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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

By George

Yes, today is Saint George’s Day. So it seems like an apt moment to have a think about some of the many things that make England ‘top nation’: well, we’ve got funny jokes, a brilliant language, tea, gin, cricket, chips and, of course, the best capital city in the world.

Why is it then, with all of this, that we English are so embarrassed about being patriotic? Firstly, our most publicly prominent patriots are all five-bellied, furniture tossing hooligans. And secondly, we’re just embarrassed about everything. It’s part of being English. Sorry. We’re even embarrassed about sending you this lovely newsletter, even though, as usual, it’s better than a tall jug of fruit-packed Pimm’s. Well, almost.

Upcoming

Joe Madeira

8th May 2009
More info >>

Paradise Comedy Club

13th May 2009
More info >>

Balance

29th May 2009
More info >>

Outdoor Oscar

3rd July 2009
More info >>

Friday 24th

The Photographic Object

The Photographers' Gallery presents an exhibition that seeks to explore the notion of a photograph as object, rather than merely an image of an object. A photograph may be a two-dimensional image, but like a painting (or indeed a sculpture) a photograph is also a three-dimensional object. With works by a host of experimental artists including Andy read on

where:
Photographers' Gallery
16-18 Ramillies Street
W1F 7LW
who:
Wolfgang Tillmans, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol
+ more
when:
11am - 6pm
what:
Photography
cost:
Free
 

Camden Crawl

The Camden Crawl returns to take over NW1 for two days of live music, film screenings, quizzes, comedy and debauchery. No wonder it is fast becoming a highlight of the urban festival season. Now sensibly held on a Friday and Saturday over 25 official venues, the emphasis is firmly on groundbreaking live music, with many of rock, indie and read on

where:
Across Camden
who:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Fall
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Indie, Rock, Electro
cost:
£6, £5 Concessions
 

Soundspecies

Soundspecies (an electronic melting pot of ideas formed by brothers Henry and Olly Keen) play live tonight to celebrate the launch of their self-titled album on Burnt Progress records.

Deck support in the shape of Nwachukwu, Gavin Alexander (Burnt Progress) Mr Beatnick and Alex Nut. read on

where:
Plastic People
147-149 Curtain Road
EC2A 3QE
who:
Mr Beatnik, Alexander Nut, Soundspecies
+ more
when:
10pm - 3am
what:
Hip Hop, Electronica, Dubstep
cost:
£8, £4 before 11pm
 

Southern Hospitality

Southern Hospitality throw an extra special, extended party at The Social tonight. All the way from Brooklyn NYC, The Rub's DJ Eleven is in the house flying the East Coast flag. The Rub are a hip hop collective. They throw mind-blowing parties, have their own radio show and are widely regarded for their encyclopedic knowledge and ability to make read on

where:
The Social West End
5 Little Portland Street
W1W 7JD
who:
Superix, Rob Breezy, DJ Eleven
+ more
when:
6pm - 3am
what:
Hip Hop, Breaks, Electro
cost:
Free

Saturday 25th

Andrew O'Neill's History of British Industry

Cult circuit favourite Andrew O'Neill brings his 2008 show, a fake historical comedy about British industry, to the Cockpit Theatre for three days as part of a national tour.

Expect fast-paced jokes, impressive word play, silliness and vitriol all rolled into one from this wonderfully offbeat comedian. read on

where:
Cockpit Theatre
Gateforth Street
NW8 8EH
who:
Andrew O'Neill
when:
8.30pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£10, £8 Concessions
 

Retro Remix

Shake Shake have relaunched as Retro Remix. The mash up style party starters who remix and re-edit the very best in guilty pleasures, retro classics and party anthems return tonight to the best venue in London for another edition of swanning round like a '50s pin up in bowling shoes. Tonight they've got the Congo Faith Healers plus their rocking read on

where:
Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes
46-55 Tavistock Square
WC1H 9EU
who:
Congo Faith Healers, Shake Shake DJs
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Ska, Funk/Soul, Pop, Breaks, Indie
cost:
£7, £5 Concessions
 

Scand

Scand was a London based electro night which shut up shop three years ago.

Well they're back - this time in newly cool venue Lightbox with NYC techno pioneer Damon Wild topping the bill.

Sync 24 and Truss head up proceedings at Scand, with electro legend Carl A Finlow performing live under his Silicon Scally moniker. read on

where:
Lightbox
6a South Lambeth Place
SW8 1SP
who:
Damon Wild, Sync 24, Truss
+ more
when:
11pm - 7am
what:
Electro, Techno/Minimal
cost:
£13

Sunday 26th

Romeo and Juliet

Dominic Dromgoole directs an all-new, but entirely faithful rendering of the classic love story, with Ellie Kendrick and Adetomiwa Edun as the lovers from different warring factions. Performed in period costume, with Shakespeare's florid, moving poetry preserved, but still as vital and relevant as when it was first performed, this will be one read on

where:
Globe Theatre
New Globe Walk
SE1 9DR
when:
7.30pm
what:
Classic, Tragedy, Romance
cost:
From £5 to £33
 

Rat Attack

A hardcore band from Exeter, Rat Attack have managed to make music that sounds like Born Against, Strike Anywhere and Youth of Today all at the same time. Headlining a fairly ramshackle night at the Monto Water Rats (it must be said), this is the perfect show to take anyone who's ambivalent to hardcore as it will probably be full of people getting read on

where:
Monto Water Rats
328 Gray's Inn Road
WC1X 8BZ
who:
Rat Attack, Smokey Bastard
+ more
when:
6pm
what:
Punk
cost:
£6

Monday 27th

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

We've discovered a peculiar thing about Casiotone For the Painfully Alone - his music can cure hang-overs. Seriously. Whenever one of us was feeling a bit under the weather we'll throw on his tales about being a sad loser still pining over some girl who left him in 1995 and somehow feel much better. A curious mix of playful electronica and austere chara... read on

where:
The Luminaire
311 Kilburn High Road
NW6 7JR
who:
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Electronica, Indie
cost:
£8.50
 

Porthole Comedy Club - Tom Basden

Monday is comedy night at the hugely popular Kilburn pub - The Good Ship. Every week, it recruits the best in stand-up to give you a top night of comedy to kick the week off. Tonight, if.comedy 'Best Newcomer' and purveyor of some of the silliest songs in town, Tom Basden headlines; supported by some up and coming stand-ups that have been gett... read on

where:
The Good Ship
289 Kilburn High Road
NW6 7JR
who:
Tom Basden, James Everett
+ more
when:
8.30pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£3

Tuesday 28th

Time and the Conways

A fascinating theatrical conceit from the pen of J.B. Priestley is realised for the first time in decades at the National. Priestley was completely obsessed with the passage of time (who above the age of 25 isn't?) and he uses this play to take a 21st birthday party as the starting point and move forward through the decades picking out highlights... read on

where:
National Theatre
South Bank
SE1 8XZ
who:

when:
7.30pm
what:
Melodrama
cost:
From £10 to £41
 

Edie Sedgwick

Edie Sedgwick is the transgendered reincarnation of a vacuous Andy Warhol Superstar who died of a barbiturate overdose in 1971. A visionary artist who lay dormant in her host organism until his first epileptic seizure in 2001, Edie appeared at the dawn of the New Millenium to save the world by singing, writing, and producing video about celebr... read on

where:
The Windmill
Blenheim Gardens
SW2 5BZ
who:
Edie Sedgwick
when:
8pm
what:
Punk
cost:
£6

Wednesday 29th

Wuthering Heights

Acclaimed Bollywood theatre producers Tamasha transpose Emily Brontë's romantic tragedy from the Yorkshire Moors to the scorched deserts of Rajasthan: an equally unforgiving landscape, and similarly ridden with class inequality and petty local hatred.This production promises vibrant colour and brilliant music, and the company have treated grim sub... read on

where:
Lyric Hammersmith
King Street
W6 0QL
when:
Times vary
what:
Romance, Tragedy
cost:
From £10 to £27
 

Elephunny

Tonight at Elephunny, catch two hour-long Edinburgh previews in a row courtesy of cross-dressing stand-up Andrew O'Neill and musical genius James Sherwood. Sherwood is renowned for his hilarious spoof songs which have covered Paul Simon and Guns 'n' Roses in the past and O'Neill is one of the most inventive, offbeat comedians on the circuit. It s... read on

where:
Blue Elephant Theatre
59a Bethwin Road
SE5 0XT
who:
Andrew O'Neill, James Sherwood
when:
8pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
From £5 to £8
 

The Hothouse Revue

You should be very excited about The Hothouse Revue. The most decadent, elegant and opulent ballroom mess-around to hit London for 80 years tonight takes you back to the root of free expression and youth liberation with a bona fide black tie 1930s party. Authenticity and detail is key - they recreate the original cool of the era - it is absolutel... read on

where:
Number 5 Cavendish Square
5 Cavendish Square
W1G 0PG
who:
El Nino, The Puppini Sisters
+ more
when:
8.30pm
what:
Jazz, Funk, Soul, Blues, Swing
cost:
£20

Thursday 30th

Sally Spinks

Knitted cigarette buts, huh? Whatever next! Yes, that's right, a contemporary artist has painstakingly knitted a whole pile of little cigarettes and put them in a gallery for a month. Somehow they manage to be both cute and a bit horrible at the same time. Very strange. This is part of an exhibition of work by Sally Spinks at the ever-innovative Tender... read on

where:
Tenderpixel Gallery
10 Cecil Court
WC2N 4HE
who:
Sally Spinks
when:
10.30am - 7pm
what:
Art, Installation, Craft
cost:
Free
 

Mi Ami

Mi Ami is a San Francisco-based drum punk trio, featuring two key members of Dischord's hyper-percussive Black Eyes - Daniel Martin-McCormick on vocals and guitar and Jacob Long on bass - as well as Damon Palermo on drums. Mi Ami builds on the promise of Black Eyes' renowned live performances, but steers it into a more focused, volatile and per... read on

where:
The Macbeth
70 Hoxton Street
N1 6LP
who:
Mi Ami
when:
7pm
what:
Punk
cost:
£6
 

LondonisFunny.com Comedy Night

To mark the launch of their new website, Londonisfunny.com is holding a one-off comedy night at the Dogstar with a really excellent line-up in store. Our new favourite comic and runner-up in the 2009 Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Awards, David James will be telling the kind of long-winded stories you wish your grandparents told. Joining him ... read on

where:
Dogstar
389 Coldharbour Lane
SW9 8LQ
who:
Tim Key, John Gordillo
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£7, £5 Concessions

Friday 1st

Everything has a name, or the potential to be named

The title for this exhibition comes from the voiceover to a film by contemporary artist Matthew Buckingham. The full quotation is: 'Everything has a name, or the potential to be named, but who does the naming when the unknown is falsely assumed not to exist?' It's a pretty important and interesting question - one looked at to a greater or lesser e... read on

where:
Gasworks Gallery
155 Vauxhall Street
SE11 5RH
who:
Matthew Buckingham + more
when:
12pm - 6pm
what:
Art, Installation, Video
cost:
Free
 

The Hidden Land

All sorts of weird and wonderful art forms come together this May and June at Nettie Horn in an exploration of the theories around the idea of multiple worlds. David Lewis' Modal Realism theory is one of the more interesting, but some of the ideas can be found as far back as Leibniz and even Lucretius. The actual likelihood of these theories i... read on

where:
Nettie Horn
25b Vyner Street
E2 DG
who:
Daniel Firman, Lori Hersberger
+ more
when:
12pm - 6pm
what:
Installation, Photography, Painting
cost:
Free
 

Forever Heavenly

For the first time in 10 years, the cats behind the absolutely legendary Heavenly Social parties at Turnmills return to London clubland. This time, they bring with them a band of merry makers fit for the kings and queens that you are. Trevor Jackson (aka Playgroup) dishes his high class mix of everything from hip hop to house via funk, dub and ele... read on

where:
Corsica Studios
Farrell Court
SE17 1LB
who:
Trevor Jackson, Andy Blake, Bullion
+ more
when:
9pm - 6am
what:
Disco, House, Hip Hop, Funk/Soul
cost:
£12, £10 Concessions
 

Z Shed

Z Shed keeps on touching you in all the right places with its bass-face beat policy - tonight headed up by ghetto bassline monster Baobinga. This guy is serious. This is an excellent, high octane, underground party at which you'll hear some swerving, off-centre beats slung at you by hardened pros through a 20K rig. Better be ready. They've shipp... read on

where:
Hub Club
2 Goulston Street
E1 7TP
who:
Baobinga, Pirate Soundsystem
+ more
when:
10.30pm - 5am
what:
Dubstep, Electro, Techno/Minimal
cost:
£7, £5 before Midnight

Saturday 2nd

Pierre Hebbelinck

The Architectural Association presents an exhibition that seeks to explore the ways in which architecture is exhibited. A mere exercise in the meta-tastic, or something more meaningful? Well, given that this show is the result of a collaboration between curator Cedric Libert and Belgian architect Pierre Hebbelinck, we're placing our bets on the l... read on

where:
Architectural Association
36 Bedford Square
WC1B 3ES
who:
Pierre Hebbelinck
when:
10am - 3pm
what:
Architecture
cost:
Free
 

Alternative Miss World

World-famous camp extravaganza the Alternative Miss World skips its dainty way to Camden's Roundhouse for a big old night of fun and frolics on Saturday May 2nd. This is the 12th outing since 1972 for the event that brought Leigh Bowery to London and has enchanted such folks as Brian Eno, Zandra Rhodes and David Hockney. Andre Logan and Ruby Wax pr... read on

where:
The Roundhouse
110a Chalk Farm Road
NW1 8EH
who:
Bishi, The Irrepressibles
+ more
when:
7pm
what:
Burlesque, Performance Art
cost:
£28
 

Eastern Electrics

Eastern Electrics secured their position as blinking great with their sell out new year party. This bank holiday mash up looks set to be equally blinding and early bird tickets are ONLY £8. That represents stunning value right there. The line up is simply superb. Justin Martin is a legendary producer and DJ (Dirtybird) and headlines the Man Make M... read on

where:
Secret Location
who:
Justin Martin, Zomby
+ more
when:
10pm - 7am
what:
Dubstep, House, Techno
cost:
£8

Sunday 3rd

Communion

A super-exciting edition of Communion today.

Firstly there's sets from the excellent Dark Captain Light Captain and Jeremy Warmsley, and, if that's not enough, there's a stint from Sunny Day Sets Fire who not only name-check two of the most amazing emo bands ever, but also make incredible avant-rock.

Now that's what we call a Sunday afternoon. read on

where:
Notting Hill Arts Club
21 Notting Hill Gate
W11 3JQ
who:
Sunny Day Sets Fire, Jeremy Warmsley
+ more
when:
4pm - 1am
what:
Indie
cost:
£5
 

Waiting for Godot

Captain Picard and Gandalf in a British classic at a huge, comfortable West End theatre? It sounds like a marketing man's wet dream. In fact, however, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, as well as being national treasures, are both thoroughly subversive. What this national tour of Godot actually represents, is an impish assault on the TV watching publ... read on

where:
Theatre Royal Haymarket
Haymarket
SW1Y 4HT
who:
Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen
when:
Times vary
what:
Classic
cost:
From £10 to £53
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