Can a night of DJs, grime artists, hip hop rappers, indie kids, and acoustic performances promote activism? Can a night of arts, crafts, films, and politics blend with dancing? Can you have a good time going from Bashy to Peter Kosminsky in the front room of a leading art institution? With United Underground, a night of music and activism at the Southbank Centre, Ctrl.Alt.Shift gave it their best shot.

The image on the flyer - a girl in a denim jacket and underwear, with a megaphone, holding cards that read "Make Some Noise" - wasn't standard club night material despite the simple slogan plus sexy girl. The artist behind (and appearing on) the flyer was Sarah Maple, the heir apparent to Tracy Emin according to some and a controversial figure since her art show depicting Muslim women with their breasts exposed and Muslim women hugging pigs.

Nor do many club nights host a street art competition around corruption, in the day, as a warm up to the evening agenda. During the early afternoon, the finished pieces were displayed on the roof of the Southbank Centre, as a speaker from Object, a feminist group that challenges gender stereotypes in the media, rallied support for her cause: "Did you know there are more lap dancing clubs than rape crisis centres in England?" Truth be told, I didn't even know there were such things as rape crisis centres (alas, they lack an instantly recognisable name, like 'Stringfellows'). While the sun shone, all was right with the Southbank Centre roof, but, as with most outdoor British events, weather stopped play.

A minor relocation later and we'd moved inside the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Nathan 'Flutebox' Lee amazed everyone by beat-boxing into a flute, a concept that loses it's magic when described on the page. Urban Nerds and Speakers Corner (featuring Palestine-lovin' Lowkey and Shortman) provided the lyrics to keep everyone dancing, while Reprive, a prisoner's rights organisation, filmed volunteers for their Zero:dB campaign. The campaign is asking for Obama to stop the use of music to torture prisoners; music that has already been used includes Snoop Dogg (the horror!), the Sesame Street theme tune (the horror!) and the Barney The Dinosaur theme tune (the horror! The horror!).

Thankfully the music in the Front Room was dinosaur and puppet free. Bashy explained how we have to go from Kidulthood to Adulthood (while Kid/Adulthood actor and writer Noel Clark himself lamented the state of modern politics in the lecture hall). Afrikan Boy (who appears on MIA's last album) explained why he can't go to Lidl, or Asda, or any other major supermarket (all in the name of comedy). Back in the lecture hall, Britz/Warrior/No Child Of Mine director Peter Kosminsky revealed a few details about his next film: "No one ever attacks Israel on television. So I'm making a film... that shows how a lot of the problems in the area come from England and a f**ked up decolonising process."

The event went on until 11pm, with Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Riz MC, Theoretical Girl, MPHO and Maverick Sabre providing solid sets. United Underground showed how activism can avoid the cliché of placards and marches, and it showed how a music event can lead people to think about more than just drink prices. It works. The question is - when is it going to happen again?

Photos: Mannray Powell