Last night, we calmly mooched along Oxford Street at 8pm taking our time to get to the pleasantly open late Apple Store on Regent Street to buy a birthday present for today. When we got there it was shut, and there were a gaggle of teenagers outside. Checking exactly what was going on via web on our phones (asking a real person is too much), we were mildly pissed off to find that Richard Ashcroft doing a live gig had ruined our present buying, and also that we had no idea about it and so not told the Londonist readers. Ashcroft fans - we apologise.
We're a little grateful it wasn't someone we really liked, as that would have made us even more pissed off, but it's becoming a bit of a feature that we hear about fab free gigs and then forget all about them. This has got to be rectified! We missed The Pipettes at Rough Trade last weekend, Boy Kill Boy at a guitar store, Coxon at Virgin.... We promise to stay more uptodate on this, for all our sakes!
And so, upcoming in the world of free London instore gigs:
Dirty Pretty Things play HMV Oxford Street on April 24, the day of their debut single release Bang Bang You're Dead. This is a wristband only gig (available from 9am) and you just know the fans are going to be mental.
Brighton based The Brakes are re-releasing their biggest hit All Night Disco Party and are taking a moment off from their tour with Editors to play a gig at Fopp in Camden next Tuesday (25 April). This one is easy, as far as we know you just show up at 5 and they play there and then!
And finally for now, the prize for most interesting free gig goes to the mighty Rakes who are set to do one of those T-Mobile Street Gig things on May 4. Last time this happened, it was The Streets on a boat over the Thames. The Rakes, though, are playing at a Kebab House in Dalston! Surely this has got to be seen! Only problem is you've got to be on T-Mobile, so if you are, or know someone who is then head along to the T-Mobile site and register.
