Flower Power

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

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

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.

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

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

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, Frankin

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

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 all together.

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.

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.

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, narration and live music. The costumes and choreography are both stunning.

Suitable for ages 4+

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 Saintil.

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 ringing and your mind still buzzing like a fridge. But I guess, if you opted for 414 instead of sherry in front of the fire, that was what you intended all along. You nutter. 

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 sing along, this show continues the rich tradition of festive fun at the Little Angel. (Last year's Fantastic Mr Fox was one of the best things about Christmas.

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.

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

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 that man has ever seen.

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 drink coffee at the same time. Not literally at the same time obviously. You'd end up dropping all the prezzies and spilling coffee on yourself, but you know what we mean...

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 Conti and her evil monkey, not to mention sharp observational veteran Ian Stone and more.

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 Museum of London attempts to change all of this by exhibiting 24-hour diaries, videos, artwork and poetry produced by homeless people in London over the past eighteen months.

Thanks to homeless charity The Connection at St Martin's, you can learn the stories of people like Celeste Braithwaite, who is now starring in a production at the Almeida Theatre, or Samson Mel, a former Air Force pilot.

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.

Headliners M.O.T are energetic ska rock kids with a dab of nostalgia and plenty of volume. 

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.

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 about when a fire burnt down Richard Griffin's restaurant in Cape Town and he decided to start a pop-art concept restaurant called Madame Zingara.

You know you're onto a good thing when Ricky Gervais is pissing himself at your act. 

Brian Gittins is a hilarious character created by David Earl with a predisposition for silly masks and bad jokes.

Would you believe it, Futurism is 100 years old this year! Founded in 1909 by FT Marinetti, Futurism has arguably been one of the most influential artistic movements of the twentieth century.

To celebrate the anniversary the Estorick Collection is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the works of leading Italian Futurist Umberto Boccioni. On display is a selection of the artist's distinctive drawings and sculptures.

Hosted by Seasick Steve, tonight sees the results of the BBC's exhaustive study on US roots music come together on one stage for a series of gigs designed to highlight the extraordinary people, the timeless songs and the multifarious stories intertwine to make up a great and continuously relevant tradition.

mulletover do the right thing with a recession special tonight - it's only eight quid if you book now.

They've recruited one of the leading female figures in the techno world - Anja Schneider - Queen of the Mobilee Empire. Her debut album 'Beyond The Valley' was released last year to global acclaim and her radio show remains one of Germany's most respected.

Iris Bahr's incredible, shocking one-woman show plunges the audience right into the action, transporting them to a Tel Aviv cafe where a collection of characters (all played by Bahr) quarrel, reminisce, joke and comfort each other in the moments before a suicide bombing.