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7th September 2010
A free weekly ezine featuring the best events in London

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Illustration by Julie Khan

Excellent, Smithers

Monday 25th January is Burns Night, the night where Scottish people and Ecossophiles gather to eat haggis, drink whisky, wear tartan, dance archaic little jigs, and celebrate the life and works of the late, great Rab C. Nesbitt.

Talking of tartan, check out our predictions for London Fashion Week, which is less than a month away now. Plus we've compiled a whole new dedicated mini-site. For all the secrets, news and interviews, check out London Fashion Week – The Spoonfed Guide.

It's also exciting to hear that LCD Soundsystem have announced a string of UK dates, whilst we're pretty stoked to be able to offer the chance to win tickets to see highly controversial stand up Jerry Sadowitz.

We're ambivalent about the news that Earl's Court is to close after the 2012 Olympics, but pretty darned pleased that over at another venue under threat – the Hackney Empire – YBA Gavin Turk and composing fellow Michael Nyman are going to come and launch a cool new photography exhibition.

Oh, and Abi Titmuss is in a play...

Upcoming

Abi Titmuss!

2nd February 2010
More info >>

Massive Attack

11th February 2010
More info >>

Henry Moore

24th February 2010
More info >>

Ricky Gervais

26th April 2010
More info >>

Friday 22nd

Popcorn Comedy

Comedians are often making or starring in loads of short films but don't often have a platform to show them off apart from T'Internet. Popcorn Comedy is a fantastic new monthly club mixing live comedy from some of the best on the circuit with the funniest videos found online. This month's gig looks particularly exciting with a pick of the best read on

where:
The Tabernacle
Powis Square
W11 2AY
who:
Adam Buxton
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Stand Up, Sketches
cost:
£10
 

Withered Hand

Known for a dreamy, ethereal sound, Scottish folk act and one-time King Creosote collaborator, Withered Hand definitely isn't your normal singer songwriter. Influenced as much by Pavement as Belle and Sebastian, his songs are dry-humoured lessons in self deprecation, laced with witty-one liners and easy charm. In fact, he's so likeable, we read on

where:
Wilmington Arms
69 Roseberry Avenue
EC1R 4RL

who:
Withered Hand
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Folk
cost:
£7
 

Earstorm

Tonight is the first in a series of shows curated by Pendulum. Their taste is excellent. The Glitch Mob are the West Coast glitch hop pioneers who have quickly conquered California and are systematically bringing the heavy West Coast sound further afield. Their massive beats will absolutely destroy Matter tonight. They're joined by Zane Lowe read on

where:
Matter
Peninsular Square
SE10 0DY


who:
Glitch Mob, Zane Lowe
+ more
when:
10pm - 6am
what:
Breaks, Drum & Bass
cost:
£15

Saturday 23rd

Nicholas Middleton - Black and White Paintings

Who doesn't love a healthy dose of photorealism every now and again? Nicholas Middleton works directly from photographs to produce stunning black and white oil paintings that vary in terms of composition from casual moment-capturing snaps to more staged tableaux. The resulting works have something of Stephen Gill's highly attentive realism
read on

where:
ARCH
15 Resolution Way
SE8 4NT
who:
Nicholas Middleton
when:
10am - 5pm
what:
Painting
cost:
Free
 

Cosmographia

Splendidly occultish weirdness at Transition Gallery this January and February.

Steve Richards and Rachel Cattle present a new video work inspired by all manner of obscure symbolism, arcane tracts, and other esoteric bits and bobs.

The whole oddball occult thing is pretty big right now, and this kind of exhibition is one of the reasons why. read on

where:
Transition Gallery
8 Andrews Road
E8 4QN

who:
Steve Richards, Alex Cattle
when:
12pm - 6pm
what:
Video, Art
cost:
Free
 

A Night for Heroes

Three promoters team up to bring you A Night For Heroes. In the basement, Concepto - a new venture by the man behind Liason Harry Hammond - will be rocking things. They have Lee Rands, Dan Farserelli and Michael Wells pulling the punches for them. Soulful House East (SHE) return to Egg with Funky Soldiers flying the flag and Meganite bring read on

where:
Egg
Vale Royal
N7 9AP
who:
Francesco Poggi
+ more
when:
10pm - 6am
what:
House, Techno/Minimal
cost:
£12

Sunday 24th

Happy Huw Year

Radio 1 new music DJ Huw Stephens hand picks the bands on show tonight at the Lock Tavern. Highlights include up and coming Sunderland indie-poppers Frankie and the Heartstrings. read on

where:
Lock Tavern
35 Chalk Farm Road
NW1 8AJ
who:
Swanton Bombs
+ more
when:
3pm - 11pm
what:
Indie
cost:
Free
 

Doorway - kapi araligi

How many open doors do we walk away from? How many doors do we open for ourselves? How many do we walk through? It goes on but essentially the door is one heck of a metaphor in this one act play in both English and Turkish. Ala-Turka, the Arcola's Turkish theatre group, wants to show you what's behind few doors. An exploration of the opportunities read on

where:
Arcola Theatre
27 Arcola Street
E8 2DJ

when:
6pm
what:
Melodrama
cost:
£5

Monday 25th

These New Puritans

Essex-based dance/punk/prog rockers These New Puritans arrive at the Bush Hall tonight, playing tracks from their brand new second album 'Hidden'. They've been on the fringes of the indie scene since around 2005, and their latest record rightly gained positive reviews from all angles. As a weird tie-in, the band will also be offering a limited n... read on

where:
Bush Hall
310 Uxbridge Road
W12 7LJ
who:
These New Puritans
when:
7.30pm
what:
Indie
cost:
Free
 

Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival - Gala Showcase

You might know that Edinburgh holds the world's largest arts festival but did you know that Glasgow holds Europe's biggest comedy festival? Now in its eighth year, the festival runs from 11-28 March and already has Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle, Lee Mack, Rhod Gilbert and Dave Gorman signed up, with plenty more to be added. If travelling to Glasgow ... read on

where:
Leicester Square Theatre
Leicester Square
WC2H 7BP

who:
Robin Ince, Stewart Lee
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£13

Tuesday 26th

Enron

There was a warning, and its name was Enron. The financial saga on stage. It shocked the world, foreshadowed the current recession and is now being thoughtfully and humourously played out for our amusement. Written by Lucy Prebble and directed by theatrical renaissance man Rupert Goold this show fairly exploded at the Royal Court last year and the ... read on

where:
Noel Coward Theatre
St Martin's Lane
WC2N 4BW
when:
Times vary
what:
Melodrama
cost:
From £13 to £51
 

Vivian Girls

All-girl trio Vivian Girls sound exactly like a second generation Lush, and whilst Cassie Ramone is no Miki Berenyi - she's much better looking, for starters - if they want to make sublime shoegaze and dream pop with a surf-rock chaser then we aren't complaining.

Tonight they entertain the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen. read on

where:
Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen
2 Hoxton Square
N1 6NU

who:
Vivian Girls
+ more
when:
8pm
what:
Indie
cost:
£10

Wednesday 27th

Chris Ofili

Each of the YBAs has had their own way to gain notoriety: Hirst did the shark, Emin the bed, and Quinn the blood-head. Chris Ofili did it by using elephant dung in his paintings. Not so controversial you might think, but New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani certainly didn't think so when he banned the exhibiting of Ofili's 'The Holy Virgin Mary' whe... read on

where:
Tate Britain
Millbank
SW1P 4RG
who:
Chris Ofili
when:
Times vary
what:
Painting
cost:
£10
 

Dan Perfect - Daemonology

Dan Perfect's jumbled and explosive canvases erupt in an array of colours, shapes and forms.

The energy and intensity of his surreal, often graphically inspired works are visually arresting, complex, chaotic, disorientating and fascinating, and his latest solo show at Karsten Schubert looks set to be all of the above.
read on

where:
Karsten Schubert
5-8 Lower John Street
W1F 9DR

who:
Dan Perfect
when:
10am - 6pm
what:
Painting, Drawing
cost:
Free

Thursday 28th

Jerusalem

Jez Butterworth is in the front rank of English playwrights. His latest is a Shameless-esque romp through one day in the life of a waster as he is pursued by his children, by council eviction officers, by angry drug dealers and greedy, druggy mates. It's St George's Day and the fair is in town. But where is Johnny? This play first appeared in 200... read on

where:
Apollo Theatre
Shaftesbury Avenue
W1D 6AB
when:
Times vary
what:
Comedy
cost:
From £20 to £50
 

Quack Quack

Quack Quack is a three-piece instrumental, instrument-swapping band approximately based in Leeds.

Combining simple keyboard melodies with pulsing polyrhythms, QQ make music that is difficult to pigeonhole but has been compared to folks such as Trans Am, Can, and Afrika 70. Which is no bad thing in our book. read on

where:
Boston Arms
178 Junction Road
N19 5QQ

who:
Quack Quack
when:
7.30pm
what:
Indie
cost:
£5

Friday 29th

Michael Landy - Art Bin

Artists have a history of destroying work that they're not happy with. Cezanne, Bacon, de Kooning, Monet: all are known to have destroyed pieces for a variety of different reasons. One of the most famous examples in recent years was Michael Landy's 2001 work Break Down in which the artist incinerated every single one of his possessions, including h... read on

where:
South London Gallery
65 Peckham Road
SE5 8UH
who:
Michael Landy
when:
12pm - 6pm
what:
Installation
cost:
Free
 

Police & Thieves

Skank out the mid-winter shadows with some of UK reggae's biggest names in Jamaican institution The Globe, Notting Hill as Police & Thieves put on a rankin January Blues Dance. Featuring Musclehead, the brains behind Saxon Studio International - the most influential reggae sound system in the UK; Lloyd Bradley, one of the world's foremost r... read on

where:
The Globe
103 Talbot Road
W11 2AT

who:
Musclehead, Lloyd Bradley
+ more
when:
10pm
what:
Reggae
cost:
£10
 

Deadly Rhythm

Forward-thinking dubstep night Deadly Rhythm continues to impress with enviable line-ups. In 2009 Dutch producer 2562 released the LP 'Unbalance' to wide acclaim, becoming a standout in the experimental dubstep/future garage scene. As headliner for the night he's sure to dish up all kinds of glitchy, ambient, minimal-influenced beats. Meanwhile... read on

where:
Plan B
418 Brixton Road
SW9 7AY

who:
2562, Jackmaster
+ more
when:
10pm - 6am
what:
House, Garage, Dancehall
cost:
£10, £8 Concessions

Saturday 30th

New Act of the Year Final 2010

It's the annual 'New Act of the Year' bash at the Hackney Empire tonight - one of the UK's most prestigious competitions for discovering new talent on the British comedy circuit. Over the last 29 years, it's introduced several comics who are now TV stars including the likes of Harry Hill, Eddie Izzard and Russell Brand. Hosted by legendary comedy ve... read on

where:
Hackney Empire
291 Mare Street
E8 1EJ
when:
8pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£13
 

The Blitz Party

Once again The Blitz Party returns to Shoreditch for a night of 1940s reminiscence. Always a sensation, you can expect to step into a wartime East End air-raid shelter under The Arches at Village Underground with oil lamps and searchlights lighting your way. The night will feature some of London's finest swing bands and DJs, including favourit... read on

where:
Village Underground
54 Holywell Lane
EC2A 3PQ

who:
Ta Mere, Twin Tonic
when:
8pm
what:
Retro
cost:
£15
 

mulletover January Party

One of the best promotions in London - mulletover celebrate the onset of another decade with a January sale.

NYC house invigorators Wolf and Lamb join Soul Clap, Richie Ahmed and the main man Geddes. read on

where:
Secret Location
who:
Geddes, Wolf and Lamb
+ more
when:
10pm - 6am
what:
House, Techno/Minimal
cost:
£15

Sunday 31st

The Empire Strikes Back - Indian Art Today

2010 begins in earnest at the Saatchi Gallery with the opening of The Empire Strikes Back. After China, the Middle East and America, Uncle Charles turns his attention to the contemporary art being produced in India right now. Expect the usual works that Saatchi likes - big, bold, sculptural pieces and the odd painting, occasional political statem... read on

where:
Saatchi Gallery
Duke of York Square
SW3 4RY
when:
10am - 6pm
what:
Painting, Sculpture
cost:
Free
 

Funny Women Showcase

In a special charity gig for The New Victoria Medical Foundation, the producers of the Funny Women Awards present a one off comedy gig showcasing the best in female comedy. Featuring stand-up, sketch, character and musical comedy from some of the best new talent from the 2009 Awards and beyond, the event will be headlined by Jan Ravens, from BBC's... read on

where:
Orange Tree Theatre
1 Clarence Street
TW9 2SA

who:
Jan Ravens, Carrie Quinlan
+ more
when:
7pm
what:
Stand Up
cost:
£20
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