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Flavorpill LONDON
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3-8 January, 2007 |
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 Andrew Bracey |
Cultural Stimuli in LONDON
Issue 167: recovery flavour
We bid welcome to 2007 after what we hope was a rocking New Year's Eve for you. Of course, if you're feeling a little delicate and frayed around the edges, you can always check into the WC1 Powder Room on Oxford Street for a little freshen-up, relax in some outsized story-telling chairs on the South Bank or sup the ultimate post-NYE pick-me-up — fuelled by goji berries, no less — at the new Crussh juice bar. But for the 24-hour party people out there, a full-on Death Disco in Notting Hill, a New Zealand drone and doom celebration in Shoreditch and some macabre burlesque up in Stoke Newington should be just the hangover cure you need. Pick your poison, and spread it.
- Kieran Wyatt, Managing Editor
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Flavorpill LONDON is an email magazine covering a hand-picked selection of music, art and cultural events — delivered each Tuesday afternoon.
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In 2006, Flavorpill hand-picked seven emerging designers to interpret the Budweiser Select brand and create unique artwork for the Select Flavor project. Now, great creative efforts have been expended, all the entries are in, and it's time for you to Select. Go to www.selectflavor.com to vote for your favorite designer! |
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Photo: Pavlunka
Love Shack
Bardens Boudoir gets taken over on Friday for a night of surreal poetry, twisted burlesque and macabre soundtracks.
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| CLUB |
Death Disco feat. the Rubikons w/ Farrah and the Foxes
| when: |
Wed 3 Jan (6pm-1am) |
| where: |
Notting Hill Arts Club (21 Notting Hill Gate, W11, 020.7460.4459) Tube: Notting Hill Gate map |
| price: |
£7 / Free before 8pm |
| links: |
Event info | The Rubikons | Farrah |
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In keeping with Alan McGee's "too old to take drugs, too young to die" attitude, the former Oasis manager's DJ/live music night, Death Disco, invites clubbers to rock out to indie, punk and new wave like there's no tomorrow. The weekly party first kicked off two years ago in New York and has included guest DJs ranging from Courtney Love to Shane MacGowan. This iteration sees Beach Boys-inspired quartet Farrah showcase their harmony-laden power pop while the Rubikons show off the same spirit that might have piqued McGee's ears when he first met the Brothers Gallagher. (LS)
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| MUSIC: Jazz |
Donald Byrd
| when: |
Wed 3 - Sat 6 Jan (7-11pm) |
| where: |
The Jazz Café (5 Parkway, NW1, 020.7916.6060) Tube: Camden Town map |
| price: |
£25 |
| links: |
Event info | Donald Byrd |
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The term "living legend" gets tossed about with abandon, but in jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd's case, it's wholly deserved. Having played with icons such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock in his lifetime, the 74-year-old still performs with more vigour than many musicians decades younger. From hard bop to jazz fusion to '70s disco, the former Blue Note artist has flirted with every genre, producing almost 40 albums along the way while being sampled on many more. Live, he remains revelatory — one of his era's few prodigiously gifted players to soldier on with passion, talent and faculties intact. (CA)
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| DJ |
[no.zealand] feat. Birchville Cat Motel, Peter Wright and Alex Mein Smith
| when: |
Thur 4 Jan (7:30pm-late) |
| where: |
State51 Factory (8-10 Rhoda Street, E2) Tube: Shoreditch map |
| price: |
£6 / £5 with RSVP |
| links: |
Event info |
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Forget the mountain ranges, the eccentric fauna and anything else you think you know about New Zealand, and experience instead the country's darkest musical underground. Experimental promoters [no.signal] curate this one-off event exclusively devoted to Kiwi drone and doom. Topping the bill is Wellington-based avant-garde act Birchville Cat Motel, aka Campbell Kneale, playing his first gig in the capital. Though virtually unknown back home, Kneale has built a cult following around the world, and it's not hard for even a free-noise newbie to see why. With support from the 12-string deconstruction legend Peter Wright and analogue improviser Alex Mein Smith, expect unwinding digital soundscapes that harness every timbre of feedback to create intensely euphoric meditations on sound. (JR)
 Birchville Cat Motel was once mistakenly billed under what nationality? The second and fifth correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| FILM |
The 4th Halloween Short Film Festival
| when: |
Fri 5 - Sun 14 Jan (schedule) |
| where: |
Various London cinemas |
| price: |
Various |
| links: |
Event info |
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Halloween needn't happen in October nor concern costumes and candy. This Halloween is the edgiest film festival in the UK. Nine uncompromising days of screenings and live events include programmes focused on film collective Britspotting, a 60 Second Surreal film challenge and performance from glam punk-pop band the Priscillas. Organisers promise "multimedia mayhem alongside the best in short film", and with adult collective Destricted and Club Motherf*cker on the menu, you may well end up choking on your popcorn. (LS)
What do you think is the scariest Halloween flick ever made? The most chilling response in 50 words or less wins a pair of tickets to the Priscillas show.
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| PARTY |
Late at Tate Britain: deXter Bentley presents the Electricity Bill
| when: |
Fri 5 Jan (6-10pm) |
| where: |
Tate Britain (Millbank, SW1, 020.7887.8000) Tube: Pimlico, Westminster map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event info | deXter Bentley |
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Late at Tate offers another opportunity to expand your cultural horizons both visually and aurally with the Electricity Bill. The music touches on the full breadth of avant-garde electronica in homage to the power of electricity. With hosts from Resonance FM on the job, this one is certain to contain serious crate-dug sparks. Tonight's line-up showcases Momu's bizarre brand of electronic folk, "noisetronica" from James III and the Courtesan, the Skull Defekts' noise-meets-rock experimentation and Jeremy Smoking Jacket's multilayered soundscapes. Eccentric, eclectic and totally electric, there's no space for boredom in the house tonight. (AB)
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| PERFORMANCE |
One for the Lovers feat. Le Couteau Jaune
| when: |
Fri 5 Jan (8pm) |
| where: |
Bardens Boudoir (38-44 Stoke Newington Road, N16, 020.7249.9557) BR: Dalston Kingsland map |
| price: |
£6 |
| links: |
Event info | Le Couteau Jaune |
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Usher in the New Year in terrifying fashion with ghoulish performance-art collective Le Couteau Jaune. The group dissects the urban landscape we inhabit through experimental soundtracks accompanied by bizarre ritual enactments, macabre poetry and disturbing prose. Their previous attempts at stretching imaginations and rediscovering the spoken word have incorporated elements as diverse as funerals, cosmetic procedures, zombies, necrophilia and burlesque. However, they claim to never use the same material more than once, so you can be sure that tonight's phantasmagoria will be as unique and strange as our own metropolis. (JR)
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| ART |
Andrew Bracey: Freianlage
| when: |
Sat 6 - Sat 28 Jan (Fri-Sun: 12-6pm) |
| where: |
Transition Gallery (Regent Studios, 8 Andrews Road, E8, 020.7254.0045) Tube: Bethnal Green map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event info | Andrew Bracey |
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Nature lovers should make a beeline (sorry) for E8 and Andrew Bracey's solo show, Freianlage. Part five of Transition Gallery's long-term Supernature project, the exhibition features an array of beasts depicted in both paintings and film, from bears and penguins to elephants and lizards. But the creatures aren't immediately obvious — you have to work to find them. Monkeys are concealed in magnifying glasses, while zebras are camouflaged by the monochrome stripes on a box of charcoal. Writer and broadcaster Judith Palmer visits on the penultimate night of the show to give a talk entitled "Escape Claws: Adventures with Absconding Animals". (LCD)
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| MUSIC: Indie Pop |
Fortuna Pop! presents Sodastream
| when: |
Sat 6 Jan (7pm) |
| where: |
St Giles-in-the-Fields (60 St Giles High Street, WC2, 020.7240.2532) Tube: Tottenham Court Road map |
| price: |
£8 |
| links: |
Event info | Sodastream |
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Hailing from one of the world's most isolated major cities, it's unsurprising that the formerly Perth-based Sodastream's sparse, folky songs are frequently about disconnection. These two old-fashioned troubadours — one with a guitar, the other with a double bass — weave tales of heartbreak above simple piano melodies and spare strings, but only before abruptly swinging around the corner into a rousing shanty. They've won many fans throughout their decade-long career, including John Peel, and earned themselves support slots for Yo La Tengo and the Mountain Goats, among others. Also playing tonight are folk-popstrels the Clientele and self-described "mini indie orchestra" Shady Bard. (CA)
In 1829, what British sea captain founded Sodastream's hometown of Perth, Australia? The third correct response wins a pair of tickets to this show.
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| FILM |
A Bigger Splash (1974)
| when: |
Sun 7 Jan (1pm) |
| where: |
National Portrait Gallery (St Martin's Place, WC2, 020.7306.0055) Tube: Charing Cross, Leicester Square map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event info |
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In the late '60s and early '70s, David Hockney was at the epicentre of London's fashion, art and gay scenes, struggling to create some of his most enduring works despite being in the middle of a devastating relationship breakdown. Taking its name from one of his best-known paintings, A Bigger Splash chronicles those turbulent times in the artist's life in a format that could be described as "embellished documentary". The semifictitious film features Hockney, his ex-boyfriend Peter Schlesinger and British designers Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell as themselves, reconstructing events from the artist's life while offering a glimpse beneath the surface of his enigmatic paintings. (CA)
NB: This screening is part of the National Portrait Gallery's David Hockney: Portraits exhibition.
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| CITY GEM: Opening |
Crussh
| when: |
Open daily (Mon-Fri: 8am-6:30pm / Sat: 9am-6:30pm / Sun: 11am-5pm) |
| where: |
The Brunswick (Bloomsbury, WC1) Tube: Russel Square map |
| price: |
Various |
| links: |
Venue info | Crussh |
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A new Crussh juice bar opens today in the recently refurbished (and rather sparkly) Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury, launching with a timely concoction: the Goji Beet detox smoothie. Although it features fresh ginger, Tibetan goji berries, lemon and beetroot, it's surprisingly tasty — and a surefire way to banish those post-NYE hangover blues. (Although, if you've still got a raging headache eight days into the New Year, you may need professional help). As an added incentive to visit, wheatgrass shots cost just £1 until 12 January. Go on — if you're gonna finally try to get healthy like you resolved, this is the time and place to start. (KW)
How many phytonutrient compounds do goji berries have? The fourth correct response wins a delivery of ten juices or smoothies of the winner's choice to a central London office.
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| CITY GEM |
Story-Telling Chairs
| when: |
Now until Sun 7 Jan (10am-10:30pm) |
| where: |
Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre, Purcell Room (Belvedere Road, SE1, 08703.800.400) Tube: Waterloo map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event info |
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If the crazy family-parties-shopping-eating-drinking whirl of the last few weeks has finally got a bit much, there's nothing like simpler pleasures to take the blood pressure down a notch. Situated in the South Bank Centre, sculptor, designer and puppeteer Sofie Layton's storytelling chairs should do just that. Big enough to fit two people, they offer ample room to settle in comfortably on their outsize cushions while letting tales of the sea, poems and fables — all set to composer Jules Maxwell's soundtrack — carry you far, far away from the remnants of seasonal madness. (JC)
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| PHOTOGRAPHY |
Kadir van Lohuizen: Diamond Matters
| when: |
Now until Sat 27 Jan (Mon-Fri: 10am-6pm / Sat: 11am-4pm) |
| where: |
Host Gallery (1 Honduras Street, EC1, 020.7253.2770) Tube: Barbican, Old Street map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event info |
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While Leonardo DiCaprio has lent his star power to help spotlight the issue of conflict diamonds in his latest film, many have been trying to stop the illegal trade of these gems for years. The effort is part of the struggle to cut off the arms funding that fuels violence and civil wars in Africa, where 65% of the world's diamonds come from — and where 3.7 million people have died as a result of conflicts financed by their export. Award-winning photojournalist Kadir van Lohuizen tracks the illicit diamond trade from the mines to the jewellers in an exhibition that depicts displacement rather than profit — the sinister subtext behind the sparkle — in a much more real way than Hollywood ever could. (JY)
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| MULTIMEDIA |
Belonging: Voices of London's Refugees
| when: |
Now until Sun 25 Feb (Mon-Sat: 10am-5:50pm / Sun: 12-5:50pm) |
| where: |
Museum of London (London Wall, EC2, 020.7600.3699) Tube: Barbican, Saint Paul map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event info |
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"Home" can be an abstract place. Refugees, especially, suffer from geocultural jet lag, and their process of assimilation is rarely documented. This exhibition presents the personal stories of London's own refugees, highlighting their contributions to our city. A hundred interviews from 15 different communities reveal how each subject found his or her own feet and voice. Tesfay Sebhat, for example, discovered that "the pub was the main opening door to communicating with the British", while artist Mentor Chico became fascinated with the iconic red telephone box. A series of talks and events accompany the exhibition, including everything from Ethiopian storytelling to Peruvian scissor dancing. (JY)
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| CITY GEM |
WC1
| when: |
Open daily (Mon-Sat: 8am-9pm / Sun: 12-6pm) |
| where: |
WC1 (439-441 Oxford Street, W1) Tube: Bond Street, Marble Arch map |
| price: |
£5 |
| links: |
Venue info |
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One for the ladies. Party dilemma #38: You've got a big night out planned, you've been shopping and you need somewhere to get glammed up without going home. Solution? WC1. A fiver might seem a bit steep for a public toilet, but this is no ordinary convenience. For the price of admission, you get access to super-luxurious loos/changing rooms that surround a chandelier-decked circular space. After you've donned your glad rags, move through to the powder room, where you can preen and pamper to your heart's delight with complimentary toiletries, or take advantage of the emergency services — aka sewing kit, tights and toothbrush. (LCD)
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| WALK |
Subversive Scribes Literary London
| when: |
Ongoing |
| where: |
Various locations |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event info |
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It's hard getting to grips with the living history of a city as densely dotted with blue plaques and monuments as ours. But armed with a day travelcard, an MP3 player and the free iToors podcast, you can safely explore London's alternative literary landmarks, bypassing all the Shakespearean tourist traps. Meander around the city, taking in Karl Marx's home (where he researched Das Kapital), detouring to Paul McCartney's studio (where William S Burroughs recorded experimental compositions), pausing at the site of Aleister Crowley's chance meeting with Dylan Thomas and simply supping a pint in a den of literary iniquity. (CA)
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EATING & DRINKING: The Garrison |
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when: Mon-Sat: 12:30-3:30pm & 6:30-10pm / 12:30-4pm & 6:30-9:30pm
where: The Garrison (99-101 Bermondsey Street, SE1, 020.7089.9355)
tube: London Bridge
price: £8-14 mains
Decked out with quirky antiques, retro wallpaper, mismatched lamps and the odd stuffed deer, the Garrison's battered brasserie décor instantly promises low-key comfort. The food follows through — modern, hearty bistro fare using quality seasonal ingredients at really reasonably prices. Roast guinea fowl with rosti potatoes is just £9.50, while a chargrilled steak in Roquefort butter sets you back a mere £14. For something lighter, a fish finger sandwich plus a pint at the bar barely stretches a fiver. The private room downstairs, kitted out with jukebox and projection screen, makes a cosy party venue or snug screening room. Settle in at the weekend for a leisurely brunch, and when lunchtime rolls around, give in and stay put for the roast and a bottle of wine from their impressive list. Possibly the perfect Sarf London local? Discuss. (CA)
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CD REVIEW: In The Country, Losing Stones Collecting Bones |
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Rune Grammofon
Released December 2006
£11.99 (Amazon)
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The Norwegian jazz scene may have a lower profile than many other European scenes, but the music of Morten Qvenild (piano, keyboards and vocals), Roger Arntzen (double bass) and Pål Hausken (percussion) — all students at Oslo's National Music Academy — is by no means provincial or underdeveloped. For this, their second album as In the Country (following 2005's This Was the Pace of My Heartbeat), the trio take jazz and meld it to other genres in impressively imaginative ways. "Everyone Live Their Life" fuses Lou Reed melancholia with rangy pop progressions; "Can I Come Home Now" sees guest guitarist and Tom Waits collaborator Marc Ribot craft crystalline fretwork over repeated rock motifs; and "Kung Fu Boys" expands a shimmering piano melody and chugging time-signature into a hypnotic tonal machine. Appealing to post-rocker and jazz aficionado alike, this unique synthesis has a significance reaching far beyond Scandinavian climes. (JR)
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STREAMS: Daytrotter |
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Founded by veteran independent music journalist Sean Moeller, Daytrotter was born partly out of his frustration with having to hound editors to get new acts covered. While there's no shortage of music sites on the web and ever-expanding blogosphere, the site differentiates itself from others hunting new bands and musical trends by offering exclusive recordings in the mold of John Peel's famed Maida Vale sessions. Bands passing through on tour stop by the publication's Illinois-based studios and lay down exclusive cuts to analogue tape. Check out instalments from Sunset Rubdown, Bonnie Prince Billy, Mates of State and the Changes, and don't miss the ever-expanding cache of features and reviews. (CJN)
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| Clare Aitken | | Chelsea Bauch | | Jennifer Chen | | Lucy C. Davies | | Jocelyn K. Glei | | Doug Levy | | Sascha Lewis | | Mark Mangan | | Colin J. Nagy | | Joe Rudkin | | Jonathan Schultz | | Kieran Wyatt | | Julie Yau |
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| ABOUT US |
| Flavorpill LDN is a free weekly email magazine covering cultural happenings across art, music, film, theatre, dance, literature and DJ events. You may have noticed we recently dropped the "u" from Flavourpill, but never fear: despite our American roots, all content continues to be produced by a local team of writers in London. We don't include sold-out events, and all listings are pure editorial — no money is accepted from venues, artists or promoters. Read more about us.
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© 2007 Flavorpill Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
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