£5 entry. Angels Warehouse, 1st Floor, Courtenay Road, East Lane Business Park, Wembley, HA9 7ND, 8:30am-5:00pm. Nearest public transport: North Wembley Tube (Bakerloo line) or North Wembley train.

Monday night sees the amazing Rilo Kiley play the Carling Academy Islington – tickets sold out pretty quickly, but there are a few floating around on eBay etc for what is sure to be one of their smallest UK shows for a while. If you want a gig where tickets aren’t sold out way in advance perhaps take a peek at DeVotchKa, who play 93 Feet East. They could provide one of the suprises of the week with their self-described “eastern bloc indie rock band,” combining elements of traditional Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero, and Mariachi music with indie rock. Enter Shikari play the Barfly, though as could be expected tickets sold out within 3 minutes reportedly.

Tool play Brixton Academy on Tuesday and Wednesday, though both dates are well and truly sold out. LA lightweight electro one hit wonders Hellogoodbye play the Astoria (again, sold out). Anthemic post-rockers …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead play the Islington Academy. Tickets are £12.50 available from Ticketweb. The Rolling Stones play their first date at the O2 (sold out – what more did you expect?), Hadouken! play the ICA (again, sold out) and Tokyo Police Club play Dingwalls.

Expect the Hammersmith area to be overrun with irritating eye-linered teenagers on Wednesday as the Decaydance Festival hits Hammersmith Apollo with Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, Gym Class Heroes, The Academy Is… and Cobra Starship all playing. Tickets are sold out, though plenty on eBay and the likes. Lostprophets play the Astoria, though tickets are again sold out. Finally, carnage will hit the Barfly as Gallows play a sold out show.

Set Your Own Goals grace Underworld on Thursday for an evening of hardcore punk, with tickets available now at £8.50 a head. Slint play Koko, performing their 1994 math-rock masterpiece “Spiderland”. Tickets are £22.50 each. Scouting for Girls play the 100 club, though tickets are sold out.

Angels and Airwaves play the Astoria on Friday night for a grown-up version of Blink 182’s anthems before they play Reading and Leeds over the weekend. Will Holland’s project Quantic plays Cargo for some downtempo chillout. Tickets are still available from the Cargo Ticket office at £10 each.

Photo of Rilo Kiley is taken from celebdu’s flickr stream under the Creative Commons License.

LAist is experimenting with blogging dates from J-Date, but finds the best men are found offline. Some date vicariously online and that is one reason why porn is big — really freaking big — so they ask if they should cover XXX since the heart of it lays in the city’s San Fernando Valley. A writer grapples with her food porn photography obsession, another gets censored on Flickr, one gets scooped by the LA Weekly on a bookish guide and the Dodgers lost to an ugly man. Two writers go out and find graffiti and one finds fuzzy grandma tags. What a weird city, complete with hiking at a place called Stunt Ranch.

Seattlest notes the anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption, the grounding of a local cruise ship in Alaska and the return of the Blue Angels. Land, sea and air being covered they turn their sites on a nearby resort town and the prickly problem of vague set times at a rock club.

Sampaist had a busy time trying to decide whether to support or not the invasion of the São Paulo University dean’s office by the students. Meanwhile, the “1st Whiskey Festival” brought them a very fun Scottish trio playing Brazilian music on the Scottish pipes. Watch

the video! Finally, they were amused to see the first-lady kissing her own hand when meeting the Pope in São Paulo. See the picture.

Like all Brits, Londonist loves two things: cups of tea and their pets. Uber-posh hotel Claridges has the perfect activity – afternoon tea for dogs. Unfortunately, the same place received several tonnes of horse manure from animal rights activists, for serving horse meat. In other dog news, top soccer manager Jose Mourinho almost had his Yorkshire terrier confiscated by police. Back to the rational world, and Londonist interviewed a bunch of urban ironers.

Phillyist discussed how to navigate a breaking circle, how to get happy, how to meet the parents, and how to leave an audience with something to think about.

Houstonist spent the week finding new euphemisms for self-love, considering the merits of slaughtering horses (no, that wasn’t a euphemism), Houstonians can’t handle parallel parking. Fortunately, they always have Austinist wonders why a local TV network censored a tasteful nude t-shirt and welcomes the arrival of electric scooters to Texas. Two local scout troops broke the Guinness Book world record for most simultaneous rocket launches, and, not to be one-upped, Austin’s historic Paramount Theatre seems hell-bent on setting another record for most classic film screenings in a summer. Austinist chats with The Clientele, and previews an exciting new photography retrospective debuting at the Austin Museum of Art.

Ahh, futility was the theme over at SFist. Their local Survivor contestant, Yau-Man, leaves the island. No good for either side of the bike debate comes from the meltdown Critical Mass had in Berkeley. Some folks want to dance on Falwell’s grave; their efforts prove impotent as well. Are you a homeowner in San Francisco? The joke may well be on you. SFist got fussy about a San Diegan’s claim of burrito superiority, yet their commentors, shamefully, seem to blow in SD’s direction. A pro-war rally(?) involving chimps(!!) proves to be flaccid (small favors). Hopefully SFist’s guide to a safe, sane Bay To Breakers will empower their readers to enjoy that event this Sunday!

This week Chicagoist announced their 3rd birthday party plans (awesome), dished about The Loop’s party (not awesome), and confessed our undying love for meat and this local meat market. They also discussed the big faux paux on the logo designed by for the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid and whether local girl, Jaslene, was too drag queenish to win America’s Next Top Model.

DCist felt a lot of forward momentum this week, starting off by rolling into work with city’s annual Bike to Work Day. The D.C. Voting Rights Act moved forward with a hearing in the Senate, and the District’s changing demographics kept on changing with predictions that the city would no longer be majority African American in the near future. They also noticed an increase in graffiti around town, and said goodbye the D.C. Madam scandal in favor of a new Dominatrix scandal.

Torontoist had a very musical week: they checked out the Arcade Fire, Amy Winehouse, the Silversun Pickups and Mando Diao. Though they might have the mumps, they’re breathing easy over an escape monkey (!!!), gave their readers tips for a healthier BBQ, checked out a massive pillow fight downtown.

Gothamist wondered if you’re ever too old or too stupid to tempt fate by trying to square off against youths convening under scaffolding. But if it ever gets into a fight, Gothamist would like this 11-year-old girl to be on our side, given she defended herself from a kidnapper and even helped capture him! The Big Apple blog also headed to College Point for some well-done burgers from Five Guys, interviewed John Flansburgh from They Might Be Giants, and visited a jewelbox of Modernist architecture under the Queensboro Bridge. And then there are the fears: Too many skyscrapers on the Far West Side and falling through sidewalk grating. At least there are the cool folks auditioning for the chance to perform in the NYC subway system to inspire them.

Shangahaiist ran hot AND cold. An artist caused a stir by living in a glass box in sexy lingerie and crotchless stockings. Shanghaiist also tried to visit Ice World before it melted, debated the chemical nature of maotais and rode the new bullet trains. But above all, Shanghaiist wants the animal torture to STOP.

And this week the best of Boston were making noises in Washington. Bostonist heard about Barney Frank and his arm injury about which he refused to dish details, Jim McGovern is eating for a week on food stamps, and Mitt Romney is still running for President. It almost seems relevant that zombies marched through Cambridge in the same week as cops were practicing their golf swings in Big Dig buildings. And when the rain forces Bostonist to do something other than watch baseball you’re going to hear all about how the names of our players are oddly the names of local towns.

Photographs, from top: Graffiti from Pesky Humans/LAist; Poo at Claridge’s from Dave Nicholls on Flickr/Londonist; censored shirt/Austinist (which has the uncensored version); the questionable Chicago Olympic bid logo; Prouve cottage in Queens, NY by Gideon Fink Shapiro/Gothamist

Lots of big events and comebacks on sale tomorrow, so we’ll jump straight in:

First up as some of you may be aware Prince has announced 21 shows throughout the summer in London, including 8 nights at the O2 arena, playing on Wednesday 1st, Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th, Tuesday 7th, Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Tuesday 14th August. Expect these to sell out quickly when they go on sale tomorrow morning at 9am, at £31.21 a ticket, which includes a copy of his new album 3121.

Alternatively you can text for tickets today if your mobile is on the O2 network: text PRINCE to 2020 and you’ll get a password.

Deptford boys Athlete return for three dates at Koko on Tuesday 10th, Wednesday 11th and Friday 12th July to start off their campaign

for their new album, which is out later this year.

Former Blink 182 frontman Tom Delonge returns to the capital for a one off show at the Astoria with his band Angels and Airwaves on Friday 24th August as a warm up for Reading and Leeds.

Psychedelic indie darlings Kula Shaker return in June with a new album, and are playing two dates in London on Wednesday 13th June at the Hoxton Bar and Grill, and on Friday 15th June at Bush Hall. Tickets on sale at 9:30 tomorrow morning.

Thin Lizzy and Queensryche have announced that they’re going on a joint tour together, stopping off across the UK before their tour climaxes by playing Shepherds Bush Empire on Thursday and Friday 13th and 14th December.

On Saturday morning tickets go on sale for Sum 41 who play the Astoria on 5th July for a one off show to preview material from their forthcoming new album.

Earlier this week tickets quietly went on sale for Regina Spektor at the Southbank Centre on Friday 7th September – book them from the Southbank Centre direct for £20 a ticket, but be quick – tickets are already half gone.

Finally, if you want something to do tomorrow night, Pull Tiger Tail are playing a “secret” set at the Year Zero Club night at the Proud Gallery in Camden. Support comes ably from To My Boy and The Patty Winters Show. £6 on the door, 8pm til 3am.

By Phil Singer

Trees don’t often hit the news. We pay scant attention to these oxygen giving, living, blooming, wooden angels that line our streets, populate our excellent woodlands and seasonally give us conkers to play with.

What heart-warming joy, then, to hear about Londoners who care.

First up, Richmond arborphile, Phil Davison, who kicked up fuss when he thought that builders had poured concrete over the base and roots of one of London’s official “Great Trees”. Horrified, he reported the incident to the council, branding the attack on the 200ft tall riverside plane tree “an environmental disaster“.

Fortunately, Phil’s zealous eco-anxiety was calmed by the official report that the tree, the subject of a preservation order, was unharmed and the substance a tree-friendly porous aggregate.

Meanwhile, up north, urban warrior Sergeant Suzy Rosser has deployed mounted police protection in Bentley Priory Open Space, Stanmore to dissuade the local marauding youths from vandalising and spray painting a 450 year old oak tree – the second oldest in the UK.

Rumours she’s got Special Branch on the case are yet to be confirmed.

Check out the 41 Great Trees of London here or or join the London Tree-athalon.

Image of plane tree bark courtesy of Ben Lawson’s Flickrstream

This week we’d like to congratulate the -ist network’s Mother Hen, Gothamist’s Jen Chung, who found herself a recipient of Wired Magazine’s Wired Rave Award. If that doesn’t sound terribly exciting, keep in mind another recipient was J.K. Rowling. Yep, that’s right, the -ist network and Harry Potter now have something in common. Go us.

Austinist has a chat with the ever-fashionable Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, and managed to catch some local fashionistas making their stunning debut. The city wants to renovate a cherised watering hole, while an evil individual attempted to blow up a local women’s clinic. Austinist is still stumped that someone would give our president a Purple Heart, and a religious freedom bill has caused quite a stir on the Texas House floor.

Chicagoist supports Roger Ebert’s courage to appear in public even though after cancer surgery he “ain’t a pretty boy no more.” They also dished about the possibility of Illinois lawmakers passing a cell phone lemon law, argued about whether Wrigley field is the best stadium in the country, and reviewed Diet Coke Plus, which turned out to be a negative.

DCist had money on its mind this week, alerting its readers to the potential demise of a favorite local arts venue thanks to skyrocketing property taxes, as well as the first entrance fee ever to be introduced to a Smithsonian museum exhibit. Later they got excited to see D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Colbert Report once again, and learn that the second “bloggiest” neighborhood in the country is right here in D.C.

Do you hate Uggs? So does LAist. Do you hate Paris Hilton? So do Giants and Dodger fans. Do you hate trendy hot dog stands that have half hour lines? Many do. But there is much to love about LA. From Phil Spector’s courtroom coiffure to the LA Times Festival of Books, there is plenty to go around for all, including Carson Daly, Newsvine CEO — Mike Davidson — and that intense guy on that billboard in Hollywood.

It’s Spring, and Gothamist finds flowers – and a plethora of ideas – blooming. We got excited about the cherry blossom festival in Brooklyn. An alternative subway map is loved by most everyone except the MTA. We found an artist who makes chocolates in the shape of the hepatitis C virus (really!). And we have to question the whole “no snitching” plan many hip hop artists seem to use. Plus, Mayor Bloomberg wants the city to be a little greener and even suggests a congestion pricing plan to make things better for the future.

Anarchy reigns in Londonist, with a week of wrath and destruction. Someone’s stalking London’s kittens with a crossbow. A man lops off his own cock in a crowded restaurant. Nearby, a major fire closes off the main shopping area on Oxford Street. And Londoners are encouraged to smash up lots of old TVs and stuff.

Phillyist was feeling a little romantic this week, as they waxed poetic about springtime, showed the extent of their love for puppets, explored their beautiful City Hall, and then got some reader-love for a fab band and the Food Network.

Seattlest watches a religious group walk out of a Mike Daisy performance and destroy his notes en route. Soccer season begins in the city, unbeknownest to many, and we can’t do our spring shopping until H&M shows up. A popular resort and brew pub chain tries to restore an old seminary in Washington and we remember David Halberstam.

SFist was concerned about getting from here to there. Would Critical Mass get in their way? Would they have to pay tolls to go downtown? Would they be able to fly Blue Angels? And why do they do dumb studies about getting around that pretty much say what everyone already knows.

Torontoist explored a now-defunct daily paper’s gorgeous cover designs (and checked out the not-too perfect copy editing in another still-alive daily), checked out some sweet Minority Report-type projection tools, celebrated International Dance Day, while contributor Chris Tindal began his “Campaign Confidential” series of posts about running for public office. Finally, they embraced Hate, but as for the city’s new street furniture…not so much.

Want to know what’s going on in the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week’s readers’ favorites on Bostonist, Houstonist, Sampaist, and Shanghaiist.

Compiled and edited by Jon Shurkin.

]]>

This week we’d like to congratulate the -ist network’s Mother Hen, Gothamist’s Jen Chung, who found herself a recipient of Wired Magazine’s Wired Rave Award. If that doesn’t sound terribly exciting, keep in mind another recipient was J.K. Rowling. Yep, that’s right, the -ist network and Harry Potter now have something in common. Go us.

Austinist has a chat with the ever-fashionable Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, and managed to catch some local fashionistas making their stunning debut. The city wants to renovate a cherised watering hole, while an evil individual attempted to blow up a local women’s clinic. Austinist is still stumped that someone would give our president a Purple Heart, and a religious freedom bill has caused quite a stir on the Texas House floor.

Chicagoist supports Roger Ebert’s courage to appear in public even though after cancer surgery he “ain’t a pretty boy no more.” They also dished about the possibility of Illinois lawmakers passing a cell phone lemon law, argued about whether Wrigley field is the best stadium in the country, and reviewed Diet Coke Plus, which turned out to be a negative.

DCist had money on its mind this week, alerting its readers to the potential demise of a favorite local arts venue thanks to skyrocketing property taxes, as well as the first entrance fee ever to be introduced to a Smithsonian museum exhibit. Later they got excited to see D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Colbert Report once again, and learn that the second “bloggiest” neighborhood in the country is right here in D.C.

Do you hate Uggs? So does LAist. Do you hate Paris Hilton? So do Giants and Dodger fans. Do you hate trendy hot dog stands that have half hour lines? Many do. But there is much to love about LA. From Phil Spector’s courtroom coiffure to the LA Times Festival of Books, there is plenty to go around for all, including Carson Daly, Newsvine CEO — Mike Davidson — and that intense guy on that billboard in Hollywood.

It’s Spring, and Gothamist finds flowers – and a plethora of ideas – blooming. We got excited about the cherry blossom festival in Brooklyn. An alternative subway map is loved by most everyone except the MTA. We found an artist who makes chocolates in the shape of the hepatitis C virus (really!). And we have to question the whole “no snitching” plan many hip hop artists seem to use. Plus, Mayor Bloomberg wants the city to be a little greener and even suggests a congestion pricing plan to make things better for the future.

Anarchy reigns in Londonist, with a week of wrath and destruction. Someone’s stalking London’s kittens with a crossbow. A man lops off his own cock in a crowded restaurant. Nearby, a major fire closes off the main shopping area on Oxford Street. And Londoners are encouraged to smash up lots of old TVs and stuff.

Phillyist was feeling a little romantic this week, as they waxed poetic about springtime, showed the extent of their love for puppets, explored their beautiful City Hall, and then got some reader-love for a fab band and the Food Network.

Seattlest watches a religious group walk out of a Mike Daisy performance and destroy his notes en route. Soccer season begins in the city, unbeknownest to many, and we can’t do our spring shopping until H&M shows up. A popular resort and brew pub chain tries to restore an old seminary in Washington and we remember David Halberstam.

SFist was concerned about getting from here to there. Would Critical Mass get in their way? Would they have to pay tolls to go downtown? Would they be able to fly Blue Angels? And why do they do dumb studies about getting around that pretty much say what everyone already knows.

Torontoist explored a now-defunct daily paper’s gorgeous cover designs (and checked out the not-too perfect copy editing in another still-alive daily), checked out some sweet Minority Report-type projection tools, celebrated International Dance Day, while contributor Chris Tindal began his “Campaign Confidential” series of posts about running for public office. Finally, they embraced Hate, but as for the city’s new street furniture…not so much.

Want to know what’s going on in the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week’s readers’ favorites on Bostonist, Houstonist, Sampaist, and Shanghaiist.

Compiled and edited by Jon Shurkin.

]]> http://londonist.com/2007/04/elsewhere_in_th_16.php/feed 0 http://londonist.com/2007/04/football_bromle.php http://londonist.com/2007/04/football_bromle.php#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:30:00 +0000 London_Duncan http://londonist.com/?p=5868

Chelsea and Arsenal have both won it in the past, but this year’s London Senior Cup, premier competition of the London Football Association, will be fought over by Bromley FC and Tooting & Mitcham United who, as it happens, are also staging the final at their Imperial Fields ground (pictured above). The cup, which these days is “open to all non-F.A. Premier League and non-Football League Senior Clubs affiliated to the Association or approved by the Cup Committee,” was first competed for in 1882, ten years after the FA Cup began.

This season’s final could also be billed as Kent v Surrey given that both clubs, playing through fixture congestion that would have José and Arsene complaining long and loud, have already won their respective county senior cups in finals held a mere 48 hours ago. Bromley, of the Ryman Premier League, brushed aside Tonbridge Angels 3-1 with goals from prolific strikers Nic McDonnell and Gareth Williams while the Metropolitan Police were given extra time to question the Tooting & Mitcham defence before releasing them without charge in a 1-4 reverse.

Spectators at tonight’s game may spot a few familiar faces from league football. Bromley player manager Bobby Bowry, once at both QPR and Millwall, heads a trio of Crystal Palace alumni that also includes midfielder Simon Osborn, who also played at Loftus Road, and former Welsh Under 21 striker Williams. Goalkeeper Andy Walker was once at Charlton, full back Mark Corneille at Gillingham and defender Lee Fieldwick at Brentford while Londonist has a strong recollection of seeing imposing centre back Jerrome Sobers play for Ipswich reserves against Chelsea three years ago. On that occasion we noted that he had a genuine presence, was good in the air and comfortable with a player running at him, but wasn’t the quickest and looked a little suspect positionally, though we’re sure his highly experienced manager will have sorted all that out now. Tooting & Mitcham’s league experience is more sparse, perhaps not surprisingly given that they’re one division below their visitors, but defenders Aaron Day and Allan McLeod were once on the books at Charlton and Arsenal respectively while striker Ben Abbey played plenty of professional football with Oxford and Southend and Romuald Bouadji collected 16 appearances in Scotland with Clyde a couple of seasons back.

McLeod also once played for Bromley, as did four of his team-mates including Paul Vines, Tooting & MItcham’s one-man goal machine who has netted 36 times in (gulp) sixty-three (count them) appearances so far this season. Meanwhile, Bromley forward Adrian Stone once played for tonight’s hosts as did reserve keeper Glyn Shimell. Nine of the players may also have featured in the same Carshalton Athletic side at some point in their careers.

As well as being newly crowned cup victors, both sides are pushing for promotion from their respective leagues, so the final promises to be enthralling and kicks off at 7:30 pm. Admission is £6 for adults and half-price for concessions.

Photo of Imperial Fields via diamond geezer’s Flickr stream.

We don’t know about where you are, but it seems like spring can’t decide whether or not to happen. Some days are warm, some days are cold, and sometimes you aren’t sure which. Baseball may have started up (and soccer/football winding down) but it still seems cold out there. Unless it’s not. Anyways, onto the -ists.

Austinist happily anticipated fall’s Austin City Limits, even though they’re not fully recovered from South By Southwest. In other music news, a Texas country legend got in hot water after shooting a stranger in the face and a young singer songwriter prepared to embark on another zany tour. Some downtown pranksters pulled off a funny April Fools joke, but Austinist wasn’t laughing when ’04 Democratic hopeful John Kerry flip-flopped on his Texas appearance.

As Bostonist handed out tips on how not to be “that guy” they watched as the city looked for a few good men as the murder count kept climbing and they mayor tried to put on a happy face. But crime won’t get them down, it’s Spring and the Boys of Summer are in full force and coming home to Fenway next week. In the meantime they’ll be happy not to see any bloody socks and very happy that the butt-load of money spent in the off season seems to have gotten a 10k return.

DCist was feeling confrontational this week. First they told San Diego, and their supposedly superior panda sperm, to get bent. Next they jumped into the fray of the American University students vs. Karl Rove showdown, and then got testy about Inside Edition’s Rat Patrol’s visit to D.C.. Finally they wrapped up by challenging Metro to make their Knight Rider-style bus upgrades the real deal.

Chicagoist saw their top cop resign after police officers were caught on tape in beer brawls on multiple occasions. They also appeared as guest on Chicago Access Network Television’s “Talkin’ Funny” and got excited about Theatre Seven of Chicago’s new show “Is Chicago.”

Houstonist was all about conflict this week: a man vs. his prized cockatoo, a woman vs. a really sucky carjacker, the suburbs vs. enormous presidential busts, classic architecture vs. a herd of cows.

Phillyist had Phestival Phever, err, Festival Fever, what with both music and movie festivals hitting the city. When they weren’t out using their press passes to have fun, Phillyist staffers were trying not to get stuck in public restrooms, photographing big, tall buildings, getting upset about repackaging, watching their beloved hometeam, and gettin’ excited for some unibrow action.

LAist crashed the red carpet premiere of Year of the Dog before heading to the 2007 US Sumo Open and watching the female matches. An Angels baseball player refused to take part in a Jackie Robinson tribute, so they visited the best drive-in movie theatre around – one that happens to be in a suburb called City of Industry (eek!). They tried e-mailing City Council, but the e-mails bounced, so they rocked out on Broadway with Mars Volta.

Gothamist got into the swing of April with the opening of Coney Island, where the famous Astroland amusements may be open for the last time. The Big Apple blog chatted with the guys behind Human Giant, the new MTV show, contemplated NYU’s minority magazine with its Yellow Fever cover, and visited the Auto Show where really young girls shilled and activists protested against gas guzzlers. And a warning to folks visiting Chinatown just to buy fakes: You may be locked in a basement for hours during police raids.

Londonist Londonist feared for its health after learning that their city is a more unhealthy place to live than the environs of Chernobyl. But we still love this city, where a simple photoshopped image of St Paul’s can land us with a TV slot Meanwhile, a white London councillor who blacked up to look like Nelson Mandela got support from the former South African president.

SFist was stuck in the middle of a lot of things. Like the great battle between cars and bicyclists after a driver either ran over a biker or was assaulted by a wild pack of bikers. Then they got themselves in the middle of the debate over the release from prison of video blogger Josh Wolf. Luckily, to lighten things up, their Mayor did something stupid again.

Torontoist got stylish as they checked out some “street furniture,” suggested healthy Easter alternatives, and pondered whether they really are a “capital of style.” Elsewhere, somebody posted fake street signs and somebody else responded to them.

Photo by Gothamist’s Tien Mao

Written by SFist’s Jon Shurkin

]]>

We don’t know about where you are, but it seems like spring can’t decide whether or not to happen. Some days are warm, some days are cold, and sometimes you aren’t sure which. Baseball may have started up (and soccer/football winding down) but it still seems cold out there. Unless it’s not. Anyways, onto the -ists.

Austinist happily anticipated fall’s Austin City Limits, even though they’re not fully recovered from South By Southwest. In other music news, a Texas country legend got in hot water after shooting a stranger in the face and a young singer songwriter prepared to embark on another zany tour. Some downtown pranksters pulled off a funny April Fools joke, but Austinist wasn’t laughing when ’04 Democratic hopeful John Kerry flip-flopped on his Texas appearance.

As Bostonist handed out tips on how not to be “that guy” they watched as the city looked for a few good men as the murder count kept climbing and they mayor tried to put on a happy face. But crime won’t get them down, it’s Spring and the Boys of Summer are in full force and coming home to Fenway next week. In the meantime they’ll be happy not to see any bloody socks and very happy that the butt-load of money spent in the off season seems to have gotten a 10k return.

DCist was feeling confrontational this week. First they told San Diego, and their supposedly superior panda sperm, to get bent. Next they jumped into the fray of the American University students vs. Karl Rove showdown, and then got testy about Inside Edition’s Rat Patrol’s visit to D.C.. Finally they wrapped up by challenging Metro to make their Knight Rider-style bus upgrades the real deal.

Chicagoist saw their top cop resign after police officers were caught on tape in beer brawls on multiple occasions. They also appeared as guest on Chicago Access Network Television’s “Talkin’ Funny” and got excited about Theatre Seven of Chicago’s new show “Is Chicago.”

Houstonist was all about conflict this week: a man vs. his prized cockatoo, a woman vs. a really sucky carjacker, the suburbs vs. enormous presidential busts, classic architecture vs. a herd of cows.

Phillyist had Phestival Phever, err, Festival Fever, what with both music and movie festivals hitting the city. When they weren’t out using their press passes to have fun, Phillyist staffers were trying not to get stuck in public restrooms, photographing big, tall buildings, getting upset about repackaging, watching their beloved hometeam, and gettin’ excited for some unibrow action.

LAist crashed the red carpet premiere of Year of the Dog before heading to the 2007 US Sumo Open and watching the female matches. An Angels baseball player refused to take part in a Jackie Robinson tribute, so they visited the best drive-in movie theatre around – one that happens to be in a suburb called City of Industry (eek!). They tried e-mailing City Council, but the e-mails bounced, so they rocked out on Broadway with Mars Volta.

Gothamist got into the swing of April with the opening of Coney Island, where the famous Astroland amusements may be open for the last time. The Big Apple blog chatted with the guys behind Human Giant, the new MTV show, contemplated NYU’s minority magazine with its Yellow Fever cover, and visited the Auto Show where really young girls shilled and activists protested against gas guzzlers. And a warning to folks visiting Chinatown just to buy fakes: You may be locked in a basement for hours during police raids.

Londonist Londonist feared for its health after learning that their city is a more unhealthy place to live than the environs of Chernobyl. But we still love this city, where a simple photoshopped image of St Paul’s can land us with a TV slot Meanwhile, a white London councillor who blacked up to look like Nelson Mandela got support from the former South African president.

SFist was stuck in the middle of a lot of things. Like the great battle between cars and bicyclists after a driver either ran over a biker or was assaulted by a wild pack of bikers. Then they got themselves in the middle of the debate over the release from prison of video blogger Josh Wolf. Luckily, to lighten things up, their Mayor did something stupid again.

Torontoist got stylish as they checked out some “street furniture,” suggested healthy Easter alternatives, and pondered whether they really are a “capital of style.” Elsewhere, somebody posted fake street signs and somebody else responded to them.

Photo by Gothamist’s Tien Mao

Written by SFist’s Jon Shurkin

]]> http://londonist.com/2007/04/elsewhere_in_th_14.php/feed 0 http://londonist.com/2007/04/news_from_aroun_13.php http://londonist.com/2007/04/news_from_aroun_13.php#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2007 10:40:09 +0000 sizemore http://londonist.com/?p=5726 We here in the Ist-A-Verse know that we’re sensational, but it’s very rare that we get a chance to be sensationalistic. This week, we’ve decided to have ourselves a little fun and try our hand at tacky tabloid headlines, using nothing more than our favorite posts from this week.

Torontoist Special Report: Rosie to Trump: “Fire 300 Bicyclists for Fraud!”

On DCist: Students Go Wild for Slogans, Secrets and Sexual Harassment

The action was thick and heavy at SFist: Mayor Discovers Public Transportation Not Very Good! War on Paper Bags and Food Critics Who Attack Food Bloggers! Town Hall Meeting With Mayor Turns Raucous When Chickens Attack!

Seattlest mentions McCain’s momentous MySpace same-sex marriage announcement, mumbles that their monstrosity of a library might be a Monet, and muses on the possibility of a drunken pitcher on the mound of last year’s All-Star matchup. Meanwhile, members of their lit group meet the author, a local musician questions the merits of the Pitchfork Effect and a man makes moves to get a MacBook Pro in the mitts of local radio.

Scandal galore on Houstonist this week: Killer Barbecues Ex-Girlfriend’s Remains! Senator Offers Women Cash for Their Babies! Man Fakes Kidnapping To Slip Ball and Chain! Antique sofa miraculously preserved! Hard-Working City Bloggers Get Screaming Drunk!

This just in from Londonist: Rutting Royal VS. Rocking Racer: Ready to Rumble!!!

Overheard outside the trash bin Chicagoist collects its news from: Obama’s Gay Gaffe Slightly Less Upsetting Than “The Man” Saturating a Hipster ‘Hood and Staining Their Lily White Belts. Breaking! Spire to the Sky or Fusilli Jerry? And, Marvel at the Transit System That Doesn’t Actually Transit!

Shanghaiist exclaims: Kenny G! Ziggy Marley! Sonic Youth! Giant Chinese Dragon! Crazy Sex Scandal Involving Shanghai Toys and Chairman Mao condoms! Yowza!

Breaking news on Phillyist! Flyers and Phillies Flock to Decorated Dormitories: Decency Dies, Defecates

Austinist crushes over cool “kustoms” while a crazy chick (who couldn’t kick the chronic) creeps away in a cop’s car. Meanwhile, the city reached a copasetic conclusion to a college controversy just as the climate turned calamitous.

Bostonist (who helped inspire the guidelines for this post) features: Out-Of-This-World Athletes and Angels, While Governor Derides Droopy Drawers

Next up on LAist: Man(cia) Bites (Veggie) (Dodger) Dog; Echo Film at 11, Music by Datarock

Extra, extra, hey look at Gothamist‘s headlines: Brooklyn Artist Cocoas Christ! Supermarket’s Super Opening Party! Wal-Mart’s CEO to NYC: Drop Dead! Neighbors want San Gennaro fest To Sleep With the Fishes! Splasher Tired, but Brusher Is Wired! Pachyderms Back in Big Apple!

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Collage by Londonist Editor Mike Atherton.

]]> We here in the Ist-A-Verse know that we’re sensational, but it’s very rare that we get a chance to be sensationalistic. This week, we’ve decided to have ourselves a little fun and try our hand at tacky tabloid headlines, using nothing more than our favorite posts from this week.

Torontoist Special Report: Rosie to Trump: “Fire 300 Bicyclists for Fraud!”

On DCist: Students Go Wild for Slogans, Secrets and Sexual Harassment

The action was thick and heavy at SFist: Mayor Discovers Public Transportation Not Very Good! War on Paper Bags and Food Critics Who Attack Food Bloggers! Town Hall Meeting With Mayor Turns Raucous When Chickens Attack!

Seattlest mentions McCain’s momentous MySpace same-sex marriage announcement, mumbles that their monstrosity of a library might be a Monet, and muses on the possibility of a drunken pitcher on the mound of last year’s All-Star matchup. Meanwhile, members of their lit group meet the author, a local musician questions the merits of the Pitchfork Effect and a man makes moves to get a MacBook Pro in the mitts of local radio.

Scandal galore on Houstonist this week: Killer Barbecues Ex-Girlfriend’s Remains! Senator Offers Women Cash for Their Babies! Man Fakes Kidnapping To Slip Ball and Chain! Antique sofa miraculously preserved! Hard-Working City Bloggers Get Screaming Drunk!

This just in from Londonist: Rutting Royal VS. Rocking Racer: Ready to Rumble!!!

Overheard outside the trash bin Chicagoist collects its news from: Obama’s Gay Gaffe Slightly Less Upsetting Than “The Man” Saturating a Hipster ‘Hood and Staining Their Lily White Belts. Breaking! Spire to the Sky or Fusilli Jerry? And, Marvel at the Transit System That Doesn’t Actually Transit!

Shanghaiist exclaims: Kenny G! Ziggy Marley! Sonic Youth! Giant Chinese Dragon! Crazy Sex Scandal Involving Shanghai Toys and Chairman Mao condoms! Yowza!

Breaking news on Phillyist! Flyers and Phillies Flock to Decorated Dormitories: Decency Dies, Defecates

Austinist crushes over cool “kustoms” while a crazy chick (who couldn’t kick the chronic) creeps away in a cop’s car. Meanwhile, the city reached a copasetic conclusion to a college controversy just as the climate turned calamitous.

Bostonist (who helped inspire the guidelines for this post) features: Out-Of-This-World Athletes and Angels, While Governor Derides Droopy Drawers

Next up on LAist: Man(cia) Bites (Veggie) (Dodger) Dog; Echo Film at 11, Music by Datarock

Extra, extra, hey look at Gothamist‘s headlines: Brooklyn Artist Cocoas Christ! Supermarket’s Super Opening Party! Wal-Mart’s CEO to NYC: Drop Dead! Neighbors want San Gennaro fest To Sleep With the Fishes! Splasher Tired, but Brusher Is Wired! Pachyderms Back in Big Apple!

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Collage by Londonist Editor Mike Atherton.

]]> http://londonist.com/2007/04/news_from_aroun_13.php/feed 0 http://londonist.com/2007/03/tv_classics_clo.php http://londonist.com/2007/03/tv_classics_clo.php#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:40:15 +0000 Hazel http://londonist.com/?p=5563

If you are after a new spring wardrobe and have a bit of cash to spend on some new outfits now the season is about to change, you’ve got today to bid for your favourite velvet cape and long stripy woollen scarf combination at Bonhams auction house in Knightsbridge. Bonhams is the oldest and largest auctioneer of fine art and antiques in Britain – terribly highbrow but for today, one of their salerooms will become a big dressing up box.

Approximately 350 lots are on offer from London costume maker Angels, including Madonna’s dresses from Evita and the Batman and Robin outfits from a well-known episode of Only Fools and Horses (sold for £8,500.00). Bonhams has transformed one of their rooms into a star’s dressing room for bidders to try on the costumes before pledging their bank balances to a purchase; we can just hear the giggling over the sound of the auctioneer’s gavel.

We like to think that there aren’t many people out there who believe their lives are incomplete without Sean Connery’s James Bond dinner jacket or a Tom Baker-era Dr Who frilly frock coat but we are monitoring the results of today’s sale, which is likely to be quite eye-watering. The brown cloak Sir Alec Guinness wore in Stars Wars could fetch at least £40,000. Benny Hill’s beret has already gone for £260.00. We can confirm someone is now the proud owner of Jim Broadbent’s “cape and underwear” from the film Topsy Turvy for the bargain price of £400.00. Full details of the auction and the chance to see what you could have taken home if you really, really, really loved that black blazer with white piping from The Prisoner…

The oddest story we’ve stumbled across in a while:

The body of a baby has lain in a mortuary for 20 years because his parents refuse to accept the official cause of death. A pathologist told the parents of Christopher Blum that he died of cot death, but his parents are adamant that a triple vaccination he was given hours before his death was to blame… he has remained in the mortuary at Hornsey Coroner’s Court, in a drawer marked ‘Baby Blum: Deceased’.

The authorities and parents are in continual deadlock as to how to proceed. Over the years the the cost of keeping the baby’s body frozen at £15-a-week has added up to around £15,000. Although Mr Blum could be asked to meet the costs and the body could be given a parish funeral so far the stalemate remains in place.

We don’t believe in angels and heaven and all that stuff, but no matter what your belief system a drawer in Hornsey isn’t much of an afterlife. Maybe it’s time for a thorough reexamination of the death so the family can finally move on.

Prime Ministers both past and present have made the arts news because of paintings of places they enjoy to pass the time when not thinking about war and stuff.

Cherie Blair posed semi-nude for artist Euan Uglow back when “she was an unknown trainee barrister in her mid-twenties“. The unfinished painting, Striding Nude, Blue Dress, while not quite on the same level as One Night in Paris, does reveal a little more than we thought we’d ever see of Downing Street’s First Lady.

Mrs Blair was introduced to Uglow by Derry Irvine, the future Lord Chancellor. She remained friends with the artist and is thought to have named her eldest son after him. As the Blairs’ eminence in political circles grew, Uglow became ever-more reluctant even to acknowledge the painting.

It’s only now that Uglow has gone to paint the angels that the painting has surfaced. Someone with a lot less class than us will probably make a Blair pro-Bush joke. We just think it’s a shame the unfinished pieces of white canvas gives the work a kind of bukkake effect.

Downing Street has refused to comment. Bad move. The Blairs should embrace the art and send it out as this year’s official Christmas card. We think it’s pretty cool.

Meanwhile Winston Churchill made himself a mint yesterday when his oil painting, View of Tinherir, was sold at Sotheby’s for £612,800. We tried to track the ex PM down, but his press office said he’d been dead since 1965. The things politicians do to avoid questions.

This public tranport / creative space crossover, described by icon magazine as an “urban intervention” is the result of furniture designer and “social entrepeneur” Tom Foxcroft trying to find affordable space for small start-up creative businesses, that would make use of existing spaces and materials to keep costs down and reduce waste. Foxcroft bought two tube carriages that were going to be thrown out as scrap by London Underground and had them stuck them on a viaduct over Shoreditch in August this year.

It was apparently extremely cheap to buy the carriages but unbelievably expensive to put them in place. Still, its a curious sight to see these tube carriages zipping along the London streets on a back of a lorry, looking as if grumpy commuters would pour forth from the sliding doors and make their way to phantom escalators whenever they stop at a red light…

Refurbishment, plumbing, re-wiring and whatever else it takes to change an old tube carriage into a working studio space been set to finish at the end of this year. The offices of Foxcroft’s cultural and creative enterprise Village Underground sits directly beneath the tube carriages and these will be connected by stairs; small start-up creative businesses will have the chance to use the studio space for their work once everything is up and running.

All the seats have been pulled out of the carriages in order to create the prerequisite open plan studio space but the pneumatic sliding doors will be reinstated to keep the spirit of the tube alive – and to make the act of stepping out for a sandwich at lunchtime that little bit more exciting. Considering how high the tube carriages sit above Great Eastern Street, the studio users really must mind the gap when departing their train.

]]> Shoreditch may not have a tube station any more but it still has tube trains. Well… two tube carriages, to be accurate. As with anything in Shoreditch that stands still for more than two minutes, the two tube carriages we mentioned have been taken over by artistic / media types and now sit above Great Eastern Street like gritty urban guardian angels, keeping a watchful, graffiti-covered eye over the designer / media types going about their Nathan Barley-esque lives below.

This public tranport / creative space crossover, described by icon magazine as an “urban intervention” is the result of furniture designer and “social entrepeneur” Tom Foxcroft trying to find affordable space for small start-up creative businesses, that would make use of existing spaces and materials to keep costs down and reduce waste. Foxcroft bought two tube carriages that were going to be thrown out as scrap by London Underground and had them stuck them on a viaduct over Shoreditch in August this year.

It was apparently extremely cheap to buy the carriages but unbelievably expensive to put them in place. Still, its a curious sight to see these tube carriages zipping along the London streets on a back of a lorry, looking as if grumpy commuters would pour forth from the sliding doors and make their way to phantom escalators whenever they stop at a red light…

Refurbishment, plumbing, re-wiring and whatever else it takes to change an old tube carriage into a working studio space been set to finish at the end of this year. The offices of Foxcroft’s cultural and creative enterprise Village Underground sits directly beneath the tube carriages and these will be connected by stairs; small start-up creative businesses will have the chance to use the studio space for their work once everything is up and running.

All the seats have been pulled out of the carriages in order to create the prerequisite open plan studio space but the pneumatic sliding doors will be reinstated to keep the spirit of the tube alive – and to make the act of stepping out for a sandwich at lunchtime that little bit more exciting. Considering how high the tube carriages sit above Great Eastern Street, the studio users really must mind the gap when departing their train.

]]> http://londonist.com/2006/10/village_undergr.php/feed 0 http://londonist.com/2006/10/competition_win_12.php http://londonist.com/2006/10/competition_win_12.php#comments Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:52:45 +0000 Talia http://londonist.com/?p=4532

It’s competition crazy at Londonist at the moment. Firstly, congratulations to Rachel Horwood who won our pair of tickets to see Seth Lakeman tomorrow at The Scala. And don’t forget you can still enter to win a copy ofThe Meaning of Life by Michael Cox. Plus later on today we’ll have an awesome competition for all you clubheads out there.

Now, as you may have noticed London has already begun to go Christmas crazy and with only(!) 70 days to go until a plump man tries to get down your chimney, it’s time we all started thinking what to buy each other. Well no, actually it’s not at all. Christmas thinking and shopping should probably start on December 1, but for the purpose of this one blog post, just pretend you’re in a world where you’re unashamably organized and have everything wrapped before the end of October but are struggling for one final present for your mum or grandma.

Yup we might be being a bit bias here, as for all we know even the hippest 20something raver out there might be a secret fan, but we’ve got two new albums by Italian crooner Patrizio Buanne to give away to readers. Known as ‘the voice of romance’ in his native land, Patrizio made quite a big impact on the UK with his top ten charting album The Italian in 2005. His second album Forever Begins Tonight hits the shops this morning and is a collection of classic covers from the likes of a Spanish version of You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me to a vaguely worrying sounding cover of Angels. The title track though, is brand new and written by Connor Reeves (remember him?). Watch the video here.

If you like what you hear, or know someone that does (apparantly Geri Halliwell and Gwen Stefani are fans!) simply fill in your details and tell us what country Patrizo is from. Two winners will be selected next week and get a copy of the album winging it’s way to them. Good luck!

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If this leaves you feeling all warm, snuggly and Christmas-y then old news it might be but if you’re bored at work and in need of a giggle, take a look back at Londonist’s favourite Xmassy post from the winter of 2005

“…given the turbulent times we live in, the need for a deeper sense of connection and meaningful growth and change in society has never been greater.”

So sayeth the organisers of the Mind Body Spirit Festival starting tomorrow and running through to the end of the Bank Holiday weekend. The organisers of this annual festival have brought to the public all that you need to know about healing, meditation, yoga and all forms of holistic living through exhibitors, workshops, talks and demonstrations. The festival aims to challenge the way we think about our health and our happiness and how the two are linked together. It’s New Age, it’s alternative, it’s a bunch of tree-hugging hippies… and it’s still going strong after 30 years.

Graham Wilson, the original organiser put together the first Festival For Mind and Body in 1977 and time has proven that wellbeing doesn’t go out of fashion: Holland and Barratt, Body Shop and Neal’s Yard Apothecary were among the first to take part back in the 1970s and have become well-known and well-loved brands today. They will no doubt be part of this year’s festival and other confirmed talks, demonstrators and workshops include The Barefoot Doctor leading a talk on Taoist healing, Diana Cooper with a workshop on Atlantis and the Angels of Atlantis and also Georgia Foster who will give demonstrations on weight loss through hypnotherapy.

If you’re thinking of turning up “just for a laugh” then you’re welcome to do that too: the first National Laugh-a-thon will take place as part of the festival on Sunday 28th. All the money raised through all this healthy cardio-vascular exercise will be donated to the British Heart Foundation.

The 30th Mind Body Spirit Festival starts tomorrow and continues until Monday 29th May at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria. For more information and to book tickets, go to the festival website here. The picture shows an example of inversion therapy at work.

Haven’t Snow Patrol done well for themselves? By exchanging the one last chance nothing spared push of The Final Straw for a more of the same efficiency on whatever the new one’s called, they’ve only gone and upgraded themselves to arena band status. If you can get anywhere near the front of Wembley Aircraft Hanger on December 18th, you’ll see that Gary Lightbody still looks close to tears each time the audience sings Run back at him. Reason enough to give them a chance if they ever decide to play somewhere sensible again.

Lost Prophets find themselves at Brixton on July 7. With an average audience age of about eleven and a knack for catchy pop-metal hittery, expect to be more than pleasantly surprised if that’s your kind of thing.

Chas and Dave. 100 Club. May 19 and 21. Blame The Libertines. Or not.

One of the Minus 5′s side projects seems to be R.E.M. (they just hire in singer and bass player). Scott Peter and the other Bill without the bald guy play Dingwalls on July 7.

Blink 182 were almost fun for an album once. Then they got serious. Then they split up. Then the one with the piercings and the tatoos formed another band, Angels And Airwaves and they play Brixton on June 13th. Quite honestly, we really don’t care.

Guns. A big issue with our cousins across the pond. The 2nd Amendment to the constitution means that people can keep assault rifles at home, and with Bush and his cronies in the White House, it doesn’t look like there will be any changes to the law anytime soon.

American Liberals, however, are increasingly using the media to get across their simple and sensible message: Gun crime will not decrease unless gun laws are tightened. American Gun seems to be no exception. It highlights the gun culture that is rife in the USA. The trailer looks good, but the film looks a little too glossy, if anything.

From guns to Gauls now, and the new Asterix film – Asterix and the Vikings. Whilst the film is currently only available in French (not having been dubbed into English yet), seeing an old-fashined hand drawn film is a nice respite from all the flashy multi-million dollar CGI, which to be honest, is a bit dull now, and seems to find its way into every film, regardless of genre. (“Oh look, some stunningly rendered dinosaurs” “But this is a romantic comedy!” – at least they could do us all a favour and eat Sarah Jessica Parker).

On to reviews, and Basic Instinct 2, with the ageing Sharon Stone in the lead role (but you still would, wouldn’t you?). But just how sexy is this erotic thriller? Black lacey thong or old skid-mark covered Y-fronts? The critics seem to think the latter. The film takes a real beating from The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw:

It is difficult to convey just how uproariously awful this movie is, all of the time. The original’s complications had their own messy allure: this one is just muddled and silly. Sharon is haughtily jaded; there is nothing in the script to release her natural fizz; where once there was danger and mischief, there is now only a kind of dyspepsia, and the script by Leora Barish and Henry Bean gives no perspective on what Catherine might be like as an older woman. Morrissey looks thoroughly uncomfortable, especially when Sharon’s teasing has to unleash his inner beast. It is then that that he gets very frowny and shouty and looks as cross as two sticks, like Gordon Brown, though not as sexy.

Calm down there Peter. Gordon Brown? Sexy? Then this film must be the opposite to sexy! Anthony Quinn of the Independent gives us an even more scathing review, awarding the film a single measly star:

The director Michael Caton-Jones stirs up a mood of morbid unpleasantness, but, even as the body count climbs, one never feels the smallest shiver of suspense: we have no clue as to the character of the victims, and no doubt as to the identity of the murderer. By the end I was so dumbstruck by its awfulness I almost forgot to jeer.

So that’s what the experts say. Still, if you want to see Sharon Stone getting up to some rampant pummeling at 110mph in the front seat of a sports car with footballer Stan Collymore (of all people), before she throws him into the Thames, then this film is most definitely for you.

And so to finish this week’s Friday Film News, the news roundup.

Could this be a real picture of the dark suit from Spiderman 3?

Shock news! Hollywood doesn’t cast Brit in villain role! Simon Pegg has been a busy boy - filming his part in Mission: Impossible 3. He is actually playing a good guy, which is a rarity for a Brit – I guess we Brits are all just naturally evil. The word on the street is that Pegg will do another series of his brilliant cult comedy Spaced after this little excursion to the City of Angels.

And finally – get well soon Mike! – our usual film critic is laid up at the moment. Hopefully we’ll have him back for next week’s Friday Film News, as no-one else at Londonist can really do it the same justice. So if everyone could concentrate Uri Gellar on David Beckham’s foot-style on Mike’s back and send positive energy his way, the Londonist can resume normal service as soon as possible.

Londonist spotted this poster outside the Stockwell Baptist Church on South Lambeth Road the other day and felt compelled to take a quick snap.

It’s good to see that the Church aren’t relying on those tired old images of Jesus and angels etc and have decided instead to embrace the likes of Matthew Fox, Dominic Monaghan and…er, that big bloke who plays Hurley.

It’s not about to make us foresake our Sunday morning ‘fry up and papers’ ritual but we can’t help but applaud them for their efforts.

In fact, there’s some decent religious imagery in Season 2 that this lot would just love. Maybe we should warn them so they can tape it or something?

If you have any ideas for cult TV shows that could be used by the religious community to get bums on seats do let us know in the comments.

TV Troll is in a bit of a domestic mood this week; it must be the horrible cold weather. So, to celebrate this, here are a couple of programmes guaranteed to make those of a foodie bent quiver with joy. First up is Gordon Ramsay, whose Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (Tue 9pm C4) started up last week, but apparently really hits its stride this week. As a What Not To Do In The Kitchen, it works very, very well; Gordon, any chance you’ll come and cook for us? Then there’s Jimmy’s Farm (Tue 9pm BBC2), where a posh bloke who is not Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall makes sausages out of his porcine friends, which seems a bit mean. Mmm, all of the lovely nosh in these shows has inspired us to order in a really good takeaway. But beware, reader: whatever you do, do NOT watch Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife (Sun 7pm BBC3) as it may induce vomiting, a violent allergic reaction, and a desire to slow-roast Anthea “I sold my wedding to Cadbury’s and all I got was utterly excoriated by everyone in the UK” Turner-Bovey to death in a pot filled with cold tramp sick. Apparently, the blonde Fembot goes around to some poor normal women’s houses and guilt-trips the hell out of them until they are infected with her pathological neuroses, retrograde gender stereotypes and fixed grin of death. Anthea Turner is the perfect housewife if you are Ed Gein and need someone around the house who is just as soulless and fundamentally misogynist as you are. Normal people should run a mile.

There are two new series going head-to-head tonight: will you watch old favourite No Angels (Tue 10pm C4), the acid, addictive drama-comedy (described somewhere as ”Holby City on crack”) about a group of mad-fer-it nurses, or will you take a chance on Thin Ice (Tue 10pm BBC2), a sitcom charting the day-to-day travails of the employees at an ice rink? Hmm, it’s a close-run thing, but No Angels gets the Londonist imprimatur, just because there’s a higher chance of there being healthy doses (badum tish) of sex and drugs and hot stethoscope action.

On the subject of sex and drugs, we were beyond happy with the season opener of Footballers Wive$ (Thur 9pm ITV1) last week – it was like a reunion with an old, disreputable, bitchy but marvellous friend. Even Tanya wasn’t too badly missed as Bruno and Lucy’s Pride And Prejudice-themed ‘blessing’/remarriage ended in calamity, while Amber channelled the spirit of her manslaughtered husband Conrad, wobbled her eyes à la Tanya, and got busy with a metal detector that was sent from beyond the grave. Her new haircut looked fabulous, too. ITV obviously knows its audience; a new series called Poor Little Rich Girls (Thur 10pm ITV1) is on immediately after. In the Faking It/Wife Swap mould, it deals with a rich, privileged ”superstar DJ”/Page 3 model from Chelsea swapping places with a minimum wage hairdresser from Liverpool. Sounds like a foolproof formula for entertainment if you ask us, although we’re sorely tempted by No Tax Please, We’re Rich (Thur 10pm BBC2), which looks at the many and varied ways that the filthy rich stash their money far from HM Inland Revenue’s eye. Now, we, like all civilised people, read Private Eye, and we’re regularly outraged by the accounts of barefaced, shameless tax-dodging that are told by that exemplary organ; is this programme seriously trying to teach us to emulate some of the tricks of the rich when it comes to tax evasion? Isn’t that a tiny bit unethical? Although one could always advance the argument that if they don’t pay, the rest of us shouldn’t have to either. Of course, the government should just make it harder for twats on the scale of Philip Green, who is mentioned in the programme, to squirrel away their billions; but then, most of us gave up expecting New Labour to do anything other than cosy up to the super-rich a long time ago.

This week’s dose of audiovisual cheese is of the stinkiest kind imaginable, as Dancing On Ice (Sat 6.50pm ITV1) ends with Torvill and Dean “recreating” their Bolero – which has to be one of the most overplayed clips of all time. That said, even TV Troll’s ice-hard heart has to melt enough to let us admit that it was a stunning performance; will it be as magical when they’re whoring themselves out to ITV? Watch and see.

Saturday will bring to mind another legendary performance destined to live forever in the annals of music: it’s Making Your Mind Up time (Sat 6.20pm/8pm BBC1)! That means it’s the anniversary of Jordan’s Katie Price’s appearance in a pink Teletubby suit, and her ignominous defeat (although, as she points out in her latest magnum opus a) She never wanted to do Eurovision anyway but her manager made her; b) The song just wasn’t right for her voice; c) She had horrible stage fright; and d) Javine smells of wee). Who will represent us at Eurovision this year? Let’s see: it’s a choice between a boyband grad who looks like an estate agent, someone out of Hear’Say (or was it Liberty X?), and a load of people we’ve never heard of. The comment panel sounds rather better, at least, with Wossy, dear dear Brrrruno Tonioni from SCD (roll on autumn!), Kelly O (will she imitate her mother’s, um, mumsy style of judging?), and, er, terminally fizzy thought-vacuum Fearne Cotton, who we wager will be ever so nice to everyone. If only Simon Cowell could be persuaded to take part! (Ooh yes, TV Troll read somewhere that there is to be an Americavision Song Contest, with the states competing against each other, and we’re practically fapping with excitement. Isn’t that something to look forward to, kitsch fans?)

Original picture from www.gono.com

The Londonist Literary List appears every Tuesday. If you’d like to bring an event to our attention, please email londonistlit@gmail.com.

Hello? Publishing World? Did you go on a collective vacation this week? Did all of your printers go on strike at the same time? Did your own books put you all to sleep? Did television finally really spell the death of reading? Are you still hung over from the Londonist birthday party? And if none of these are true, then why is it that you haven’t published any books this week? Don’t you see what you’ve done? You’ve left Londonist readers no choice but to get out and do something.

What’s that you say? The Londonist readers are Internet nerds and will probably read webpages, parked in front of their computer screens, even if they can’t order any new releases off Amazon? And there’s not a thing I can do about it?

But there’s some really incredible live stuff going on this week in literary London! Surely it’ll be enough to get the crowds out?

Ah, well, one can hope, can’t she…

Events Around London (Just in Case…):

Tonight, Blackwell’s sponsors an appearance by Neil Gaiman in honor of his new novel, Anansi Boys, which starts off with the protagonist’s father dropping “dead at a karaoke bar.” Logan Hall, Institute of Education. 20 Bedford Way. 7pm. £7/£5 concessions.

On Wednesday (the 9th), Tariq Ali stops by the London Review Bookshop to talk about all kinds of things, including writers’ priorities, his novels, and Tony Blair. The London Review Bookshop’s website seems to be down, so we suggest that you call if you’d like to reserve tickets – 020 7269 9030. 14 Bury Place. 7pm. £4.

Also on Wednesday, a number of writers, including Nigerian Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka, get together at the South Bank Centre to celebrate the legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa, the writer and activist who was executed ten years ago by the Nigerian government. Purcell Room, South Bank Centre. 7:45pm. £8.50.

On Thursday (the 10th), author John Berendt (who wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) talks about his newest book, City of Fallen Angels at the Waterstone’s Picadilly. 203-206 Picadilly. 7pm. £3.

Also on Thursday, Barry Miles stops by Foyle’s to discuss the Beats and his new book about them, titled The Beat Collection. 113-119 Charing Cross Road. 6:30pm. £5 / £4 concessions.

Next Monday (the 14th), Umberto Eco (pictured) reads from his new illustrated novel (please tell me he is not morphing into a graphic novelist). Yes, it certainly does look like Waterstone’s in Picadilly is the place to be for live literary stuff this week (although he is giving a talk at the Criterion Theatre first)…203-206 Picadilly. 7:15pm. £3.

(A Couple Of) New Releases:

Bleed Into Me (short stories), by Stephen Graham Jones

Farley Mount and Imber Forever, by Michel Russell

Other News:

All joking aside, this week we’ve got a Nobel Prize winner and Umberto Eco and Tariq Ali and Neil Gaiman. You can’t stay in and read webpages all week. You just can’t!

When Londonist heard that Chris Roberts, the man behind the excellent Heavy Words Lightly Thrown (the hidden meanings behind nursery rhymes), had written a book on London’s Bridges we knew we had to get in touch and force him to complete the Londonist questionnaire.

So we did, and here are the results.

Age, occupation, where are you from, where are you now?

Older than I look.

It’s the restful library jobs I’ve had over the years.

For the last seven years I’ve lived in Walworth and in fact most of my dozen or so years in London have been spent on the sunny side of the Thames. Originally from North West England but raised in North East Wales, so that’s Liverpool and Wrexham.

What drew you to write Cross River Traffic: A History of London’s Bridges? Was it a side effect of writing about ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’ for your previous book Heavy Words Lightly Thrown?

The possibility of the book came about quicker because of Heavy words but the original idea was to be a photographic book with pictures of London’s modern workforce wearing the get up of a previous era (i.e. bowler hats, brolly and pin stripes).

I was very interested in both the decline of bowler and the bridges. In the end the bowler stuff was dropped and the focus became exclusively on the bridges. Also living near the Elephant and Castle means you are virtually equidistant from all the bridges between Tower & Vauxhall.

(All the bowler hat stuff was eventually cut out but I can reveal that one major blow to the bowler came in the late 1960s when sales reps at Shell Oil were told they no longer had to wear bowlers to work.

Hairstyle was a key factor in the long term decline brought about by hair gel and greater interest in expressive (expensive) hair dos on the part of men. Wearing a bowler can seriously mess up your Barnet fair, or Hoxton fin, so carefully moussed in the bathroom mirror at home.

Another suggestion as to where all the bowlers went comes from a lighterman. He claimed to have quite a collection of hats that blew off the bridge onto his barge. If the owner shouted down, the lighterman would tell him which pier to come and collect the hat, but many didn’t bother.)

Do you allow yourself to have a favourite London bridge?

Well it really has to be Waterloo. Not just the majesty of the bridge and the history and film and that song but also the fact that it seems to offer all the potential of London from it. You can see Parliament, the financial district; the legal area, entertainment etc and you know that the West End is just up the road and the South Bank below.

Very fond of the recently battered Battersea Bridge as well.

We find that a lot of people size up a bridge by the view it offers. Do you have specific ‘criteria’ you look for in a bridge?

I think you are right that people do that and not withstanding what I’ve said about Waterloo above, one of the points of the book was to refocus attention onto the bridges themselves.

I didn’t however have any particular criteria it was more an overall impression of architecture, history and stories attached to the various crossings. If I had to pick out anything I suppose a sense of character and uniqueness, which is why many others and myself are, disappointed by the new Hungerford crossings.

Would you say London has the best set of bridges in the world? And if you could transport one bridge from another country to London which would it be?

Ha! I might say that because I live in London but going back to what I said before I think that bridges develop naturally in situ and I’m not sure they should be transferred. Also some of my favourites, such as the Menai Straits Bridges would clearly be out of place. Having said that I think shifting Rennie’s London crossing to the Arizona desert was so nuts that you have to applaud it.

What’s the most fascinating piece of bridge-related trivia you stumbled across whilst researching your book?

There are loads, but I like the battle between men who enjoy wearing leather and embroidery (that’s Hells Angels) on Chelsea Bridge in 1970 and that dog urine is rotting the Albert. The latter resulted in me cycling to the Albert in a snowstorm last February, reaching down below the road level (wearing gloves) to find that indeed there is wood under the iron.

How do you think the more contemporary bridges in the book – the Millennium Bridge for example – stand up to some of the older landmarks?

See above for my opinion on the Hungerford but I think that the Millennium will hold up very well, despite it’s inauspicious start, as it does it’s job and people seem genuinely fond of it.

Do you subscribe to the ‘psychogeographic’ approach to London that’s been made fashionable by Iain Sinclair et al, or are you strictly a facts man?

Oh I do like the idea of psycho-geography as it’s a good means of looking at the city. I also like to draw links between the past and present. For example Vauxhall Bridge being built in 1816 to allow people access to the Pleasure Gardens whilst the more recent one provides a route to the many nightclubs in that area. However I don’t travel nearly as far down that road as the excellent Mr Sinclair.

We recently heard that the transport authorities have a long-term plan to get rid of all London’s railway bridges. Have you heard anything about that?

I have to confess that I haven’t. Mind you getting facts out of TFL for the book was not as easy as it might have been.

What are you working on now?

A musical about an ambitious blonde from Grantham who goes onto become Britain’s first female prime minister. I’m calling it Margaret.

Favourite bar or restaurant?

You should have said “Do you allow yourself a etc…” because since the closure of the Dive Bar last year I can’t really say I have a favourite bar anymore. As to restaurants it’s more a series of caffs really.

What advice would you give Ken Livingstone?

Don’t ever stop winding up the Evening Standard because as long as you do that you know you are probably getting something right.

What London place or thing would you declare a landmark?

In terms of usefulness to new arrivals Centrepoint is excellent as it allows you to navigate your way around the West End, though I like the way that the Swiss Ra building has mucked around with skyline recently.

The world is ending in 24 hours. How would you spend your last day in London?

Have you heard something I haven’t? Not sure about order but a good deal would be spent in bed and would finish on my roof as the views are good up there and I’d like a glimpse of the coming apocalypse. The day would sometime involve Waterloo Bridge, Postman’s Park, Pimlico and East Street Market.

Both Heavy Words Lightly Thrown and Cross River Traffic are available from Amazon.co.uk.

Earlier this week the BBC printed this piece of writing by Geoff Ryman.

Ryman is the author of 253, a fantastic piece of fiction about the relationship between all the passengers on a single tube train.

The article on the BBC encapsulated Ryman’s views on the bombings of 7 July and offered some thoughtful and intelligent insights into the aftermath of the events.

After reading the article, Londonist contributors decided to draw up a quick list of our favourite tube books, both fact and fiction.

Hopefully there will be some titles on here you won’t have come across before, or maybe one or two you know are gathering dust on your bookshelf somewhere and you should dig out and read again.

And, as always, feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments section.

FICTION

Underground – Tobias Hill.

“A literary thriller in which, in a sense, the London Underground becomes the central character. Someone is pushing women under trains, and a Polish immigrant who works at a north London station – a loner with a complicated past and a secret fear of the dark – is determined to stop the killings.”

(Has some good London Zoo bits in it as well)

King Solomon’s Carpet – Barbara Vine.

“Jarvis lives in a crumbling house with a view of the Jubilee Line: he loves the tube with all its secrets – its hidden tunnels, its mysterious “ghost” stations, its incidents and accidents, which he records. He lives in a house which was once a school, but now he lets out rooms.”

A Metropolitan Murder – Lee Jackson.

“The last train of the night pulls into the gas-lit platform of Baker Street underground station. A young woman is found strangled, her body abandoned in a second-class carriage. The brutal ‘Railway Murder’ brings Inspector Decimus Webb to the newly-formed Metropolitan Line on bleak winter’s night. His investigation leads him through the slums of Victorian London to the Holborn Refuge, a home for ‘Fallen women’, and to Clara White, a respectable servant.”

What a Carve Up – Jonathan Coe.

“Michael is a lonely writer, obsessed by a film featuring a mad knifeman. When he is commissioned to write the family history of the Winshaws he realizes that the family have cast a blight on his life and he decides to take his revenge by re-enacting his favourite film.”

(Not strictly a Tube book but includes a great scene where the narrator passes out on the Tube.)

Neverwhere – Neil Gaiman.

“Under the streets of London there is a world of which most people could never dream. When Richard Mayhew accidentally stumbles on this hidden city of monsters, saints, murderers and angels, he is catapulted from a safe and predictable world into one that is eerily familiar yet utterly bizarre.”

NON FICTION:

The Story of London’s Underground – John R. Day.

“London`s underground railways began life as independent companies, built on the money of private investors and banks. This book covers all the major developments on the London Underground and many of the less significant, but fascinating, aspects of its history. The extensive research that has gone into the text of this new edition has also been applied to the illustrations and all known sources of Underground material have been tapped.”

Underground to Everywhere – Stephen Halliday.

“This wide-ranging history of the Underground celebrates the vision and determination of the Victorian pioneers who conceived this revolutionary transport system.”

Underground London: Travels Beneath the City Streets – Stephen Smith.

“News reporter and author Stephen Smith goes below pavement level in London, allowing the reader to vicariously explore burial crypts, dug-up plague pits, sewers, excavated Roman walls, remnants of Henry VIII’s tennis courts, poncy wine cellars, secret government bunkers, the bowels of Parliament, and forgotten corners of the Tube.”

A Logo For London – David Lawrence.

“London Transport’s famous bar and circle symbol has been used to represent public transport in the Capital for almost one hundred years. Through word and image David Lawrence tells the story of the logo’s development and shows the various and sometimes highly inventive ways in which it has been used.”

Norwich, Southampton, Crystal Palace, West Brom. One of these teams will be partying well into the night on Sunday, leaving the others to look forward to playing Hull, Plymouth, and Burnley next season.

To avoid the drop, Palace will almost certainly have to beat their South East London rivals Charlton. Charlton who haven’t scored in four, not won in eight, and lost the last four games; against Palace who have visited the Addicks 14 times in the league and only won once – a 2-1 win in 1989 – and that was at Selhurst Park.

But whatever happens at The Valley on Sunday, focus will have to be shared with their relegation rivals.

West Brom have on paper the easiest tie – at home against fifth-from-bottom Portsmouth. But Pompy have a new manager to impress and won’t be giving up this game easily. A West Brom win will mean Palace also have to win to stand any chance of staying up.

Above Crystal Palace on goal-difference, Southampton may have the toughest game on paper – at home to Manchester United. But with United not being able to improve on, or being in danger of losing their third spot and with the FA Cup final in mind, Ferguson will almost certainly put his youth and lesser lights in. And we saw what his lesser lights were able to achieve (or not) last weekend.

So that’s no real help to Palace. But a Southampton win will still be ok for the Eagles if they manage to beat Charlton by two more goals than Saints beat Man United. Now, if West Brom and Southampton lose then a Palace draw might be enough. But that depends on Norwich. Are you still with us?

So Norwich, then. (Let’s be ‘aving you, etc.) – the in-form side and currently in pole position, and who are away to Fulham on Sunday. A Norwich win and Palace are down whatever the other results are. But a draw for the Canaries and a win for Palace will see the Eagles safe, providing Southampton don’t spoil things. And a Norwich defeat and a Palace draw will also see them safe just as long as Southampton lose and West Brom don’t win.

Crystal Palace will need all the bouncebackability they can muster, and despite what Iain Dowie might say, it’s definately Lucky Pants Time.

Before this excitement, West Ham are at home to Ipswich in the first leg of their play-off semi-final on Saturday (kick-off 12:15), with the second leg to be played on Wednesday. While last night Brentford lost the first leg of their play-off semi-final 1-0 away at Sheffield United. The second leg of this tie is on Monday at Griffin Park.

Also playing out the season this weekend are Chelsea who are away at Newcastle, Arsenal who scraped a lucky 7-0 win against Everton this week are away at Brum, and Tottenham are at home to Blackburn.

(Photo from here on Flikr)

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Norwich, Southampton, Crystal Palace, West Brom. One of these teams will be partying well into the night on Sunday, leaving the others to look forward to playing Hull, Plymouth, and Burnley next season.

To avoid the drop, Palace will almost certainly have to beat their South East London rivals Charlton. Charlton who haven’t scored in four, not won in eight, and lost the last four games; against Palace who have visited the Addicks 14 times in the league and only won once – a 2-1 win in 1989 – and that was at Selhurst Park.

But whatever happens at The Valley on Sunday, focus will have to be shared with their relegation rivals.

West Brom have on paper the easiest tie – at home against fifth-from-bottom Portsmouth. But Pompy have a new manager to impress and won’t be giving up this game easily. A West Brom win will mean Palace also have to win to stand any chance of staying up.

Above Crystal Palace on goal-difference, Southampton may have the toughest game on paper – at home to Manchester United. But with United not being able to improve on, or being in danger of losing their third spot and with the FA Cup final in mind, Ferguson will almost certainly put his youth and lesser lights in. And we saw what his lesser lights were able to achieve (or not) last weekend.

So that’s no real help to Palace. But a Southampton win will still be ok for the Eagles if they manage to beat Charlton by two more goals than Saints beat Man United. Now, if West Brom and Southampton lose then a Palace draw might be enough. But that depends on Norwich. Are you still with us?

So Norwich, then. (Let’s be ‘aving you, etc.) – the in-form side and currently in pole position, and who are away to Fulham on Sunday. A Norwich win and Palace are down whatever the other results are. But a draw for the Canaries and a win for Palace will see the Eagles safe, providing Southampton don’t spoil things. And a Norwich defeat and a Palace draw will also see them safe just as long as Southampton lose and West Brom don’t win.

Crystal Palace will need all the bouncebackability they can muster, and despite what Iain Dowie might say, it’s definately Lucky Pants Time.

Before this excitement, West Ham are at home to Ipswich in the first leg of their play-off semi-final on Saturday (kick-off 12:15), with the second leg to be played on Wednesday. While last night Brentford lost the first leg of their play-off semi-final 1-0 away at Sheffield United. The second leg of this tie is on Monday at Griffin Park.

Also playing out the season this weekend are Chelsea who are away at Newcastle, Arsenal who scraped a lucky 7-0 win against Everton this week are away at Brum, and Tottenham are at home to Blackburn.

(Photo from here on Flikr)

]]> http://londonist.com/2005/05/lucky_pants_tim.php/feed 0 http://londonist.com/2005/02/thursday_gig_gu.php http://londonist.com/2005/02/thursday_gig_gu.php#comments Thu, 10 Feb 2005 10:59:45 +0000 london_ken http://londonist.com/?p=511

A disappointing night at the Brits for London acts, unless you count the Brummie with the faux-Cockney accent Mike Skinner aka The Streets, who won the Best British Male Solo Artist award. The Londonist office is divided on The Streets so we won’t say any more lest a fist-fight break out. In the international categories, the entertaining Scissor Sisters cleaned up in the Best Group, Best Album and Best Newcomer categories. The Brits site contains a full list of winners and nominees, for those who are interested.

The Brits always manages to throw up some stupid results (and we mean really stupid, rather than the usual pop-stupid) and this year was no exception, with Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers’ Angels being voted the best song of the past 25 years. Williams was quoted by the BBC report as saying, “I’m just amazed that my career keeps going.” You’re not the only one, Robbie. You are not the only one by a long, long shot…

And in unrelated news, the band with the commercial-suicidal name, Selfish C**t, play FROG this Saturday night. The duo are now a trio, so pop along and have a gawp. You should know the score by now: FROG takes place at the Mean Fiddler (165 Charing Cross Road), 11pm-4am, entry is only available on the door and there’s no dress code. Entry depends on what time you turn up and whether or not you have a flyer, but starts at a fiver. Check out the FROG website for details.

If you’re looking for something to do tonight, The Chavs are playing a gig at the Half Moon (10 Half Moon Lane) in Herne Hill. If you’re wondering, this isn’t the ‘indie supergroup’ that formed last year, this is the original band, whose name was stolen off them by Carl Barat and co.

And finally, tomorrow night sees the monthly Club Hedonistic gig/club night take place in its now regular venue, the Islington Bar Academy. A secret headliner will be announced tomorrow, but it’s worth going just to see the originators of the night, Hedon, especially when you consider that entry is free.

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A disappointing night at the Brits for London acts, unless you count the Brummie with the faux-Cockney accent Mike Skinner aka The Streets, who won the Best British Male Solo Artist award. The Londonist office is divided on The Streets so we won’t say any more lest a fist-fight break out. In the international categories, the entertaining Scissor Sisters cleaned up in the Best Group, Best Album and Best Newcomer categories. The Brits site contains a full list of winners and nominees, for those who are interested.

The Brits always manages to throw up some stupid results (and we mean really stupid, rather than the usual pop-stupid) and this year was no exception, with Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers’ Angels being voted the best song of the past 25 years. Williams was quoted by the BBC report as saying, “I’m just amazed that my career keeps going.” You’re not the only one, Robbie. You are not the only one by a long, long shot…

And in unrelated news, the band with the commercial-suicidal name, Selfish C**t, play FROG this Saturday night. The duo are now a trio, so pop along and have a gawp. You should know the score by now: FROG takes place at the Mean Fiddler (165 Charing Cross Road), 11pm-4am, entry is only available on the door and there’s no dress code. Entry depends on what time you turn up and whether or not you have a flyer, but starts at a fiver. Check out the FROG website for details.

If you’re looking for something to do tonight, The Chavs are playing a gig at the Half Moon (10 Half Moon Lane) in Herne Hill. If you’re wondering, this isn’t the ‘indie supergroup’ that formed last year, this is the original band, whose name was stolen off them by Carl Barat and co.

And finally, tomorrow night sees the monthly Club Hedonistic gig/club night take place in its now regular venue, the Islington Bar Academy. A secret headliner will be announced tomorrow, but it’s worth going just to see the originators of the night, Hedon, especially when you consider that entry is free.

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