a chat with Charles about rock and roll, but I had to keep busy and keep my mind on the job. 

As with many such "Open mic" arrangements, the evening evolved. It started off with Pete Trip, a bluesey song writer, We then had Ellie, a 12 year old singer who gave a stirring performance, much to the delight of the large contingent of friends and family. Next up was Anna Chen, poet and collaborater with Charles Shaar Murray. Carole gave a few readings which chimes with the crowd. For her final reading Charles joined her, on his dobro slide guitar. Charles then played a few solo numbers, reminiscent of his finest hours with Blast Furnace and the Heatwaves.  As an officianaodo of such music, it was a rare treat. Next up was the real star of the show. This is where the lack of a notepad etc came in. I didn't catch her name (wait for Mrs Angry's blog I am sure she won't make the same schoolboy error as me). Anyway, for her act, a piano had been provided. She gave a barnstorming set of music, despite an out of tune piano and a whole host of other problems. How to describe? Well if Little Richard was a white female from the London Borough of Barnet, with a sprinkle of filthy humour, you'd be pretty near the mark. 

Rock and Rokll Sons live at the Bohemia

Next up were the Rock and Roll Sons. They played an acoustic set of fine rock and roll music, with a slight flavour of country rock thrown in. I must add that this is not their normal set which is full on rock and roll. I thought that the acoustic treatment gave the songs a real edge and a great feel and showed the depth and strength of Fil Ross as a songrwriter.

Then we had another guy who I didn't catch the name of, who is a star of the Occupy/ssquatting network. He gave us a diverse and humourous set, getting across a few important points in the mix. He shot off after three numbers as he had to "be in Deptford".

The penultimate band were "Hamptons", featuring Charlie Honderick, who gave a rousing acoustic renditition of some of their finest numbers. Last up were a new band, so new I didn't catch their name, but they gave us a good sing along to a few recent hits. 

All in all it was a great night. Arranged at short notice, no alcohol on sale (but food and drink available at Cafe Buzz over the road), well over 100 people turned up and everyone had a great night. 

There was also some good news from Phoenix. The landlords are working on a custodian deal with the occupiers, whereby they are granted leave to stay on agreement that if and when suitable tenants are found they agree to leave amicably.

Many local right wing pundifiles have made all manner of disparaging comments about the occupiers. Most of these are ill informed. Firstly the occupation is not illegal. The occupiers have not broken the law. They are meticulous in their observance of it. Secondly, it has been suggested that the occupation would make North Finchley less attractive. This is nonsense. The worst thing for a town centre is empty shops. A community run centre with activities and entertainments is a boon. There has also been a string of comments about "taking other peoples property". This is again nonsense. All along the occupiers have said they would vacate upon a suitable tenant emerging. They are just making sure an empty building does not go to rack and ruin. Having people in a building safeguards it. Pipes don't burst, fires aren't started by rats chewing through cables. The new tenants are meticulous in their concern for neighbours. In the course of the evening, Pete Phoenix took regular sound readings and was keen to ensure neighbours were not disturbed. My guess is that of all the places having music and events in Barnet last night, the best one to live next door to was the Bohemia.

My hope is that Mitchells and Butler, the owners find a great tenant. In Mill Hill we've a couple of excellent pubs, such as the Adam and Eve and the Rising Sun, run by management who know what they are doing and who have enhanced the area. If we can make Barnet a place where there are good pubs and great communities, we all win.

Save the Bohemia - Lets call time on the destruction of our community

Tonight I have been to a well attended meeting at the Bohemia pub. This has been reopened as a community space by activists from the Occupy movement, who are looking to reopen the Bohemia as a community pub. But before I discuss the meeting, I'd like to take you on a little deviation, because I am sure we all need a little deviation in out lives.

Do you remember the last Tory Prime minister, John Major. John Major harked back to a time when England was a land of green fields, of men drinking warm pints of bitter, whilst watching cricket on the village green. Little sleepy hamlets, where little green steam engines, pulled bright red carriages down the branch line, bringing the excited children on days out to "the country". Letters were delivered by postman pat types on their pushbikes, cheerily waving to all and sundry. They would make sure that poor old Mrs Beans was OK, as she lived on her own and they would share the latest gossip in the country pub, over a game of darts and in front of a warm coal fire.

Where did it all go wrong? How could we have thrown away such and idyllic country. How did Jerusalems green and pleasant fields become Milton Keynes? We all have our views. I think that the blame lies fairly and squarely with the last three generations of Conservative politicians. They have mounted an assualt on our community, systematically destroying every vestige of community for the simple reason that there is no cash in helping each other. To a free marketeer, nothing has worth, only cost. The first big assault on the idyllic life we had came in the early 1960's when the Tories commissioned Dr Beeching to save some cash on the railways. This man was the high priest of beancounters. He came in and took an axe to the regional rail network, from which our transport infrastructure has never recovered. We wouldn't need HS2 to free up capacity on the West Coast mainline if he hadn't shut the Great Central Railway route. Other vital hubs like the Oxford to Cambridge line were closed and whole swathes of rural Britain lost its service. In many cases the books were cooked to justify closures and no account was taken of the cost to rural life. When the train service went, many villages died.

Then under the second great wave of post war Tory misrule, Thatcher used anti monopoly legislation to attack the pub industry. Pubs tied to breweries were deemed "old fashioned" and "anto competetive" and so brewers were forced to sell them. All of a sudden, we had "pubco's" who had no interest in selling beer, just in maximising profits. This was best done by running down the pub and selling it for development. Big cash gain with no work at all. As the pub dies, so does the village. At present 26 pubs a week are shutting in the UK. This is all down to this horrible legislation. Brewers needed pubs, because it was an outlet to sell their beer. The pubs have gone and the brewers have struggled.

The third big assault hasn't come to pass yet, but it will. Privatising the post office will destroy the last key pillar of our rural society. "non performing" offiices will shut. The Tory assault on our rural lifestyle will be complete.

Which takes us to tonight. Now North Finchley isn't rural. It hasn't lost its branch line. It has however seen a massive assault from the forces of Tory Greed. The parking regime has nearly destroyed the High St. Small business has been hammered. Just over a year ago, a small beacon of light opened. The Bohemia pub, on the site of the old Bohemia cinema, tea room and Dance hall (and latterly O'Neills) opened. In the space of just under a year, it became a hub of the community. Knitting circles, community meetings, music and quiz nights proliferated. In a small part of Finchley, it seemed as if the clock was being wound back.

Sadly this was an illusion. The building landlords and the organisation running the pub fell out and the pub shut. A small campaign to reopen the pub was started. Then last week, the Occupy movement moved in. They announced that the pub was reopening as a "community space" and a public meeting of friends would be held tonight. I went along out of curiosity.

What I saw gave me great hope. People talked about staging music, poetry, offering IT facilities and building a community based hub, where we can start to rebuild our community. All age groups were represented and their was a great rainbow mix of people. All shared one vision. To reopen the pub as a community pub where we can start to rebuild our shattered sense of civi pride. Now sadly some people on the right have reacted badly, making hollow threats and spouting obnoxious and innaccurate views about the people interested in participating. Lets just correct a few misconceptions. The building was shut, so noone is loosing anything due to the occupation. If a new pub operator wants to reopen the business, they will be welcomed. No damage has been done. Any new operator would have to refit the pub anyway. When Occupy were asked to vacate Friern Barnet Library for the community, they did so and we now have a great community asset.

I have no idea what will happen, but I do know that if the Pubco Landlord, Mitchells and Butlers are serious about their mission, "to run pubs" then they should work with the community. No one is asking for hadnouts or favours. All people want is a pubco to run a popular pub. Why on earth would anyone object to that proposition?

Breaking News - The Bohemia Pub in North Finchley reopened by Occupy as a community project

Many local residents in the North Finchley neighbourhood were extremely upset when the much loved local pub, The Bohemia was closed following a rent increase. The building has sat looking rather sad and sorry ever since. The Barnet Eye was called this morning and notified that the Occupy movement has taken over the building and are opening a community project at the site. They have requested that locals offer their support and bring tea, coffee, foodstuffs and anything else suitable for the project.

The Barnet Eye will be visiting the site later today for a full update. The Occupy movement have targetted Finchley for special attention due to local MP Mike Freer being a sponsor of the anti squatting legislation. They have publicly stated that their campaign against homelessness will focus on Mike Freers constituency in Finchley and Golders Green. Many local people are well inclined towards Phoenix and the other Friern Barnet Library occupiers, who helped save the much loved local treasure. The Barnet Eye sincerely hopes that the occupation of The Bohemia can have another suitably good outcome for the local community.