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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. para para papara rarara

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Upcoming

We Are Live

27th March 2009
More info >>

An Evening with Mathew Horne

29th March 2009
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McFly

1st May 2009
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Sister Act

7th May 2009
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Friday 6th

Five Female Stuckists

The Stuckists take over the Islington Arts Factory this March with an exhibition of work by five female members of their group. Stuckist art is characterised by figurative paintings produced in a kind of faux-naive style, so expect more of the same to be on display here. Ella Guru focuses on the sordid elements of popular culture - fetish clubs, tra... read on

where:
Islington Arts Factory
2 Parkhurst Rd
N7 0SF
who:
Ella Guru, Elsa Dax + more
when:
10am - 6.45pm
what:
Art, Gallery, Painting
cost:
Free
 

Suzy & Los Quattro

Ha ha, this is probably the most apt name for a band ever.

Like their namesake, cute-as-a-button Spanish kids Suzy & los Quattro make good-time garage rock about riding about on motorbikes and kissing boys and stuff. read on

where:
The Boston Arms
178 Junction Road
N19 5QQ
who:
Suzy & los Quattro, My Drug Hell + more
when:
8.30pm
what:
Punk, Pop
cost:
£6
 

We Fear Silence

Two ex-programmers from late and sorely missed nightclub The End save the day by taking over Friday nights at top notch newly cool venue The Arches.

Electrifying line-ups will make your mouth water - including James Holden's Border Community, Ben Watt's Buzzin' Fly, Warp Records, Chew The Fat! and Eat Your Own Ears. read on

where:
Arches
53 Southwark Street
SE1 1TE
who:
Ben Watt, Chris Woodward + more
when:
10pm - 6am
what:
House, Electro, Techno/Minimal
cost:
£15, £12 Concessions

Saturday 7th

Fiona's Shoe

An evening of '60s counter-cultural shenanigans at the South London Gallery this Saturday. In association with Flat Time House, they're hosting a restaging of John Latham's 1965 performance piece Juliet and Romeo, that involves a male and a female character in costumes made out of hardback and paperback books. In addition, writer and artist Stewar read on

where:
South London Gallery
65 Peckham Road
SE5 8UH
who:
Stewart Home + more
when:
7.30pm
what:
Gallery, Video, Performance Art
cost:
£5
 

This is Music

It seems slightly unbelievable but it's been almost two years since we put This Is Music's first London show up on these pages, and here they are with their biggest show ever. Although we can't tell you who the headliner is yet ( but believe us they are massive), we can tell you that this show has two of the best bands in the UK playing for your ... read on

where:
Corsica Studios
Farrell Court
SE17 1LB
who:
Male Bonding, Lovvers + more
when:
7pm - 3am
what:
Punk, Rock
cost:
£5, £4 Concessions
 

Scenario

Scenario is the new hip hop party at Cargo. The policy is to combine new talent with prolific, established artists. If you still need convincing then recognize that it's by the crew that bought you Soundcrash, Loose Change and Red Alert. Tonight it's the remarkable Peanut Butter Wolf (founder of Stones Throw Records) performing one of his massiv... read on

where:
Cargo
83 Rivington Street
EC2A 3AY
who:
James Pants, Peanut Butter Wolf + more
when:
8pm - 3am
what:
Hip Hop, Funk/Soul
cost:
£12
 

Positronic

James Zabiela - one of the most highly regarded DJs in the world - lands at Matter for another Positronic party, this time with Christian Smith and Joey Beltram, with Spektre and Mooj heading up room two.

If you like your house techy and clever, then this is the night for you. read on

where:
Matter
Peninsula Square
SE10 0DY
who:
James Zabiela, John Selway + more
when:
10pm - 7am
what:
House
cost:
£16

Sunday 8th

Fabrik

Infused with elements of Nordic and Yiddish folklore, this piece of puppet theatre 'for grown ups' is a historical tale about a shrewd Jewish factory owner making a fortune and dedicating his life to fighting anti-Semitism. By the time the Nazis invaded Norway, they had already marked him down as the 'leader of Jewish resistance' in that count read on

where:
Little Angel Theatre
14 Dagmar Passage
N1 2DN
when:
8pm
what:
Performance Art
cost:
£13, £10 Concessions
 

Vavamuffin

Poland does a lot of things well - sausages, beer, revolutions - the list goes on and on. One thing they have been keeping secret, however, is that our Polish neighbours are building the new home of European reggae. It would seem that whilst the rest of the Warsaw Pact was busy listening to Russian Opera, the Poles were manning their tanks and ... read on

where:
Cargo
83 Rivington Street
EC2A 3AY
who:
Vavamuffin
when:
7pm
what:
Reggae
cost:
£15

Monday 9th

London Word Festival

As part of the London Word Festival, funnyman Phill Jupitus and East End scribbler Tim Wells are putting on a comfy 'evening in' on the sofa as they open up their Aladdin's Cave of vinyl rarities and escort the audience on a trip down memory lane. While it may sound a tad self-indulgent and more about music than comedy, we reckon it will be a ... read on

where:
Bethnal Green Working Men's Club
42 Pollard Road
E2 6NB
who:
Phil Jupitus, Tim Wells
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Music
cost:
£8
 

Little Death

Little Death have been going for a while now and we're still at a bit of a loss as to why they aren't the biggest band in the city now.

Not only do they look like fashion models, their name is the literal translation of the word orgasm from French. read on

where:
Madame Jojo's
8-10 Brewer Street
W1F 0SP
who:
Little Death, Phantom
when:
9pm
what:
Indie
cost:
£5

Tuesday 10th

The Comedy Bar

Located on Penton Street, the breeding ground of good comedy nights, this club is held in the Chapel Bar, so called because of the pulpit on the right hand side of the stage. The Comedy Bar also manage some of the leading comedians on the circuit which means they are never short of good line-ups. Opening night saw Stephen Merchant, Pete Firman, ... read on

where:
The Chapel Bar
29a Penton Street
N1 9PX
who:
Pete Firman, Trevor Lock
+ more
when:
8.30pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£7
 

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Jason Donovan returns to the West End stage in a gloriously camp production of a very unusual Australian adventure. With more than 500 costumes and 39 musical set pieces, this lavish version of the hit 1994 film The  Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is the most ambitious ever to come out of Australia. Hopefully it can match the commerci... read on

where:
Palace Theatre
Shaftesbury Avenue
W1A 4AF
when:
7.30pm
what:
Comedy, Musicals
cost:
From £23 to £63

Wednesday 11th

TFL New Act Night

To raise money for Comic Relief, the Porthole Club is holding a special new act competition with a difference. All acts are brand new to stand-up and all – wait for it… work for TFL. If that's not enough to raise a chuckle we don't know what is.
read on

where:
The Good Ship
289 Kilburn High Road
NW6 7JR
when:
8pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£5
 

Deep Cut

Readers of Private Eye and close followers of the national press will be well aware of the Deep Cut Barracks story. Between 1995 and 2002 four cadets at this training barracks have killed themselves - every one of them in suspicious circumstances. So far all official inquiries have been whitewashes, with no sense of closure or justice for the fam... read on

where:
Tricycle Theatre
269 Kilburn High Road
NW6 7JR

when:
7.45pm
what:
Tragedy, Thriller
cost:
£8

Thursday 12th

Affordable Art Fair

The Spring edition of the Affordable Art Fair hits Battersea Park this week with the usual range of art across all media on sale for between £50 and £3,000. There's a good combination of established names and emerging talent. As ever, this is a great place for collectors (from entry-level to experienced) and for any fan of art whatever your i... read on

where:
Battersea Park
Battersea Park Road
SW11 4NJ
when:
11am - 5.30pm
what:
Art
cost:
From £8 to £12
 

The Magic Flute

English Touriong Opera return with their sumptuous translated version of Mozart's iconic opera.

This show has been designed by physical theatre specialist Liam Steel and provides a visual as well as a musical spectacular. The main attraction, though, remains the soaring arias of the Queen of the Night. read on

where:
Hackney Empire
291 Mare Street
E8 1EJ
when:
7.30pm
what:
Opera
cost:
From £14 to £29
 

Lay Low

Known as Iceand's bluesiest chanteuse Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir - a.k.a. Lay Low has already wooed her native land with her disarming folk pop that sounds like a cross between 'Modern Life is Rubbish' Blur and Dusty Springfield. Luckily for us, the powers that be have decided she is now ready to take on the people of England starting with... read on

where:
Slaughtered Lamb
34-35 Great Sutton Street
EC1V 0DX
who:
Lay Low
when:
8pm
what:
Folk, Indie
cost:
£5

Friday 13th

Birdwatching

Alex Horne's dad is a birdwatcher. Alex isn't. But for one year he travelled round Britain, Bahrain, Birdworld and Bill Oddie in a bid to discover what makes his old man twitch.

A true and funny tale of ornithology from the Perrier Award-nominee. read on

where:
Soho Theatre
21 Dean Street
W1D 3NE
who:
Alex Horne
when:
8pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
From £10 to £12
 

36 Crazyfists

A mature heavy metal band originally hailing from Alaska, 36 Crazyfists have a reputation or being one of the hardest working in the USA, thanks to incessant touring and three very creditable albums. Expect a capacity turnout at this one: a) because these guys are really good and have a big internet following and b) because their music hits like a ne... read on

where:
Electric Ballroom
184 Camden High Street
NW1 8QP

who:
36 Crazyfists, Poison The Wall
when:
6.30pm
what:
Metal
cost:
£15
 

La Vita's 2nd Birthday

La Vita organise events in aid of breast cancer research. They've been running for 2 years and tonight is their second birthday. It's a house based policy tonight, with residents from a number of esteemed house promotions including Hed Kandi, MN2S, Connected, Sick On The Dancefloor and Defected. The dress code is pink and blue sunglasses. Tonight t... read on

where:
Lightbox
6a South Lambeth Place
SW8 1SP
who:
Jesse James, Miss Divine
when:
10pm - 5am
what:
House
cost:
£15, £10 Concessions

Saturday 14th

Soundcrash

Soundcrash returns with another real treat, bringing you an exclusive live performance from Red Snapper who will be showcasing their new album 'Pale Blue Dot'.

If that wasn't enough, Bonobo will get behind the decks at midnight.

Red Snapper is sold out, but tickets for Bonobo are still available. read on

where:
Cargo
83 Rivington Street
EC2A 3AY
who:
Bonobo, Red Snapper
+ more
when:
8pm - 3am
what:
Electronica
cost:
£10
 

Eric Chenaux

A musical chameleon of some repute, Canadian singer songwriter Eric Chenaux has an uncanny ability to write songs that wind up in all sorts of unusual places, from tender jazz standards to bossa to fried folk to meaninglessly romantic balladry. Armed with a raft of new material from his release on Canada's legendary Constellation label, Eric C... read on

where:
Cafe OTO
18-22 Ashwin Street
E8 3DL
who:
Eric Chenaux, The Dead Rat Orchestra
when:
8pm
what:
Indie, Pop
cost:
£5
 

Lostbahnhof in Translation

Groundbreaking night of electronic music, featuring silent concerts from experimental electronic types Oscillatorial Binnage, Clause Four and Mr Beatnick. Audiences of 20 at a time receive a live stream of the music via wireless, in what will be a world premiere for the system. As well as the serious experimental stuff, there will also be plent... read on

where:
Life
2-4 Old Street
EC1V 9AA
who:
Nadia Ksaiba, Mr Beatnik
+ more
when:
9pm - 2am
what:
Techno/Minimal
cost:
£4
 

Last One In Is A Rotten Egg

Last One In's A Rotten Egg is a muscular tour de force that delivers a heavy slice of electro-soused debauchery - housed each month in 333 London. It's absolutely the place to go if you like your beats chunky, mashed-up and in-your-face: an ideal prescription for a nutritious nu-rave knees up. The brains behind the night are the fantastic Jac the ... read on

where:
333
333 Old Street
EC1V 9LE
who:
Jac the Disco, Capture the Castle
+ more
when:
10pm - 4am
what:
Electro, Disco, House
cost:
£10, £5 before 11pm

Sunday 15th

Madame de Sade

Dame Judi Dench plays the lead in this ravishing version of Mishima's play about the Marquis De Sade, told through the eyes of six remarkable women. The play, translated from the Japanese by Donald Keene, is a romantic epic and a portrait of France riven by corruption and teetering on the brink of the Revolution, where the crimes of monarchy and offici... read on

where:
Wyndhams Theatre
Charing Cross Road
WC2H 0DA
when:
3pm
what:
Melodrama, Tragedy
cost:
From £10 to £35
 

Speedmarket Avenue

By now you may be thinking to yourself 'why do these Spoonfed guys keep banging on about bands from Scandinavia?' Well, the answer to that is simply because everything coming out of there is bloody amazing at the moment. Take Speedmarket Avenue for example: yet another bunch of Swedes who are making amazing music look easy. On one hand they make b... read on

where:
Wilmington Arms
69 Rosebery Avenue
EC1R 4RL
who:
Speedmarket Avenue
when:
7pm
what:
Indie, Pop
cost:
£5
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