Some say there are over 100,000 Poles now living in London. You may be getting to know their pierogi or drinking their wódkas - but just how much do you know about Polish pop music? The UK's first Polish pop music festival - PKO BP London Live - being held on September 7 at Wembley Arena gives you a chance to find out more. The festival - free to attend - will be an......

Nathan Followill sits atop a raised platform Ringo-style, drumsticks in hand, head perfectly still, turning a piece of bubblegum over and over in his mouth. His hands reach out to the drumkit near him, his forehead barely breaking a sweat. Pop. Plunge. Crack. His brothers, Caleb and Jared stand in front of him, also still, Caleb's voice so full of guttural grit and scream that nearly it defies his delicate physiology; his cousin Matthew......

When you go out to see a band that has existed for just over forty years, there's a high chance of it sounding past its prime. It is a testament to the boundless creativity of Daevid Allen and friends, as well as to the power of heavy, undiluted psychedelia, that Gong's set at Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall on Saturday beat the odds. Presented as part of Massive Attack's Meltdown 2008, psychedelic legends Gong......

Always reliable purveyors of fine musical offerings, Sheffield's Warp Records recently signed their first Australian artist, Pivot. Specialising in off-kilter, driving rhythms peppered with just the right amount of electronics, these lads start their UK tour tonight in Camden at Proud Galleries. Having served in the support slot for the Australian tours of Four Tet and Battles, sonic comparisons to the latter cannot be avoided, but ring true in the best possible way: this......

If you noticed something funny around town on Saturday night, namely about 15,000 people wearing bras in place of tops or over tops, and didn't know what was going on -- mystery solved! The 11th annual Playtex MoonWalk breast cancer event was taking place. Starting from Hyde Park, the mostly female group, which included eight MPs, went on a 26-mile walking tour past sights like the London Eye and Tower Bridge wearing bras in a......

Clocks sprung onto our radar early this year when we got very excited by the incorrect idea that 90s dance 'pioneers' Clock had reformed. Instead we were presented with a fun, new poppy indie band from Epson making the type of music that puts a spring in your step and a summery smile on your face. Genuinely feelgood - we went to check what they were all about. Have a look at the video......

The blink-or-you'll-miss-it honeymoon that Gordon Brown enjoyed last summer seems a lifetime ago. Amidst the Northern Rock fiasco, poll drubbings by the Tories and an economy on the turn, along comes another, devastating blow to the PM's authority: Madam Tussauds has declared that he is "too obscure" to merit a waxwork. The Marylebone tourist magnet has announced that they will not be making a waxwork of Brown for their World Leaders department, citing his......

Our weekly roundup of film reviews returns, courtesy of James Bryan… This week, royal bodice-ripper The Other Boleyn Girl, zombies ahoy in Diary of the Dead, multiple viewpoint assassination thriller Vantage Point and The Rock doing one for the kids in The Game Plan. Don’t expect to learn much history in The Other Boleyn Girl, a film James Christopher in the Times describes as a “ravishing piece of trash” in his 2-star review. The......

Even on its quietest weeks, London is something of a happy haven for bibliophiles such as ourselves, though we may be doing nothing more than perusing one of the city’s many lovely bookshops. This week, however, we’re in a veritable book geek heaven, as the London literary scene goes all glittery, playing host to some major names and fantastic events, leaving us tongue-tied and weak at the knees. Do we gush? Very well then,......

"Y'all are making Brighton seem like where the party's at", yells DJ Big Whiz from behind the decks. The roar of protest from the crowd, packed tightly underneath Cargo's Victorian arches so movement is reduced to peristalsis-like shuffles, is the desired response: Londoners don't take well to comparisons with our southern cousin. As his DJ riles the crowd, Definitive Jux rapper Aesop Rock lounges across the stage with a Cheshire-cat grin. On the second......

Brian Haw arrests 24,000 police for protesting at Westminster. Prisons in London are less popular than ever. We learn the costs of free travel for kids. A touch of glass is coming to South London: Crystal Palace is soon to rise again. Pilot finds God on the way to Heathrow. Fortunately God also seems to have found the pilot, as no harm was done. Is this the real life? We Will Rock You, the......

We hope you’re standing up for this: A KCL study finds that sitting on your arse all day contributes to the ageing process. Whereas regular exercise apparently makes you look like Elle MacPherson. In a wholly uncorroborated and unscientific study undertaken in the last 5 minutes, Londonist notes that the rockstar lifestyle isn’t so bad an antidote to ageing either. Our evidence: 56-year-old Sting and 62-year-old Eric Clapton, who will headline Hyde Park’s Hard......

It was New Year's Eve. You stood looking up into the sky as the fireworks faded and the boom and crack of them rang faintly in your ears. That was it, you thought. That's the last party until spring time. But you were wrong! Because in London, you can have New Year's celebrations several times over before the clocks go forwards, starting with the Russian 'Old New Year' in Trafalgar Square this Sunday! And......

The first full week back at work, and with that we start to get a few decent gigs happening. The Spice Girls continue their record-breaking run of nights at the O2 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Tickets are still available from See Tickets and Ticketmaster for all three nights, and for the rest of their shows this month in London. If you like your music a lot heavier than some camp pop, then you might......

Right, so you're either saving up to blow the last of the December salary on one helluva NYE out or you're just stony broke after Christmas/sales shopping. Either way, unless you're happy to simply hibernate for the week here are some ideas for New Year jollity on a budget. New Year's Eve: Follow our top tips and gird your loins for the massive fireworks display along the Thames, focusing on the London Eye and......

Today, in the evening, Led Zeppelin are showing us a whole lotta love by bringing it on home. Instead of going to California, or even over the hills and far away to Kashmir, their first reunion rock and roll concert for 27 years is happening at the 02 venue on the Greenwich peninsular. In real heartbreaker news, Londonist read the physical graffiti (OK, bit weak that one, we know) a bit too late – there......

Our weekly roundup of film reviews continues, courtesy of James Bryan… This week Kidman plays with her monkey in The Golden Compass, The Rock gets confused in Southland Tales, a famous person gets shot in The Killing of John Lennon and Donal MacIntyre cuddles up to some naughty people in A Very British Gangster. Ever since The Golden Compass was announced, devotees of Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy have been nervously waiting to......

Finding a musical to truly like can be difficult these days. Musicals can be a bit pointless and ridiculous (hello We Will Rock You!) and often most fun if you’re a) drunk or b) intending to get drunk afterwards and thus not paying attention. However, we have finally come across not one but two musicals, currently playing in London, which are certainly worth our time. First up: Hairspray, the musical based on the 1988......

As far as we are concerned, McCartney should have retired years ago, just before he started Wings and released Mull of Kintyre. Sadly he didn't and continues to release albums to this day, such as this year's ridiculously mediocre left-handed mandolin tinged effort that was sold at Starbucks. Rock and Roll. I suppose we don't really mind him releasing new solo albums, what really gets our goat is his Beatles cover band show that......

Kick off the week tomorrow with Stephen Fretwell at Cadogen Hall (£15). The singer songwriter is touring his 3rd album "Man On The Roof" and by all accounts it's pretty good. Or if you like your things with a bit more soul (or rubbish pop depending on your point of view) then the 'legend' that is Craig David begins the first of four dates at Ronnie Scott's (£25). The Mercury nominated one man dream-machine......

Sometimes, Londonist stumbles across fantastic new bands by accident. (In this case getting drunk on wine playing video games.) We were introduced to Mitch. And now we're introducing Mitch to you. Meet Mitch. Who's in the band? Darren - Vocals, Guitars Jason - Guitars, Vocals James - Bass, Vocals Justin - Drums Whereabouts in London are you based and what's ace about it? Darren - We're based in all 4 corners of London -......

What would you do for 10p? Probably not a whole lot if you’re like a very tired friend of ours on Saturday night. The lure of saving a couple of shillings failed to persuade her to stay for another drink: ‘Wait a half hour and the bus fare cut kicks in. You’ll even save 20p on your two buses back to Ealing.’ Predictably she chose bed over beer. Buses are now 90p instead of......

Since we announced to the world that all round top London icon and friendly bear, Paddington, is headed for Hollywood, there's been a resurgence of interest in our marmalade munching mate. What with all those late night botox parties, coke fuelled awards scraps and high class hookers just around the corner you'd have thought that what old Paddington slaps between two pieces of bread would be the least of anyone's worries. But now revered......

Arguably the best city in the world for a music fan to live, pop legends come to play in London all the time. Often not only do they come for just one gig, but they stay for a while when they could easily make haste for the comforts of their own homes to eat biscuits and play video games. Prince recently played the O2 for three full weeks, Sonic Youth resided at the Roundhouse......

It's summer! Shouldn't you be outside enjoying the sunshine? That is, assuming we actually get any. If you don't fancy making the most of the weather, here are a few choices for a night in. On TV, Londonist likes: Tuesday, 21 August Secret Life of the Motorway (BBC4, 21:00-22:00) What screams "summer holidays" more than being stuck on the motorway on your way to or from somewhere fabulous? You'll be sure to love this......

Part 1: Introduction Mods. Rockers. Teds. Punks. Ravers. Swingers. Skinheads. Suedeheads. Hippies. Yuppies. Rudeboys. Indie kids. Emo kids. Beats. Glam kids. Tribes. Subcultures. Neo-tribes. Groups. Bands. Movements. All of the above, and more, have - despite their points of origin - been magnetically attracted to the capital. To attempt to cover all of the ages of London’s youth might seem an exhausting task worthy of Peter Ackroyd who wrote of his biography of London......

Bit of a slow week for live music with most larger bands travelling around Europe doing the festival thing. However, what better time to go and see a band you haven’t heard of – you might get a nice surprise! Monday night sees Dwarves bring their simple loud, yet nuanced punk repertoire to Monto Water Rats. Tickets are still available at £13 each.  If free things are of more interest, woman of the moment Kate......

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a......

Several big artists put on sale tours and one off shows earlier this week, so be sure to get booking for the following: Amy Winehouse plays Brixton Academy on Thursday and Friday 22nd and 23rd November, before playing Hammersmith Apollo on the Saturday 24th November. Tickets for all three nights are rapidly going fast at £22.50 a person. Reverend and the Makers play the Astoria on Wednesday 24th October. Tickets are £12.50 each. Super Furry......

Rockabaret is fabulous. Dress up. Be crazy, silly, decadent, beautiful. And then dance the night away to your favourite songs! Londonist had a chat with Nikkie Amouyal, director of Rockabaret, who runs the night with Tony Maggs. The next night is on Saturday 21st July at the Cobden club: Viva La Revolution! What is so different about your club night? It's glamorous, extravagant, elegant and what a rock star party should be! We have......