6th February 2012

gigs clubbing art comedy theatre blog competitions

Illustration by Julie Khan

Next up, a Nobel?

Good news for Spoonfed this week. Not only did Joe's wife make some delicious chocolate cake for the whole team but we've also won some stuff. We’ve been included in prestigious business network Courvoisier The Future 500, shortlisted for the 6th Annual O2 X Awards, and we only went and bloody won the Best Use of Technology Award at the London Business Awards.

All this means we’ve been basking in the celeb-tastic glow emitted by the likes of Jo Wood, Davina McCall, Sam Taylor Wood, Yasmin le Bon and Tara Bananarama Tompinkson Rompkinson. How exciting to be living the life at the cutting edge of new media shenanigans.

In between all the red carpets and gold statues, we’ve also been selecting the best events in London for your delectation. Next week there’s some scary theatre, several club-night birthday bashes, a spot of indie folk from Essay Like Nephew, and Damien Hirst attempting to prove that there’s more to his art than pickling cows. Tremendous.

Friday 2nd

Au Revoir Simone play their unique brand of warm, organic electronic music tonight at the intimate Union Chapel. Their faraway vocals and reverberating guitar work will course through the rafters of one of London's best small venues. These girls are heading up the musical ladder fast, and it's easy to see why, as their considered and polished

Rave specialists Them return to the Rhythm Factory with a specially priced bumper pack of beats designed to push the new soundsystem to its very limits. Earth shattering dubstep from 16bit, snarling futurebass from Akira Kiteshi and woozy French electronica from Debriut. Fresher than a brand new fridge. To read our review of last month's Them

This night is going to be huge! 2562 celebrates the launch of new album 'Unbalance', released on the Tectonic label. Ikonika, Kode 9 and Pinch (among others) provide support.

If you're into futuristic dubstep, hyperdub and experimental techno, don't miss this.

Saturday 3rd

London For London is a campaign that invites Londoners to contribute to a better and happier London. The event aims to engage the whole of London for just one night and get Londoners out of their homes, enjoying the fantastic things to do around them and thinking about some of the city’s more serious issues. On Saturday 3rd October 2009 London

One of the world's greatest living producers and the world's greatest turntablist go head to head in one of the most intriguing and anticipated showdowns on the planet! The 2 icons from Tokyo at the very top of their respective games go head to head, for a once-only, historic beat-feast! This event is part of London for London, so a quid from your

Acid House forefathers Boy's Own return after 15 years for a monumental reunion at Cable. The big boys Clive Henry and Norman Jay will be joined by a wealth of first rate DJs, including disco house legend Severino. We're very excited.

Click here to read our interview with the mighty Norman Jay.

Sunday 4th

Another Fine Mess welcomes Craig Richards and Jozif to spin an eclectic mix of retro tunes, carrying you through the genres and the decades.

Upstairs is transformed into a mini bazaar with home baked treats, vintage goodies and fresh London designers. Today is the final party of the year so make the most.

A Rebours mix a bit of everything together to create their unique sound. Are they metal heads? Are they classic pop tarts? It's hard to tell... but one thing we do know, they are pretty damn good. Despite their inability to stick within one genre, the sheer musical talent of these guys shines through. Their metal guitar riffs and pop rock vocals

Monday 5th

Your favourite knob fiddlers Fuck Buttons are dropping by Rough Trade tonight for an intimate gig. Their glitchy electronica and odd meshing of sound make for one unique show of musical chaos.

Best of all, these lovely fellas are taking pity on all you poor paupers down in Brick Lane and giving you a tasty musical treat for free! Don't miss this gig, as it won't be long before you have to get up at the crack of dawn to buy their ridiculously priced stadium tickets.

The performing name of Natasha Khan, Bat for Lashes make psychedelic progressive folk influenced by the likes of Bjork, Cat Power, Tori Amos and Kate Bush, who Natasha is often compared to.

Weird and wonderful, BfL display a twisted genius that has been missing from the musical world for too long, like the lovechild of Bush and Syd Barrett, she is truly unique.

Tuesday 6th

The second woman ever to win the Perrier Award in 2005, Laura Solon (BBC 1's Harry and Paul, Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder, Radio 4's Talking and Not Talking) brings her critically acclaimed character comedy show to the Soho Theatre after a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Wednesday 7th

Four master playwrights present brand new horror stories. Deliberately amoral and created with elements of cabaret, magic and audience participation, this set of shows will include some genuinely unpleasant and frightening moments.

Star of Channel 4's 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Sean Lock will be performing some brand new material at the Pleasance over the coming weeks in preparation for his mammoth 2010 tour.

Sharp as a whip with a keen observational eye, effortless delivery and snappy punchlines, it's not hard to see why Lock won the coveted British Comedy Award for 'Best Live Performer' several years back.

Thursday 8th

Four piece guitar rock outfit Essay Like Nephew play their catchy pop tunes tonight at 93 Feet East.

Their music has a fresh and varied sound that compliments the DIY spirit of their releases and all four boys seem to possess an awkward kind of charm that's completely alien from traditional poncy indie bands.

Essay Like Nephew are wonderfully chilled, a smidge ethereal, and host really fantastic voices. So with quirky lyrics and the folk influence, this is definitely a talented group.

Having previously performed as part of Bite04 with Bamboo Dream, the contemporary dance company Cloud Gate grace the Barbican with their new show Wind Shadow.

The Cloud Gate company consists of 25 multi-talented dancers, with training in Tai Chi Tao Yin, martial arts, modern dance and more, providing a diverse merge of dance techniques.

The show itself is a movement of the dancers and their silhouettes, imitating the wind and the structure of shadows to create a visually spectacular production.

Please be aware that the show does have laser lighting and sound effects of fireworks.

Friday 9th

ew work by maverick potter and occasional trannie Grayson Perry goes on show this autumn at Victoria Miro.

The Walthamstow Tapestry incorporates Perry's trademark blend of high and low culture - arcane historical references vie for attention with smatterings of pop-tastic ephemera.

Perry is a great craftsman and a unique voice in contemporary art - this should be fantastic.

Channel 4 and The Saatchi Gallery first hooked up in 2007 to present New Sensations, an award for exciting award for fresh BA or MA graduates.

This year, the panel (comprising artist Gavin Turk, Hawyard Gallery director Ralph Rugoff, critic Louisa Buck and gallery owner Alison Jacques) have narrowed it down to a shortlist of four artists: Oliver Beer, Andreas Blank, Nick Goss and Regine Petersen.

Hassan is a wealthy second generation Turk in the London suburbs, who wakes up one day after another night of women and wine only to find that something has happened that could turn his world upside down.

The Great Extension is a comic perception of urban Britain, focusing on Islamic fundamentalism and tackling issues of multiculturalism, racism and sectarianism.

Chew The Fat turn 12 tonight with a spring in their step and a belly full of bass.

Their commitment to supporting new producers (A1bassline and Raffertie to name a couple of their more rinsing guests) has endeared them even more to us here at Spoonfed. And tonights line up looks appropriately brilliant.

Headed up by Herve and Trevor Loveys' collaborative project Speaker Junk (their first back to back DJ session in London for two years!) the main room is likely to explode into a veritable mosh pit.

Saturday 10th

Ian Davenport is clearly fascinated not only by the colour of paint but also by its physical properties. His huge multi-coloured works are created by letting the paint run down the canvas. These works examine the balance between the the natural world's tendency towards the random and the artist's desire for control.

Whilst the process of creating this kind of painting must be a little bit tedious (a bit like watching paint dry?) the results are consistently engaging: vibrant, textured, and rhythmical. Like a more mathematical Jackson Pollock, or a less anal Bridget Riley.

Tech-funk impresarios Lot49 throw down another serious line-up for their first party at East London rave den Hub Club. Tonight is the first in a series of parties at underground London venues as they take their multifarious musical maneuvers on a tour of the capital.

Giving the 17k Turbo Sound rig a run for its money will be acid house pioneer, breakbeat legend and international tech-funk statesman Lee Coombs.

No Fit State number two features the talents of Wolf and Lamb - the NYC based label who've been heralded among the saviours of the stagnant house scene. Gadi and Zev - the production duo behind the label, headline tonight, with murmur label boss Geddes playing a more experimental set.

Mic Newman - new kid on the Get Physical block - completes the package.

Spoonfed are very excited about tonight, as Bugged Out returns to celebrate its 15th (!!!) birthday with a masterclass in the very best DJ music across two neighbouring venues, Lightbox and Fire.

Heading up the electro marathon will be Erol Alkan and the Ed Banger crew, whilst Dan Beaumont of Disco Bloodbath brings some East London disco to Vauxhall.

For those you like it harder, Brodinski will be bringing down the tone with deep, melodic techno.

Sunday 11th

Based on the life and work of American poet Emily Dickinson, Alison's House re-examines the circumstances around the discovery of her poetry, through the character of Alison Stanhope.

18 years after her death Alison's old house is put on the market, but still holding her secrets, how far are Alison's family obliged to protect the past?

When Seattle spawned five piece alt-rock outfit Mudhoney, little did they know that 30 years later they would still be tearing up stages across the world with their guitar driven noise bombs.

Steering clear of the mainstream, they prefer to set the trends instead of following them. As soon as grunge hit the big time, Mudhoney decided it was just not cool anymore, and moved into garage rock, which they have dabbled in ever since. That is until it became cool....so now they've moved onto a punkier sound.

They will be showcasing this newer stuff tonight, and as usual will be infusing it with a dose of the classic Mudhoney attitude. Expect some big noise, and matching egos.