Cafe 1001 Takeover @ All Points East

An evening celebrating the soul of East London through music, conversation & community - curated by Cafe 1001.

16:30 - 17:30 : A Cultural Map of Brick Lane with The Cockney Sikh & Mursal Saiq (Cafe 1001 exec chef)

An Interview with Suresh Singh and Mursal Saiq, hosted by Ell.iot

Suresh Singh 

Artist, writer, musician, and known to many as The Cockney Sikh - shares the ever-evolving soundtrack of Brick Lane and the East End. Expect a rich conversation blending memory, migration & rebellion. From Bhangra to punk, reggae to rave, this is the soundscape of a changing London - told by someone who’s lived it.

Mursal Saiq 

Mursal Saiq was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, raised in Mumbai, India and then grew up in Hackney, London. Her family were forced to evacuate their home and give it up to members of the Taliban during the Afghan 1990’s civil war. During her time at uni she started working at Street Food markets to make ends meet in the evenings and that’s where she met Josh Moroney. Together, they opened Cue Point Ldn, an inclusive catering company, named one of Time Outs best London restaurants and a Jay Rayner favourite. Merging British and Afghan flavours, specialising in smoked meats, to create inclusive and delicious recipes. Cue Point was created for the individual that feels in between two worlds. 

Mursal has been consulting and adapting the F&B sector for 8 + years and the ripple can be seen in the emergence of halal smokehouses across the country. Her mission in F&B is to diversify her industry to improve the lives and recipes of racialised individuals whilst simultaneously increasing the profit margins of hospitality and the UK economy through opening up this sector to more diverse people. By tackling systemic racism, honing Islamophobia she also quantifiably shows how a less segregated sector is also a highly profitable sector. 

16:30 - 19:30 Cafe 1001 x Knight Club

Knight Club to have chessboards out for the whole of the 3 hours and brings their signature twist to nightlife culture, during the Q&A and DJ sets.

Knight Club

Knight Club is a weekly chess-led social offering a calm, intentional break from the chaos of nightlife and the mundanity of the week. Chess is the medium, but community is the heartbeat,  with members shaping the vibe through curated playlists, shared meals, and one-off events. Music plays a central role too, with sonic experiences that unfold alongside or beyond the board.

17:30 - 18:30 Cafe 1001 All Stars

The Cafe 1001 crew provide a soulful, eclectic soundtrack, broadcasted live onto Radio 1001.

Cafe 1001 has been a fixture of the music scene on Brick Lane since the early 2000s, becoming a leading force in the semi-illegal East London warehouse party scene. In 2019, with a new management team in place, the venue took a turn in direction towards a more quality-focused music experience, drawing influences from the rise in popularity of listening / HIFI bars. The team will be digging into their record collection and providing a lovely warm-up for Macca. Expect "absolute stonkers" as Leo says and some leftfield curveballs.

18:30 - 19:30 Cafe 1001 Invites Macca (NTS)

First appearing on NTS Radio back in 2015, Macca has grown into a staple of discerning NTS listeners since holding down the weekly slot with the One Glove Breakfast Show in late 2021. The show has become a beautiful ritual for many with Macca musically moving across folk, jazz, soul, balearic, hip-hop, house and much more - with a dedicated following of listeners, a buzzing chatroom and his dulcet scouse tones delivering a spectrum of sounds in a relaxed, low-key and heartfelt way. The opportunity for Macca to translate this to a dance floor is always an exciting and less-trodden path and guarantees the chance of catching his contagious energy live and direct, away from the airwaves.