6th February 2012

gigs clubbing art comedy theatre blog competitions

Illustration by Julie Khan

Back to the Old Skool

Hello! We threw a party last night and it was great. Really good. But, in consequence, this introduction may be a little unfocused.

OK, let's just talk about next week. The kids are going back to school. Hence Julie's boombastic pencil illustration. Good luck kids!

Also, London Fashion Week is starting, and the most accessible part of it for mere mortals is the SHOWstudio event at Somerset House which, for a fiver, gives a really good flavour of why London is basically the most fashionable place on earth. Other reasons: great techno, like what you'll get at Gouranga on Friday. That really is a blinding party. Incredible live music: hip hop maestros Speech Debelle and Roots Manuva play Ronnie Scott's. Ground breaking theatre: Enron at the Royal Court is the first dramatic insight into the global recession and the selfish bastards that caused it. Oh, and a good sense of humour. There are three, no four examples in this newsletter that will literally make you wet yourself.

Friday 11th

Anyone remember the awesome (if ridiculous) 1959 film of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth? There was something about those vast fantastical underground caverns that was truly amazing, despite the shocking special effects, acting, plot etc...

Well, for his first UK solo show, American artist Ryan McGinley is showing 24 new colour photographs

Despite having worked together since they met in Italy in 2003, American Chateau is the first public collaborative exhibition for artists Jaime Hayon and Nienke Klunder.

The exhibition fuses the functional with the non-functional to blur the line between art and design across a series of sculptural and two-dimensional pieces. Both highly contemporary and steeped in the opulence of the 17th century.

P.A.R.T.Y.

Yes, that's right, it's party time, courtesy of controversial East End art folks Decima. This Friday sees the George Tavern taken over by all manner of art types and local bands - there's live music from The Coolness, Tymon Dogg, Tricity Vogue and The Fucks and arty occurrences with Simon Ould, David C West, Stephen Gill and drunken poetry man Stephen Micalef.

The whole night is being put on in order to raise money for Decima's forthcoming Berlin-based exhibition. Britain's Rubbish will examine the state of the nation - corruption, individualism, fear, ridiculousness...

Another underground techno sesh from the Noisy Neighbours crew at Bar 54. There's a UK exclusive from a soon to be announced DJ.

Read our review of Don't Techno Sh!t here.

Saturday 12th

Eh - calm down! Anna Friel (Brookside, first lesbian kiss on British TV, etc) stars opposite American Joseph Cross (Running With Scissors, Milk) as Holly Golightly in a new stage adaptation of the classic romantic comedy.

Based on a novel by Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's was famously made into a 1961 film with Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. Many peoples' favourite film of all time. There have been several stage versions and this high gloss production promises to retain the humour and sparkle which is a feature of the film.

Telling the tale of a young man who falls helplessly for a loveable, but venal young lady while she dates a string of eligible millionaires, this is a true romance, but one

Time for something out of the ordinary. Longplayer is a piece of music commissioned by Artangel that will play for 1000 years and has been going since the start of the millennium.

It is of course the longest piece of non-repeating music ever composed, and tonight at the Roundhouse is your opportunity to listen to a 1000 minute section of it, played by a 26 piece orchestra on a unique 20-meter wide instrument. A truly philosophical piece.

Meander back to a time of neon colours, free-loving and 60s garage, Grind 'A' Go Go is a fancy dress night at the Working Men's Club filled with oddball delights.

Please Note: If you don't dress up you'll feel stupid. Think beehives, minidresses, suits and boots.

Sunday 13th

Insomnia is a genuinely cracking after party at the Aquarium and Raduno. The music policy steers a pretty Hoxditch line with lashings of minimal techno, a dash of electro and the odd tech house number thrown in.

The crowd, of course, are friendly, exhausted, and for the most part completely spanked - but the music is a treat. If stamina is the name of your game - and techno is what you like for breakfast - you won't do better than insomnia.

Shrugging off disasters that would stop lesser bands in their tracks (like having all their gear nicked by some dodgy git!) Blakfish bring joy and Propagandhi style riffage to the world by just being the gnarliest bunch of Brummies since Sabbath.

Playing the Fighting Cock's tonight, it may be a mish to get to, but hell it'll be worth it!

Monday 14th

Voted one of the top ten greatest stand ups of all time by Channel 4 viewers, former Perrier nominee Ross Noble returns to the West End after a mammoth UK tour, with his new show about 'things'. Big things and small things. Things that have happened to him, things that have happened to you. Like losing your house and worldly goods in an Australian bush blaze? Erm perhaps not.

Freeform, surreal comedy from the Geordie ad-lib king.

Motivational speaking by day and hard rocking at night, there's not a person alive that is as relentlessly positive as all-white wearing rocker Andrew W.K. Apparently he even carries a note in his wallet with the words 'don't be a pussy' written on it to motivate him in times of doubt.

When it comes to partying, this guy parties hard! So hard in fact his nose is still bleeding! So hard in fact that he's built a whole philosophy around it! He's basically the Henry Rollins of party. You've got to respect that.

Tuesday 15th

Fantastic comedy line-up tonight in one of our favourite north London venues, The Old Queen's Head.

Richard Herring (sans Hitler moustache) headlines with some new material about sporting the notorious dictator's crumb catcher.Tim Key (recent winner of The Edinburgh Comedy Award for 'Best Show') and Tom Basden team up for their hilarious double act

An extra special edition of Riot on the Rocks sees one of Canada's finest exports The Pack A.D. take centre stage in the intimate surrounds of the Social tonight.

A fire-breathing two piece, these guys combine life on the road, Civil War memorabilia and gallons of Jack Daniels into a hard-boiled treat for anyone who bought the White Stripes first album.

Wednesday 16th

In 2002 contemporary artist Keith Tyson was nominated for the Turner Prize and achieved notoriety when the then Culture Minister Kim Howells left a note deriding his work as 'cold mechanical, conceptual bullshit'.

Tyson's work may indeed be cold, mechanical and conceptual, but, judging from this exhibition at Parasol Unit, it's hard to see why that might be in any way a bad thing.

Rather than a survey per se, this show takes the form of an exploration of Tyson's work. On display are paintings and sculptures that not only display Tyson's fascination with mechanics and technology but also an appreciation of the natural and more organic aspects of our world.

The Full Tilt Theatre Company revises the final part of Aeschylus' classic Oresteian trilogy, a Greek Tragedy about young prince Orestes who kills his mother in revenge for her having murdered his father.

A group of rebels opposing his actions kidnap the prince and decide to take justice into their own hands. However, what exactly they do with him will be up to you, with Orestes Re-Examined allowing the audience to become the jury in this haunting drama.

Thursday 17th

Juicy stuff... the financial saga that shocked the world and foreshadowed the current recession comes to the stage in an epic dramatisation written by Lucy Prebble, directed by theatrical renaissance man Rupert Goold and starring Samuel West Jeffrey Skilling, the Enron CEO currently doing 24 years for fraud.

It will have to be pretty good to surpass the shocking 2005 documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Goold is nothing if not ambitious and promises a blend of music, video and effects with live action to tell the story of a shocking collective con job by a company that became one of the biggest in the USA and a key Bush ally.

Following last year's sell-out gig, Jack Whitehall and friends are putting on another charity bash to raise money for Save The Rhino. Having recently been nominated for the 'Best Newcomer' Edinburgh Fringe Award for his debut, Whitehall is doing exceedingly well at the moment, having hosted Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth for its three week run live on E4 and appearing on The Sunday Night Project, 8 Out of 10 Cats, The World Stands Up and Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul.

Also appearing tonight will be champion of fun and games Josie Long, witty Iranian comedienne Shappi Khorsandi and Dan Clark,

Local legend Don Letts comes to the laid-back Paradise By Way Of Kensal Green for night of talking about his work, his new film Carnival and the Music of London, and general experience of hanging out with some of the icons of the 20th century.

The man who taught Bob Marley about punk, and punks about Bob Marley, Letts bridged the gap between the two sub-cultures which swept through London in the late '70s. Still don't know who he is - head down Fopp and pick up a copy of the Clash's 'Black Market Clash', that's him right there on the cover...

Friday 18th

Philip Ridley's first ever, award-winning play returns to the Hampstead theatre where it made its debut in 1992. The Fastest Clock In The Universe is a hugely unsettling horror story about a man named Cougar. He's having a birthday party, he's invited a guest of honour, and he's sharpened his knife.

A sick, shocking play about insanity and the longing for eternal youth. We're recommending it, but only for sickos like ourselves.

Reinventor of British hip hop Roots Manuva plays a pared-down acoustic set at this classy jazz venue. He's supported by a lady who signed up months ago, but has since won the Mercury Prize: Speech Debelle. Which makes this just about the hottest UK hip hop line-up of the month, no doubt!

Expect social consciousness and sharp edged wit from both

Gouranga presents the GAG awards - recognising the talents and progression of the best young stars in house and techno.

Best Live Techno goes to Leeds duo Spektre and best international newcomer goes to Helge Kuhl.

AND, rather excitingly, Output Recordings' Impressario Trevor Jackson will be there to pick up his OG award for his outstanding contribution to the London scene.

Amazing.

Saturday 19th

The Zabludowicz Collection is one of the most impressive contemporary art collections in the world, so when 176 says they're puting together an exhibition of works from it you should probably be pretty excited.

Especially when this show includes painting, sculpture, video and sound works by a variety of artists, from established heavyweights like Glenn Brown, Wolfgang Tillmans and Richard Prince to fast-emerging names like Jack Strange.

The unifying concept here is the notion of repetition (différance, iterability etc) and although it's not an expecially novel idea, the strength of the work on show should ensure that this is a fascinating exhibition.

John Simm (Life on Mars, Human Traffic) stars in a high-gloss production of Andrew Bovell's marvelous drama of infidelity, love, mistakes and their consequences, Speaking In Tongues.

Ostensibly a story of two couples deliberately setting out to cheat and ending up entangling their lives, the story has a much wider scope, considering the nature of society, the repercussions of our mistakes, and taking a twisted but surprisingly compassionate look at human weakness.

This show promises high production values, a stellar cast, and two acts of totally engrossing drama, and will surely be one of the autumn's hottest tickets.

One of the most influential figures in the French electronic music scene, Joakim is the very epitome of Gallic cool and virtuosity.

Tonight he celebrates the launch of his new album with a show at Cargo.

This event is 'pay what you want' aka FREE, which is a stone bargain.

Sunday 20th

Founded in 2000 by legendary fashion photographer Nick Knight, SHOWstudio is an award-winning fashion website, known for its support of up-and-coming artists and designers and its espousal of innovative creative collaborations.

As well as giving opportunities to the youngsters (like Marios Schwab, Gareth Pugh and artist Sarah Maple) SHOWstudio has collaborated with a host of top names - think John Galliano, Kate Moss, Maison Martin Margiela...

Opening during London Fashion Week, this exhibition is liable to be something really pretty special!

To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the publication of Darwin's 'The Origin of the Species', The Old Vic presents Inherit The Wind, starring Artistic Director Kevin Spacey.

Inherit the Wind is the story of Bertram Cates, a school teacher on trial for teaching the theory of evolution against state law. But will belief defeat science in a court of law? In the American South? What do you think?

Based on the true story of Tennessee science teacher John Scopes and the 'Scopes Monkey Trial', this play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee originally stood as a metaphor for McCarthyism, with evolution hardly contentious in 1950s America. Fast forward a half century and the Creationists are in their pomp.

This production stars Spacey (The Usual Suspects, American Beauty) and British heavyweight David Troughton (Sharpe, Drop the Dead Donkey) and is directed by Trevor Nunn as he continues his bounce-back from the disastrous Gone With The Wind.

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 - their new residency at the T Bar.

Tonight Clive Henry, Toni D and Lee Curtiss join a very special guest...