SE23 Spotify Playlist

Some further details and background on the artists with a connection to Forest Hill, London SE23

To listen to the playlist, click here to find it on Spotify

Song	Artist	Connection & background
1	Millie	Lodged in Forest Hill when Chris Blackwell brought her over from Jamaica to record for his Island Records
2	Keston Cobbler’s Club	“Forest Hill” is from their LP Almost Home, written when founder Matthrew Lowe was living in FH
3	The Forest Hillbillies	Ska band and local legends
4	Thee Alcoholics	Founder Rhys, formerly of the greatest band you’ve probably never heard of - Hey Colossus - is a FH resident
5	ANM	We honestly don’t know much about ANM, but this track from their EP Living In Swampland was released in 2024 and is called SE23
6	Ezra Collective	Played an early gig in the car park outside Forest Hill Station in 2014
7	Desmond Dekker	Lived on Devonshire Road in the 1980s and 1990s
8	Dizzee Rascal	His studio is on Havelock Walk
9	King Krule	Archy Marshall (briefly) attended Forest Hill School
10	The Only Ones	Lead singer Peter Perrett was a long-time FH resident and local entrepreneur
11	The Red Flag (Billy Bragg)	The Red Flag was written by Jim Connell, who lived in Stondon Park and is commemorated with a plaque
12	The Creation	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
13	The Action	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
14	The Moody Blues	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
15	The Graham Bond Organisation	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
16	The Yardbirds	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
17	John Lee Hooker	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
18	The Kinks	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
19	The Rolling Stones	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
20	The Who	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
21	The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band	An early version of the band rehearsed at the Bird in Hand in Dartmouth Road
22	Status Quo	Francis Rossi was born in Forest Hill, went to infants’ school in Mayow Road, and bought a house on Lowther Hill in 1968
23	The Hollies	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
24	Carter Lewis & The Southerners	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
25	Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
26	The Alan Bown Set	Played at the Glenlyn Ballroom during its 1960s heyday
27	Nou Enle	Alt-folk band from FH. You may have seen them at Finches Ski Emporium
28	Saint Jude	AKA Jude Woodhead was born in FH
29	SAHRA	Berlin-born jazz vocalist Sahra Gure is a FH resident
30	Disco Zombies	Guitarist Andy Ross owned Counterpoint Records in FH. The cover of their compilation LP “South London Stinks” is a photo of a British Rail Forest Hill platform sign
31	Split Enz	Interviewed for the Quietus, NZ-born Neil Finn is quoted as saying: “when I was living in London when I first joined Split Enz we were living in Forest Hill…”
32	Siouxsie & The Banshees	The object on the cover of their Juju LP can be found in the Horniman Museum
33	Crazy Cousinz	Pioneers of Funky House, founder Luke Reid - aka Flukes – is from FH
34	Big Audio Dynamite	Founder member Don Letts used to live in Westwood Park
35	Flux of Pink Indians	Bassist Derek Birkett lived in Westbourne Drive in the 1980s and set up the One Little Indian label (in next door SE26), which became the home of The Sugarcubes and Björk
36	Halls	Halls – aka Samuel Howard - is from FH
37	Chewbeats	Based in Peckham, but the song’s called SE23, and that’s good enough for us
38	Jackie Trent	Best known for co-writing (with husband Tony Hatch) the Neighbours theme tune, Jackie lived in FH in the 1960s
39	Japan	The family home of bassist Mick Karn was in Elsinore Road, where the band originally rehearsed
40	The Men They Couldn’t Hang	Recorded albums at Perry Vale Studios
41	The Vibrators	Recorded albums at Perry Vale Studios
42	a-ha	In 1983, they rehearsed at John Ratcliff’s Rendezvous Studio at 107b Kirkdale. John found them a flat at 221 Dartmouth Road. Technically both addresses are in SE26, but we like a-ha so we’re claiming them
43	All Hail This Grand Day (Jon Raven et al)	Commemorates the opening of the Croydon Canal, which used to run through the centre of FH
44	Fil Eisler	Lives in FH
45	Public Service Broadcasting	Founder J. Willgoose, Esq was a FH resident
46	Dire Straits	Bassist John Illsley formerly lived on Sunderland Road
47	Spike Milligan	Spike lived in Gabriel Street and then Riseldine Road when his family first moved to London
48	Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse	The founder of Tone Def Records, dub ‘n bass label, is FH local Yomi Ayeni- aka DJ Yomi
49	Pretenders	From Chrissie Hynde’s autobiography Reckless: “I moved into Don [Letts]’s house in Forest Hill, which he shared with Jeannette and a bunch of mates… Jeannette’s friend Janice had committed suicide there, and I got her room… It was in Janice’s room that I wrote “Private Life,” which Grace Jones eventually recorded with our heroes Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare”. This was 1976, according to an interview in The Face in 1984. The house was on Westwood Park.
50	The Clash	From Chrissie Hynde’s autobiography Reckless: “My room was a sanctuary, as no one would come anywhere near it. Joe Strummer took it over after I left.”
51	Jax Jones	DJ, record producer and remixer Jax is from FH