6th February 2012

gigs clubbing art comedy theatre blog competitions

Illustration by Julie Khan

Colour Party, Halt!

Twitter huh? Good for self-promotion and time-wasting, but what else? Well the Guardian’s innovative use of Twitter to cover the G20 thing obviously got people thinking, and last week a group of comedians got together (virtually, not literally) to create the first Twitter Comedy Club. We sent our Comedy Editor Emma to sit at home in front of her computer and watch it. Why not check out her review?

In more traditional circles, this Saturday sees the Queen’s Birthday Parade, or Trooping the Colour. If you like Busbies, flags, cannons, horses, queens and inexplicably awarded medals, then this is definitely the overblown ceremony for you. If, on the other hand, you don’t, then may we suggest you scroll down and take a look at all the other things going on in London next week.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Monday 15th

Similar to Joy Division insofar as they had a crypto-fascist sounding name, came from Manchester and formed around the same time, A Certain Ratio blazed a trail that was much more dance-floor orientated than most of thier compatriots.

They took funk bass lines, added them to latin and jazz influences and made something that kids could flail around to at the Hacienda, rather than just looking miserable which they did most of time anyway.

Despite their obvious need to move on from their student days, there is something hopelessly loveable about Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies.

Describing themselves as a Kitchencore band from Liverpool they are a pretty good garage rock band, a way more fun version of Pulp, and a Victoria Wood sketch all rolled into one. What's not to love?

Tuesday 16th

Celebrating George Orwell, not one, not two but four classic pieces come to the stage at this brilliant studio venue.

Hal Cruttenden reprises his solo performance as George Bowling, the ultimate middle class anxiety case, in Coming Up For Air, plus there's the Ministry of Love interrogation scene from Nineteen Eighty Four and two other essays dramatised.

You know you're onto a good thing when Ricky Gervais is pissing himself at your act.

Brian Gittins is a hilarious comedy character with a predisposition for silly masks and bad jokes. On paper that may not sound funny but trust us, he is brilliant. Recently we saw him warm-up for Ricky Gervais ahead of his Science tour and when Gervais came on stage after him he was in stitches.

Wednesday 17th

Have art and language always been inextricably linked? Certainly, figures as diverse as George Herbert, Laurence Sterne and William Blake were fascinated by the relationship between the visual and the linguistic. But it was proably in the 1960s that this kind of area began to be more widely explored.

Jacques Derrida - probably the most important thinker in the last 50 years - wrote (in some senses) primarily about language, and so it's unsurprising that many of his ideas filtered down to the the era's visual artists.

A tough-as-nails World War Two espionage drama staged in a crumbling warehouse space in Shoreditch, Mincemeat is the story of a nobody who changed the course of the war.

Sadly, our hero never knew how much he had contributed. It was his corpse, disguised as a crashed pilot and handed over to the Nazis by 'neutral' Spanish agents, which was used to dupe the Bosch.

Thursday 18th

Korean dance spectacular Nanta is the country's most successful show which has played to millions of fans in 23 countries including a smash hit run on Broadway.

Using conventional instruments but also kitchen utensils, knives, fire and circus stunts, this is a spectacular and frequently hilarious show.

Winner of the 2007 if.comedy awards, Brendon Burns previews his new show at the Leicester Square Theatre from Thursday to Saturday this week. From Jade Goody's death to the Australian bushfires, no subject is a no-go zone for Burns.

The title of the show An Hour and a Half of Bullshit with Jokes and Shit may sound base enough but don't let that fool you.

So you think San Francisco is all rainbows, Golden Gate Bridges, disused island prisons, trams 'hey there, how you doing!?', 49ers fans and generally nice people? Wrong! Residing in those lush green hills are 4 ladies who you definitely don't want to get on the wrong side of.

A super group formed from members of Meow Meow and the Meow Meows and Death Sentence: Panda, T.I.T.S may look sweetness and nice, but it's all an act

Friday 19th

Disco kingpin Prins Thomas joins the Warm residents tonight for a six hour marathon into the lush fields of cosmic disco.

As a DJ, Thomas is unbelievably eclectic, shoehorning a wealth of artists and unlikely genres into his sets. Some you'll have heard of, masses you won't. The rarity of his cuts is part of the aural pleasure, so come and be led astray by the disco master at one of the best clubs in East London.

Andrew Maxwell's cult late-night comedy show has certainly attracted a hardcore gathering of fans over the past few years and has seen some first rate comedians stop by from Noel Fielding to Russell Brand and Doug Stanhope.

This cabaret/comedy night hasn't had one bad line-up since it started so you can expect a cracker of a bill for this Udderbelly special. Hosted by the award-winning, self-styled 'hip-hop count Dracula', Andrew Maxwell.

DnA Presents throw down a simply massive techno-electro party topped by a 5 hour set from the one and only Stephan Bodzin. The German DJ and producer holds musical authenticity above all else and his set tonight is certain to be mind-blowing.

King Roc headlines room two, following the success of his album 'Chapters', with McQueen (resident of excellent Leeds party Technique) and Speakerpush.

The Hothouse Revue landed earlier this year as the most decadent, elegant ballroom mess around to hit London for 80 years.

Their West London launch was a back-to-back whirlwind of variety cabaret, sultry burlesque, gramophone DJs and unbelievable live music.

Tonight's East London edition is a sexed-up, whip-cracking evening of blue rhythm stomp, with swanky, high class sass upstairs meeting low-down dirty voodoo downstairs.

Saturday 20th

Scotch eggs, coronation chicken, gingham table cloths, ginger beer, strawberries, trifle, cucumber sandwiches, Pimm's... sounds like a picnic!

But add in multimedia art shenanigans - poetry, film, animation, performance, photography... - and you've got yourself a Picnic in the Past. Sweet.

If there's anything better than a good fancy dress theme, it's the order of what to wear for this little party at Elevator Gallery in Hackney Wick. Potential visitors are encouraged to 'dress like a rockstar on Jimmy Savile Row' - haha, superb!

There's gonna be live music from Sculpture, YOU? and The La De Dahs as well as DJ sets from a host of local luminaries including Horton Jupiter from They Came From The Stars I Saw Them.

So grab a cigar, don a shell suit and pop on down to Hackney Wick - you'll fit right in...

Crazy big beat party that started out in Manchester and headed south to take over The End via massive parties at locations across the country. Bugged Out! enjoy a nationwide reputation for stonking good times and this is one night that everyone wants to attend. The music is varied, with an emphasis on fat disco beats and electro house.

Tonight they hit Cable - London's latest mega-club to distill their notoriously brilliant atmosphere in London Bridge.

Super special Summer Solstice party tonight from Family Affair.

Come and celebrate the season of sun with minimal men of the moment, Scottish techno duo Sandeman and Mr Dickie. Very hot property indeed. The Ifidota label crew and Platinum residents will be joining the fun.

Manchester label and party starters Back To Front are in charge in the guest room, with resident Protocol, Adam Shelton (Below) and Frenchy bringing the house and techno flavours.

Sunday 21st

'Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get me.' Who first said that? Nobody seems to know - darned internet, why don't you know these things?!

Anyway, with over 4 million CCTV cameras across the UK (that's according to a 2002 paper - it could be many more by now...) the issue of public surveillance is of extreme importance and immediate relevance to us all. Where does all this information go? Who looks after it? What does it achieve?

Abrasive, aggressive and unapologeticly art-house Throbbing Gristle have always been a band that has balanced precariously over being a post-punk band and a sonic art project exploring themes of death, mutilation, fascism and the dehumanising of industrial society. Called both the pioneers of industrial music and the 'wreckers of civilisation' by a confused press