We launched The Boxkart Rebel, the new novel by TheNeverPress founder Graham Thomas.
Before we get into all it, let’s get the bits out of the way – The Boxkart Rebel is a YA drama about a working class family who own a small DIY SuperKart racing team. They have one driver, the eldest son, one kart and one spare set of tyres. Totally outmatched by the competition, financially, they still outgun everyone on race-days. The youngest son, Chris, dreams of one day taking on his brother’s mantle and becoming even greater. But between that fantasy and reality, another life exists – one of fear, anger and courage. The life of The Boxkart Rebel.
The novel is about family and going your own way – and what better way to celebrate this launch than by living its ethos? And that’s exactly what we did. By partnering up with some great friends at Rebel Stationery, Cities in Dust and 19 Something, TheNeverPress put on a unique punk-rock DIY launch event at The Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell. It was a helluva night.
A few words on the venue – The Slaughtered Lamb is a fun-time bar and grill with a fantastic basement for live events, music, private parties, get-togethers and its run by an energetic, switched-on team with that all important ‘can do’ attitude. It’s ace. We saw a band perform there a few months back and we knew immediately that it was the perfect space to put on something special. Something more than just a book launch – we wanted to go big, and with the help of some amazing collaborators, we did.
Turns out, event organising is not as easy as naïve Magical Realist publishers in cool leather jackets were lead to believe and so we partnered with our great friends Rebel Stationery to help put this all together.
We love Rebel Stationery, with their high-end luxury products made with a strong social conscience driving them forward, it was a natural fit that we showcase their brand at the event. This was our first live event and they have years of experience doing this – and boy, did that show! With a firm hand on the tiller, Rebel saved the day countless times. They made it appear smooth sailing and we love them dearly.
Some words from Annie at Rebel.
As the proud owners of two fledgling businesses, raring to make an impact on our chosen industries, Graham saw an opportunity for us to join forces, and was generous enough to give us a space at the launch of his novel The Boxkart Rebel, opening up our brand to a whole new audience. Aside from it being an absolute pleasure to work together in the lead up, the vision he had for the event was executed beautifully, with the evening being an awesome success, and wonderfully off-beat, for a book launch! Congratulations to all at The NeverPress; Team Rebel can’t wait for the next collaboration. - Annie Couldrey, co-founder, Rebel Stationery
So, we had the venue, we had the book (that helps) and we had Rebel Stationery in our corner. Now we just needed the entertainment. And onto the stage, at 19:45pm stepped actor and voiceover artist Felicity Bown to recite some extracts from the novel. But it wasn’t a recital, it was a performance – Bown brought the thunder, holding the 100+ strong audience in the palm of her hand, with her insightful, empathetic, humorous and heartfelt talent. You could hear a pin drop.
Over to you Felicity, you magician you…
For the Boxkart Rebel audiobook launch, I had the immense privilege of doing a live reading from the book. We recorded the audiobook a few months ago now, so getting to narrate passages from the story once more felt like reacquainting with a bunch of old friends - an opportunity I simply couldn't pass by! The book has so many delightful characters and gorgeous moments - it was hard to know what to pick to read! In the end, Graham and I worked together to craft a 20 minute reading, comprising 7 vignettes from the book, which gave the audience a window into the world of the story, introducing them to all of the main characters, as well as a taste of the racing action. The night itself was so much fun - there was a fantastic turnout and a real buzz of excitement in the room. Getting to read to the audience was such an electric experience - it's one thing imagining your readers' reactions when you're narrating alone in a studio, but the next level when you get 100+ live responses in the moment. It was such a joy to share a story I've grown to be so fond of with the community that TheNeverPress has built, and a real honour that Graham entrusted me with his words. The only regret I have was not printing out my reading in a larger font size - not sure why I thought size 9 Arial would be big enough, particularly in a dark, atmospheric venue - but hey, that's a good lesson for next time...! - Felicity Bown, actor and voiceover artist
The applause was rapturous, and bows were taken. We let the dust settle…but not for long, as the stage we set for it to be kicked back up again with psychedelic electro-indie outfit Cities in Dust ripping through a raucous set that filled the room with energy, noise and one surprisingly explosive tambourine…
Cities in Dust frontman Ady Baker lays it out…
We were very honoured to be asked to the play the launch event for The Boxkart Rebel and although I don’t get crippled by nerves before shows (as I like nervous energy), I was definitely nervous before this one. This show was different. My relationship with TheNeverPress and with The Boxkart Rebel in particular runs deep. The book is in my blood, and I see some of the central character in my younger self. I wanted to get the set right and felt the pressure. But I wanted us to bring energy to the set, with tinges of melancholy. We spoke amongst the band about the setlist - we wanted new songs in there, but also wanted to honour the book, as our music inspired a lot of the writing. Old songs like “Ten Ton Smile” needed to feel angry and relevant now, we needed to then ebb away to the melancholy of “Tornado Road”, with the underlying messaging of no matter how tough life can get, we all need to aspire and continue moving forward. We really hope that we did the book justice. - Ady Baker, frontman
And it wasn’t over yet – we always want to go full steam. Always ‘all in’. So after the guitars were stowed, the ones and twos were fired up as the 19 Something Soundsystem spun some deep melodic house into the wee small hours. 19 Something Soundsystem are a branch of the 19 Something initiative; a socially-focused collective of promoters, DJs, musicians and Radio Presenters. They are the epitome of that beautiful DIY ‘make your own scene’ spirit that makes TheNeverPress go all fizzy inside, and so it was a no brainer to partner with them for this event.
The 19 Something speak...
19 Something was excited to be part of TheNeverPress launch of the Boxkart Rebel. 19 Something is a socially conscious group of Promotors, DJs, Musicians and Radio Presenters, who is forming a hub for our local culture community, to share everything around the collective love of music and culture. However, we have not had any involvement in the literary space. So, to be part of a real book launch was very exhilarating, especially to work alongside TheNeverPress. Also, having the opportunity to work with Rebel Stationery at the launch event was fantastic, as they also share a passion for social responsibility. Their ethos of giving something back matches ours. They support communities around the world and purchases of their beautiful stationary aids in the educational and working opportunities of women and children in these communities, with a percentage of their profits going into promoting fair living and working conditions. So, we were proud to be able to work alongside them at the event. - Matt Something, CVO, 19 Something
And that was that – come the witching hour, or slightly after for the more serious attendees, we piled out into the cobbled Clerkenwell streets, bellies full of good beer, ears ringing with the afterglow of amazing music, arms filled with merch and deliriously joy all over for what had occurred.
Over to Our Graham with some final remarks…
I wrote The Boxkart Rebel and put my heart in its recipe. And TheNeverPress is, in a few ways, my baby. But babies grow up and develop and just end up going their own way. And that is exactly what this event felt like. It was no longer a book I wrote, it was out in the wild. And TheNeverPress was no longer an idea, or a baby I nurtured. It had grown, and made friends. I wonder how long I can stretch this analogy? What happened on 21st August 2024 at the Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenewell felt like watching something you had once nurtured come home, a wild thing filled with adventure and tales of possibility – of what was out there, the collaborations, the collectives, the people who you can partner with and believe in each other. I am pretty giddy with how it all went down. The sudden ‘let’s do this’ wild decision-making, the preparation, the support and encouragement, the dedication and commitment from our partners and the absolute A-Game that everyone brought to the evening. What we’re all doing is a real thing. The Boxkart Rebel is released, but more than that, TheNeverPress and its friends are a real. Fucking. Thing. - Graham Thomas, founder of TheNeverPress, and author of The Boxkart Rebel
The views expressed here are those of TheNeverPress and the article contributors.x
...and The Boxkart Rebel drives...