The stars were out in force in Hoxton last week (Thursday May 13) as Ctrl.Alt.Shift continued its ‘Dear Diary’ project with a night of laughs, gaffs and more than a few shocking confessions; as the celebs and public alike read from their hallowed journals exposing more than just a few childhood crushes.

The setting was perfect; Hoxton Hall conjures up memories of the vaudeville days of the theatre with its velvet red and black interior, and minimal lighting that takes one into a world of the unknown. The stage is lovingly decorated with nostalgic throwbacks to a time when Tiswas was on the telly, Culture Club were number one and Twitter was still something that just the birds did. Nostalgia never sounded so good as plucky individuals took turns to grace the stage and share their childhood musings with the eager audience - covering everything from snogging behind the bike sheds to drinking 20/20 outside the under 18’s discos.

Peter Kay-esque reminiscence this is not; the night was a no holds barred, wouldn’t-want-your-mother-to-hear, brutally honest retelling of the blissful carelessness of youth - the ‘good ol’ days’ as its often referred to. The crowd was in stitches and gasping almost all the available oxygen out of the room, as we recalled just what little bastards we were as teens.

But the showcase of vivid memories was about so much more than just knock-backs to our shady pasts: it was about the people who seemed worlds away when you were with ‘what’s his face’ at ‘whose her name’s’ party in ‘god knows when’. Dear Diary was and is about bringing unity between two worlds who share sometimes similar and sometimes vastly different problems; I personally went out to Kenya a few weeks ago to collect the thoughts of teens living in the slums of Nairobi, curious and eager to know what they would put in their teenage diaries.

As well as hearing what teens in this country had to say, Ctrl.Alt.Shift showcased some of the thoughts collected by myself and others from those in Kenya, as well as a fine exhibition of juxtaposed photos from the slums and some images from closer to home. Some of the accounts included 19 year old Nickline, who talked about his girlfriend and what they got up to together, whilst others painted a less innocent picture of life in Kenya; for example, 24 year old John talked about his struggles with drugs and alcohol and how they had ruined his life.

Hoxton Hall was a melting pot of emotions; however it’s fair to say that one and all left that night with a new found sense of hope through nostalgia, looking back at how much we’ve changed and simply grown up. And through comparison with the Kenyan diaries, I certainly feel a lot more connected with the people of Kenya; not because we share similar lifestyles, but more so that we have something so much more special in common – our humanity.     

Words: James Prosho

Photos: Matthew Gonzalez-Noda