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10th March 2010
A free weekly ezine featuring the best events in London

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Illustration by Julie Khan

Issues? Bless You

We rarely get political here at Spoonfed. But the recent and ongoing events around the G20 summit got us thinking, and we decided to act. We sent our two most intrepid editors – Lowri and Joe – to go and see what all the fuss was about. Joe contented himself with an overseer's role (drinking beer on a street corner) whilst Lowri – arm in a cast, mind – made it to the ‘front lines’.

After finally escaping, she brought reports of “Climate Campers having a Ceilidh, Trafalgar Square singing Happy Birthday to the wonderful Tony Benn and bankers in jeans smugly waving £10 notes at protesters from their office windows. ‘Canary Wharf’ was carried out on a stretcher whilst temporary turf provided a little patch of green amid the tents on Bishopsgate.” Today, Barack and Co. are thrashing it out in the corridors of power, while the rest of us sit in the office writing about cool stuff to do next week. That’s politics.

Upcoming

Luke Wright

22nd April 2009
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Jeffrey Lewis

23rd April 2009
More info >>

Alternative Miss World

2nd May 2009
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Havana Rakatan

5th May 2009
More info >>

Friday 3rd

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Aristocratic French fashionista Jean-Charles de Castelbajac turns his elongated and bejewelled fingers to the world of fine art with an exhibition of painting at Paradise Row this April. Rest assured however that JC has not been getting paint on any of his notoriously wacky clothes. Oh no: for this show he's commmissioned a group of Chinese read on

where:
Paradise Row
2 Wood Close
E2 6ET
who:
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
when:
12pm - 6pm
what:
Art, Gallery, Painting
cost:
Free
 

Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele

You may have heard of Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele already, but if you haven't, don't fret - you'll definitely be hearing a lot of him before the year is through. Possessing a unique vocal style that's somewhere between Prince and Serge Gainsbourg, he makes songs that veer between '50s hop, country and, at moments, Brazilian bossa nova. read on

where:
The Betsey Trotwood
56 Farringdon Road
EC1R 3BL
who:
Dent May
when:
7.30pm
what:
Indie
cost:
£7
 

Chemical Brothers

Chemical Brothers at Fabric. Yes and yes. Even if you're not absolutely fired up by this proposition - you'll still know who these legends are and probably be able to name a good few of their brilliant tracks. Their reach is incredible - they lead indie kids and ravers alike into the dark realms of techno and hold their heads deep under the read on

where:
Fabric
67-77a Charterhouse Street
EC1M 6HJ
who:
Chemical Brothers, Scratch Perverts
when:
10pm - 6am
what:
Breaks, Drum & Bass, Electro, Hip Hop
cost:
£17

Saturday 4th

We Are Klang

Live At The Chapel has been running on the first Saturday of the month since June 2007 when Simon Amstell, Russell Howard, Simon Munnery, and Steven K Amos put on a stonkingly good performance for its debut. This night is all about quality control, taking the best acts most comedy clubs have over the course of a year and putting them all read on

where:
Union Chapel
Compton Avenue
N1 2XD
who:
We Are Klang, Tim Key
+ more
when:
7pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£15
 

Cut&Paste

OK so this sounds like it's going to be pretty awesome. Cut&Paste is a digital design tournament that takes place in 16 cities across the world, and this April it plonks its bad self down for one night only at the Coronet in Elephant and Castle.A digital design tournament, you say. What on earth could that entail? Well you get a load of the read on

where:
The Coronet
28 New Kent Road
SE1 6TJ
who:

when:
7pm
what:
Design, Tournament
cost:
£10
 

Robin Ince - Bleeding Heart Liberal

Award-winning stand-up comedian Robin Ince talks about astronomy, evolutionary conundrums and how he ended up on a panel show arguing about Christmas with Vanessa Feltz and Konnie Huq. Ince has appeared on BBC2's Lab Rats, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Armando Ianucci's Charm Offensive but it is his live performances that are particularly special read on

where:
Bloomsbury Theatre
15 Gordon Street
WC1H 0AH
who:
Robin Ince
when:
8pm
what:
As Seen On TV, Stand Up
cost:
£14, £10 Concessions
 

Zombie Soundsystem

Incredible Berlin-based duo Booka Shade land at Matter to make the brain-eating zombies dance tonight.

Their line-ups are consistently glittering, and their focus is underground house and techno. If you like it tough and bloody, then tonight is a party that will not disappoint. read on

where:
Matter
Peninsula Square
SE10 0DY
who:
Luke Solomon, Booka Shade + more
when:
10pm - 7am
what:
Techno/Minimal, House, Electro
cost:
£15

Sunday 5th

NoFit State Circus

Award winning circus troupe, NoFit State, return to London with Tabú. Swirls, twirls, and hire-wire theatrics mix with live music in a performance which has been referred to as "stunning" and "the future of British circus" by no less than the Guardian and The Observer. Sounds pretty good to us. Oh, and if you're under 26, you read on

where:
The Roundhouse
110a Chalk Farm Road
NW1 8EH
when:
7pm
what:
Performance Art
cost:
From £13 to £20
 

Teenage Jesus and The Jerks

Seminal New York No Wavers, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, come to town one last time to play their final UK show evaaa at Corsica Studios. The band, including arch Poet Laureate of the No Wave generation Lydia Lunch, only existed for 3 years in their first, classic inception from 1976-79. Yet their influence has stretched far beyond their humble read on

where:
Corsica Studios
Farrell Court
SE17 1LB
who:
Teenage Jesus and The Jerks + more
when:
7.30pm
what:
Indie
cost:
£15

Monday 6th

Freeze!

FREEZE! are a comedy duo made up of Tom Basden (if.comedy 'Best Newcomer' 2008 ) and legendary comic poet Tim Key.  Both are also in top sketch group Cowards who have recently been appearing in the self-titled BBC4 series and have a smattering of awards and nomination between them.
read on

where:
The Invisible Dot
099 F Camden Stables
The Stables Market
NW1 8AH
who:
Tim Key, Tom Basden
when:
7.30pm
what:
Music, Poetry, Sketches
cost:
£6, £4 Concessions
 

Elvis Perkins

When your parents call you Elvis, you might feel a bit under pressure to actually be good at something. It probably doesn't help that your dad is the scary knife-wielding maniac in Pyscho either. Still, Elvis Perkins has wrestled with these pressures and has come up with a pretty tender and chirpy mix of jazz and folk that is definitely worth th... read on

where:
ICA
The Mall
SW1Y 5AH
who:
Elvis Perkins
when:
8pm
what:
Indie, Folk
cost:
£10

Tuesday 7th

Maggie's End

Summer 2010 and the heat is on the newly crowned Labour Prime Minister. Maggie Thatcher, the woman who destroyed the lives of many communities and gave us the assurance that 'there is no such thing as society', has kicked the bucket. And, in a sign of how far New Labour has lost its sense  of history, serious plans are afoot to give the late PM a s... read on

where:
Shaw Theatre
100-110 Euston Road
NW1 2AJ
when:
7.30pm
what:
Melodrama, Comedy
cost:
£18, £12 Concessions
 

Wildbirds and Peacedrums

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Wildbirds and Peacedrums (Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin) have forged an extraordinary form of spiritual pop, primal blues and ecstatic soul music. Clearly not tired from a recent stint at SXSW where they played more than 7 gigs in two days, they are back in the UK showcasing their new album 'The Snake' with a bit... read on

where:
The Luminaire
311 Kilburn High Road
NW6 7JR
who:
Wildbirds and Peacedrums
when:
7.30pm
what:
Indie
cost:
£8

Wednesday 8th

Monsters Inked

Ooh! A horde of monsters have taken over Idea Generation Gallery this April. There's twenty illustrations by Rob Steen from Ricky Gervais' Flanimals book alongside a host of other works by artists from the Central Illustration Agency. In addition, there's a big vinyl installation called Monsterism Island by Pete Fowler, best known for his work wi... read on

where:
Idea Generation Gallery
11 Chance Street
E2 7JB
when:
10am - 6pm
what:
Art, Gallery, Drawing, Installation
cost:
Free
 

Attack! Vipers!

There's been a new spirit of getting back to basics amongst hardcore kids recently. Thanks to the likes of The Shitty Limits, Your Demise and Cold Ones  resurrecting the spirit of the Adolescents, shows have been actually been getting fun again. One of the band who have been helping this happen is Attack! Vipers! Possibly one of the most har... read on

where:
The Miller
96 Snowsfields
SE1 3SS

who:
Attack! Vipers!, Silent Front
when:
8pm
what:
Punk
cost:
£4

Thursday 9th

Giddee Up!

Horsey horsey don't you stop,
Just let your feet go clippetty clop,
The tail goes swish and the wheels go round,
Giddy up, we're homeward bound.

What a cracking nursery rhyme that one was, huh? Well if you like horses (and although they can be pretty scary, they're kind of amazing too) then this is the exhibition for you.
read on

where:
The Arts Gallery
65 Davies Street
W1K 5DA
who:
Ben Long, Ilona Szalay
+ more
when:
10am - 6pm
what:
Art, Gallery, Painting, Sculpture, Video
cost:
Free
 

Simmer

Bespoke party-starters Simmer touch down at underground Dalston venue Visions Video Bar tonight to administer more of their customary audio pleasure. Simmer deal in house and techno and their one-off parties consistently push boundaries by showcasing fresh and unlikely artists to fly their flag. This time they've landed Athen's electronic enigma ... read on

where:
Visions Video Bar
588 Kingsland Road
E8 4Ah

who:
Geddes, Lemos
when:
10pm
what:
House, Techno/Minimal
cost:
£10, £8 Concessions

Friday 10th

Don John

Kneehigh Theatre present their visceral, seductive and fundamentally nasty take on the age old story of a dangerous, but lovable lothario. Produced in collaboration with the RSC and the Bristol Old Vic, this flashy show transposes the action to the mean streets and spangly discos of the Winter of Discontent: 1978. Expect lashings of sex, violence... read on

where:
Battersea Arts Centre
Old Town Hall
SW11 5TN
who:

when:
7.30pm
what:
Tragedy, Opera
cost:
From £18 to £28
 

The Week That Was

The sun's sort of out, the clocks have gone forward, you're leaving work while it's still light... That can only mean one thing - it's spring, or to us musos, festival time! Dalston's Barden's Boudoir is first off the blocks this year with 3 days of up-and-coming indie called Bird on a Wire (which is also the name of Mel Gibson's third best film). Ki... read on

where:
Barden's Boudoir
38-44 Stoke Newington Road
N16 7XJ

who:
The Week That Was, Gentle Friendly
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Indie
cost:
£8, £17 Weekend Tickets

Saturday 11th

Tuborg Musical Awards

From January to March there is a competition being held online at www.musicalcomedy.co.uk to find the best musical act out of the UK's established and emerging comedians. After surviving the public's online vote, a shortlist of the top twenty acts will be perused by a panel of judges, who will then choose their favourite five to see live at the Pleasa... read on

where:
Pleasance Theatre
41 Carpenter's Mews
N7 9DP
who:
Isy Suttie, Earl Okin
+ more
when:
8pm - 10.30
what:
Music
cost:
£10, £9 Concessions
 

Noel Fielding

Renowned as the best and longest running comedy night in Nottingham (with 11 years mirth under their belts) the Just The Tonic crew made the trip down the A1 last year and set up shop in the rather grotty nightclub venue of Tufnulls in North London. In the space of 10 weeks they had featured Daniel Kitson, Tim Vine, Jeff Green, Mark Watson, St... read on

where:
Leicester Square Theatre
Leicester Square
WC2H 7BP

who:
Noel Fielding, Ninia Benjamin
+ more
when:
10pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£13

Sunday 12th

Escape From New York Easter Rooftop Party

his is one hell of a proposition: a collection of London and NYC's most luminous disco pioneers gathered to lay it down for your dancing pleasure on a *sunny* rooftop garden in East London on Easter Sunday of 2009.

The star guest from NYC remains a secret for good reason. Seriously now folks - if this doesn't float your boat I don't know what will. read on

where:
Queen of Hoxton
1 Curtain Road
EC2A 3JX
who:
Neil Thornton, Danny Clark
when:
1pm - 9pm
what:
House, Disco
cost:
£7
 

David Byrne

One of modern music's most intoxicating relationships gets revisited tonight as David Byrne brings to life the songs that he and Brian Eno forged across 3 Talking Heads albums in the 1970s and then on the groundbreaking album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. The fact that after 30 years the two have reunited for a new record is surely enough to ... read on

where:
Royal Festival Hall
Belvedere Road
SE1 8XX

who:
David Byrne
when:
7.30pm
what:
Indie, Pop, Electronica
cost:
From £35 to £45
 

Circo Loco

Phenomenal and aptly named after party Circo Loco is indeed a circus of freaks. There's no getting round the fact that the people you meet on the dancefloor at 11am on a Sunday morning have had too much fun. Their brains don't work like normal people. What has set Circo Loco apart down the years is the quality of music they have chosen to play. ... read on

where:
Heaven
Under the Arches
WC2N 6NG
who:
Clive Henry, Dinky
+ more
when:
10pm - late
what:
House, Techno/Minimal, Electro
cost:
£20, £15 Advance Tickets