6th February 2012

gigs clubbing art comedy theatre blog competitions

Illustration by Julie Khan

In Bloom

Gardening is one of the great barometers of civilisation. It was in the garden, not the field nor the forest, that Adam and Eve first entered the world. When his wife was sick, Nebuchadnezzar commissioned not some massive statue, house or portrait, but The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Marvell found solace from The Civil War in The Garden; Capability Brown shaped the attitudes of a nation with his gardens; and this May, the Chelsea Flower Show proves once again that nothing unites provincial yokels with well-heeled aristos better than a prize chrysanthemum.

If flowers aren’t really your thing though, then fret ye not! There’s loads of other cool stuff next week: like art in a shopping centre, an Ethel Merman impersonator, the Stag and Dagger Festival, and a new club night guaranteed to cause a stirring in the pants of even the coolest cats. Amazing!

Friday 15th

Richard Eyre returns to the National to direct this hard-hitting political potboiler by Matt Charman. The topic couldn't possibly be more of-the-moment as the play follows a UN observer overseeing and preparing to discredit an African election. To her mind, the whole process has been irrevocably corrupted but many of the liberal, idealist people

If you've ever taken a meander over to the New Releases section of our website, you'll probably know that we're quite hard to please when it comes to reviewing dance-punk bands, and we're usually even harsher when it comes to ones from New York. Would you blame us? After The Rapture, it's all been a bit crap, right? Or at least that's what we

Innovative breakthrough bedroom DJ James Holden leads a charge through uncharted musical territory with his Border Community label. Celebrating Nathan Fake's new album 'Hard Islands', Border Community and Allez-Allez take over Corsica Studios tonight for a night of cutting edge party mayhem. Lord of the Hard Islands Nathan Fake takes on headline

Saturday 16th

Ooh this sounds fun! An afternoon of fun and games carried out around central London - there's superheroes, secret agents and strange clues all to be encountered by teams taking part in a series of missions.

Founded in San Francisco in 2001, The Go Game utilises snazzy mobile-phone technology to help you interact with your pals and our fair capital as never before.

Just get a team and turn up at Cosmo Bar at 12.30, pay your £4 and you're ready to rumble. Plus, there's a party at the end - brilliant!

Rambert Dance and their incredibly versatile musical partners Orchestra London Musici combine to stage a double bill of new works.

Christopher Bruce's new piece is set to music by Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma while Itzik Galili's A Linha Curva is a joyous fusion of Israeli and samba influences.

Ahh, Friends and Family - the excellent longstanding showcase straight from the bleeding heart of bass culture; specialists in the music staples that are hip hop, funk, soul and jazz. F & F is organised by Fat City Recordings - a label which originated in Manchester as a record shop. The guests they attract are always stellar. Tonight it's

Sunday 17th

Tonight is the big live final for Laughing Horse's New Act of the Year comedy competition held in the Dogstar pub in Brixton. From a whopping 750 acts who entered heats in January, now only 13 remain. The line-up includes ace female sketch group Lady Garden and Fergus Craig from duo Colin and Fergus. Can he add another victory to his

Jonathan Larson's poignant autobiographical musical about a 30 year old man about to celebrate his birthday and unsure whether he should be a musical composer, enjoys a brief run in the West End. Larson performed this as a solo show around New York and it was at least a minor fringe hit, restoring some of his faith. We now know of course that he

Monday 18th

Based on Nina Bawden's stunning children's book about two evacuees and their adventures during the Second World War, this play by Emma Reeves has been around for a while. Now it finally gets a run out in the West End.

Sensitively adapted and with surprising, superb turns by the young cast, this is children's theatre that adults will enjoy.

'Jack's always wanted to be a real man, like the ones in the audience at Top Gear, but unfortunately he likes Smirnoff Ice and looks wrong with his shirt off.'

This is the debut stand-up show for the star of Channel 4's BB's Big Mouth, Jack Whitehall and frankly we can't wait to see it. Wasted on the mind-numbing programme that Russell Brand made famous, Whitehall is one of the most talented young comedians on the stand-up circuit with an enormous amount of energy and wit. This should be brilliant.

Tuesday 19th

A night of brand new one act plays, based around the theme of love and ranging from comedy to melodrama.

Making ideal use of this cool fringe location, the action of each specifically commissioned play takes place in a hotel room.

Smart, edgy new theatre in this hip venue. How about coffee on the South Bank after?

Blank Dogs are an 80s-influenced, doomy, synth band who only require an optional donation if you wish to download their music from their genuinely educational and regularly updated blog.

Wednesday 20th

Notting Good Taste serves up some the best comedy acts around from poets to musicians, TV stars, award-winners and circuit favourites.

Tonight Phill Jupitus from Never Mind The Buzzcocks will be headlining supported by stand-up poet and recumbent rocker Elvis McGonagall, Scottish comedian and actor Alan Francis, plus there will be some hilarious bluegrass and country swing from the talented Stillhouse Orchestra.

Formerly known as The Muslims, these US garage rockers may have changed their name to something less controversial (sort of) but you couldn't accuse them of selling out.

Spewing out break-neck garage rock with reckless abandon, they are one of the funnest bands we've seen in a long, long time.

Thursday 21st

Nominated for the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe, this is Flanagan's first full-length show. It takes you on a one-hour journey through the ups and downs of his life from his working-class roots as a Billingsgate fish-porter to a more bourgeois set up as a successful stand-up leading a life filled with dinner parties and lattes.

Jokes range from his university days where fellow students were confused by his attendance ("Fucking hell! The window cleaner's keen!) to sexual mishaps like rifling through the post of last night's special lady to find out her name ("I can't just call her the Occupier!"). An incredibly funny and self-deprecating biography of his life thus far, all carried out with a huge grin on his face.

As anyone who witnessed Jay Reatard tear the Old Blue Last in two last year will readily testify, Stag and Dagger is a magical night where the venues of the East End are turned into a wonderland of garage punk bands, basement parties, cheap booze and good vibes.

Friday 22nd

Many ideologies have at root sought world domination - Christianity, capitalism, democracy... - and so far, thankfully, all have failed. in the wake of all this, a new emphasis on the importance of locality is currently emerging in London, and elsewhere. But this is not just about food provenance and designer gastro nonsense, this is also about community and creativity.

To this end, endeavours such as The Elephant Rooms are to be loudly applauded. The brainchild of the people behind Corsica Studios, The Elephant Rooms is a transient contemporary art space that will be migrating around the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre.

Underdrome is an all-new multimedia experience designed and choreographed by Darren Johnstone, the Roundhouse's artist-in-residence. Set to the music of Warp stalwarts Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre, Leila, Harmonic 33 and a clutch of new artists including Vladislav Delay, Murcof and Seaming, the night promises to be a sonic, visual delight. It's also a bit of a tech/electronica showcase for club heads among you.

Johnstone is a choreographer specialising in integrated soundtrack work, and this audiovisual feast will employ dozens of dancers, a 100-strong choir and a stable of brilliant techno/electronica wizards.

We love Plex because they book off-centre, subversive artists who do something different and don't tow any kind of line.

They don't mold themselves to please a crowd, and - in this line up at least - much of the material will be absolutely rinsing.

I can't think of many better places to dance away the bank holiday.

Saturday 23rd

Vieux Farka Touré is a Malian singer and guitarist, and son of one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians Ali Farka Touré.

Tonight he's at the Jazz Cafe to kick off four days of African music with his incredible blend of Saharan blues and Malian folk.

April De Angelis' new comedy is a pitch dark social satire about a quartet of yuppies sitting down to a posh takeaway in a gated community. Suddenly, the security system fails and the delivery boy marches right in to their flat and makes himself at home.

Paranoia, middle-class angst and straightforward fear rub shoulders in this acerbic comedy that seems perfectly tailored to the right on but rather fearful members of the north London intelligentsia.

Join The Dots Number One tonight - and they kick off their series of parties with a line-up guaranteed to cause a stirring in the pants of even the coolest cats.

Mr James Lavelle (UNKLE) needs no introduction. A seminal DJ and producer who united diverse artists from far and wide on his self-named debut album. As a DJ he's eclectic and excellent, mixing tunes whose only commonality is lying side by side on the tables.

He joins 20:20 Vision boss and house aficionado Ralph Lawson and Rekids disco head Toby Tobias.

Sunday 24th

Strange Worlds and Mau Mau join forces to bring you Something About Techno - the first of their summer parties.

In room one the devotion is to techno. Room two delves in to the glittery underworld of italo disco and house.

Glitchy, tech-electronica outfit 65D Mavericks will be performing a live set, plus Universal Vibes' deep techno specialist Paddy Freeform, Simon Kurrage and Mr Shiver.

There is something about techno.

Warm blow out the candles on their 10th birthday cake with a bank holiday special.

They started off as a mid-week student bash in Bournemouth and have blossomed into a DJ agency and seminal night in London.

Headlining tonight's shenanigans are DFA stalwarts Mock n Toof, Jacques Renault jetting in from NYC plus Running Back head honcho Gerd Janson and X-Press 2's Diesel.

Big lunged Broadway belter Ethel Merman would have been 100 this year* were she still alive. But, alas, she ain't. Or so we thought... Joyous Pie Productions present a kind of Merman tribute show at the Jermyn Street Theatre tonight that promises to bring the old girl back to life.

Starring Dominic Mattos as the irrepressible Merman, and with the supremely talented Kaffy Rice-Oxley on piano, this is a whistle-stop tour through all of Merman's greatest hits, the highlight being, naturally, There's No Business Like Showbusiness.

mulletover peak at their summer finale tonight - before a break till October while they plan their assault on Glade and The Garden Festival in Croatia.

Making their mulletover debuts are Robert Dietz - one of the main faces behind the Cecille label, Steve Bug favourite Burnski and Anthea - Phonica Records newest star.

Joining these techno cats is your indomitable resident Geddes - who is releasing not one but two solo EPs this month on his own imprint murmur.