Tolerable Music presents:
Rock & Robots is the fightingest gig in London.
(The fighters are robots, please don't hit other people here)
On the second Sunday of every month in The Others in Stoke Newington, London, you can watch London's antweight robot community battle it out for medals, you can have a go on said robots once the tournament concludes, and you can then watch some fresh indie talent.
At a glance
Venue:
Dates:
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Admission:
Ticket link:
Clips:
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Also at the venue:
The Others, 6 Manor Road,
Stoke Newington, London N16 5SA
Second Sunday of each month
Doors open 17:30
Robot fighting 18:00
Live music 20:00
Post-gig jam 22:00
£6 advance, £8 from the day before the gig
Instagram: @tolerablemusic
TikTok: @tolerablemusic
Cash bar
Free table football & SNES gaming
Second hand vinyl shop
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Beginnings
Back in 2022, I hadn't done a gig or seen several of my friends in a while so I decided to arrange a birthday party which acted as an open mic night where I played a set at the end.
I contacted a few venues in London to find that most of them were outside my price range. Paper Dress in Hackney, for example, would have charged £230 and mandated a minimum bar spend of £800, which with my estimated turnout of 20-30 people would be impossible to fulfill. My saviour was The Others in Stoke Newington who, at the time, charged £150 for hire of the venue and its equipment on a Sunday with no minimum bar spend.
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After the party, the owner, Simon, said he had a spare date each month which I could arrange a regular night for. I decided not just to book bands, but also to include the spectacle of robot fighting (my other hobby). Then, since I had access to this very cool space, I thought it would be nice to dedicate some time to letting anyone have a go in this relaxed atmosphere.
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I never thought I would be a promoter but here we are.
Rock!
Despite the name, this event isn't limited to rock music - it just sounded more catchy that way.
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Music begins after the robot tournament finishes, with the first act, usually resident act Eli Gumble, playing for 20 minutes at 20:00. Each month will also bring you 2 London indie acts, chosen to complement each other's styles, playing for 30 minutes each with a 15 minute break in between.
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This is followed by a long-standing tradition at Rock & Robots: a collaboration between some or all of the night's artists on a pre-agreed but unrehearsed song.​
Robots!
I'm proud to host London's only regular robot fighting event, potentially the first since Robot Wars was filmed on a site now occupied by the O2 in 1997-98. The robots here are antweights, which have a weight limit of 150g compared to the 110kg/250lb machines you'll see on modern TV competitions like Battlebots.
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Since late 2024, the tournament has drawn at least 16 robots each month. You can expect to see around 30 fights in the time allocated to the main tournament, including a rumble, which is a single last-bot-standing fight between all robots present. The winner of the main tournament receives a gold medal and the winner of the rumble receives a silver medal.
There is also a side event scheduled after the main competition, which allows robots to shine in ways they may not have done in the main event. Past side events have included 2v2 fights, racing, robot soccer, capture-the-flag and every December, a special tournament for that year's champions for the year.
This event is also the UK's only regular sportsman antweight event, which has allowed a completely different metagame of robot designs from the rest of the circuit to develop. Our other USPs are the live commentary, interviews, quick changeovers due to the roofless arena and the live fight soundtracks provided by a drummer. In addition, the arena stays in place all night and anyone can approach a roboteer and have a go on their robot any time there isn't an act on stage.
After-party
After all the scheduled entertainment has happened, ​​we open up the stage to anyone in the room. Impromptu karaoke or other performances are welcome - no formal signups will happen, just raise your hand when we call for more people. This section has acted as auditions for future nights in the past, with acts like Hypnobard and Saxophone [band] having been booked after a jam time performance.
You may perform with or without an instrument, dance, attempt comedy, poetry, short video game speedruns or anything else you've wanted to do on stage. For best results, contact tolerablemusic@gmail.com in advance and we can reserve you some time and load any backing tracks you would like onto the gig PowerPoint.
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The venue provides a number of house instruments - a drum kit, a bass, a guitar, a keyboard, bongos, other percussion blocks and a vibraphone - for anyone to join in a jam. One time the fire alarm was activated during a jam and it sounded quite nice.
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The jam continues until its natural stopping point and I close off the night with a sing-out. After this, Simon hops on the decks and plays some records and you can party for a bit longer. You will need to go home eventually.
Even more!
All night, we have a number of other things to check out around the venue:
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Vinylly Found second hand vinyl store
Like something you hear on the decks? Buy it on vinyl! Flick through the record collection like a teen in the '70s or a young urban professional today (cash only)
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Cash bar
A selection of alcoholic, hot and soft drinks (cash only)
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Free table football
Another way of challenging your friends without risk of injury.
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Free SNES gaming
It's a SNES Classic Mini attached to a screen in the corner with 2 controllers. Play all you like until someone says you're hogging it.
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Playlist of previous Rock & Robots artists
The breaks between the action will be soundtracked by a playlist of songs from artists who have played at Rock & Robots before. It's a big mix of genres but it's all good, guaranteed (otherwise I wouldn't have booked them).
The Venue
6 Manor Road, Stoke Newington, London, N16 5SA
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Situated a short walk from Stoke Newington station on the Weaver line and upstairs from Manor Snooker Club, whose signs cover the building, The Others is a venue which, by definition, hosts "otherly events" which you aren't likely to see elsewhere.
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The venue is kitted out with some good-quality live sound equipment, a projector and you can watch the bands from a selection of mismatched seats - choose from armchairs, sofas, benches or seats which were likely salvaged from a minivan, complete with seatbelts.
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The Others hosts events most nights of the week - check out their calendar on their homepage.
Money
My arrangement with the venue means that I get to keep 100% of the door takings after the ticket site has taken its fees, while the venue keeps all the money taken at the bar. Also, I don't have to pay venue hire fees, meaning that aside from the small promotional budget, all takings are profits. The sound technician's £100 payment is guaranteed first, after which money is split between the acts and people who make the show happen according to the pie chart. Payments are rounded up to the next full pound.
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I really don't like pay-to-play as a business model so all acts booked for Rock & Robots get paid a pre-defined split of the total door takings - no ticket quota, no tracking of who's here to see who, just focus on the entertainment (but do also get your friends and fans to come if you're booked to play because it's a fun night). If you want to sell merch and CDs, go ahead! Those are your products and I have no right to tax you on them - that's HMRC's job.
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Roboteers get in a little bit cheaper and if it's your first time fighting here or you're a child roboteer aged 16 or under, you get in free (your accompanying adult pays the cheaper rate).
Get involved!
If you've been sent this page or have read this far, you can definitely get involved! The e-mail address that opens that door is this one here:
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If you're a musician, in a band or if you know a musician/band who you'd like to see at one of these nights, send me some music, either studio or live, and some contact details, preferably on this form.
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If you're a roboteer, send me a photo of your antweight or sign up on Rampage. If you'd like to get involved in roboteering, check the Bristol Bot Builders guides and let me know if there's anything they don't answer.
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If you'd like to play the open mic, get in touch and send me any backing tracks you'd like to perform with if you need one. You can also sign up on the night.
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Or if you'd like to just come along for the ride, tickets are always available right below this text, at bit.ly/rockandrobots or, for £1 more, on the door.