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4th September 2010
A free weekly ezine featuring the best events in London

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Cultural Quality Control: a free, weekly ezine featuring the best gigs, theatre,art, clubbing and comedy in London.

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Brian Gittins

9th January 2009
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Futurism 100!

14th January 2009
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Folk America

21st January 2009
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mulletover Recession Session

31st January 2009
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Friday 19th

Stereolab

Not to be confused with the Stereo MCs (honestly there's a guy in our office who is convinced these guys did 'Get Yourself Connected') Stereolab was one of the first bands where the term post-rock could be applied, thanks to them pioneering a sound that mixes krautrock with '50s and '60s pop, lounge music and Situationist Marxism. Although the p read on

where:
KOKO
1a Camden High Street
NW1 7JE
who:
Stereolab
when:
7pm
what:
Indie
cost:
£14
 

The Thief of Baghdad

Sometime in the near future: three children find themselves caught up in a war raging across London. They take shelter in a theatre, where the Stage Door Keeper befriends them and tells them a story that plunges the children back into the magical world of the Arabian Nights. From futuristic London, to modern Syria, to ancient Persia, this is a fa read on

where:
Linbury Studio Theatre
Bow Street
WC2E 9DE
when:
7pm
what:
Family, Dance
cost:
From £6 to £23

Saturday 20th

Big Fat Trouble

Big Fat! beats for fatties courtesy of Trouble Vision and Chew The Fat!

The remarkable Trevor Loveys (Switch) is headlining. His new Tragic Magic stuff is simply sublime. High octane, jackin' house and techno.

He's joined tonight by Herve and some other bloody good chaps to serve you a loaded plate of electronic delights. read on

where:
Corsica Studios
Farrell Court
SE17 1LB
who:
Trevor Loveys, Herve, Zomby
when:
£11
what:
Electro, House, Techno/Minimal, Breaks
cost:
£11
 

Rough Trade's Christmas Party

Man, we love Rough Trade. Not only is it the only place you can buy Dickies albums and super-strong coffee at the same time at their shop, they also make amazing how-the-hell-did-they-manage-to-convince-THEM-to-play-here parties happen. As it's Christmas, the guys have pulled out all the stops for this epic night of music down in Great Eastern S read on

where:
Old Blue Last
39 Great Eastern Street
EC2A 3ES
who:
Kasms, Underground Railroad + more
when:
8pm
what:
Indie, Rock, Electro
cost:
Free
 

Friends & Family

Ahh, Friends and Family - the excellent longstanding showcase who manage to be both underground and ahead of the curve. F & F is organised by Fat City Recordings - specialists in the music staples that are hip hop, funk, soul and jazz - a label which originated in Manchester as a record shop. The guests they attract are always stellar. Tonight read on

where:
Cargo
83 Rivington Street
EC2A 3AY
who:
Quantic, Frankie Francis + more
when:
8pm - 3am
what:
Reggae, Hip Hop, Dubstep, Indie
cost:
£8

Sunday 21st

Nine Lessons and Carols

Jimminy Crickets this looks good! For starters it's a show celebrating all things rational and scientific, debunking Winterval myths spouted by religious ninnies by way of comedy and song.  Rather than talking of the birth of Jesus, acclaimed science author Simon Singh will talk about the birth of the universe. Instead of talking about Gold, Fr... read on

where:
Hammersmith Apollo
Queen Caroline Street
W6 9QH
who:
Ricky Gervais, Robin Ince, Josie Long
when:
6.30pm
what:
Stand Up, Sketches, Music
cost:
Sold Out
 

Nothing Wrong With Covers

Remember Stars in Their Eyes, where some bricky would sing a song dressed as Sheena Easton? Well There's Nothing Wrong with Covers is basically the same thing - a bunch of awesome bands dressing up and playing the music of another bunch of awesome bands. Tonight sees Popular Workshop running through a set of Nirvana covers, Lets Wrestle presentin read on

where:
The Windmill
Blenheim Gardens
SW2 5BZ
who:
Lets Wrestle, Popular Workshop + more
when:
£5
what:
Punk, Indie
cost:
£5

Monday 22nd

Traditional Jewish Xmas Eve

The renowned Hampstead Comedy Club (just behind Primrose Hill) takes place every Saturday at the glorious Adelaide Pub.  Why glorious?  Sofas, huge beer garden and delicious food in short.Tonight is one of five special 'Jewish Xmas Eve' parties with four top Jewish stand-ups performing a Yuletide set and legendary host Ivor Dembina holding it... read on

where:
Adelaide
143 Adelaide Road
NW3 3NL
who:
Josh Howie, Sol Bernstein
+ more
when:
8.30pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£12
 

Merry Xmas Everybody

Slade headline this nostalgic Xmas bash at the Empire, which also features a T Rex tribute band, plus hundreds of dressed up and drunken revelers trying to drag each other under the mistletoe.

Slade are of course, synonymous with Christmas thanks to that song that makes shop assistants and other service sector workers pray for death each year. read on

where:
Shepherds Bush Empire
Shepherds Bush Green
W12 8TT

who:
Slade, T-Rextasy
+ more
when:
7.30pm
what:
Rock
cost:
£27

Tuesday 23rd

Nicky Blackmarket's Birthday

Wow, Nicky Blackmarket still rocking it out! It's the man's birthday today (i won't hazard a guess at which one) so obviously he's recruited all his DnB mates to come and bash out some classics.

He also happens to share the day with Fatman D - and he's recruited all his MC mates to make it rain. read on

where:
Herbal
12-14 Kingsland Road
E2 8DA
who:
Nicky Blackmarket, Fatman D, Ray Keith
+ more
when:
9pm - 2am
what:
Drum & Bass, RnB, Hip Hop
cost:
£4, Free before 10.30
 

Angelmoth

Angelmoth comes back to Sadler's Wells for Christmas, offering families an alternative to traditional ballet like the Nutcracker. This is a piece of modern dance telling the story of a librarian and the strange characters that haunt her book stacks. It's specifically designed for children and weaves an enchanting story together with dance, narra... read on

where:
Lilian Baylis Theatre
Roseberry Avenue
EC1R 4TA

when:
Times vary
what:
Family, Dance
cost:
£15
 

Plus Sixfive

Plus Sixfive - the genre-bending, roving boutique club that feeds on electronic love and roams the dark streets of London - settle at The Hoxton Pony for an extra special Christmas edition. Catering for those folk who are not quite ready to dig in in front of the tellie and eat till they can't move is Warme creator James Manero and Pony resident J Sa... read on

where:
The Hoxton Pony
104-108 Curtain Road
EC2A 3AH

who:
James Manero, J Saintil
+ more
when:
8pm - 3am
what:
House, Disco, Techno
cost:
£5, £3 Concessions

Wednesday 24th

Xmas Eve at 414

A bumper Christmas edition at 414, if you fancy celebrating the season of goodwill with some bouncy house and hard trance. You really have to admire the dedication of the DJs who are serving up the debauchery tonight, not to mention the promoter. The 6am finish time is well in to Christmas day, which means that you'll get home with your ears ringi... read on

where:
Club 414
414 Coldharbour Lane
SW9 8LF
who:
Phil Lankester, Skol, Andy McCall
+ more
when:
10pm - 6am
what:
Trance, House
cost:
£10
 

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Based on one of the lesser known Roald Dahl books, this singalong musical for kids aged three or more features a bizarre cast of animals brought to life with puppets and live action. The story is about a young boy enlisting a giraffe and a pelican to help his window-cleaning enterprise. With great costumes, clever puppetry and plenty of chances to... read on

where:
Little Angel Theatre
14 Dagmar Passage
N1 2DN
who:

when:
Times vary
what:
Family
cost:
£13, £10 Concessions
 

Christmas Sale

Still not sure where to go to get all your Christmas presents and stuff? Well you're cutting pretty fine my friend.

Lucky for you the Old Sweet Shop is open today and they're selling a whole load of art, craft and design on sale with prices starting from as little as £1. read on

where:
The Old Sweet Shop
11 Brookwood Road
SW18 5BL

when:
9.3am - 5.30pm
what:
Art, Craft
cost:
Free

Thursday 25th

Christmas Day!

Happy Christmas!

So you've had your fill of turkey or nut-roast or whatever it is you're having, you've opened your presents, and now you've got nothing to do. Well, why not entertain yourself with one of the following articles:

Spoonfed Singles of the Year
Comedian's Comedian 2008
London Arts Round-Up 2008
read on

where:

when:
After lunch
what:
Reading Matter
cost:
Free

Friday 26th

Apollo and Gemini Photographs

Ever wandered what it would be like to travel through space? Well, there's an exhibition of amazing photography at Atlas Gallery this month that might give you some idea. The images were originally taken on the Apollo and Gemini space missions but have since been electronically tinkered with by Michael Light to produce the sharpest images of space t... read on

where:
Atlas Gallery
49 Dorset Street
W1U 7NF
who:
Michael Light
when:
10am - 6pm
what:
Photography
cost:
Free
 

Ice Rink and Christmas Fair

You like the ice skating pal? You like it, do ya? Uh huh? Well, head to the Natural History Museum this winter and skate away to your heart's content. Ice is natural and has a history after all, so where better for an ice rink than the appropriately named Natural History Museum? Plus, there's a cafe and Christmas Fair so you can buy gifts and ... read on

where:
Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
SW7 5BD

who:

when:
10am - 10pm
what:
Family
cost:
From £8 to £13

Saturday 27th

Amused Moose Soho

Held in the multi-award winning club, Moonlighting, in Soho, Amused Moose nights never fail to deliver. With secret gigs by big name comedians prepping for tours and festivals to frequent appearances of if.comedy winners and T.V. comedians, the line-up is always quality-controlled. Tonight's post-Christmas line-up features ventriloquist Nina Cont... read on

where:
Moonlighting
17 Greek Street
W1D 4DR
who:
Ian Stone, Nina Conti
+ more
when:
8.30pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£10
 

Homeless in the Capital

There are many marginalised elements in contemporary society, the most obvious and yet, perversely, the most often ignored of which is the homeless: nobody even knows how many there are in London at any one time, and apart from The Big Issue they are barely given a voice at all, or at least not one that people listen to. A new exhibition at the Mu... read on

where:
Museum of London
London Wall
EC2Y 5HN
when:
10am - 5.50pm
what:
Museum, Art, Education
cost:
Free
 

MOT

What better antidote to the sugary excesses and cloying family togetherness of Christmas than heading down to one of the oldest, most revered and let's face it, shittiest of venues in Norf London for a night of punk? Forget festive cheer: tonight's about four bands for a fiver, getting splashed with beer and shouting in people's faces. Headliner... read on

where:
The Dublin Castle
94 Parkway
NW1 7AN
who:
MOT, King With No Throne
when:
7pm
what:
Punk
cost:
£5

Sunday 28th

The Puppini Sisters

The Puppini Sisters are a musical trio specialising in 1940s-style close harmony vocal music. Not only that, but they're totally hot!

Join them for a musical extravaganza at The Queen Elizabeth Hall tonight. Perfect fare for a Christmas evening - accessorize with a walk on the South Bank beforehand and some mulled wine to follow.
read on

where:
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Belvedere Road
Southbank

who:
The Puppini Sisters
when:
7.30pm
what:
Pop, Jazz
cost:
£20
 

Madame Zingara

Holy smokes Batman, this sounds amazing! South African acrobats, Mongolian contortionists, people on the trapeze, a didgeridoo, a four-course fusion meal and booze, all in surroundings reminiscent of '20s Parisian splendour. 'Where could it be?' you ask,'where could it be?'. Why, it's Battersea Power Station, oddly enough. The whole concept came a... read on

where:
Battersea Power Station
Kirtling Street
SW8 5BP
who:

when:
7pm
what:
Burlesque, Cabaret
cost:
From £75 to £115
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