6th February 2012

gigs clubbing art comedy theatre blog competitions

Illustration by Julie Khan

Festivalisationism

So June has arrived, the sun is out (or at least it was) and we at Spoonfed are indulging our obsession for ice-cream. Thoughts naturally are turning towards the summer, and more specifically what festivals we can blag ourselves free tickets to. In the past few years the whole festival thing has multiplied exponentially – so much so that, now, it can be tough to work out which ones to go to, when and where. Well luckily for you, we’ve drawn up two helpful little festival calendars: there’s our guide to London Summer Festivals and UK Summer Festivals. So check ‘em out!

More immediately, we’ve got loads of cool stuff coming up over the next week. There’s a Red Bull party at Cargo, comedy to raise money for the UK’s vulnerable children, the loudest band ever (possibly) and an art car boot fair in the Old Truman Brewery. Where can you find out about all of this? Why just scroll down of course.

Friday 5th

This sounds pretty cool. This June/July Kemistry Gallery is taken over by 49 hand-painted totems made from reclaimed wood.

These pieces - the work of designer Damien Poulain - are inspired by ancient sculptures and religious symbolism, but they also constitute a response to the contemporary fetishisation of the so-called 'iconic'.

Elephant & Castle is changing. Like much of the rest of London, the old and 'unsightly' is gradually being swept away to be replaced by gleaming temples to modernity. Whether gentrification is something to be celebrated or resisted is a moot point (and certainly not one to be tackled here in an event listing) but it is something that seems

For all their GG Allens, Derby Cashs and Joey Ramones, The Americans still hold a candle for good old British punk rock with its social conscience, bovver boots, leather trousers and catchy, melodic rabble-rousers. Criminal Damage are one such bunch, and this 4 piece hailing from Portland, Oregon is a sneering reminder of late-'70s oi! like

Almost everyone is familiar with the story of musical legend J-Dilla (Jay Dee/James Yancey). Prolific collaborator and inspiring producer, he worked with everyone from Eryka Badu to Janet Jackson via De La Soul. He tragically passed away aged 32 due to Lupus-related complications in 2006. The Doctor's Orders are the cats behind the annual 'J-Dilla

Saturday 6th

Amazing! They said knitting was making a comeback, but that was mainly just journalistic puff pieces lazily relating to the credit crunch. But now it's hitting the world of fine art. May saw Sally Spinks present a pile of knitted cigarette butts at Tenderpixel Gallery and now, in June, the Charlotte Street branch of Rebecca Hossack Gallery is

Recession, the Olympics, and the future of East London: these are the main subjects up for discussion in Slump City, an exhibition featuring work by three local (and brilliant) artists. If you haven't heard of Laura Oldfield Ford by now then you must have been living under a rock for the past few years. She produces dystopian paintings and

Tonight one of the greatest working stand-ups on the UK circuit, John Gordillo will be headlining the show with some new material, supported by the sharp and witty Simon Evans, the jollier Tiernan Douieb and BBC6 presenter Jon Richardson.

Ditch It All make their debut at 93 Feet East after a load of massive parties at 333. Tonight they present three live bands: corrupting popsters Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, all female five piece Royal Treatment Plant and French-Soler. In the bar DJ Darkorse and Electric Junkies join Thick As Thieves and Jac The Disco to provide a pumped up mix of

Sunday 7th

OMFG. HummusFest! Hummus - probably the greatest foodstuff in the world? Picnics would be nothing without the delicious chickpea dip, and falafel would simply be a dry and pointless ball of blanditude. Now in its second year, HummusFest is a celebration of all things hummus (well, kind of). Basically you turn up, make some hummus and try to

Kubicle - the notoriously great little after-party which, to converts, is more of an extended techno family - has been spreading its wings of late. The Toilet - traditionally their Sunday morning home - will host their parties on a more sporadic basis thanks to this new monthly residency at the T Bar, a recreated Toilet at Glastonbury, an

Monday 8th

Major art institutions get so inundated by artists sending them work that they often have to refuse much of it. Famously, the Tate refused 175 Stuckist paintings back in 2005, something that Charles Thomson in particular seems never to have gotten over.

Sometimes work is refused because it is rubbish, sometimes because it doesn't fit in with the ideologies of the institution in question. On display at Llewellyn Alexander this month are a selection of paintings that have been refused by the Royal Academy.

Some of it is bound to be a bit pants, some probably brilliant. And it is all for sale, so the Academy's loss could well be your gain.

Following the success of last year's sell-out show, Kids Company present another stellar comedy line-up to raise money for vulnerable children in the UK.

Hyperactive Adam Bloom will be the host, bringing on stage one of the most experienced stand-ups in the business, John Moloney, famous TV impressionist Alistair McGowan, legendary Irish funnyman Ed Byrne, Perrier winners Milton Jones and Arnold Brown and no-holds-barred Aussie Brendon Burns. What a line-up!

Tuesday 9th

Getting to the top of the indie tree is pretty hard these days. Thanks to the endless columns of guitar-toting stick men and warbling poetic waifs, you have to be a bit special to catch the eyes of the legion of floppy haired NME readers out there.

With this in mind, it would seem like Stricken City are already riding the fast elevator to the top, and we don't mean that by the mere fact that they're headlining Huw Stephen's monthly mixer at the Social tonight. Playing effortless cool, breathless electro pop, this 4 piece seem to have discovered the winning formula of how to be adored by the critics and people who actually buy music at the same time.

Jonathan Larson's radical drama of friendship, sexuality and AIDs in '80s New York, returns to the stage in this faithful revival at the Broadway.

Famously inspired by Puccini's classic La Boheme but shot through with modernity, wit and pathos, the original Rent won a Pulitzer prize and an army of fans are sure to turn up for this faithful reproduction by New York's Music Theatre International.

Wednesday 10th

A highly successful comedy club in Shepherd's Bush, Knock2Bag now has a new night in Notting Hill's iconic Tabernacle building.

Tonight's show is a guaranteed cracker with an incredible line-up of top comedians on the London circuit, from if.comedy winners like Brendon Burns, Andrew Lawrence and Phil Nichol to the legendary Stewart Lee (of recent BBC2 Comedy Vehicle fame) and the weird yet wonderful Brian Gittins.

Stepping out from under the shadow of Bat For Lashes, where she learnt her trade as one of Natasha Khan's backing musicians, accomplished singer/songwriter Caroline Weeks plays the Slaughtered Lamb tonight.

A self-taught musician, she weaves fragile yet powerful songs that take a sidewards glance at the traditional English folk format.

Thursday 11th

It's been a while since London last saw Lovvers, what with touring and recording in the US-of-A, unless you were at the Yeah Yeah Yeah's gig last month, you'd have to be living next to their practice space in sunny Nottingham to have seen hide or hair of them for almost 6 months.

What you always get with Lovvers is a pretty kick-arse live show, almost every time we've seen them the lead-singer has been dragged around by some ruffian, swerved the advances of some drunken maiden or dived head-first into a crowd of confused looking indie kids, so god knows what will happen this time. They have apparently gone a bit more garage though, which will no doubt cause a few fireworks.

Red Bull Music Academy join forces with Karen P's Broad Casting again tonight with a unique collaboration between Stones Throw's James Pants and Latin soul legend Joe Bataan.

Peanut Butterwolf's Stones Throw is one of the most highly reputed hip hop labels across the water. James Pants is a multi-instrumentalist whose diverse sets cross '80s soul and early rap with electro boogie, new wave and disco.

Friday 12th

Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic about a British governess who ends up capturing the heart of a Siamese king comes to the Albert Hall for a short run this June.

A lavish production directed 'in the round' by Jeremy Sams, this production has a stellar team behind it and features well loved British vocalist Maria Friedman as Anna, and Daniel Dae Kim from Lost as the King.

The product of art school and sweaty drunken rehearsals, Le Tetsuo have survived broken amplifiers and shows in peoples living rooms to become one of the loudest bands ever. Serving up their off-kilter shouty-shouty thrash pop to the people of Kilburn tonight, this is one of those free shows that make London great.

Utah Saints' massive night Sugarbeat continues with their third party of the year, tonight presenting none other than electronic mastermind duo Hybrid.

They're joined by Toolroom's first lady Toni Jarvis and Bombstrikes Records Mooqee.

Added to the line up tonight are Supatronix residents Jurassik and Miss Max.

Breaks in your face.

Saturday 13th

Anyone see that Kevin Costner film Waterworld? It got totally panned, but secretly, we know you loved it. It's possible that this is in some way relevant to the listing of this event, but it's hard to know for sure.

13th June sees an open day at Area 10 in Peckham. There's speakers, activites and displays all designed to explain the concept of Open Sailing to young people. As far as we can tell, Open Sailing is about the idea of actually living at sea (rather than simply using it as a way of getting from one place to another).

Perrier and Emmy Award-winning grouch Rich Hall will be performing a week long stint at the Soho this June as both himself and white trash alter ego Otis Lee Crenshaw (who breaks out of jail for the second half of the show).

Since Hall started performing his routine as the country music singing, redneck jailbird from Tennessee in 1998, he's been charming sell-out audiences each year at the Edinburgh Festival, (he won the the Perrier Award there in 2000) not to mention the rest of the UK and Australia. You may also have spotted him on TV performing on Live at The Apollo or on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, Have I Got News For You and Never Mind The Buzzcocks.

Trentemoller returns tonight, bringing his pal Moby with him to play an exclusive DJ set. Both artists have new albums on the way, Trentemoller has 'Harbour Boat Trips 01 - Copenhagen' on its way and Moby's fifth album 'Wait For Me' is due out in June.

Yousef joins them, also on the brink of an album release - his debut artist album 'A Collection of Scars And Situations'.

Sunday 14th

The Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair returns to the Old Truman Brewery this June for the fifth installment of this art fair extravaganza.

All manner of contemporary artists are involved - from old-timers like Gavin Turk, Sir Peter Blake and Bob & Roberta Smith to first-time 'booters' Natasha Law and Donald Urquhart.

The Royal Festival Hall plays host to the first ever UK appearance from this conceptual supergroup formed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 before the dissolution of The Beatles as Ornette Coleman's Meltdown Festival gets under way.

In this one-off performance Yoko Ono appears with Sean Lennon, Chimera Music artists Charlotte Muhl, Yuko Araki, Shimmy Shimizu, Yuka Honda, Shahzad Ismailly, Antony and Japanese art/rock wonder Cornelius in a show that can only be described as a feast for the senses.