Memories of Mary Heavies aim to lighten load for local school

Deptford Green School and the Friends of Deptford Green have announced a fundraising concert featuring acid jazz pioneers the Brand New Heavies, with support from the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir and local band the Sundries.

The Brand New Heavies were formed in Ealing in west London and rose to prominence in the 1990s, with their platinum-selling UK albums Brother Sister and Shelter mixing funk and acid jazz. Their songs have featured vocals by N’Dea Davenport, Carleen Anderson and Siedah Garrett among others.

Expect to hear many of their 15 UK Top 40 singles on the night, including Dream on Dreamer, Stay This Way and Sometimes, as well as fan favourites Never Stop and You Are the Universe

They will also perform hit covers of 70s classics such as Don’t Let It Go to Your Head, Midnight at the Oasis and You’ve Got a Friend

Joining the Heavies will be the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir, who achieved the UK Christmas number one in 2015 with their single A Bridge Over You – a mash-up of Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water and Coldplay’s Fix You – beating Justin Bieber, The X-Factor winner Louisa Johnson, Adele and Stormzy to the top spot.

The choir released an album the following year and recorded a version of Justin Bieber’s Holy in 2020, which currently has more than 700 million listens on Spotify

They performed Joy to the World after the Queen’s speech on Christmas Day 2020 and in 2021, they sang at the Brit Awards with Rag’n’Bone Man and P!nk for a special version of Anywhere Away from Here, which was released to raise money for NHS charities.

South-east London indie-pop band the Sundries complete the line-up with songs from their two EPs Full of the Joys of Spring and Magic Johnson. The event will take place at the school on 12 May. Doors open at 6.30pm and tickets are £15. For full information, visit tiny.cc/brandnewheavies

Mary Quant passed away earlier this month at the age of 93. A fashion designer and sartorial trailblazer, she was a key figure in Swinging London and is credited with popularising the miniskirt. Quant was born in Blackheath on 11 February 1930. Her parents were from mining families in Wales and both attended grammar school before achieving first-class degrees at Cardiff University. They later moved to London to work as school teachers.

Mary went to Blackheath High School. Her ambition had been to study fashion but her parents dissuaded her and she ended up studying illustration and art education at Goldsmiths, graduating in 1953.

After finishing her degree, she began an apprenticeship with a Mayfair milliner who was based next door to Claridge’s hotel.

S he initially sold clothing sourced from wholesalers in Bazaar, her boutique on the King’s Road in Chelsea that she opened in 1955.

The bolder and more unique pieces in her collection began receiving media interest, which prompted her to start designing herself. Initially working solo, she was soon employing a handful of sewing-machine operators.

In 1963, Quant was the first winner of the Dress of the Year award. Three years later she was awarded an OBE for her outstanding contribution to the fashion industry, arriving at Buckingham Palace to accept the award in a cream wool jersey minidress. In 2014 she was made a dame.

Following her death, 60s fashion icon Twiggy, whose real name is Lesley Lawson, said: “Mary Quant was such an influence on young girls in the late 50s and early 60s. She revolutionised fashion and was a brilliant female entrepreneur. The 1960s would have never been the same without her.”