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Issue 248 |
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Your cultural event guide
Here's a snapshot of our favorite things to do in London this week. |
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This week, London puts on a little cone-shaped hat, buys a cheap card and breaks out the bubbly in honour of a gaggle of anniversaries, homages and commemorations. The morality-(and style-)challenged '80s is the setting for a mullet-fuelled double feature at the Curzon on Friday; Bond creator Ian Fleming is given the double-oh treatment for his centenary at the Imperial War Museum; Johnny Cash's life is revealed in all its black-and-white glory at Proud Central; and Pink Floyd's memorably trippy album covers throw the.gallery@oxo into a surrealist tailspin. We're just looking for an excuse for champagne, really.
- Kieran Wyatt, Managing Editor
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SPECIAL FEATURE
Write for Flavorpill!
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We're searching for culturally savvy writers to join our London team. If you're up on the latest in art, theatre, music, film or other happening happenings, write to us for details on how to get on board. Please include links to any relevant writing samples and a pitch or two for upcoming event coverage.
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Lara Schnitger
Dutch-born artist Lara Schnitger evokes the eroticism, violence, and vulnerability of bodily forms.
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PERFORMING ARTS: Dance
West Side Story
| when: |
Tuesday 22 July (7:30pm)
More times»
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| where: |
Sadler's Wells (Rosebery Avenue, EC1, 0844.412.4300) Tube: Angel
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| price: |
£10 - 60
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It's been some 50 years since Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's musical update of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet first appeared on the capital's stage. The 1961 film version collected ten Oscars, and Jerome Robbins' choreography, as performed by incredible dancers such as Russ Tamblyn, has become legendary. So it's a joy to welcome Joey McKneely's acclaimed production of this tale of love against all odds to London. Expect colour ("I Feel Pretty"), passion ("America"), tears ("Somewhere") and laughter ("Gee, Officer Krupke!") in the vibrant Sadler's Wells interpretation.
- Lucy Davies
[Info Source]
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MUSIC: Electronic
White Heat feat. Jeremy Warmsley and We Have Band
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Tuesday 22 July (8pm–3am)
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Madame Jojo's (8-10 Brewer Street, W1, 020.7734.3040) Tube: Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road
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| price: |
£6 / £5 advance
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View on site»
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Transgressive's Jeremy Warmsley headlines Soho's louche White Heat club night in the run-up to the release of his second album, How We Became. Warmsley echoes both Serge Gainsbourg and Kieran Hebden with cynical, wordy songs that are steeped in autochorus effects, acoustic guitars and digital oddness. Support comes from fashionable Manchester trio We Have Band, whose geek disco, Legend of Zelda-like synths and new-wave songwriting combine to keep the bodies shaking on the dance floor. As always, Olly and Matty supply highly danceable DJ sets deep into the night, proving that when it comes to having fun, you don't have to wait for the weekend.
- Oliver Spall
[Info Source]
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MUSIC: Jazz/Blues
Youngblood Brass Band w/ Dengue Fever
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Wednesday 23 July (7pm)
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| where: |
Jazz Cafe (5 Parkway, NW1, 020.7534.6955) Tube: Camden Town
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| price: |
£15
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If the thought of a brass band has you picturing parks and parades, it may be time to reappraise with help from the Youngblood Brass Band. Hailing from all over the US, the nine-member horn-and-percussion group has been busy rewriting John Philip Sousa's rulebook — the YBB even got Talib Kweli to pimp out their big-band sound on their 2000 debut album, Unlearn. Several world tours later, Youngblood treat Europe to more sometimes-booming, sometimes-political, sometimes-mellow, crunk-influenced riot jazz.
- Joe Rudkin
[Info Source]
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PERFORMING ARTS: Opera
Monkey: Journey to the West
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Wednesday 23 July (8pm)
More times»
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| where: |
Royal Opera House (Covent Garden, WC2, 020.7304.4000) Tube: Covent Garden
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| price: |
£10 - 75
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Monkey: Journey to the West, the circus opera directed by the acclaimed Chen Shi-Zheng and composed by Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, hits the Royal Opera House. The show is based on the mythical tale of an irascible monkey who wrongs the mighty Buddha; his resulting journey of simian self-discovery unfolds through acrobatics and song, set to a score that fuses Chinese and Western instrumentation. Gorillaz-esque animations courtesy of Albarn's cohort Jamie Hewlett add a final level of wonder to the visual spectacle.
- Helen Holtom
[Info Source]
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ART
Love
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Thursday 24 July (10am–6pm)
More times»
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| where: |
The National Gallery (Trafalgar Square, WC2, 020.7747.2885) Tube: Charing Cross, Leicester Square
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| price: |
FREE
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Love is a many-splendoured thing, but it's also a complex emotion that encompasses a gamut of feelings. With themes of religious devotion, unrequited passion, jealousy, happiness and anger, many of the world's greatest artworks reference love of some description. This exhibition spans 500 years of love-inspired work and covers periods ranging from Renaissance to contemporary, featuring paintings from Rossetti, Vermeer and Chagall. Plenty of British artists are represented as well; highlights include David Hockney's We Two Boys Together Clinging, Marc Quinn's Kiss and Tracey Emin's Those Who Suffer Love (I'm OK Now).
- Lucy Davies
[Info Source]
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FILM: Shorts
Rushes Soho Shorts Festival
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Thursday 24 July
More times»
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| where: |
Various locations
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| price: |
Various prices
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If you want to learn how to recreate elaborate '50s hair and makeup à la Marilyn Monroe, see electronic-music legend John Foxx perform a live soundtrack to his film Tiny Colour Movies or simply improve your filming, pitching or editing skills, then this year's Rushes Soho Shorts Festival is for you. In addition to those highlights, there are screenings of all the films in competition, which range from animation to documentary. Included are such intriguing titles as The I've Spied Book of Beards and Eel Girl. Also, check out the Joseph Fiennes-directed Soldier and the video for Utah Saints' re-released Something Good, set in a Cardiff pub.
- Lucy Davies
[Info Source]
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ART: Photography
Fashion in the Mirror: Self-Reflection in Fashion Photography
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Friday 25 July (11am–6pm)
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| where: |
The Photographers' Gallery (5 & 8 Great Newport Street, WC2, 020.7831.1772) Tube: Leicester Square
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| price: |
FREE
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The process that occurs between a fashion photograph's initial conception and the time when the image appears in a glossy magazine — from dealing with fractious models to shooting in bizarre and often treacherous locations — is a fraught and fascinating one. This exhibition turns the spotlight away from the models and onto the people behind the camera, exposing the industry's less glamorous aspects. The world's most famous photogs are all accounted for here, from US trailblazers Irving Penn and Richard Avedon to British luminaries Terence Donovan and Nick Knight.
- Lucy Davies
[Info Source]
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FILM
Midnight Movies: I Heart the '80s
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Friday 25 July (9:30pm–2:30am)
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| where: |
Curzon Soho (99 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1, 020.7292.1686) Tube: Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus
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| price: |
£12 / £8 advance
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View on site»
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This month's instalment of Curzon's Friday-night cult movie series dons its flashing LA Gear sneakers, leg-warmers and peroxide perm for a truly '80s double (simultaneous, actually) bill of classic Hollywood entertainment. Choose Kim Cattrall's so-bad-it's-brilliant turn in Mannequin (1987) or Ice-T's film debut, Breakin' (1984), and revel in an evening of uncool clothes and dated references. The dress code is strictly enforced, so hike up your bleached jeans, sculpt a curly mullet and hide your eyes behind some Ray-Ban Clubmasters while DJ Prince Nelly spins before the show. Stick around afterward and return to the days of grade school with live power ballads and '80s karaoke.
- Oliver Spall
[Info Source]
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MORE FLAVOR: Party
Stranger Than Paradise
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Saturday 26 July (7pm–7am)
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| where: |
Dex Club (467-469 Brixton Road, SW9, 020.7326.4455) Tube: Brixton
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| price: |
£10 - 25 (advance booking essential for banquet)
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Leftfield club night Stranger Than Paradise returns to the gilded grandeur of its new home above KFC in Brixton, with a 12-hour paean to Caligulan pursuits. The evening begins with a three-course banquet to prepare you for the all-night entertainment. On the live front, this includes chamber-rock outfit the Outside Royalty, a six-piece with a penchant for dramatic melody and string-and-synth crescendos; suave '20s and '30s swing from Top Shelf Jazz; evil puppet show El Perro Sucio; and acrobats, circus acts and walnut-cracking performances. DJs, films and the venue's own rooftop jacuzzi make it one multifaceted night indeed.
- Joe Rudkin
[Info Source]
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MORE FLAVOR: Party
Go!Zilla 3rd Birthday Party
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Saturday 26 July (8pm)
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| where: |
Cargo (83 Rivington Street, EC2, 020.7749.7840) Tube: Liverpool Street, Old Street
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| price: |
£6 - 12
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Go!Zilla has been pumping out killer London parties for more than 1,095 days now (that's three years). Celebrate its success tonight at Cargo with some characteristically intriguing special guests from offbeat London dance label DC Recordings. Andy Meecham has played in Bizarre Inc. and Chicken Lips, and his recent remix credits include Daft Punk, the Knife and Röyksopp. Under his Emperor Machine pseudonym, Meecham pushes funky bass lines, kickass drums and old-school synths far beyond their limits, as he prepares to release a new studio album. DC labelmate and sample master Kelpe supports, along with resident James Priestley.
- Joe Rudkin
[Info Source]
Tell us about your worst birthday party.
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MUSIC: Festival
Sexbeat presents Sexfest: An All Day Sextravaganza
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Sunday 27 July (noon–10:30pm)
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| where: |
93 Feet East (150 Brick Lane, E1, 020.7247.3293) Tube: Aldgate East, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel
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| price: |
FREE
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Sexbeat's sweaty club night teams up with 93 Feet East to provide a whole Sunday's worth of raucous, off-kilter fun. The goofy Dananananaykroyd top the bill with a set that includes funny faces, sharp hooks, fight-pop vocals and booty-energizing rhythms. Supporting the wild Glaswegians are PRE, whose noisy bass-laden sound tends toward the loud and fast. Screaming Tea Party entertain the afternoon crowd with wigged-out metal and lo-fi lullabies, and Graffiti Island keep the attitude mean and electro-dirty during the opening performance. If there's time between acts, you can even kick back and sunbathe on the Sexbeach.
- Oliver Spall
[Info Source]
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MUSIC: Rock/Pop
Clash Magazine Sunday Sessions feat. Ida Maria w/ Nick Harrison and the Lost Brothers
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Sunday 27 July (3pm)
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| where: |
The Lock Tavern (35 Chalk Farm Road, NW1, 020.7482.7163) Tube: Chalk Farm
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| price: |
FREE
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Clash magazine returns to Lock Tavern for its bi-monthly Sabbath shindig, hauling in another batch of young(ish) bands full of spit 'n vinegar. Energetic Norwegian (and recent RCA signee) Ida Maria headlines with scrappy, impossibly catchy indie rock; Folkestone reggae-rocker Nick Harrison rewrites the Police's legacy; and the harmony-folk duo of Bosh and Bark go by the name of the Lost Brothers. The Freelance Hellraiser and resident Clash DJs spin records in between.
- Joe Rudkin
[Info Source]
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ART
In Search of Beauty and Wellbeing
| when: |
Monday 28 July (10am–6pm)
More times»
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| where: |
The Menier Gallery (Menier Chocolate Factory, 51 Southwark Street, SE1, 020.7407.3222) Tube: Borough, London Bridge
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| price: |
FREE
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Since 1959, Paintings in Hospitals have lent artwork to health-care institutions in order to brighten up depressing corridors and wards and lift the spirits of the patients and staff who inhabit these spaces. The charity's fourth-annual summer exhibition focuses on art's medicinal power, exploring whether access to visual stimulation speeds recovery. Featured works include Julie Cockburn's whimsical drawings of birds on maps and John D Edwards' painted responses to cancer.
- Lucy Davies
[Info Source]
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MORE FLAVOR: Festival
Camden Fringe
| when: |
Monday 28 July
More times»
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| where: |
Various locations
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| price: |
Various prices
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If you can't make the trip to the Edinburgh Fringe this year, head to Camden, which has its own festival in the Etcetera and Camden People's theatres and the Liberties Bar. Highlights include The Pigeon Affair, a play about a man harassed by a bird; an abridged version of Shakespeare's Hamlet; The Human Self-Extinction Jamboree (and Tombola) from the Politically Incorrect Theatre Company; and stand-up comedy from duo Hunter and Rand. Cheeky, irreverent and entertaining, the festival gives Edinburgh a run for its money.
- Helen Holtom
[Info Source]
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ART: Photography
Johnny Cash: A Definitive Portrait
| when: |
Thursday 24 July (11am–7pm)
More times»
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| where: |
Proud Central (5 Buckingham Street, WC2, 020.7839.4942) Tube: Charing Cross, Embankment
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| price: |
FREE
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Attention country fans: if you couldn't get tickets for Dolly's recent O2 appearance, check out this Johnny Cash photography exhibition instead. It charts the legendary story of the Man in Black, from his humble beginnings as a farmer's son in Arkansas to his long career as a multi-million-selling recording artist. The collection of atmospheric, black-and-white portraits features the work of renowned music-industry snappers Danny Clinch, Andy Earl and Paul Natkin, plus photographs by the late Leigh Wiener and Marvin Koner that have never been seen before in the UK.
- Lucy Davies
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ART
Jakob Roepke
| when: |
Thursday 24 July (noon–6pm)
More times»
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Fred [London] Ltd (45 Vyner Street, E2, 020.8981.2987) Tube: Bethnal Green
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| price: |
FREE
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Vyner Street's Fred [London] Ltd shows the work of Jakob Roepke, a master of collage who has been refining his skills since the '90s, producing over 700 pieces of work along the way. Delicately painted in gouache on cardboard, Roepke's miniatures depict scenes that hint at surreal mythologies and cataclysmic events; a giant bird claws at a fleeing man in one, while boulders orbit a seated figure in another. Notably small in size (they measure 12 x 10 cm), the collages can be viewed individually, but the recurring images hint at an interconnected narrative. Look out especially for the retro wallpaper painted with minute attention to detail, telling its own story of domestic décor.
- Helen Holtom
[Info Source]
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