As I strode past Camden Town tube station earlier this week, a rather sorry scene was unfolding.

A lively woman, her phone thrust forward with purposeful recording/streaming intent, was goading a shirtless guy with clear mental heath challenges, who was camped on a mattress by the entrance.

Not so long ago, their shouting match would be just another fleeting moment of aggro in the hurley-burley maelstrom of humanity that bump up against each other daily on this strip. But it was obvious from this lady’s enthused and protracted incitements, as the man duly rose, ranted and raved, that she knew this exchange was going to make for some great content.

It’s safe to say we’re at a strange inflection point as a society, where our natural instincts for observing the unusual, checking for danger (and/or at least a good anecdote) and preparing rapidly to do what it takes to survive are being replaced by the reflex to start filming.

It’s now ‘fight or flight or phone’. But probably just phone.

Some of us may still be blissfully unaware of how much of this conflict content is floating around online, but for others, once the algorithm has noted that you lingered for a few seconds on a drunken street brawl video or the latest road rage shouting match dashcam classic, you’re sure to see plenty more.

The urge to document everything - always with one eye on the viral clout or monetisation potential - doesn’t seem to be doing us much good. Whether it’s a sea of phones ruining live gigs or the recent warning that aircraft evacuations are becoming more dangerous because of how many passengers are busy recording the drama instead of getting the hell off the plane sharpish, this new urge is reshaping a human behaviour that’s been honed for millennia.

Of course conflict and danger fascinates and captivates our lizard brain, and it could well be argued that reaching for the phone may be a confused comfort signal in the panicked moment, but the beguiling power of these clips to also reel us in when we’re not actually there is just as much of a problem.

Gawping at a feed of shocking shortform videos during the hours we used to spend reading books, watching nightly news broadcasts or while sat on the loo, is also probably not doing us much good, either.

In theory, we all need to get better at shutting them off and realising we’ve basically been had by the algorithm again. But in practice, that’s almost impossible, as the poor old lizard brain doesn’t stand much of a chance against the best efforts of the Silicon Valley brainiacs.

One area where I do think we can exercise restraint much more easily online though, is in the comments section. It baffles me why anyone would throw themselves willingly into the fray these days; instantly arguing with total strangers, being unfathomable rude on the public record, pontificating on issues they have little to no idea about etc. etc.

We all know how toxic it is in the BTL swamplands, yet you can guarantee opinions will be being dished out and ‘debate’ will be raging below anything vaguely interesting, let alone a video with a smattering of magic conflict dust.

Chipping in your ten cents-worth beneath is just feeding the beast. At best you’ll soon be arguing into oblivion with racist Russian bots, but more problematic is that you’re essentially spending time working for Meta or whoever for free, with the sole result of even more people being sucked into the same damn attention vortex.

Now most ‘social’ media has jettisoned being a place to keep up to date with people you actually know and has morphed into very, very fast TV, leaving a comment should be a rare and considered moment, if at all.

All we have to do when staring glassy-eyed into our screen then, is even less.

The human urge for consuming spectacle, conflict, tittle-tattle and engaging in a good rant or moan won’t leave us, but as the tech in our pocket goads us all on like the unfortunate woman at Camden Town, the most socially-minded choice has to be to turn away and refuse to fan the flames.

Jousting in the comments or trying to stoke up viral clips is very much being part of the problem.

On that note, do scroll on, as there’s plenty of lightly engaging local gossip which you’re welcome to let tickle those lizard brain fancies in a simpler, altogether more wholesome way below.

Following last week’s story about the threat to the future of this beloved local culture hub, owner Chris Townsend has made the difficult decision to close the doors - until such time as solutions can be found for the licencing issues. He’s keen to say this is not the final nail in the coffin for MAP, and he hopes to take well-earned break, pull in some favours on some much-needed refurbishment, with a view to reopening later in the year if all goes well. We’ll run details of how things are going direct from Chris when there’s more to say…

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☝🏼 Warm evenings like these are ideal for seeking out some respite up on a bright rooftop with a well-chilled bar, so before sitting down to bash out this week’s newsletter, I jumped on a bike to Shoreditch to check out two new such spots which are virtually neighbours, but couldn’t look and feel more different. First up it was to the Código 1530 Penthouse pop-up at the Aethos Hotel, where my Kentish Town-based neighbours at Rankin’s HUNGER magazine were having a launch for their latest edition. The angular building and its high-end interior design gives hints of South Beach, as did the well turned-out clientele even if the views from the roof across the DJ booth and tequila bar are most definitely of the towers of Old St. The penthouse takeover runs to the end of July.

Then it was over the road to the opening of the eagerly anticipated Village Underground Rooftop, set directly above the beloved warehouse nightclub venue, right alongside its iconic elevated tube trains. Here the aesthetic is 100% Shoreditch whichever way you look, with a large terrace (pic above), decent cocktails and 12” Bad Boy pizzas, plus the chance to head up top and sit in one of those brilliant graffiti-covered carriages with friends, or to meet some new ones. It’s an exciting hangout which is an important new venture for the venue, so well worth dropping by for a post-work and/or pre-club session up above.

🥧 Swain’s Lane mainstay for over two decades, Kalendar cafe, has closed down, but don’t fret too much, as the site about to be occupied by another local indie favourite. The team from Dartmouth Park’s Crick’s Corner are preparing to launch Crick’s on the Lane, ensuring their brand of daily destination dining continues on this popular ‘Parliament Hill Riviera’ strip.

🍽️ In more reborn restaurant news, Regent’s Park Rd classic Odettes, which became the social enterprise Home Kitchen Diner last year, offering employment to people who have experienced homelessness, has had a rebrand. Now known as 130 Primrose, the work with charities like The Big Issue, Crisis, Beam, Soup Kitchen London and Only A Pavement Away continues, with new executive chef and broadcaster and MasterChef judge, Monica Galetti, bringing some of her native Samoan culinary inspiration to the menu and a new speakeasy-style cocktail bar downstairs. She replaces Adam Simmonds in the role, after the abrupt closure of his Voyage at King’s Cross Megaro Hotel prompted him to head abroad, currently to be found cheffing on an Italian superyacht, no less.

🌤️ The Mayor of London's Summer Streets Fund is the latest way the Sadiq is showing his post-Covid support for the very sensible and lovely pursuit of al fresco dining, extend operating hours for hospitality and social gathering spaces in the warmer months. It runs across 15 of the capital’s boroughs, with the Camden activity focused on Leather Lane market, with loads more outdoor seating and the promise of a load of curated cultural and community activities including live music and pop-up performances, if there’s a way to find out about them somewhere online (which at the moment I don’t think there is).

🎉 Two West End pop-ups to check out right now include the open fire Moroccan kitchen Tagine & Grill at the classic Sun & 13 Cantons for charcoal-grilled meats, spicy small plates and, of course, slow-cooked tagines. Then Hot Dinners is reporting that Scotland’s Craigellachie Hotel are bringing their popular pop-up Spey Shack lobster rolls and burgers to 3 Henrietta St in Covent Garden for a short 8-week summer run, starting next Fri 10th Jul.

FESTIVAL: 🍷Find your way into the lovely, hidden Varnisher’s Yard in King’s Cross on Sat 4th Jul where the rustic little Andalusian-style Bar Rioja festival returns to transform their sun-soaked courtyard into a laid-back Spanish wine and food pop-up. For £50 you’ll be able to taste your way through 16 different Rioja wines alongside freshly made paella, jamón iberico, competitions, music and the chance to meet winemakers and learn more about all things Rioja.

FESTIVAL: 🌭 It’s the grand finale of the Hampstead Summer Festival with the Big Fair on Heath Street taking place this Sun 5th Jul all afternoon.

MUSIC: 🏴‍☠️ TV face and acclaimed musician YolanDa Brown and her partner Adetokunbo ‘T’ Oyelola have opened a second branch of their Kickstarter-busting food and music venue Soul Mama in Islington, and there’s a special American Independence Day gig by Jon Cleary on Sat 4th Jul.

STAGE: 🎭 It’s the last chance to see the historic play based on true local stories CAMDENWALLA this Sat 4th Jul, at Camden People’s Theatre, with a special CAMDENWALLA Community Day brining Bangladeshi craft workshops, storytelling and more as part of South Asian Heritage Month, too.

PRIDE: 🏳️‍🌈 It’s the big Pride weekend in the centre of town, and Euston’s Zodiac Bar is running a From Zodiac With Love afterparty, where they say London Pride 2026 will meet ‘pure Bond‑level sophistication and queer joy’, through until 6am.

What better time to bring back the video section to Camdenist than to showcase this stunning 360 degree special by @thatguyaslan, taken at last Sunday’s epic afternoon edition of the annual Dig It Soundsystem bash up on Parli Hill bandstand - can you spot yourself gyrating from above?!