Scout London 0002 by Scout London

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FREE EVERY TUESDAY APRIL 24>30 2012

ART & CULTURE • COMEDY • FILM • FOOD & DRINK • LGBT • MUSIC • SHOPPING • SPORT & FITNESS • THEATRE

HIP to

the HOP

How beer ditched the beard and found its cool

London Coffee Festival | Daniel Craig | Sean Hughes | avengers assemble

Regulars

5 Scouted The Big Ten, Secret Cash Machines, Last Chance London, #loveScout and more

10 Talent Scout Jermaine Davis of band White Powder Gold guides us through his favourite London haunts London by Lamé 17 Amy uncovers her decorator’s musical secret before getting a real shock at the opening of an exhibition

Cover Story COVER: Bashutskyy / PHOTOGRAPHY: Jillian Edelstein

14 London’s Brewing Put down that pint of lager: this season, beer is going gourmet

The Big Picture 50 World Shakespeare Festival

Sections 18 21 22 28 32 34 38 40 42 49 50 54

London Shopping Food & Drink Art & Culture Comedy Film DVD/Download LGBT Music Sport & Fitness Theatre Competitions

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Scouted

BIG TEN

Hop to your local

Say hello to an old friend

Find out why London’s gone bonkers about beer  p12

 Beer, glorious beer

The Cutty Sark is back, better than ever and expecting record-breaking numbers of visitors  p18

Kick off the World Shakespeare Festival  p50

Get stuffed Tea, taxidermy and burlesque: together at last in Bethnal Green  p6

beergenie.co.uk / Keith Wilson / JIMI G / Sky Noir

Decode da Vinci The largest display of Leonard’s anatomical drawings goes on display at Buckingham Palace  p28

Bid on a piece of art  p21

Tee off  p49

Get full of beans  p22

Visualise your music  p42

Cheer up Sean Hughes  p32 scoutlondon.com Scout London

Scouted //SECRET CaSH///////////////////////////////////////////// MaCHINES OF LONDON/////////////////////////////////// TRaFaLGaR SQUaRE//////// Ah, Trafalgar Square. Home to nelson, the golden //////////////////////////////////// boy, fountains that seem to whisper “jump in me” (but only to drunk visitors) and loads of pubs and bars. But not a lot in terms of cash machines. The ATMs on The Strand are usually either out of cash by Saturday afternoon or have a huge queue. What’s a drinker to do? Hidden behind the square on William iV Street lies a branch of the Post office. Although at first appearing unremarkable, it does house two free cash machines - and they’re just across the street from one of London’s cheapest pubs, The Chandos. While we like to highlight cashpoints that are known to only a few, we do fear that the cat has been let out of the bag on this one, thanks in part to a celebrity connection. you see, this ATM was papped and splashed across the newspapers of Britain in February last year. in what can only be described as a shining example of multi-tasking, this is the exact spot where Anthony Costa from Blue was snapped relieving himself while obtaining cash, bringing new meaning to the word “withdrawal”.

last chance

LONDON All New People The Duke of york’s Closes Sat apr 28 An Instinct for Kindness Trafalgar Studios Closes Sat apr 28 Big and Small Barbican Centre Closes Thu apr 26

DNA  unicorn Theatre Closes Sat apr 28 Don Giovanni - The Gay Don Heaven, under The Arches Closes Mon apr 30 Joan Mitchell: The Last Paintings Hauser & Wirth, Piccadilly Closes Sat apr 28 Masterclass Vaudeville Theatre Closes Sat apr 28

A different type of preserve for your tea and toast Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club is hosting one of London’s more unusual events this week. in what has got to be one of the oddest pairings, Taxidermy & Tea will see a step-by-step masterclass from Amanda’s Autopsies on how to best perserve your pet, while you sup a cup of the finest english Breakfast and enjoy cake. Also on offer will be experimental food creations from Animal Vegetable Mineral. Treats include the curious-sounding inhalable toffee

Scout London scoutlondon.com

apples, edible seedlings, marzipan bees and candy floss trees. every good taxidermy demonstration needs a spot of interval entertainment, and Taxidermy & Tea is no exception. This time round, it’s a burlesque show courtesy of Coco de Ville. Love it.

Professor Vanessa’s Wondershow  roundhouse Closes Sun apr 29

apr 28, 14.00 & 16.00, £25 Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, E2 6NB Bethnal Green

Spencer Finch: Ex Nihilo Lisson Gallery Closes Sat apr 28

www.londoncoffeefestival.com

Celebrate. Coffee. Food. Music. Art.

Scouted # love

i saw you relaxing in the steam room last week and wanted to ask if you fancied a Pizza Hut date. you can even have stuffed crust as you’re so hot! Anon To the guy in the pink and white shirt who got the tube from Brixton on Monday morning. i sat opposite you - did we share a moment? BiG BeAr To the knight in shining armour who looked after me on the tube on Friday night you’re my hero. rescue me from singledom! JeSS

Scout & About The ultimate dance-off Dance marathons became hugely popular in the uS in the 1920s and 30s where thousands of competitors would dance almost nonstop for hours, in pursuit of serious cash prizes, glory and fame. The marathons would go on for days at a time, but you can relive the experience in a less exhausting manner

at the east London Headway Dance Marathon. Dancers will be doing their thang for eight hours to raise money for brain injury charity Headway east London. To register, see londondancemarathon.org.uk april 28, 14.00-22.00, York Hall, E2 9pJ Bethnal Green

We both always get the 8.33 from Willesden Junction to euston. i’m too shy to talk to you - make the first move? Anon Mark - we met at Plan B on Saturday. you gave me your number but i lost my phone! Get in touch. Jenny you work in Gregg’s at Stratford Westfield. i come in every lunch time just to see you. i don’t even like sausage rolls! Dinner somewhere posher? Anon American girl (i think your name was rachel) - it was short but very sweet. i want to see you again. STeVe

if you know any of these people, let us know and we’ll try to get you in touch. love@scoutlondon.com Spotted someone you fancy in London? #loveScout on Twitter

The Society Club is an independent bookshop in Soho which also houses an art space and café. you can even buy vintage ashtrays and London honey. The shop is extremely pet-friendly, with three shop dogs in residence; Monty, Molly and Modesty. organic dog food and liver treats, biodegradable poop-bags and a selection of Soho-worthy collars and clothing are all on offer.

12 Ingestre place London W1F OJF piccadilly Circus Have a tip on London for pets? e-mail us: woof@scoutlondon.com

unleash your dark side at this whisky event with a difference We like whisky. And we like experiences. So we were pretty excited about the combination of the two at what looks like a couple of really intriguing evenings being organised by islay distillery Bowmore. Magic Happens on the Darkest nights on April 2526 combines storytelling, whisky-tasting, food and stargazing in a traditional Dickensian house near Liverpool Street station, which will be dimly lit by candles. Throughout certain portions of the night, guests will be asked to wear blindfolds to enhance

their focus on Bowmore’s 15-years-old “darkest” whisky. in-depth tastings with a distillery expert will be accompanied by sea shanties and tales throughout the evening, and guests can freshen up their astronomy knowledge with stargazing expert Gary Fildes, thanks to a 3D projection of the night sky. organisers have brought in Master Chocolatier, Paul young and pop-up culinary experts Hidden Dining to delight the palate with servings of rich hot chocolate and whisky-paired canapés.

don’t underestimate my boredom scoutlondon.com Scout London

Jermaine Davis White Powder Gold White Powder Gold have been exciting the Scout office stereo and the underground music scene - with their urban punk sounds for about a year now. Set to be ones to watch this summer, they’re getting set to release latest eP, rock n rolla on May 14. We caught up with frontman Jermaine Davis. Let’s go to the pub. Scout’s buying - you pick the location. The Ground Floor Bar, Portbello road. The atmosphere around there is cool, we know the locals so there’s always good banter, but most of all, in the summer when the market is on it’s the perfect plave to spot talent from all over the globe, if you know what i mean. We understand. All that ‘talent spotting’ is making us hungry though. Any restaurant tips? restaurant? We’re lucky enough if we can afford a McD’s, let alone hit up some fancy restaurant! When we weren’t struggling musicians, then the Garden Bar on Latimer road was a favourite spot because it has really nice food.

Scout London Cover Stars 0002 Mark Mawson, Photographer, notting Hill

What in London inspires you? London life inspires me, it’s such a buzz. The architecture, history, parks and the diverse range of people all add up to make it such a great city. Any London secrets to share? Does London have any secrets? i don’t think there’s anywhere in London that’s a secret. it would be good to have a secret place

but there would always be a few thousand people already there. Favourite part of London? A few, notting Hill and Portobello road for the chaotic and funky life and Highgate for the beautiful, old village atmosphere. How important is London to your work? Very, it makes me feel alive! i just

How about outdoor spots? We are lucky enough to not live to far from Hyde Park and when the sun’s out and we have time to be chilling in a park. it’s gotta be one of the best. The amount of people that pass through in one day means there’s always something going on. You’ve performed in more venues than most people have been to, but which is your favourite? nambucca on the Holloway road. The stage is a good size, the sound is great and the staff have become good friends. We always have a great time playing there and they have a good standard of bands on the bills. The afterparties are immense too. We will be playing the nambucca Festival on June 2. Where do you go for inspiration? recently, the bottom of a bottle! otherwise, we draw inspiration from life - ours and others. in particular we’ve found the occupy London movement has been very inspirational.

have to step out of the door and wander down the road for a coffee and my mind is racing with ideas. What’s next for you? i’ll be shooting more Aqueous series, i hoping to get some galleries in London to represent me. i’m also shooting some video work which i’m hoping to do more of. See more at markmawson.com

Talent Scout is looking for talented creatives to design the Scout London logo that appears on our cover each week. London-based artists, designers, illustrators, photographers, all welcome. interested? Contact talent@scoutlondon.com 10 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Scouted

Station to station “I literally live on on the Northern line,” says Balham photographer Paul Woods. “The trains pass underneath my apartment 20 hours a day, only discernible by a faint rumble in the quiet of the early morning. “The Northern line is also my artery into the city: it connects my home to my work and to my friends. Cut off the Northern line, and I am dead: it supplies my lifeblood, life would be lacking vitality without it.” Woods’ intimate connection with the line many people love to hate inspired his latest project. He has taken a striking series of pictures of every station on the line using his iPhone 4S and the Hipstamatic app. He tells Scout the idea was born because the architecture of his closest stations - Balham and Tooting Bec - inspired him to explore the rest of the line and discover if they were all similarly striking. Covering 50 Underground stations, from Morden in the south to Edgware and High Barnet in the north, he roamed the 36 miles spanned by both branches, capturing each station in all its beauty. The resulting images capture the spirit of the buildings people unthinkingly use every day, so here’s chance to appreciate some of our favourites.

See them all at: j.mp/paulwoods

scoutlondon.com Scout London 11

Hip to the Hop

London’s brewi Something’s brewing in the world of beer. It’s time to put aside those two pints of lager and upgrade your bag of crisps, because beer is going gourmet. London is hopping mad about the stuff right now, and there’s never been a better time to get involved. By Ben Norum

3 Sriram Ayler, of Michelinstarred Quilon in Westminster, has a passion for British beer

12 Scout London scoutlondon.com

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5 Where the magic happens

ing

beer

ast aside thoughts of grotty pubs, anorak-y bearded men and football hooligans, beer is undergoing a major image overhaul at the hands of London’s top chefs, while a swathe of artisanal craft breweries are upping the real ale ante. Food and beer have long had a difficult relationship. While the matrimony of fine dining and equally fine wines is so strong, ordering a beer in any establishment posher than the local curry house is seen as something of a taboo. Not for much longer. London’s leading chefs and restaurateurs are on the case, with several starting to offer matched beer tasting menus, pairing different lagers, ales, porters and stouts with dishes in exactly the same way they would wines. The always alchemic Heston Blumenthal is ahead of the pack, with his restaurant Dinner in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel offering British beers as an historically accurate accompaniment to dishes which have their roots as far back as the 16th century. And if you fork out the two hundred-odd quid for the Fat Duck’s ultra-modern tasting menu, you won’t go without a beer, either. Elsewhere, two very British new restaurants in Battersea are out to prove just how good a match for food beer can be. The first, Powder Keg Diplomacy, has a dedicated beer menu featuring five ale taps and more than 20 bottled beers. Just across the road, the menu at Ben’s Canteen includes suggestions of beers to go with each dish, focussing predominantly on local South London brews, such as the biscuity Clapham Junctionbased Wandle Ale. It’s not all about being British and proud, either. Asian food is notoriously difficult to match with wine, and restaurants are catching on that rather than being a downmarket option, beer is actually a better alternative. Sri Lankan restaurant Hop & Spice in Balham recommends craft ales from Britain and beyond to accompany a selection of thali-style dishes, and recently partnered with the nearby Wandsworth Common Beer Festival to bring in its first ever keg

beer, the aromatic Naked Ladies IPA from Twickenham Fine Ales. Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Quilon in Westminster has gone a step further, creating a dedicated beer and food tasting menu consisting entirely of British beers. Think stir-fried oysters paired with Bengal Lance, a citrusy, hoppy pale ale from Fuller’s; or baked black cod with a vanilla scented, oak-aged ale from Edinburgh’s Innis & Gunn for a few ideas of just how gourmet beer can get. This rapid interest in craft beers has resulted in a massive rise in the number of micro-breweries which are now popping up all over the capital. They’re catering for the fact that local sourcing has become pivotal to London’s dining scene, and the belief that it’s only right that drinks should follow the food. Indeed, in an economy where overall beer sales are seriously flagging, it’s local brews, real ales and craft beers which are riding high. Owing to the relatively large floorspace required to set-up even the smallest of microbreweries, it’s been noted that an economic downturn is something of a positive for the industry as it makes acquiring space more affordable. No fewer than four new breweries have sprung up in Hackney over the past year, and there’s been plenty of south of the river action. Being creative with location is crucial too, with London Fields Brewery, Hackney Brewery and The Kernel Brewery all picking railway arches to brew up a storm. Microbreweries are about much more than just supporting the little guy. Their view on brewing is generally very different from that of large companies. Since output is lower, it’s OK for microbreweries to produce niche beers. Beers with really strong hoppy notes (Tottenham Hopspur from Redemption) or a thick, dark tar-like flavour (Porter from The Kernel Brewery), are great examples of much more interesting drinks which may not have guaranteed universal appeal. As the commercial pressure isn’t as intense, the smaller brewers can be more adventurous with their concoctions. Whatever style you go for, there’s bound to be a London brew for you. And, indeed, whatever meal you’re eating, there’s bound to be a beer to match. Go on, leave the wine to one side and join in the ale-y action. scoutlondon.com Scout London 13

Hip to the Hop

It’s not a man’s man’s world TV remotes, barbecues and beer are the man’s domain, right? Wrong. Influential blogger Marverine Cole wants to dispel the myth that beer isn’t for women.

Marverine’s Top Tips DO try before you buy ask for samples at the bar DO ask for recommendations explain the tastes you like DO use different glasses feel free to ask for an alternative 14 Scout London scoutlondon.com

in-hand with a more interesting beer selection aimed at a more discerning consumer. Landlords have realised that craft beers are good for their bottom line, and in the same way it’s good for them to open themselves up to a huge new audience in the form of women who wouldn’t otherwise drink there. Jillian MacLean, the founder of the Drake & Morgan pub group which includes The Refinery in Southwark and The Folly at Monument has spoken about how she actively encouraged women into her pubs through simple things like cushions on chairs and fresh flowers on tables, but I don’t think women’s interest in beer should be industry-led, or about profits. If anything, it should be about women squandering their own profits on beers and enjoying. I would encourage any women who think they don’t like beer to try broadening their drinking horizons. The paltry selection of beers available at many pubs is not representative of what’s really out there. Try wheat beers or fruit beers from Belgium or Germany which don’t have the bitterness many women aren’t keen on. Though there are also over 3,500 amazing British beers brewed with love by fabulous microbreweries across the country. Whatever you do, DON’T overlook them. There are so many beers out there that pack a mouth full of flavour that will

knock you off your feet so much you’ll realise what you’ve been missing! The most important thing is just to try, try, try and you’ll soon find ones that are to your taste. Also, don’t think that if you drink beer you have to order a pint. There’s absolutely no reason why beers can’t be served in wine glasses, or Champagne flutes. I’ve asked for a separate glass and poured it in myself at times! Marverine regularly appears on TV enthusing about beer, so if you want to check out some of her suggestions or get more details on the occasional beer tastings for women which she runs, go to her blog: beerbeauty.co.uk.

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BREW SISTERS Although men now dominate the brewing industry, this wasn’t always the case. It’s said that the first time a recipe for beer was written was when the Sumerian goddess Ninkasi scribbled one down on a clay tablet. Women brewers were revered for a spiritual connection that transformed grainy sludge into a palatable potion as if by magic. Ancient Egyptian paintings are rife with depictions of brewing, and these images show brewers as women not men. According to ancient Finnish folklore, ale was first created by three women as a wedding gift. In fact, men didn’t get involved at all until brewing became a commercial venture.

JOIN INN Named after the Celtic goddess of beer and water, Dea Latis is a group of allfemale brewers, publicans, writers and those who simply enjoy a good beer. They are united by the belief that beer is far too good to be enjoyed only by men. www.dealatis.org

CLIVE BLAIR PHOTOGRAPHY

“I

haven’t always been a beer drinker. I remember drinking halves of lager with male friends and having to add lime cordial to make it palatable. In fact, I can recall the day that I started to appreciate beer very specifically. I tried a drink from a great Cheshire based brewery Beartown, called Peach Melbear. It sounded immediately interesting and once I tried it, it was like a lightbulb moment. Fresh, sweet, floral, fruity... how could beer taste so good? The important thing that this made me realise is that not everyone will like every kind of beer, but there’s almost certainly a style out there for everyone. I was hooked on trying as many different beers as possible, and lo and behold, once I went beyond the very mainstream lagers available at every single pub, there were loads of beers out there that I loved. Pubs sometimes reinforce that male dominated beer image. I’m not alone in thinking big screens showing sports are a turn-off, and some pubs could do with being a bit cleaner (especially the ladies’ loos!). I recognise that it all depends on the core drinker who goes to that pub, but things are changing. Particularly in London, pubs are being converted to become lighter, brighter, more welcoming and more food focused. Generally this tends to go hand-

beer

London’s Brewing How many of these capital breweries do you know?

North

The success story As breweries go, Meantime is still quite new. Founded in 2000, it’s now the second biggest London brewer after Fuller’s, which has been producing beer since 1845. The founder, south Londoner Alastair Hook, took the plunge following a degree at Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh, the UK’s leading brew school. He also spent some time in the USA, where the craft beer market was starting to takeoff. When Meantime’s original

brewery opened in 1999, it was the largest and most expensive start-up brewery the country had seen for over 80 years. Its relatively small volumes of around 300,000litres was still more than most newbies, and it wasn’t long before it got ‘spotted’ and began supplying the Taste the Difference range for Sainsbury’s. In 2010, Meantime moved to new premises close to The O2, increasing capacity to 2.5m litres. Last year they sold over 2m litres across

Bull & London Brewery, Highgate 30 different styles, with the beer available in many supermarkets. 2012 is an important year for the brewery. As well as developing the brewery to quadruple production to 10m litres, plans are underway for a new visitors’ centre and brewery tours. meantimebrewing.com IN NUMBERS: 12 years 2m litres 30 styles

Camden Town Brewery, Camden Little Brew, Camden Redemption Brewery, Tottenham

South Brew Wharf, Southwark Meantime Brewing Company, Greenwich Sambrook’s Brewery, Battersea The Florence Brewpub, Herne Hill The Horns Brewery, Wandsworth

The newbies

The Kernel Brewery, Bermondsey Zerodegrees Brewery, Blackheath

East Brodies, Leyton East London Brewing Co, Leyton Hackney Brewery, Hackney London Fields Brewery, Hackney Nestled inside a railway arch just off Kingsland Road sits Hackney Brewery. At least it will soon. Equipment is still being put in place for brewing to get underway in May. It’s run by Peter Hills and Jon Swain, two friends who are using their day jobs to fund the dream project. The pair boast an impressive foodie pedigree, having cooked at renowned gastropub The Eagle in Farringdon and now at The Charles Lamb in Angel, but beer has never - until now -

been anything but a hobby. The brewery will initially focus on three styles: a traditional British bitter, a golden ale which they describe as “an ideal session beer”, and an American pale ale with a rich malt base. The latter reflects the sudden insurge of craft beers from the USA in beer-minded bars and pubs this side of the Atlantic. For such a small company, getting stockists can be a struggle, but Pete is optimistic and believes that Hackney’s sense of community will mean

that a local brew will have a lot of appeal in the area. Local is key to the brewery, which is keen to get stuck in with as many local initiatives as possible. It has even committed to donating money from every pint sold to local Hackney charities. The first beers should be available by June. hackneybrewery.co.uk IN NUMBERS: 1 month 100,000 litres 3 styles

Redchurch Brewery, Hackney Tap East Microbrewery, Stratford

West Fullers, Chiswick Moncada Brewery, Ladbroke Grove The Botanist Brewpub, Kew Twickenham Fine Ales, Twickenham

scoutlondon.com Scout London 15

Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner...

Scout London – out every Tuesday Available 24/7 at scoutlondon.com

Colour me shocked By Amy Lamé y life has been full of painting this week. The communal hallway in our block of flats is being redecorated, and a team of chaps have meticulously covered every corner and crevice with masking tape and dust sheets. Pat, a retired painter and decorator, has been enticed out of his well-earned repose by the promise he won’t have to watch any more mindless daytime TV and gets to inhale the fumes of turps and undercoats once again. Pat and I have a history. We fell out when, according to him, I took too long to decide what colour the bathroom should be painted. I phoned him to relay my choice of eggshell Pretty Pink a day later than agreed. Pat has a lovely Irish accent and I thought he was cracking a joke when he told me I was feckless, useless and couldn’t make my mind up. I laughed it off, and he put the phone down on me. It has taken a delicate dance of chit chat, flattery, strong tea and homemade cake to get back in his good books. In a shocking revelation unknown to the painting and decorating world, Pat doesn’t listen to the radio; he claims to have stopped listening to music the day Frank Sinatra died. It’s a dramatic and unnecessary act that I’m sure Ol’ Blue Eyes wouldn’t approve of. After all, his posthumous royalties have to keep daughter Nancy in hair extensions and go-go boots

QUINNFORD + SCOUT / Sebastià Giralt / zsoltika / DOUGBERRY

now she’s reaching bus pass age. Instead of the radio, Pat hums every Sinatra song he hasn’t heard since 1998. I’d be lying if I said the sound Pat makes is as delightful as Frank’s. Frankly, it’s driving me INSANE…but I’m holding it together for both our sakes. So while Pat’s slapping magnolia in the corridor, I wangled my way into a private view at a posh gallery in Mayfair. Get me! Actually, the artist - David Wightman - invited me. My partner was one of his first patrons - many years ago she bought a small painting when David was desperate to pay his studio rent. Fast forward and he now has a solo show at the Halcyon Gallery, which also represents Picasso, Cezanne and Rodin. No pressure, then. The private view flowed with Bellini and canapés, and for a few precious hours it was almost like the recession wasn’t happening. There were the usual suspects; balding gents with Germanic spectacles and “interesting” facial hair, Mayfair ladies dripping in pearls, and a smattering of wellstyled scruffs who obviously spent a lot of cash to look so dishevelled. Shabby chic is an expensive look to pull off in Deptford, let alone Mayfair. So far, so cliché. But it was the conversations which left me shocked. I overheard one gallerist claim that dead painters are easier to manage. They don’t talk back, and the gallery can always reach that week’s sales target. I paid

OVERHEARD LONDON “Just the one shoe?” A salesgirl in an Oxford Street shoe emporium to a bemused shopper wanting to purchase a pair of Converse. We’ve all been victims of the upsell, but honestly - has the day really come when shoes are sold individually?!

VERY close attention to ensure any rogue hemlock wasn’t slipped into David’s Bellini. Contrast this with galleries in Italy burning works of art in protest at budget cuts. They are making a powerful statement. Antonio Manfredi, of the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum in Naples, set fire to the first paintings last week - under approval from the artists involved - with more immolations planned. “Our 1,000 artworks are headed for destruction anyway because of the government’s indifference,” he said. Dead painters and sales targets; destroyed art and budget cuts. Let’s all just go to Tate Modern, to see the Damien Hirst exhibition. After all, those familiar spot paintings remind us of the shade from John Lewis we’ve been meaning to buy to freshen up the kitchen. As long as Pat’s humming My Way in the background we can pretend everything’s OK.

REASONS TO LOVE LONDON

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The Number 7 bus driver who took pity on me after I unsuccessfully ran for the bus in a sudden April rain shower. I pleadingly smiled underneath a pathetic pound shop umbrella and he opened the doors at a traffic light to let me on. Result! scoutlondon.com Scout London 17

London

Riding the crest of a new wave

ts masts may be slender and its hull elegant, but historic sailing ship the Cutty Sark is as tough as an old boot. Since its launch in 1869, this one-time tea clipper has seen its rudder ripped off in high seas, witnessed murder and suicide on-board and been blown off anchor in gales, but it still turned up in a Greenwich dry dock in 1954 looking as spruce as ever. Nothing, however, could have prepared the ship for the terrible accident it suffered in May 2007, when a fire risked gutting it entirely. Worse still was the possibility that, after almost 140 years, the Cutty Sark had been almost destroyed by an act of pointless wanton vandalism. Lighting up the southeast London sky, flames from the

18 Scout London scoutlondon.com

boat’s hull rose so high it seemed almost impossible the ship would survive. Miraculously, it did and on Wednesday the Queen will officially reopen the restored, apparently unstoppable ship before opening to the public the following day, and it’s looking better than ever. While the 2007 fire looked dramatic, several lucky escapes meant much of the ship was salvageable. For a start, the fire actually left the hull in decent shape – it just scooped out a portion of the central decks like it was a sort of nautical avocado. Thankfully, before the fire a large part of the original woodwork had also been removed for restoration. Much of what stayed behind to burn and smoulder was

replacement material fitted long after the ship’s construction. In the end, only five per cent of the ship’s original fabric was lost, and piecing the craft back together proved an intricate and expensive but far from thankless job. Even the fire’s true cause turned out to be a merciful anti-climax. The blaze that swept through the ship wasn’t caused by vandalism, malicious arson or a curse laid by the ship’s figurehead – a scantily clad witch from which the Cutty Sark gets its name. In the end, the fire was brought about by an industrial vacuum cleaner which had been left on over the weekend by contractors. Replacing fire damage and effacing 50 years of gentle decay

still proved a massive task. As part of a £50m restoration – including £25m from the Heritage Lottery Fund – already begun before the blaze, the Cutty Sark’s decks were reassembled and steel supports added to the hull. The ship’s 650 tonne bulk was then partially sunken into a sweeping bubble made of glass. Poking out from this transparent skirt, the restored Cutty Sark now looks like a very eccentric hovercraft. This casing isn’t merely protective, however.It gives visitors the previously-impossible chance to examine the ship’s elegant hull from below and will be tastefully illuminated at night. The canopy has also given the Cutty Sark some extra exhibition

Emerging from the flames, the Cutty Sark is back in action and open to the public once more. Feargus O’Sullivan tells the story of one of the world’s most famous ships.

featured

space, and for the first time, the ship has room to display its unique collection of 80 historic figureheads – the largest in the world. This may seem a lot of fuss over one antiquated little ship, but the Cutty Sark is a unique reminder of a time when Britain’s naval power and shipbuilding might were still unrivalled. Its sails and rigging may look as quaint as Long John Silver’s parrot, but the Dumbartonbuilt ship was once a stateof-the-art piece of technology on which no expense had been spared. Built for speed rather than spaciousness, the super-sleek vessel was designed to race tea cargoes back to Britain from China in record-breaking times, faster than any steamship back in the 1860s. Its tough metal frame, narrow hull and extra sails made it perfectly designed to constrain the fearsome winds of the Southern hemisphere’s “Roaring Forties”, which flung it across the Indian Ocean. Harnessing these powerful currents after clearing South

Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, the Cutty Sark could cover distances very speedily, once making the journey from Australia to England in as little as 73 days. These fast voyages were still a risky business, particularly around the icebergs and storms of South America’s notorious wrecking headland, Cape Horn. When the Suez Canal opened in 1869, it gradually put an end to this age of high seas. Clippers like the Cutty Sark could not use Mediterranean currents to navigate, and slower but more reliable steamships took over. The Cutty Sark still saw plenty more active service nonetheless, first transporting wool, then as a training ship for cadets, before it finally came to rest at Greenwich in 1954. Its good fortune makes it one of only two fully intact metal and wood sailing ships left in the world, and one of only three Grade I listed boats in Britain. Apparently unsinkable and unburnable, this beautiful survivor should enjoy a good few more years on the Thames quayside yet. scoutlondon.com Scout London 19

London

How Does Your Garden Grow at Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway road, N6 5aa Highgate From May 6, Fri 10.30-11.30, ends Jul 22 2012, per session £2.50, for 12 week course £25. Learn about flowers, plants and vegetables. until Jul 22. Olympia Musicmania January at olympia, Hammersmith road, W14 8UX Earls Court Phone for times, phone for prices. A music, CD, DVD and record fair. until May 21.

TUESDAY APRIL 24 Stuart Brisley In Conversation With Charles Esche at Peer, 99 Hoxton Street, N1 6QL Old Street £5, concs £3, 18.30. Artist Brisley discusses his work with curator esche. Chinese State Circus: Yin Yang at new Wimbledon Theatre, 93 The Broadway, SW19 1QG Wimbledon £15-£31, 20.00, 17.00. Acrobatics, martial arts demonstrations and circus skills. Genetic Fictions: Genes and Genre: panel Discussion at The British Library, 96 euston road, NW1 2DB Euston £7.50, concs £5, 18.30-20.00. A panel discussion about how genes and genetics are represented in literature and theatre.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 25 Tim Burgess: Talk at St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, W1J 9LL piccadilly Circus £20, 19.30, doors 18.45. Music and words from the frontman of indie band The Charlatans.

Dance Class at raduno, 85 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £15, concs £8, 18.30-19.30. Decent Capitalism: What protesters Should protest For: panel Discussion at London School of economics, Houghton Street, WC2a 2aE Temple FREE, 18.30-20.00. Professor robert Wade chairs a panel discussion about the economic system. France at The Crossroads: Talk at London School of economics, Houghton Street, WC2a 2aE Temple FREE, 18.30-20.00. Professor Patrick Le Gales, Professor Philippe Marliere and Dr robin Archer discuss political developments on the French left.

THURSDAY APRIL 26 Bogan Bingo at The underdog, 16a Clapham Common South Side, SW4 7aB Clapham Common two games of bingo £5, 20.00. Games to a rock soundtrack. In Conversation With Lindsey Hilsum: Libya In The Time Of Revolution: Talk at The Frontline Club, 13 norfolk Place, W2 1QJ paddington £12.50, concs £10, 19.00-20.30. The Channel 4 news editor discusses her book Sandstorm, Libya in The Time of revolution. International pop-Up Market at Cardinal Place Shopping Centre, Palace Street, SW1E 5JD FREE, 11.00-15.00. Foods from around the world for tasting and purchase. Masterpieces Of Dutch art: Images Of The Home and City: Lecture at Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN Bond Street FREE, 13.00-14.00. With Lucy Davis, Curator of old Master Pictures.

FRIDAY APRIL 27 The London Coffee Festival at The old Truman Brewery, E1 6QL aldgate East £9.50 online, £12.50 on the door, 10.0019.00. expect gourmet coffee and food samples, demonstrations from top baristas and more. espresso Martini Launch Party on April 27 at 17.00. until Apr 29.

Transport for London travel update

Saturday april 28 District Line: Suspended between richmond and Turnham Green. Sunday april 29 Bakerloo Line: Suspended between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone before 12.00 and after 21.00. District Line: Suspended between richmond and Turnham Green. Jubilee line: Suspended between north Greenwich and Stratford until approximately 10.00. London Overground: Part closure. no service between

20 Scout London scoutlondon.com

richmond to Willesden Junction and Watford Junction to Queen’s Park. Services. between Queen’s Park and euston will be will be suspended on Saturday after 19.30 and on Sunday until 12.30 and after 20.30. on Sunday services between Sydenham and West Croydon will be suspended. rail replacement buses operate. Ongoing Cannon Street: Closed every weekend until mid-2012. For the latest information on all public transport across the capital check tﬂ.gov.uk

Barnacles: Foul play Is a Role For Specialists: Talk at natural History Museum, Cromwell road, SW7 5BD South kensington phone for prices, 14.30-15.00. With museum zoologist Phil rainbow. Cracking the Egyptian code: the revolutionary life of Jean-FranÁois Champollion at British Museum, Great russell Street, WC1B 3DG Tottenham Court Road £5, mems/ concs £3, 18.30. Andrew robinson, discusses his book. Marina Yannakoudakis: Talk at The Hellenic Centre, 16-18 Paddington Street, W1U 5aS Baker Street phone for prices, 19.30. The Conservative MeP discusses her european Parliament activities.

peter Marlow: Talk at Kings Place, 90 york Way, N1 9aG king’s Cross St pancras £9.50, 19.00. The photojournalist discusses his work.

SATURDAY APRIL 28 Introduction To The Holocaust: Talk (Over 11s) at imperial War Museum, Lambeth road, SE1 6HZ Lambeth North FREE, 11.30, 14.30. Members of staff discuss the destruction of Jewish communities in europe. Speed Surgery: Surgery In The 19th Century: Demonstration at The old operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret, 9a St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY London Bridge £5.90, child £3.40, concs £4.90, family £13.80, 14.00. A demonstration exploring surgical practices in 1822.

SUNDAY APRIL 29 Museum Explored at Museum of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican FREE, 11.30-13.30, 14.00-16.00. explore the galleries through fun, hands-on activities.

Cockroach Tour at Science Museum, exhibition road, SW7 2DD South kensington FREE, 14.00-14.45, 16.00-16.45. Find out how we might appear to the insects. The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense For The Thoughtful Investor With Howard Marks: author Event at London School of economics, Houghton Street, WC2a 2aE Temple FREE, 18.0020.00, booking essential. The Nursing practice Of Mary Seacole: Inﬂuences, Case Studies and The Opinion Of Others: Talk at Florence nightingale Museum, 2 Lambeth Palace road, SE1 7EW Westminster FREE, plus admission £5.80, child/concs £4.80, family £16, 15.00. Professor elizabeth Anionwu discusses how Seacole looked after patients.

MONDAY APRIL 30 a Celebration Of Garden Visiting: an Evening With alan Titchmarsh and Friends at Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace road, SE1 7LB Westminster £35 inc meal, Museum Friends £30 inc meal, 18.30, doors 18.00. Panel discussion about the joys of visiting other people’s gardens. Exploring Black British plays at national Theatre: Cottesloe, South Bank, SE1 9pX Waterloo £7.50, 14.00-16.30. Talks and panel discussions with staged readings of extracts. Genesis: The Origins Of Humanity: Talk at London School of economics, Houghton Street, WC2a 2aE Temple FREE, 18.30-20.00. Professors ruth Mace, Catherine rowett and Volker Sommer and Dr Kristina Musholt discuss what it means to be human.

The august Riots: Realities and Representations: Talk at Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian road, N1 9DX king’s Cross £3, redeemable against purchase, 19.00. With guest speakers from the Bristol radical History Group.

Irvine Welsh: Talk at Southbank Centre, Belvedere road, SE1 8XX Waterloo £10, concs £5, 19.45. The author discusses his book Skagboys. The poetry Of Radio: The Colour Of Sound: Talk at The British Library, 96 euston road, NW1 2DB Euston FREE, 13.00-14.00, booking essential. Reading Group at north Kensington Library, 98 Ladbroke Grove, W11 1pY Ladbroke Grove Free, 18.30-19.45. Book club. Singalong Oliver! Choral Club at Southbank Centre, Belvedere road, SE1 8XX Waterloo Free, 18.00. Voicelab hosts a drop-in singing session, in which participants can perfect songs from the classic musical. George Stephenson: Talk at Science Museum, exhibition road, SW7 2DD South kensington phone for prices, 12.30-13.00, 14.00-14.30. Hear how the railway pioneer got industrial Britain on the move.

irVine WeLSH / HuGHePAuL / C. G. P. Grey / CHioT’S run

ONGOING

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Fill in the blanks

Empty pages have been transformed into mini masterpieces for a unique charity auction – and you can own them! Lisa Williams finds out more.

VAuLA

oid of ideas but pregnant with opportunity, a blank sheet can be the bane of the artist. But it’s also the birthplace of many great works of art and literature. or, as the case may be, a series of scribbles and doodles. Which may not sound very special at first, but if it was penned by the famous fingers of Quentin Blake or Alan Bennett, then it could be very special indeed - and one of them could be yours to own. Book Aid international

confronted 14 celebrated writers and illustrators, also including Joanna Lumley and Meera Syal, with an empty page, and challenged them to come up with something wonderful – the results of which are now up for grabs to the public in a silent auction in London this month. The contenders were given the theme of ‘journeys’ to get the creative cogs in motion – fitting for a charity that transports half a million books to libraries in Africa each year. The theme is visible in the keen peddling of Blake’s bearded unicycle rider, who eyes the horizon through a mountain pass, brimming backpack in tow. The contented cats riding to epsom on Jilly Cooper’s racehorse neatly encapsulate the topic as does the fox’s evening promenade in the map-like sketch by illustrator Sue Heap. For Joanna Lumley, known to the book world for her travelogues and memoirs, the first thing which sprang to mind

when presented with the task was the poem Wander-Thirst by Gerald Gould. “i wanted to send a travel poem,” says the actress and presenter. “it took me no time to choose, as i have this one copied into the journal i kept on my long journey to find the source of the nile.” in keeping with the ‘scribble’ brief and because of her “love for pens and paper”, she has written out the poem in pencil, and decorated it with twinkling stars. “The wonderful creativity of these fabulous authors and illustrators is really a pleasure for us to see,” says Jacqui Scott of Book Aid international. “it is amazing that a one word brief - journeys – can result in such a fabulous range of interpretations.” other writers and artists who have scribbles up for auction include Alexander McCall Smith’s awardwinning illustrator Hannah Firmin, and nick Sharratt, whose drawings can be found in Jacqueline Wilson’s books. Whether you’re a potential buyer on the lookout for a

collector’s piece, or if you simply want to have a proper look, the scribbles are on display at Canada Water Library until April 30, when bids for the one-off pieces close. The auction will be drawn on May 1. For more information see bookaid.org  nick Sharratt

 Alan Bennett

3 Quentin Blake

 Hannah Firmin

scoutlondon.com Scout London 21

Food & Drink

A roasting revolution By Ben Norum

ith the exception of water, coffee is the most popular drink in the world, with over 400 billion cups consumed each year. Traditionally us Brits have lagged behind in the league tables, preferring to get our caffeine hit from tea instead, but all of a sudden we’re catching up. And we’re doing it in style. Gone are the days of blank looks when presented with a list of options after asking for “just a coffee please”. Be it Americano, a skinny latte or a flat white, nowadays we all have a type we go for and we know the menus of the chains like the back of our hands. But while we may have been wooed by the big boys offering fast, faceless service and identikit stores, we’re also starting to seek something more fulfilling. We’re in the midst of a coffee revolution. Although London’s just getting started, on the other side of the world the Antipodeans have a booming coffee culture. over there good coffee is a part of life, be it from a proper coffee shop or just a service station, and now evening café visits are rivalling pubs and bars in popularity. it was two new Zealanders who started the Sacred group of coffee shops in London six years ago. Born out of frustration at the lack of decent coffee venues in the city, there’s now six stores around town and they’re widely hailed as being among the country’s best. The London Coffee Festival This weekend sees this celebration of London’s coffee scene return for a second year, bigger and better than before. Drink in their pop-up True Artisan Cafe featuring a rotating line-up of top baristas, enjoy sensory sessions in ‘the lab’, and watch coffee be roasted before your eyes. See londoncoffeefestival.com for tickets. april 27-29, The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane aldgate East

22 Scout London scoutlondon.com

owner Matthew Clark responds modestly to the notion that they kick-started London’s love affair with this style of coffee shop, but recalls just how much things have changed since they began. “People thought we were a bit mad at first,” he says laughing. “We had customers who’d stand outside nervous about coming in, and then ask us if they were allowed to get a coffee without ordering food. Just because we’d put a bit of effort into making the surroundings comfortable and appealing they assumed we were a restaurant. They didn’t know what to make of it.” Surroundings are a start. Coffee shops are now synonymous with comfy sofas, papers to read, snacks to munch on and wifi to make use of. But at the end of the day, it’s the coffee which is their lifeblood. “When we first started, there were very few places in London that took coffee seriously,” says Clark. “We’d have coffee nerds travel a long way to drink at our shop, and many customers would leave having had their first really decent coffee. it’s great how this has changed, and there’s now a much better offering. Customers now know what they want and what good coffee should taste like. i’ve seen several coffee shops open and close in the past few years just around Carnaby Street (the site of one Sacred branch) alone because they try to be trendy but they neglect the coffee. it’s good to know that the public are becoming more discerning and are voting with their feet.” London’s coffee community has been brewing for some time now, slowly getting stronger as fans and professionals alike join

the ranks. Coffee baristas are being taken as seriously as top mixologists or sommeliers. They’re working separately and together to find the best beans, blends, roasts and techniques to create award-winning coffees. And they’re working on changing people’s perception of the drink while they’re at it, pushing people to understand the vast array of different styles available and to look further into what they’re drinking in much the same way you would with a wine or even a beer. in fact, with so many variables involved from bean to cup, a coffee has more diversity than either of these. Two baristas can use the same coffee at the same time and present you with a totally different drink, the same can’t be said of pouring wine. The rest of the uK is lagging behind London, with few options other than the big chains available at the moment, but the tide is turning. Matthew reckons London is now at about the same level that new Zealand was 10 or so years ago, and can’t see the growth stopping. Perhaps the future will see us eschew pubs altogether and struggle to remember what that english Breakfast stuff that came out of a pot was all about. Well, maybe.

reviews

Top Ten Coffee Shops

Sacred, Kiwi and proud N4 3HB Finsbury park

Monmouth, Worth queuing for SE1 9aB London Bridge

prufrock, Try the flat white EC1N 7TE Chancery Lane

The Espresso Room, Teeny tiny WC1N 3HZ Russell Square

ScooterCaffe, Completely quirky SE1 7aE Waterloo

Workshop Coffee Co, Formerly St Ali EC1M 5RN Farringdon

Taylor St. Baristas, Short and strong TW9 2ND Richmond

kaffeine, Considered approach W1W 7QJ Oxford Circus

Exchange Coffee, Locally roasted SE13 6BB Lewisham

Grind, espresso bar 10 Shoreditch EC1V 9NR Old Street

Cinnamon Soho This latest opening from celebrity chef Vivek Singh follows in the footsteps of Cinnamon Club and Cinnamon Kitchen, located in Westminster and the City respectively. Taking a side-step from his traditional indian cooking, Vivek’s menu here reverberates with fun as he plays around with Anglo-indian favourites and sprinkles some spice onto classic Brit meals. The menu is split into all-day dishes, small plate-style bites, starters and main courses. of an evening time, you could do worse than get a selection from across the board to share, though kid-ina-sweetshop syndrome may well kick-in and leave your table - and waistline straining. Curried cullen skink gives an indian twist to the classic smoked fish pie, with a creamy masalaspiced sauce creating as soothing a comfort dish as could be imagined. A hot-sweet shrimp ‘kichri’ is Cinnamon’s version of kedgeree, taking this dish back to what is beleieved to be its original roots. Lentils are mixed with the rice as is traditional, offering a pleasing textural contrast, though the spicing is tame to the point of non-existent. offering a menu section entitled ‘balls’ has to be something of a uSP for Cinnamon Soho, but it’s worthy of more than just a chuckle. Spherical highlights include a beautifully gooey-yolked spiced Scotch egg and a succulent take on a shammi kebab, formed of ground chickpeas as

well as finely minced beef to create something between a meatball and a falafel. ox cheek vindaloo is another memorable moment that blends British and indian influences. Being a traditional vindaloo sauce rather than the curry house bravado version, it’s deep and richly flavoured rather than blow-your-head-off spicy - though the sheer tenderness and multi-layered taste of the meat may just blow your mind. if there have already been some very clever dishes on the menu, none can match the brains which have gone into the bheja fry curry. its main ingredient is lamb brains. Put any squeamishness to one side, because very good they are too. Both taste and texture are similar to bone marrow, with the melty mass just about held together by a crisp outer batter to form some nutritious neuro nuggets that could rival any fast food outlet for moreishness. under most circumstances it would have been brains that left the lasting impression, but there’s another dish which is so simple yet brilliant that takes the crown. if you haven’t tried haleem, a kind of thick dhal with finely minced lamb mixed in, then you have your reason to visit. it’s creamy, meaty, unctuous lusciousness might just change your life. or at least your eating habits. BN 5 Kingly Street, W1B 5PF

Oxford Circus

scoutlondon.com Scout London 23

Food & Drink

reviews

Shaka Zulu Camden

Hunter S Dalston

Buried beneath Camden Lock Market lies Shaka Zulu, a multi-million pound development set over two floors and claiming to be one of London’s biggest restaurants. Subtle it certainly isn’t, but it’s not trying to be. While the food has no more finesse than the in-your-face sculptures and wall carvings that bedeck the place, the likes of zebra, springbok and water buffalo steaks aren’t really made to be delicate. They’re cooked with skill and served simply, with minimal fuss, making it hard to fault our gigantic meat platter, though side orders and salads are less dynamic. A service system which means we have five different headset-adorned waiters across the evening is no doubt efficient, but lacks the personal touch. We imagine this is what school dinners would be like for young Zulu warriors and it’s an interesting but acquired taste. BN

This is the new opening from the people behind the popular Hemingway pub in Victoria Park, and while the team seems to have something of an unnatural obsession with authors who commit suicide, it certainly knows how to create venues that can make a killing. The heads of large stuffed animals adorn the walls in the Victorian-styled dining room, while supposedly high-class porn perks up the toilets. At least it does the men’s - the women are lumbered with a big blue version of the Michelin man instead. With all this taken into consideration, the food is in danger of taking a backseat, but with home-cured salmon on the menu, a beautifully bloody beef Wellington rolled with an earthy mushroom paté, and an impressive selection of American craft beers at very reasonable prices, Hunter mayfind itself feared and loathed by its competitors. BN

Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8aH

Camden Town

This aptly-named restaurant, bar and live music venue sits tucked down a side road at the back end of Streatham. There’s live jazz most nights, regular comedy evenings and a fully loaded bar. Though the food offering - like the entertainment - is fairly broad-minded, it’s the chef’s traditional Creole cooking that shows the most soul. A burger with red pepper relish won’t disappoint, and smoky, succulent, stickily marinated jerk chicken is bang on the money. Just ignore the Thai curry and fish and chips. The air hanger-esque space is suited to numbers, so on a busy night there’s a definite buzz, but we quite enjoyed sipping on a well-made old Fashioned with little more than music and corrugated steel for company. if this was in Shoreditch it would be achingly cool. it being in Streatham makes it much cooler to us. Take your Google Maps. BN

24 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Dalston Junction

Sartoria, Mayfair

The Hideaway Streatham

2 Empire Mews, Stanthorpe Road, SW16 2ED

194 Southgate Road, N1 3HT

Streatham

Sitting on the corner of Savile row, Sartoria is as fashionable in nature as it is in name. Having stood the test of time like a good suit, it’s outlasted many such an extended metaphor to remain one of the Mayfair set’s hippest hangouts. While little has changed with the main restaurant’s Milanese menu over the years, a new addition is the recently revamped bar area specialising in plush aperitivo, antipasti and simple dishes such as dressed Devon crab or bruschetta. The bar’s risotto of the day is reliably elegant, light and with texture, showing just how splendid such a simple dish can be. A squid ink version even does what so many fail to and has some discernible seafood flavour. in fact, the seafood is so fresh here we could almost believe it comes from the tank on the bar. That is until we noticed that said tank is Sartoria’s showy way of storing mozzarella. Fashionistas, eh? BN 20 Savile Row, Mayfair, W1S 3pR

Oxford Circus

amy lamé’s new show directed by scottee camden people’s theatre 1-5, 8 -12 may tickets £10/£12 box office 08444 77 1000 www.unhappybirthday.net #unhappybirthday

photography tom sheehan

Food & Drink CENTRAL Fratelli La Bufala 40 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EY piccadilly Circus italian ££ A new addition to this italian chain sees its characteristically mozzarella-heavy menu come to Shaftesbury Avenue. Try the smoky buffalo burger. Mishkin’s 25 Catherine Street, WC2B 5JS Covent Garden Jewish £ Loosely themed as a Jewish deli, this latest russell norman (Polpo) venture is big on salt beef, gin and cheesecake. not necessarily mixed. Leon de Bruxelles 24 Cambridge Circus, WC2H 8aa Covent Garden Belgian ££ The first uK branch of one of Belgium’s oldest restaurant chains. expect Belgian beers, fish soup, frites, waffles, and moules. Orchard 11 Sicilian Avenue WC1a 2QH Holborn Vegetrian ££ Chef/proprietor Andrew Dargue from Vanilla Black has opened the second vegetarian restaurant from Andrew Dargue of Vanilla Black. Here he champions British ingredients with a deli area selling seasonal produce.

Quince The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, W1J 8LT Green park Middle eastern £££ Celeb chef Silvena rowe’s first restaurant, serving her signature pan-Middle eastern dishes with Mayfair flair.

Yalla Yalla King’s Cross Station, N1C 4aL king’s Cross Lebanese £ The second opening from the team behind the original Soho eatery. A vast meze counter will keep travellers topped-up. Trullo 300-302 St Paul’s road N1 2LH Highbury & Islington italian ££ A cosy rustic retreat just off the Highbury Corner roundabout. The team have pedigree, coming from the stables of Fifteen and river Café.

EAST Salvation Jane oliver’s yard, 55 City road, EC1Y 1HQ Old Street Cafe £ A new café from the team behind the popular Lantana in Fitzrovia. Coffees are backed up with breakfasts, brunch and takeaways. Mangal 1 10 Arcola Street E8 2DJ Dalston kingsland Turkish £ This kebab shop is as trendy as its neighbourhood and follows through with the food. The chargrilled lamb may feature in future dreams.

Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar London Marriott County Hall, Westminster Bridge road, SE1 7pB Waterloo British ££ named after James Gillray, the famous 18th century caracaturist, steak and seafood is order of the day. Venison sausage rolls make a hefty bar snack.

WEST Mari Vanna 116 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7pJ knightsbridge russian £££ This new russian bar and restaurant in Knightsbridge follows in the footsteps of the original in St Petersburg. The menu includes borscht, dumplings and pies. Umami 100 Cromwell road SW7 4ER South kensington Pan-Asian ££ Sharing plates with influences from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea. All served in two sizes, either to taste or to share.

apostrophe 20 Gresham Street EC2V 7JE Bank Cafe £ The London café group has just opened this 20th site. Sandwiches, soups, yoghurts... you know the deal.

SOUTH

NORTH

The Rosendale 65 rosendale road, SE21 8EZ West Dulwich Gastropub ££ recently taken under the renaissance Pubs banner, the robust British menu is a step-up from your standard pub fare.

karpo 23 euston road NW1 2SB king’s Cross Fusion ££ new all-day diner open from 7am, with American elements brought in by uS-born head chef Daniel Taylor. Try the southern fried quail.

26 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Babur 119 Brockley rise SE23 1Jp Honor Oak park indian ££ Contemporary indian cooking with molecular flourishes and matching cocktail menus. The flagship of the area. The Three Stags 67-69 Kennington road, SE1 7pZ Lambeth North Gastropub ££ Creative gastropub grub with a focus on sustainability and local suppliers. They even go as far as making their own honey on the roof.

Meursault 36 Gloucester road, SW7 4QT Gloucester Road Japanese £££ L’etranger have expanded next door with the opening of a new lounge bar and dining room offering molecular cocktails, small plates, and a Japanese-themed menu.

Scout London price Guide ££££ £££ ££ £

over £19 per main £14-18 £9-13 under £9

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TAKE OUT

Imli’s Naanwich Bored of sandwiches for lunch? Those of you based in the West end can head to imli and bring some spice to the office, with flavours such as chicken, avocado, tomato and mango chutney encased in a warm naan wrap. They’re Bollygood. imli, 167-169 Wardour Street, W1F 8Wr £5.50, imli.co.uk

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Art & Culture

Getting under the skin

28 Scout London scoutlondon.com

he made and the drawings he sketched haven’t been fully understood until recent times. Science, it seems, was as much – if not more – a part of da Vinci’s life than art even. “For the last 20 years of his life at least, Leonardo would have regarded himself as primarily a scientist who did a bit of painting on the side,” explains Royal Collection curator Martin Clayton. “He compiled an amazing body of work, and though his drawings were known about, no-one understood them properly for 400 years. He had no impact

on the history of anatomy, despite the incredible quality of his research.” Why did da VInci’s drawings lie untouched for so long? Clayton explains: “The drawings are beautiful but dense and disorganised, and the notes – well over 100,000 words – are written in da Vinci’s habitual mirror writing. It was not until the end of the 19th century that any researcher took the time to collate and publish them.” Now we regard da Vinci’s anatomical work in much higher esteem – as this new exhibition of drawings and

 A skull sectioned,1489

5 A Male Nude From Behind 1504-6

Studies of the foetus in the womb, c.1510-13

e think of Leonard da Vinci as one of the world’s greatest artists. But in truth he was the Renaissance’s greatest renaissance man – a thinker of many talents whose brain leapt over the obstacles that religious dogma and thousands of years of philosophical stasis had put in the way of human progress. Da Vinci’s greatest love of all was the human body and he spent decades studying anatomy. So it is surprising that many of the discoveries

Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical drawings were revolutionary, but they went unpublished and unrecognised for 400 years, as Chris Beanland finds out

highlights papers at the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace - attests to. it is the largest ever exhibition of da Vinci’s drawings and includes rarities such as a ‘to do’ list he made, which will go on public display for the first time. “Leonardo always wanted to discover more,” explains Clayton. “And just at the point at which he was almost ready to publish, his collaborator died of the plague, Milan was invaded, and Leonardo was forced to retire to the country.” That’s one reason why the papers and drawings in this exhibition have ended up on British soil. The suggestion is that Charles ii acquired them – certainly they have been in the royal Collection since as far back as 1690, and are usually stored at Windsor Castle for safe keeping. The documents and sketches are seminal. “His work inspired generations of artists to study anatomy, but had limited impact on medicine until recently,” says Martin Kemp, emeritus professor of the history of art at Trinity College, oxford university.

Prof Kemp, one of the world’s leading authorities on da Vinci, explains: “He thought of art as a science, as systematic knowledge. He did not divide things as we do.” So, for da Vinci, everything was in a sense part of the whole. Art and science were bedfellows to him – it wasn’t a case of one being frivolous and the other educational. The pursuit of knowledge and the progression of understanding are one side of the coin – but wasn’t anatomy shrouded in mystery when Leonardo was dissecting bodies in northern italy in the 1500s? We’ve all heard the tales of grave robberies and paupers’ bodies being abused by early anatomists. Was there a dark side to da Vinci and his work? “There’s only one fully documented human dissection by Leonardo in the hospital of Santa Maria nuova in 1507,” says Prof Kemp. “otherwise it was parts of bodies and animals.” He adds: “Dissections were undertaken in closely regulated circumstances, generally on executed criminals.

Leonardo’s 1507 dissection was a kind of autopsy.” Clayton says: “He dissected 30 corpses during his career, in charitable hospitals and medical schools. The subjects would have been executed criminals, or the destitute who had no-one to claim their bodies for burial.” Some believe that the Vatican frowned on what was taking place at the time. not so, says Clayton. “in fact a papal bull of 1482 expressly permitted human dissection. As long as the body was given a decent burial afterwards, it was fine.” He laughs: “it’s one of those myths – like the idea that people believed the earth was flat – that seems impossible to dispel.” This hands-on research led da Vinci to new heights of understanding of how the human body looked and worked – and that made his art even greater. “He forged new techniques of illustration,” says Prof Kemp. “He attained a level of understanding of muscle structure – for example – that is on a par

with modern work,” says Clayton. Although da Vinci’s painting was instantly recognised as exceptional by renaissance society, his anatomical and science work were not – until much later. “His art was hugely influential across europe – it ushered in the ‘modern style’,” posits Clayton, adding: “in science and medicine, enormous strides in understanding were made, but as he never published he had almost no impact on his chosen fields.” But now, refracted through the lens of modern day understanding, Leonardo’s anatomical drawings can finally be seen for the masterpieces they are. Put in the context of the times in which they were made and the stories behind the great man’s travails – which the papers in the exhibition highlight exceptionally – you finally begin to get a full picture of the man and his work. May 4 to Oct 7 The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham palace

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Art & Culture

London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Damien Hirst at Tate Modern, Bankside, Holland Street, SE1 9TG Southwark £14, concs £12.20, mems FREE, Until Sep 9. The first major survey of the acclaimed British artist’s work to be held in the uK. The 2012 Sony World photography awards Winners Showcase at Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1La Temple £7.50, Until May 20. Global photography. all about Eve: The photography Of Eve Bauhaus: art as Life at Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Barbican phone for prices, Until Aug 12. The most extensive Bauhaus exhibition in the uK in more than 40 years. Brains: The Mind as Matter at The Wellcome Collection, 183 euston road, NW1 2BE Euston FREE, Until Jun 17. Featuring more than 150 artefacts, including videos, photographs, manuscripts and real brains.

LithORRgraphy Chris Orr Ra and The art Of Chemical printing at royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD Green park FREE, Until May 20. Lithographs dating from 1974 to 2011. Colour & Line: Turner’s Experiments at Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1p 4RG pimlico FREE, Until Apr 30. Two-room interactive display of works on paper by Turner. Jeremy Deller: Joy In people at Southbank Centre, Belvedere road, SE1 8XX Waterloo £9, OAP £8, NUS/ unwaged £7, mems/under 12s FREE, ages 12-18 £6.50, inc adm to David Shrigley: Brain Activity, Until May 13. Photographs, posters, sound installations and banners. an african Retrospective at national Geographic Store, 83-97 regent Street, W1B 4EW Oxford Street FREE, Until Apr 30. Photography documenting the landscape and wildlife of Africa. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Lucian Freud: portraits at national Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE Charing Cross £14, OAP £13, NUS/ages 12-18/unwaged £12, Art Fund £7, concs £6.50, mems FREE, Until May 27. Portraits by the late realist artist.

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London 2012: Ron Haselden: Games: Diver at Diespeker Wharf, Danbury Street, N1 8LD angel FREE, Until Dec 31. A large-scale, animated light sculpture inspired by the olympics. Magnum 62 at Chris Beetles Fine Photographs, 3-5 Swallow Street, W1B 4DE piccadilly Circus FREE, Until May 19. A single photograph by each of the established photo agency’s 62 members. alexei Maximov: The Royal portraits at The ritz, 150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR piccadilly Circus FREE, Until May 1. Portraits of the royal families of europe, featuring enamel miniatures, life drawings and photographs.

NORTH Louise Bourgeois: The Return Of The Repressed at Freud Museum, 20 Maresfield Gardens, NW3 5SX Finchley Road £6, under 12s FREE, senior cititzen £4.50, concs £3, Until May 27. Documents, drawings and sculptures which explore the artist’s engagement with psychoanalysis. Zoe Leonard: Observation point at Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright road, NW3 6DG Finchley Road FREE, Until Jun 24. Photography by the new yorkbased artist. Venetia Norris: Linear Collections at national Trust: Fenton House, Windmill Hill, NW3 6RT Hampstead FREE, plus admission £6.50, child £3, family £16, Until Jul 1. Drawings inspired by the walled gardens of Fenton House.

EAST

Remote Control at iCA, 12 Carlton House Terrace, The Mall, SW1Y 5aH Charing Cross FREE, Until Jun 10. Videos, photographs, installations, artefacts and archive material examining the impact of television on contemporary culture. Mondrian/Nicholson: In parallel at Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1La Temple £6, concs £4.50, NUS/disabled/ carer/Mon 10.00-14.00/under 18s FREE, Until May 20. Paintings and reliefs. Navigations: palestinian Video art, 1988-2011 at Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Barbican FREE, Until Apr 26. Videos and films exploring themes of

Famous In The Fifties: photographs By Daniel Farson at national Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE Charing Cross FREE, Until Sep 16. Photographic portraits of 1950s figures. displacement and diaspora. katie paterson: 100 Billion Suns at Haunch of Venison, 51 eastcastle Street, W1W 8EB Oxford Circus FREE, Until Apr 28. An installation inspired by cosmic events. picasso and Modern British art at Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1p 4RG pimlico £14, concs £12.20, mems FREE, Until Jul 15. A mostly chronological show exploring the Spanish artist’s connections to the uK.

Trish Baga at Vilma Gold, 6 Minerva Street, E2 9EH Bethnal Green FREE, Until May 20. Multimedia installations. The Bones Of My Hand at Viktor Wynd Fine Art inc, 11 Mare Street, E8 4Rp Cambridge Heath FREE, Until Jun 10. An installation of animal skeletons alongside works in various media exploring notions of nature and mortality. keith Farquhar: Boy at Hotel, 4 Herald Street, E2 6JT aldgate East FREE, Until May 6. Painted photocopies commenting on masculinity and popular culture. Sophie Lo: posters at rough Trade east, Brick Lane, E1 6QL aldgate East FREE, Until May 3. Posters, record sleeves and prints by the French graphic artist. The Bloomberg Commission: Josiah McElheny: The past Was a Mirage I Had Left Far Behind at Whitechapel Gallery, 80-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX aldgate East FREE, Until Jul 20. Seven large-scaled mirrored sculptures act as reflective screens for Mcelheny’s interpretation of a series of abstract films. Occupy Everything at Hales Gallery, 5-13 Bethnal Green road, E1 6La Bethnal Green FREE, Until May 26. Politically charged prints, paintings, drawings and installations by the artistic duo kennardphillipps. Snapshots Festival : passport Control at rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green road, E1 6La aldgate East FREE, Until Jul 21. An interactive pinhole-camera photo booth. Gillian Wearing at Whitechapel Gallery, 80-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX aldgate East £8.50, concs £6.50, Until Jun 17. Film footage and photographs of ordinary people.

SOUTH London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: The Body adorned: Dressing London at Horniman Museum And Gardens, 100 London road, SE23 3pQ Forest Hill FREE, Until Jan 6. An exploration of the relationships between dress , costume, the body, and the emergence of London as a world city. Nicolas poussin’s (1594-1665) First Series Of The Seven Sacraments at Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery road, SE21 7aD West Dulwich £8, child FREE, OAP £7, concs £4, Until Apr 29. Five remaining paintings from the series.

Ragamala paintings From India: poetry, passion, Song at Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery road, SE21 7aD West Dulwich £8, child FREE, OAP £7, unemployed/disabled/NUS £4, combined entry with Van Dyck In Sicily: Painting And The Plague, 1624-1625 exhibition £10, Until May 27. Miniature paintings showcasing various modes of indian music.

WEST albertopolis: The Development Of South kensington and The Exhibition Road Cultural Quarter at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell road, SW7 2RL South kensington FREE, Until Apr 29. Drawings, paintings and objects from the V&A and riBA collection. alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum at St Mary’s Hospital, Praed Street, W2 1NY paddington £4, child/NUS/ OAP £1, Until Dec 31. A reconstruction of the laboratory where Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, plus displays and video footage illuminating this historical moment in medical research. Draw Your Weapons: The art Of Commando Comics at national Army Museum, royal Hospital road, Chelsea, SW3 4HT Sloane Square FREE, Until Apr 30. illustrations and artefacts exploring the heritage of the war comic. ayaz Jokhio: a poet’s Country: His Eyes at Green Cardamom, 5A Porchester Place, W2 2BS Marble arch FREE, Until Apr 27. Mixed-media works responding to the phenomenon of information-overload. kelmscott House at Kelmscott House, 26 upper Mall, W6 9Ta Ravenscourt park suggested donation £5, Until Dec 31. Home to fabric designer Willam Morris from 1878-1896, and now the base for the Morris Society, with the opportunity to look at the coach house and basement.

Hans-peter Feldmann at Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, W2 3Xa South kensington FREE, Until Jun 5. Feldman’s first solo presentation in a London public gallery. Out Of Focus at Saatchi Gallery, Duke of york’s HQ, King’s road, SW3 4RY Sloane Square FREE, Until Jul 22. Mixed works experimenting with the photographic medium and its conventions. alex prager: Compulsion at Michael Hoppen Gallery, 3 Jubilee Place, SW3 3TD Sloane Square FREE, Until May 26. Lens-based media exploring subversive narratives. Transformation and Revelation: Gormley To Gaga. Uk Design For performance 2007-2011 at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell road, SW7 2RL South kensington FREE, Until Sep 30. A celebration of the work of over 30 British theatre designers, architects and artists.

ADAM FAiTH By DAnieL FArSon, 1962

CENTRAL

recommended

Comedy

Older, but none the wiser Sean Hughes is back. But this is no ordinary stand-up show. By Laura Martin

“Y

ou know how you assume as you get older, you get wiser?” asks Sean Hughes. “Well, I had this thought yesterday. When you see middleaged men on the street and you think they’re having a really serious thought – they’re actually just in pain. Aches and pains. Basically, you can mask a pain in your arm by looking clever.” It sounds like the Irish comedian, now 46, might have begun to have first-hand knowledge about this phenomenon. Despite regularly being on TV as a panellist on Never Mind The Buzzcocks and placing highly in the World’s 100 Greatest Comedians poll, Hughes has been off the stand-up circuit for a couple of years and in the interim he’s had a few revelations about aging. Tired old bones aside, he’s gathered up his new material and is heading back on stage in London this month to premiere two shows he will later take to the Edinburgh Festival. The first show, Sean Hughes Stands Up, sees an excellent return to his stand-up roots, but his second offering, Life and Other Noises, is set in a hospital bed and isn’t exactly about the most comedy-friendly of subjects: death. Sean says: “Oh, it happens to us all. It all depends on how serious you take life, death, birth, marriage and all that – they’re just things that happen to us. I don’t find it that serious. I mean, it’s heartbreaking, but it’s not that serious.”

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The death of Sean’s father just over a year ago may have made the subject all the more poignant for him, but Sean says these big existential themes are something he’s pondered since he was young: “I’d love to say writing the show helped with the healing process, but I don’t think it did. In general, I’ve been thinking big things through like this since I was about 17 as I’ve had a lot of time on my hands. It’s like when people go on holiday and they make a big decision in their life because usually they work eight hours a day and

haven’t got time to think. It wasn’t a huge hurdle for me, I was dealing with death anyway as I think about these things all the time.” While at first glance not appearing to be a side-splitter of a topic, Hughes believes there’s humour in being more real: “I was thinking about what people laugh at. Some people just want to hear jokes that relate to their lives or pure escapism, which is fine, but I try to have a bit of heart and soul

in the comedy, that’s what I like, and where I come from with my comedy.” Hughes has been at the heart of UK comedy since he was the youngest person ever to win a Perrier Award back in 1990 aged 24 and he recently felt it was time to take a break from his 22-year comedy career. In this time, he concentrated on a host of other creative outlets, including writing a couple of books, hosting a BBC 6 radio show and perhaps the most illustrious of all his moonlighting, a role as Eileen Grimshaw’s love interest in Corrie. He says: “I stopped stand-up as it all got a bit tedious. I’d done the one-man show thing and won awards and then I felt you could only go so far – the rule of this game is you need to keep them laughing all the way through. I felt it was time to write some novels, which I went to do. But I always come back to the stand-up because that’s what it says in my passport, I am a standup comedian.” In his absence, he’s seen the rise of the younger, TVprimed comedians as opposed to comedians who have to cut their teeth on the often caustic stages of comedy clubs: “When I started off my heroes were people like Richard Pryor who were getting on a bit. There was a gang of us who came up in the late 80s and early 90s we were all young, but we all looked up to these older guys and there was the idea that you weren’t any good

until you got older. That’s changed now. It’s very much a young person’s game – you need a lot of energy and arrogance to do it.” Still, not being a youngster doesn’t seem to bother Hughes that much. In fact, it sounds like sticking on some slippers and kicking his feet up on the sofa in his Crouch End home is far more appealing to him than a night out on the lash. “The best thing about getting older is that you don’t have to pretend you like stuff anymore,” he says. “Without really realising it, my catchphrase when I’m asked something is ‘nah, you’re alright’.” He adds: “You stay in a lot more as you get older, you just start complaining, like ‘what am I going to drink? Watery beer from a plastic glass while I’m standing up in a smelly room? I could be listening to a really cool stereo at home with a glass of wine’.” If he ever sounds like veering into grumpy old man territory, he’s quick to point out something of an anomaly he’s noticed as time passes by: “Things that make me laugh now are my very close friendships. I watch a lot of TV, I always raise a chuckle at Modern Family, that makes me laugh a lot. “In fact, I find I laugh a lot more as I get older.” Life Becomes Noises, April 28 and May 27 at Udderbelly, Southbank Sean Hughes Stands Up, June 24 at Udderbelly, Southbank

recommended ONGOING pam ann: You F’Coffee at The Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon Street, WC1H 0aH Euston From Apr 17, Tue-Sun 20.00, ends May 5, Tue £22, Wed & Thu £24, FriSun £26. Character comedy. until May 5. Russell Howard’s Good News: Warm Up Show at Tabard Theatre, 2 Bath road, W4 1LW Turnham Green From Apr 8, Sun, phone for times, ends May 27, phone for prices. The stand-up performs new material ahead of his BBC3 series. until May 27.

TUESDAY APRIL 24 99 Club South London at electric Social, 40 Acre Lane, SW2 5Sp Brixton 20.30-22.30, adv £7, £12 inc meal. With Prince Abdi, Spencer Brown and Tom Allen. The alternative Universe at Comedy Cafe, 66-68 rivington Street, EC2a 3aY Liverpool Street 18.00, £5. With Scott Capurro and David Mills.

Sheeps at invisible Dot, Camden Stables Market, Chalk Farm road, NW1 8aH Chalk Farm 19.45, £6. Quirky sketches. The Camden Comedy Sessions at The Camden Head, 100 Camden High Street, NW1 0LU Camden Town 19.30, FREE. With MCs Joe Hunter and robin Cousins. Scott Capurro’s position at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 19.45, £15. With Sarah Millican, yotam ottolenghi and Miss Hope Springs.

99 Club Leicester Square at Storm, 28a Leicester Square, WC2H 7LE Leicester Square 20.30-22.30, £12, adv £8. rob Deering, Josh Widdicombe, Holly Walsh. Bridget Christie: Housewife Surrealist at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 21.15, Tue & Wed £10, Thu-Sat £12.50, concs £10. Alternative humour. E4 Udderbelly Festival at e4 udderbelly At Southbank Centre, Jubilee Gardens, SE1 8XX Embankment times vary, prices vary. Stand-up, family shows, music and theatre.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 25 ariadne The WaG’s Comedy Bag at Madame Jojo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SE piccadilly Circus 20.0022.30, £10, adv £8. Character, sketch and musical comedy.

Scott Capurro’s position at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 19.45, £15. With Al Murray, Lynne Franks and John oates. pear Shaped In Fitzrovia at Fitzroy Tavern, 16a Charlotte Street, W1T 2Na Goodge Street 20.30, £5. With Sajeela Kershi, Jonathan Bentata, Julie Kertesz, Geoff Alderman, Tom Mayhew, Aaron Wood, Boris Witzenfield, Jennifer Carnovale, Annabel Heaney and Brian & Krysstal and Anthony Miller. Sketchercise at Ginglik, Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8pH Shepherd’s Bush 20.00, £7 guestlist, adv £5, mems £4. With Cariad Lloyd, Sheeps, The Beta Males, Ben Target, Spencer Jones, Allnutt & Simpson, Damien Slash, Making Faces and The errors of Comedy.

THURSDAY APRIL 26 Tom allen’s Society at Comedy Cafe, 6668 rivington Street, EC2a 3aY Liverpool Street 20.00, FREE. Chat show style stand-up. Bill Bailey: Qualmpeddler: Work In progress at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 20.00, £15, phone for availability. offbeat humour. The Best In Stand-Up at Comedy Store, 1a oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE piccadilly Circus 20.00, £18 & £25.50, NUS/concs £13 & £20.50. With Josh Widdicombe, Mark Maier, Tom Stade, Steve Gribbin and MC roger Monkhouse. Scott Capurro’s position at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 19.45, £15. With Alistair McGowan, Willis, Martin Humphries and Hadley Freeman. E4 Udderbelly Festival: Frisky and Mannish: Extra-Curricular activities at e4 udderbelly At Southbank Centre, Jubilee Gardens, SE1 8XX Embankment 21.00, £15.50 & £20.50, concs £14. Fastpaced musical comedy. Chris McCausland: Big Time at Tara Theatre, 356 Garratt Lane, SW18 4ES Earlsfield 20.00, £11.50. observational humour. peacock & Gamble: Don’t Even Want To Be On Telly anyway... at Hen & Chickens, 109 St Paul’s road, N1 2Na Highbury & Islington 21.30, £6.50. Two-time Chortle Comedy Award nominees.

FRIDAY APRIL 27

knock2Bag Comedy Night at rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green road, E1 6La aldgate East 19.30, £15, adv £10. With nick Helm, David Trent, William Andrews, Will Adamsdale, ed Gamble and Lucy Montgomery. The Best In Stand-Up at Comedy Store, 1a oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE piccadilly Circus 19.30, 23.00, 7.30pm £20 & £27.50, 11pm £15 & £22.50, concs/NUS £10 & £17.50. With

Tom Stade, Mark Maier, Steve Gribbin and MC roger Monkhouse. Scott Capurro’s position at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 19.45, £15. With Kate Dimbleby and Peter Tatchell. Comedy Carnival at one, 1 Leicester Square, WC2H 7Na Leicester Square 20.00-22.00, £12. Kerry Godliman, Stefano Paolini, Michael Fabbri, MC Bryan Lacey. The Covent Garden Comedy Club @ Heaven at The Covent Garden Comedy Club @ Heaven, under The Arches Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG Charing Cross 20.00-22.00, £10 & £13. With Andrew Maxwell, Stuart Mitchell, edward Aczel, romesh ranganathan and MC Mike Belgrave. Foster’s Comedy Live at Highlight, Camden Lock, Middle yard Chalk Farm road, NW1 8aB Camden Town 20.1522.30, £17 & £18. Mike Gunn, Damian Clark, Paul Pirie, Ben Lawes, David Longley. The Funny Side...Of Covent Garden at The George, 213 Strand, WC2R 1ap Temple 20.00, £12.50. Martin Semple, Kerry Godliman, MC Jonny Freeman plus a guest comedian. Jongleurs Comedy Show at Kempinska’s, 24 Bride Lane, EC4Y 8DT Farringdon 20.30, doors 5pm, last adm 8pm, £17. James Dowdeswell, Kevin Dewsbury, Joe Bor, Hal Cruttenden. Soho Comedy Club at The Casino At The empire, 5-6 Leicester Square, WC2H 7Na Leicester Square 20.00, £15, adv £10. With Scott Capurro, nick Coppin, Helen Arney and MC Kate Smurthwaite. Mark Steel Is In Town at Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee road, SE3 9RQ Blackheath 20.00, £16, concs £14. The stand-up looks at the history of each town he visits on his tour.

piccadilly Comedy Club at The Comedy Pub, 7 oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Leicester Square 20.30, £7.50, inc burger £12.50. With nik Coppin, imran yusuf, ryan Cull and MC Mike Belgrave. Soho Comedy Club at The Casino At The empire, 5-6 Leicester Square, WC2H 7Na Leicester Square 20.00, £15, adv £10. With John Gordillo, Junior Simpson, David Mulholland and MC Kate Smurthwaite.

SUNDAY APRIL 29 Comedy Store players at Comedy Store, 1a oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE piccadilly Circus 19.30, £17, NUS/ concs £12. Andy Smart, neil Mullarkey and Stephen Frost Comedy Night at Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL Hammersmith 20.00, £20, concs £15. With Phill Jupitus, Chris McCausland and Jenny eclair.

MONDAY APRIL 30 The Good Ship Comedy Club at The Good Ship, 289 Kilburn High road, NW6 7JR kilburn 19.00, £5, adv £4. With Zoe Lyons, Tez ilyas, Abi Makes Music and Pat Cahill. Laughing Boy Comedy Club at The City Arts & Music Project, 70-74 City road, EC1Y 2BJ Old Street 19.30, £4. With Jon richardson, Seann Walsh, Sara Pascoe, Paul Chowdhry and Andrew Lawrence. Sean Lock: Work In progress at Pleasance Theatre, Carpenter’s Mews, north road, N7 9EF Caledonian Road 20.00, £5£7.50, phone for availability. Cynical humour.

SATURDAY APRIL 28 99 Club Clapham Junction at Battersea Mess & Music Hall, 49 Lavender Gardens, Clapham Junction SW11 1DJ 20.30-22.30, £12.50, £20 & £25 inc meal. With Tony Law, Andrew Bird and Matthew osborn. amusedMooseSoho’s Big Value Comedy Night Out at Moonlighting, 16-17 Greek Street, W1D 4DR Tottenham Court Road 20.20-22.30, £12, mems £10. With ian Stone, Mark Dolan, Tom Deacon, Paul McCaffrey and Simon Feilder.

Late Night Gimp Fight at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road From Apr 19, Mon-Sat 8.30pm, ends May 5, Apr 19-21, 23 £10, Apr 24-26, 30, May 1-3 £15, concs £12.50 & £13.50, Apr 27 & 28, May 4 & 5 £17.50, concs £15 & £16. Sketch comedy. until May 5.

Roy Chubby Brown at new Wimbledon Theatre, 93 The Broadway, SW19 1QG Wimbledon 19.30, £21. Controversial stand-up. Scott Capurro’s position at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 19.45, £15. With Helen Lederer, Deolinda and Jeremy Langmead. Comedy On The Common at The Pavilion, Plumstead Common, old Mill road, SE18 1QG plumstead 20.15, £8. With Tiffany Stevenson, Michael Fabbri and Phil Dinsdale. E4 Udderbelly Festival: Sean Hughes: Life Becomes Noises at e4 udderbelly At Southbank Centre, Jubilee Gardens, SE1 8XX Embankment 19.45, £15.50 & £20.50, concs £14. Quick-fire intelligent wit.

alex Horne: Seven Years In The Bathroom at Tabard Theatre, 2 Bath road, W4 1LW Turnham Green 20.00, £6. intelligent wit. Howlin Comedy Club at new Wimbledon Theatre, 93 The Broadway, SW19 1QG Wimbledon 20.00, £15. Kev orkian, Phil Butler and MC Miles Crawford.

scoutlondon.com Scout London 33

Film

Thor blimey! It’s the ultimate superhero dream team - six Marvel comic legends joining forces to fight evil. Shereen Low discovers the allure of The Avengers

ondon had never seen anything like it before. The Big Smoke turned into superhero central on Thursday as five crime-busting heroes (and one super-villain) descended for the European premiere of Avengers Assemble. Crowds of fans turned out to see Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans and the UK’s very own Tom Hiddleston reprise their courageous alter-egos - Iron Man, Black Widow, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Captain America and Loki respectively - for writer-director, 34 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Joss Whedon’s highly anticipated blockbuster. Based on the Marvel comic book series first published in 1963, there’s a whole lot of superhero for one film. And yes, Whedon admits that handling so many inflated egos was

a mighty challenge. But, in keeping with the theme, he rose to it. “Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America don’t seem like they could co-exist,” Whedon says. “Ultimately that’s what intrigued me and made me go, ‘This can be and should be done.’”

66 It’s like being in a

superhero rock band 99 Tom Hiddlestone

The plot sees top secret international intelligence agency SHIELD (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division) led by Nick Fury - played by the legendary Samuel L Jackson - tasked with yet another worldsaving mission, as Thor baddie, Loki is threatening to destroy Earth. This can only mean it is time to call in the superheroes, played by a who’s-who of today’s Hollywood royalty. Scout London caught up with the stars and asked them to give us the low-down on their characters, behind-the-scenes insights and to answer the following question...

featured Who exactly are the Avengers… and their alter-egos? IRON MAN

Hero AKA Actor

iron Man tony stark Robert downey Jr

eccentric genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist and armoured superhero, Stark agreed to be a SHieLD consultant at the end of iron Man 2. “Tony initially thinks joining the Avengers is ridiculous, but being Tony Stark, he is more open to the realm of possibilities that exist in that world,” Downey Jr explains. unlike his character, he couldn’t wait to meet his co-stars.“i think now that i’m 46, i should be in this phase of my development where you appreciate things while they’re happening, and this is one of the first times i really had that feeling throughout the production,” he adds.

BLACK WIDOW

Hero AKA Actor

Black Widow ff natasha Romano son scarlett Johans

it’s no wonder Black Widow is a valued member of SHieLD, given her credits as one of the world’s best spies and skilled assassins. She

also brings a welcome feminine touch to the testosterone-bursting team. “in this film, audiences will get to see more of her history and shady past, which to me is very exciting because the darker part of the character was always very appealing,” says Johansson. The 27-year-old says the new fighting techniques she had to learn were “complicated”. “There’s definitely more weaponry. The first time i saw what they had in mind, i was like, ‘i’m never going to be able to learn this’. There are a lot of failures until you get it right. But boy, do those failures hurt sometimes,” she admits.

THOR

Hero AKA Actor

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Hero AKA

the incredible hulk Bruce Banner Mark Ruffalo

Actor

Following previous incarnations with edward norton and eric Bana, the mean, green giant is now slightly different. “in a lot of the other versions of the character, Hulk grew in size drastically, but in Avengers Assemble, he gets stronger as he gets angrier, but doesn’t really grow much taller,” explains ruffalo, 44, who stepped out of his comfort zone to portray a superhero. “Avengers Assemble isn’t the type of film i’ve done in the past or i am usually invited to do,” he says. “i was a little nervous about it.”

CAPTAIN AMERICA

Hero

Captain america

AKA Actor

steve Rogers Chris Evans

At the end of his 2011 movie, Captain America crashed into the Arctic and froze. now, decades later, he’s defrosted and back in action. “Waking up in modern day is an extremely different way of life that Steve rogers now has to get used to,” says evans, 30. “it’s not just that Captain America wakes up in a whole new world, it’s the fact he has to deal with the emotions of finding out that everybody he knows is dead.”

LOKI

thor God Of thunder Chris hemsworth

Becoming an Avenger is extra complicated for Thor – as the evil Loki is his adopted brother. “Thor has a personal investment. His brother is the one who’s causing the chaos and he fears the others may just want to kill him instead of stopping him and taking away his powers,” says the Australian actor. “He feels maybe there’s still some good in Loki behind all the the misguided evil.” in one scene, the brothers face off in an intense battle on a balcony of Stark Tower. “i enjoy doing my own stunts because i know it adds so much to the final product,” adds 28-year-old Hemsworth.

HAWKEYE Villain AKA Actor Hero AKA Actor

hawkeye Clint Barton Jeremy Renner

As one of SHieLD’s most elite agents, Barton - code named Hawkeye - is the greatest living marksman on earth, and one who had not previously been introduced on the big screen. “What i liked more than anything was the idea that he’s a human being with a high skill set, who is a bit of a rogue agent,” says 41-yearold renner.

loki her

Evil adopted Brot tom hiddleston

The villain responsible for all this mayhem, Loki, is out for revenge, after his previous bid to overthrow the throne of the kingdom of Asgard was thwarted by Thor. “Loki goes toe-to-toe with all the superheroes. it’s like being in the best kind of superhero rock band you could possibly hope for,” says Cambridge-educated Hiddleston, 31. avengers assemble is released in cinemas on april 26 scoutlondon.com Scout London 35

Film

out this week Being Elmo (U) From his 1985 debut on American television, Elmo has become arguably the most popular resident of Sesame Street, dispensing warm hugs to everyone he meets. Documentary filmmaker Constance Marks delves beneath the eye-catching red fur to celebrate the talent of the puppeteer, Kevin Clash, who has been the falsetto voice and heart of the lovable monster since his inception. Unfolding largely in chronological order with warm narration from Whoopi Goldberg, Being Elmo is as charming as its unassuming subject, revelling in Clash’s passion for make-believe and his ability to connect with children of all ages, including one heartbreaking scene of a terminally ill girl choosing a visit from Elmo as her dying wish. Only the coldest hearts will be unmoved. DS

More is less, where superheroes are concerned, in Avengers Assemble, the special effects-laden amalgamation of four Marvel Comics franchises, which unites the inflated egos and rippling muscles of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to save mankind from power-hungry Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his extra-terrestrial cohorts. Writer-director, Joss Whedon gifts all of the best lines to Downey Jr’s playboy and he orchestrates the spectacular, overblown set pieces with brio. There’s a clear presumption that audiences will have seen the earlier films, accounting for a paucity of fresh character development, and the final battle is hilariously onesided in favour of the super-powered dream team. The forces of evil are doomed. DS

Damsels In Distress (12A) It has been 14 years since indie auteur Whit Stillman refracted his rose-tinted memories of Studio 54 through the lens of The Last Days Of Disco. His latest feature, the whimsical comedy, Damsels In Distress, has been worth the wait, earning a steady burble of giggles as three ill-prepared college students (Greta Gerwig, Carrie MacLemore, Megalyn Echikunwoke) and their welladjusted new recruit (Analeigh Tipton) do more harm than good with a counselling service for depressed fellow undergraduates. Stillman’s script glistens with arch oneliners - “Speaking of suicide prevention: Lily, do you have a boyfriend?” - which the ensemble cast relish. However, there’s a cool detachment from some of the characters that makes Damsels In Distress a film to greatly admire rather than unabashedly adore. DS 36 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Avengers Assemble (12A)

Film

recommended

Sundance London

Breathing (15)

Established almost 35 years ago by Robert Redford in Park City, Utah, the Sundance Film Festival has become the annual celebration of independent movie-making, providing a launch pad for the likes of Reservoir Dogs, Little Miss Sunshine, The Blair Witch Project and Run Lola Run. Redford and the Sundance Institute relocate to the capital for four glorious days this week to showcase

Death becomes Austrian actor Karl Markovics, who makes a mightily impressive directorial debut with this beautifully observed and emotionally rich slice of life about a deeply troubled juvenile (Thomas Schubert), who finds redemption on a work-release program to Vienna’s municipal morgue. Surrounded by grief and loss, the taciturn central character initially clashes with an antagonistic work colleague (Georg Friedrich)

some of the best films at the US event, interspersed with panel discussions and music performances from the likes of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Placebo and Tricky. The House I Live In, Eugene Jarecki’s provocative documentary about the war on drugs, and The Queen Of Versailles, Lauren Greenfield’s real-life portrait of the American dream turned sour, are two of the highlights on The O2’s magnificent big screen.

but ultimately learns to cherish the minutiae of his bleak existence, reflected in a bravura and naturalistic performance from Schubert - also making an impressive debut - that is the epitome of heart-rending restraint. Markovics adopts a similarly meditative approach behind the camera, capturing key sequences in stunning single takes including a final shot that soars gradually into the air, and our hearts with it. DS

Into The Abyss: A Tale Of Death, A Tale of Life (12A)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (12A)

German filmmaker Werner Herzog pricks consciences with the thorny issue of capital punishment in this provocative documentary. In October 2001, Michael Perry and Jason Burkett were arrested for the murders of a 50-year-old Texas nurse, her son and his friend during a bungled car robbery. Perry was condemned to death row while Burkett’s lawyer argued

Based on the 2004 Deborah Moggach novel These Foolish Things, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a hilarious and touching comedy about growing old disgracefully. Ol Parker’s warm and witty script provides the predominantly British cast with moments to shine and tug our heartstrings as seven retirees abandon Britain for the seemingly balmier climes

successfully for a life sentence. Both men denied responsibility. Herzog interviews the prisoners and those close to the victims in the days leading up to Perry’s execution, as well those set to administer the fatal drugs. Through this patchwork of haunting testimonies and tearstained reminiscences, Herzog crafts a swingeing criticism of American justice. DS

of Jaipur. Performances are an embarrassment of riches, anchored by Dame Maggie Smith as a racist housekeeper, who surveys a black nurse at her local hospital and sneers, “He can wash all he likes - that colour’s not coming out.” The teeming streets of Rajasthan burst with vitality and composer Thomas Newman adds plenty of spice with his evocative score. DS scoutlondon.com Scout London 37

DVD / Download

Daniel Craig gets dark and dangerous

38 Scout London scoutlondon.com

(Rooney Mara) is hired to do a background check on him, a job that ultimately leads to her joining Blomkvist in his investigation. A punk prodigy whose appearance warns people to stay away, Salander is a heroine unlike any other and Craig was instinctively drawn to her character. “What’s interesting about her is that even though she’s a victim of sexual violence, she never psychologically becomes a victim,” he observes. “Her strength and the way she can take a knock, get up and carry on is something I think people really hook into.” The film is directed by David Fincher, of The Social Network and Fight Club fame – a man whose reputation precedes him. “David’s very specific and... what’s the nicest way to say it? Particular,” Craig laughs. “But once you see the way he builds a scene, brick by brick, it’s an easy process to relax into. You give yourself over to it, knowing he’s got his eye on all the important details.” Craig was Fincher’s favourite for the part from the start. There was one problem though – he was in the best shape of his life when he was cast, which wasn’t suitable for a journalist who spends much of his time at a desk. “David told me to get fatter. It was a struggle, but I managed,” he says with a chuckle. Born in Cheshire and raised in Liverpool, Craig’s first experience of acting was as a sixyear-old lad, bagging roles in school plays. By 16, he’d moved to London with the National Youth Theatre then trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His film debut came in 1992’s The Power Of One, the same year he wed Scottish actress Fiona Loudon. The marriage lasted two years but made Craig a father – to daughter Ella, now 19. It was 2004’s gangster movie Layer Cake that really got him noticed, and in October 2005, he was announced as the successor to Pierce Brosnan’s Bond. Die-hard fans were unable to envision a blonde-haired, blue-eyed 007 and Craig himself initially walked away from the offer.

“I couldn’t see myself doing it,” he admits. “I genuinely thought they were having a giggle.” But he soon settled into the role and proved everyone wrong by bringing a dramatic depth to the character. “There’s always going to be somebody who says, ‘That’s not Bond, this is Bond’, but I’ve made him my own and feel comfortable about that.” Notoriously private, Craig admits he had to think long and hard about the effect playing 007 would have on his personal life. “When it came down to it, I decided to embrace the whole thing. There’s no point doing Bond and hiding away for six months,” he says. “Although, I’ve tried to keep my family and friends far away from it. Their privacy is crucially important.” And that’s why he chose to keep his wedding under wraps last summer. “It’s not about being afraid to be public with your emotions, or who you are and what you stand for. But if you sell it, you can’t buy your privacy back,” he says. So did he enjoy depicting the ‘enemy’ in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo? “The truth is that journalism is an incredibly important part of a democratic society. Some of my heroes are journalists,” says Craig. “Obviously journalism sometimes has a negative effect on my world, but I’m big enough and ugly enough to understand why it’s there.” The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is out on DVD now ANTHONY CHAMMOND / Flickr/turbotoddi

aniel Craig has a reputation for being rather serious. Today though, the craggily handsome actor is relaxed and smiling widely, but then, he has a lot to smile about. After all, 2011 was a stellar year for the 44-year-old British actor, personally and professionally. He married Rachel Weisz, in a secret summer wedding in New York, lived out a childhood dream of donning spurs for the sci-fi western Cowboys And Aliens, and starred in one of the year’s biggest cinema hits – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – a dark, violent thriller that was dubbed, ‘The feel bad movie of Christmas’. 2012 isn’t shaping up too badly either. Craig has been busy working on Skyfall, the latest offering in the iconic Bond franchise. And this month, as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is released on DVD, hype surrounding the series continues. The film is based on the first in a trilogy of books written by Swedish journalist-turnedauthor Stieg Larsson. He died in 2004, so didn’t witness the global success his work was about to become, but by late 2011, his books had sold 65 million copies worldwide. “Someone gave me a copy of the book on holiday and I read it in two days,” says Craig, who plays Mikael Blomkvist, the Swedish journalist hired by retired tycoon Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to investigate the decades-old disappearance of his niece, Harriet. “It’s one of those books you just don’t put down. There’s this immediate feeling that bad things are going to happen.” From the start, Craig had an affinity for Blomkvist: “I like his attitude. He’s fighting the good fight, trying to uncover corruption and to be an influential journalist.” He pauses before adding: “If that’s still possible.” While Blomkvist travels to a remote island on the frozen Swedish coast, an unusual and ingenious investigator called Lisbeth Salander

As winter’s cinema smash The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is released on DVD, Daniel Craig tells Susan Griffin about his double oh-so brilliant year

new releases The Lady (12) Aung San Suu Kyi (Michelle Yeoh) is a housewife living in Oxford with her husband, Michael (David Thewlis), a university lecturer. When she flies to Burma to be with her ill mother, she becomes embroiled in the pro-democracy uprising. “Not all historians get to be a part of history in the making,” a colleague tells Michael. The Burmese government denies Michael and their sons entry, hoping that Kyi will leave the country, underestimating her resolve. Sadly, fact doesn’t

always lend well to exhilarating cinema. The Nobel Peace Prizewinning political activist’s enforced isolation results in repeated scenes of Yeoh shedding tears in close-up as she calls home. Thewlis delivers a rousing performance but Luc Besson’s direction is uninspired, and Rebecca Frayn’s script is peppered with cryptic musings on the human condition. The actors persist but their efforts amount to little more than a chocolate box re-imagining of Kyi’s remarkably selfless and idealistic crusade. DS

The Future (12) Sophie (Miranda July) and boyfriend Jason (Hamish Linklater) have been together for five years but there’s something missing from their relationship. While she teaches dance to excitable toddlers and he mans a trouble-shooting telephone helpline, they have very little to say to each other. Melancholic and content, they decide to adopt a cat in the hope that the feline might provide some emotional glue, but they are still forced to confront the deficiencies in their relationship, revealing the longing that courses beneath the surface. In

her follow-up to the acclaimed comedy Me And You And Everyone We Know, writerdirector, July charts another offbeat romance, narrated by the unfortunate cat, who brings the central characters closer together. The Future will probably irritate as many viewers as it enthrals - July’s quirky brand of magical realism, which includes a talking moon, is strange and charming in equal measure. Bigger questions of mortality and alienation are deftly woven into the gossamer thin narrative, lingering in the memory long after. DS

V.Perez

The Son of No One (15) Thirty-something cop, Jonathan White (Channing Tatum) lives with his wife, Kerry (Katie Holmes) and young daughter. He is assigned to a precinct in his old neighbourhood, Queens, just as local reporter, Loren Bridges (Juliette Binoche) publishes an anonymous tip-off about a police cover-up of two murders 16 years ago. The accusations cause friction in the precinct and give Captain Marion Mathers (Ray Liotta) a major headache while veteran Detective Charles Stanford (Al Pacino) finds himself at the centre of the furore. Buried evidence returns to haunt

Jonathan and he must do whatever it takes to protect his reputation and, more importantly, his family. The Son Of No One is a gritty thriller undone by wild deviations from logic and a fractured chronology. Tatum is unusually devoid of his usual charm and there’s scant screen chemistry with Holmes, whose performance errs towards the hysterical. Oscar winners, Pacino and Binoche are wasted in their malnourished roles. Writer-director, Dito Montiel appears untroubled by the holes in his narrative, side-stepping each inconsistency, hoping out of sight is out of our befuddled minds. DS scoutlondon.com Scout London 39

LGBT TUESDAY APRIL 24

OMFG! at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square phone for prices, 22.00-03.00. DJs Lady Lloyd, Joshyou Are and niyi Maximus Crown play pop, disco and electro, with host Queen B Munroe Bergdorf. Candy Boys at The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road phone for prices, phone for times. resident DJs spin dance and pop. Lines & Bears at Barcode Vauxhall, railway Arch 69 Goding Street, SE11 5aW Vauxhall phone for prices, phone for times. resident DJs spin house music, plus line dancing. Ruby Tuesdays at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7Ba Leicester Square FREE, 21.00-late. Pop, r&B and 80s from Sandra D and Joe Grohl.

recommended THURSDAY APRIL 26 Dolly Mixtures at The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 21.0003.00. DJP plays pop and r&B. Industri at Barcode Vauxhall, railway Arch 69 Goding Street, SE11 5aW Vauxhall FREE, 20.00-02.00. House from Miss Minty, Brent nicholls and Paul Heron. Macho City at Joiners Arms, 116-118 Hackney road, E2 7QL Old Street £3, FREE before 11.30pm, 22.00-03.00. resident DJs spin disco, pop and retro. QueerlyOut at escape Bar, 10A Brewer Street, W1F 0SU Leicester Square £5, mems £3, FREE before 9pm, 21.00-03.00. DJ robby D spins commercial dance, pop and r&B. Retrosexual at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7Ba Leicester Square FREE, 22.00-late. Tasty Tim spins 80s music. Usual Suspects at First out, 52 St Giles High Street, WC2H 8LH Tottenham Court Road FREE, 18.0023.00. resident DJs play pop, r&B, electro and indie. Xxtra at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square £5, FREE before 11pm, 22.00-03.00. TerryJames Lynch hosts a night of house, electro and pop, plus fashion.

FRIDAY APRIL 27

WEDNESDAY APRIL 25 Disco paradiso at Joiners Arms, 116-118 Hackney road, E2 7QL Old Street phone for prices, 23.00-02.00. DJs Jo Public and Stewart Who? spin disco, soul, funk and rock’n’roll. Girls-a-Loud at The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 20.00late. DJs Coco yeah and MDMX play pop, chart and electro. Shinky Shonky at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7Ba Leicester Square FREE, 22.00-03.00. resident DJs spin classic and contemporary pop, plus live cabaret performances. Trannyoke at escape Bar, 10A Brewer Street, W1F 0SU Leicester Square FREE, 21.00-03.00. DJ Matt spins pop and dance, with host Lady Lloyd, and karaoke. Trannyshack at Madame Jojo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SE piccadilly Circus £5, w/flyer £3, FREE before 12midnight, 22.00-03.00. Miss Dusty o, Tasty Tim and Lady Lloyd spin commercial dance and pop. Work at Fire, South Lambeth road, SW8 1UQ Vauxhall £5, £4 before 1am, 23.00-05.00. Lee Harris, niyi Maximus Crown and Big John Freeman spin house, pop, electro, r&B, funk and dancehall.

40 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Therapy at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square FREE before 11pm, 22.00-03.00. electropop and dance from DJs Miswhite, Minx, Paul Heron and Sonathaq. Girl Friday at First out, 52 St Giles High Street, WC2H 8LH Tottenham Court Road FREE, 19.0023.00. resident DJs play pop, r&B, electro and indie. The O Zone at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7Ba Leicester Square w/flyer FREE, 22.00-03.00. Dusty o spins pop, chart and r&B. popstarz at The Den & Centro, 18 West Central Street, WC1a 1JJ Holborn phone for prices, 22.00-04.00. resident DJs spin indie, pop and r&B. popstarz: after Dark at The Den & Centro, 18 West Central Street, WC1a 1JJ Holborn FREE, 04.00-08.00. resident DJs spin indie, rock, r&B, pop and Motown.

Shake & pop at The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road £5, mems £3, FREE before 10pm, 21.0003.00. DJ Bam Bo Tang spins urban anthems, chart, retro hits and pop classics. Super Techno party Machine at east Bloc, 217 City road, EC1V 1JN Old Street £5, 22.00-04.00. DJ Larry Tee spins techno and house. Tonker at eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £6, mems £5 after 10pm, FREE before 10pm, 21.00-03.00. DJ Tim Jones and Alan X play house, chart and dance.

SATURDAY APRIL 28 a:M afterhours at Fire, South Lambeth road, SW8 1UQ Vauxhall £12, w/flyer £8, 03.00-11.00. resident DJs spin house and disco. Barcode Saturday at Barcode Vauxhall, railway Arch 69 Goding Street, SE11 5aW Vauxhall phone for prices, phone for times. Mattias, D’Jonny, Gonzalo, Steven Artis and Pagano play electro. Beyond at Area, 67-68 Albert embankment, SE1 7HD Vauxhall adv £10, 03.00-12.00. Busy afterhours gay club to welcome in Sunday morning. resident DJs on rotation include Paul Christian, D’Johnny, Fat Tony, Jamie Head, Paul Heron, Alan K, Jonny M, The oli, Steve Pitron and Sharp Boys. Duckie at royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £6, 21.00-02.00. The readers Wifes spin pop, indie and cabaret at this long-running rock disco hosted by the irrepressible Amy Lame, featuring special guests every week. Fabulous at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7Ba Leicester Square £3, FREE before 11.30pm, 21.00-03.00. DJP and Toumo Foxx spin pop, chart and r&B. Inferno at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square £10, FREE before 11pm, 22.00-03.00. Andrew elmore spins funk, house and dance. Monster at The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road £5, mems £3, FREE before 10pm, 21.00-03.00. DJ Sandra D spins chart hits, dance and pop classics.

Lady Lloyds Hit Factory at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7Ba Leicester Square phone for prices, 20.00-03.00. Lady Lloyd spins retro pop. Later at Fire, South Lambeth road, SW8 1UQ Vauxhall £6, w/flyer £5 before 1.30pm, 12.00-19.00. D’Johnny, Paul Martin, The oli, The Sharp Boys and Jamie Head spin house music. Music Love Makers at Joiners Arms, 116118 Hackney road, E2 7QL Old Street £3, FREE before 11.30pm, 22.00-02.00. resident DJs spin indie and electro. Orange at Fire, South Lambeth road, SW8 1UQ Vauxhall £12, £10 before 12midnight, w/flyer £6 before 12midnight, adv £8, 23.00-09.00. The oli, Paul Martin and The Sharp Boys spin house in room one, while Gonzola rivas, David Jiminez and Hi Fi Sean provide minimal techno and tech house in room two. S.L.a.G.S / CHILL-OUT Sundays at royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £8, £5 before 7.30pm, 14.00-00.00. Simon Le Vans, Andy Almighty and Sean Sirrs spin disco, electro and house, plus The D e experience performs live. Sunday Social at The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 20.3000.30. resident DJs spin pop hits.

MONDAY APRIL 30 Bearcode at Barcode Vauxhall, railway Arch 69 Goding Street, SE11 5aW Vauxhall phone for prices, 21.00-01.00. resident DJs play house music. Detention at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7Ba Leicester Square FREE, 22.00-03.00. Ku DJs and Doug Silva spin house music. The Joiners arms: Soulful Sounds at Joiners Arms, 116-118 Hackney road, E2 7QL Old Street FREE, 22.0002.00. DJ Alex spins soul and funk. Mondays at The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, phone for times. resident DJs spin pop and r&B.

SUNDAY APRIL 29 Barcode Sunday at Barcode Vauxhall, railway Arch 69 Goding Street, SE11 5aW Vauxhall phone for prices, phone for times. DJ Saki plays dance and house. Horse Meat Disco at eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £6, 20.00-03.00. residents Jim Stanton, Luke Howard, James Hillard and Severino spin disco and house.

popcorn at Heaven, Charing Cross Arches, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG Charing Cross £8, 23.00-05.30. Jonesey, Harvey Adam, Jamie Hammond and Terry T-rex provide dance, electro, r’n’B, pop and hip-hop.

Music

Ta k e you you T ake to another another to dimension dimension

Matt Neale / Michael Flack

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no longer enough just to listen to music, you can watch it too. Electronic music is pushing the boundaries of 3D visual technology, as Joe Gamp finds out

42 Scout London scoutlondon.com

featured

”It’s probably the closest thing you’ll get to taking acid without taking acid ” usic is a multi-sensory experience. The subbass pounds in the pit of your stomach, making the hairs on your arms quiver and dance, while the hook gets lodged in your brain, piquing your emotions and putting a grin on your face so wide it hurts. The lights dazzle as you are submerged in the creations of your favourite act. Yet while lasers, intricate light shows and expensive props are all well and good, the most exciting thing happening in music at the moment is 3D visuals and holograms. Bringing Tupac “back to life” at Coachella festival in the US last week, thanks to holographic technology, was another example of the rate of progress in this field. However, where it gets really exciting is in the field of electronic music. Long-renowned for adopting cutting-edge technology faster than other genres, it has seized the latest tech advances and pushed them to the limits. It’s a huge step-up from merely showing graphics on a projector or ‘VJing’ - the art of mixing videos together. Someone who knows more than

most about the cutting-edge of mixing music and visuals is Stuart Warren-Hill of pioneering AV duo Hexstatic. His new solo show Holotronica combines analogue synthesisers with live-controlled visuals using the latest 3D and holographic technology. The resulting immersive experience sees 3D shapes dancing all around you, in time to the music. “I have been developing the project for the past four years and have experimented with various 3D formats,” he tells Scout. “The resulting effect is amazing, giving the audience a sense of visuals floating in the middle of the room or stars flying passed their heads.” The results are achieved using 3D projectors and glasses but Warren-Hill hopes to one day create the effect not using glasses at all. “Until then, this is the best 3D hologram effect I’ve seen,” he says. “This for me is the holy grail of audio visual performance. It’s the next step up from classic videojockey performance, using the latest technologies.” He adds: “The screen on which the images are projected is invisible so you will get a very trippy effect

because the visuals fill the space controllers towards the audience so without a screen in sight. they can see the operation involved “Be prepared for an out of this and also know their role in the world audio-visual rollercoaster and performance,” he explains. probably the closest thing you’ll get “Audiences are increasingly to taking acid without taking acid.” sophisticated,” he eulogises. Another artist using the “Venues are better suited than ever latest technology to enhance for exuberant bass. Performance his live show is Daedelus, who feels like a lasting experience performed at Shoreditch’s Village even in this increasingly-crowded Underground on April 13. marketplace of performers Rather than holographics competing for limited nights. he uses a construction he built “This is the next wave, already himself, called Archimedes, made crashing, and is a beautiful thing. of mirrors and other reflective “Music is pushing forward in objects. leaps and bounds, so it also makes “Having the physical objects like perfect sense that the visualists Archimedes is different to the usual and filmmakers also undergo the shows in electronic music and renaissance by using capable entertainment - I use grid-based equipment, which is cheaper but button instruments to control increasing in quality. Marrying mechanised moving mirrors,” he the two is certainly the next era. explains. Wonderful times!” “The show invites the audience People may only just be to look beyond the smoke and getting introduced to the concept mirrors of a projection on a screen, of 4D films at cinemas, where or static set pieces. physical sensations accompany “The light aspect is the pure the 3D visuals, but music was illumination, not only to highlight there hundreds of years ago. Now my performance on stage, but also it’s push the limits of sensory to reflect that back into the space experience further into a new and onto the audience itself.” dimension. And how does the physical 3D Videocrash: Hexstatic presents set up differ from other shows in Holotronica in 3D, April 28 terms of its impact? Village Underground, £14 “I attempt to tilt these

54 Holotronica visuals 8 Holotronica wows KOKO

scoutlondon.com Scout London 43

Music NKOTBSB April 28-29, The O2, £40-55

At the end of 2010, these two 90s boy band heavyweights confirmed that New Kids On The Block and

Backstreet Boys were joining forces to tour the world in a true coheadline stage show. Having toured

Ryan Adams April 23, Palladium, £28.50 With his 13th studio album, Ashes & Fire released late in 2011 to critical acclaim, this performance from the Brit Award nominee - for Best International Male - is bound to be a great night. Not too many gigs take place in London Palladium, seeing as classic musical, The Wizard of Oz is usually performed here, so grab a ticket to see the American alt-country star if you can. His singer/ actress wife Mandy Moore might even be in attendance for a star-spotting opportunity. Keep ‘em peeled. 44 Scout London scoutlondon.com

the States in 2011, this year Europe got the NKOTBSB treatment with London getting a double dose.

Excitingly, the April 29 show will be broadcast live in over 300 cinemas across the world.

Bombay Bicycle Club April 28, Alexandra Palace, £20 North London indie rockers, Bombay Bicycle Club have come on in leaps and bounds since forming in Crouch End in 2005 while still at secondary school. Their third album, A Different Kind of Fix, was released last year and hit No 6 in the Official UK Album Chart and looks set to follow in the footsteps of earlier albums and hit gold status. Performing in the majestic surrounds of Alexandra Palace, the quartet will be supported by two fantastic emerging solo singer-songwriters: Lianne La Havas and Rae Morris - both of whom have the blogosphere buzzing. The Palace stage seems set for a royal good night.

this week

Tony Christie April 25, islington Assembly Hall, £20-£25

Rufus Wainwright April 30, Lyceum Theatre, £41 one week after releasing his seventh studio album, out of the Game, Canadian singer-songwriter, rufus Wainwright performs in London at the quite beautiful regular home of hit musical, The Lion King. using his original and powerful songs, Wainwright has established himself as one of the premier male solo artists of his generation. With his latest album produced by Mark ronson, you’ll want to dust your dancing shoes off before hitting the West end.

Since surging back into the public eye via Phoenix nights in 2002 and then Comic relief in 2005, Tony Christie has repositioned his career somewhat. in 2008, he released Made in Sheffield, produced by acclaimed Longpigs and Pulp guitarist, richard Hawley. The album was well-received across the board and while Christie will be celebrating his 69th birthday at this gig, his voice is still good enough to offer more than directions to Amarillo.

Also this week: a-Mei Apr 30, A-Mei, £38-£158 Chairlift Apr 25, Scala, £12.50 Curved air Apr 24, The Borderline, £10 Delilah/Miss Dynamite Apr 24, Koko, £11 Dwele Apr 25, Jazz Cafe, £22.50 Example/Wretch 32 Apr 27, The o2, £25 Foster The people Apr 27-29, Brixton Academy, £15 Futures/Don Broco/Natives Apr 24, Xoyo, £9.50 Gaz Coombes Apr 24, Barfly, £12 Jethro Tull’s Ian anderson plays Thick as a Brick Apr 27, Hammersmith Apollo, £25-£32.50 Luke Haines Apr 24, The Lexington, £15 Of Montreal Apr 25, Koko, £14.50 One Night Only Apr 25, The Garage, £12.50 paradise Lost Apr 29, Scala, £16 placebo Apr 28, indigo2, £35 The Dillinger Escape plan Apr 26, The Garage, £17.50 The Osmonds Apr 28, Hammersmith Apollo, £30

Graham Coxon April 25, The Forum, £17.50

Tricky Apr 27, indigo2, £35

The Sunshine Underground Apr 25, Xoyo, £12.50 Thrice Apr 30, The Forum, £22 Wolves Like Us/Junius Apr 25, The Borderline, £8

When it comes to the members of Blur, it’s only Graham Coxon where you look at what he’s done away from the band and you think, “He really loved what he did in Blur.” He’s not making cheese. He’s not getting into politics. He’s not fusing world music. Coxon is simply rocking and rolling on his guitar in the same under-stated way as he’s always done, and judging by recent release, A+e, he’s just getting better and better at it. no bells and no whistles - just great music.

Listening Post

PLAYLIST

Go Supersonic (Husky rescue remix) pepe Deluxé Castkills

2 3 4

Storm Django Django Because Music

never Mess With Sunday Yppah ninja Tune

6 7

Someone Great LCD Soundsystem DFA

8 9 10

Afan Belleruche Tru Thoughts Pretend feat. emika (Soul Clap remix) The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble iK7

Saturday (Fudge Fingas remix) Vakula 3rd Strike Maze actress Honest Jons Memory Synkro Styrax Track 2 feat inga Copeland Dean Blunt Hyperdub

Creative director Sam’s hard at work mixtape... @proudspark scoutlondon.com Scout London 45

Music A$AP Rocky Jun 5 & Jun 6, Electric Ballroom, £15 A-Mei Apr 30, The O2 Arena, £38-£158 Alkaline Trio, Dave Hause May 10, Electric Ballroom, £18 Amon Tobin May 12, O2 Academy Brixton, £28.50 Anathema May 3, KOKO, £18.50 Avicii Jun 4, The O2 Arena, £36 Blink 182, All American Rejects, Twin Atlantic Jun 8 & Jun 9, The O2 Arena, £35 Bloc Party Jun 21, phone for times, KOKO, £20, phone for availability Blood Red Shoes, The Cast Of Cheers May 3, Heaven, £12 BluesFest 2012: George Benson, Christian Scott Jun 28, Royal Albert Hall, £37.50-£70 BluesFest 2012: Hugh Laurie Jul 2, HMV Apollo, £35-£40 BluesFest 2012: Ronnie Wood Jun 30, HMV Apollo, £35-£75 BluesFest 2012: Tom Jones Jul 1, HMV Apollo, £35-£75 BluesFest 2012: Van Morrison Jun 29, HMV Apollo, £45-£100 Blur, The Specials, New Order Aug 12, phone for times, Hyde Park, adv £55 Bob Geldof Jun 1, Islington Town Hall, £25 & £35 Bob Mould, Cloud Nothings Jun 1, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, adv £25 Bombay Bicycle Club, Lianne La Havas, Rae Morris Apr 28, phone for times, Alexandra Palace, £20 Camden Crawl 2012: Death In Vegas, Alabama 3, Glasvegas May 4-May 6, times vary, Various Venues, Camden, Fri adv £20, Sat/Sun adv £39.50, weekend ticket £77.50, Sat & Sun £67.50 Candi Staton May 4, Islington Town Hall, £25 & £32.50

Alanis Morissette Jun 27, O2 Academy Brixton, £37.50, phone for availability Chris Cornell Jun 18, London Palladium, £27.50-£35 Chris Isaak Oct 9, HMV Apollo, £35 Darren Hayes Sep 24, IndigO2, £22.50£37.50 Daryl Hall Jul 12, phone for times, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Dionne Warwick May 28, Royal Albert Hall, £20-£125 DragonForce, Alestorm, The Defiled, Cavorts Oct 6, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £19.50 Ed Sheeran Oct 13-Oct 17, HMV Apollo, £24 Field Day: Franz Ferdinand, Metronomy, Beirut Jun 2, Victoria Park, early bird £39.50

Fun May 14, phone for times, The Barfly, Camden, phone for prices Futures, Don Broco, Natives Jul 10, XOYO, £9.50

The Apple Cart Festival 2012: Adam Ant and The Good, The Mad & The Lovely Posse, Billy Bragg, Noah And The Whale Jun 3, Victoria Park, £35, with adult under 14s FREE

Kyle Eastwood Band May 9-May 12, Ronnie Scott’s, phone for prices Lady Antebellum Jul 16, HMV Apollo, £30 Lagwagon Jun 26, O2 Academy Islington, £17 Laura Marling Jul 7, phone for times, Royal Albert Hall, £22.50-£45 Lionel Richie Oct 28 & Oct 29, The O2 Arena, £40-£65 Lynyrd Skynyrd Jun 3, HMV Apollo, £40 Madonna Jul 17, Hyde Park, £70 & £125 Marillion Sep 16, HMV Forum, £28.50 Marilyn Manson Jul 5, O2 Academy Brixton, £30 Michael Kiwanuka May 23, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £14 Miike Snow, Niki And The Dove, Alex Metric May 31, O2 Academy Brixton, £16 Mike And The Mechanics Jul 18, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £30 Ministry Jul 20, HMV Forum, £20 Morten Harket May 13, IndigO2, £25-£35

Buzzcocks May 26, O2 Academy Brixton, £25 Garbage May 9, Troxy, £29 Gary Numan Jun 1, HMV Forum, £28 Gemma Hayes May 18, St-Giles-In-TheFields, adv £15 George Crowley Quartet May 15, The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston Culture House, phone for prizes George Michael: Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour Oct 13, Oct 14, Oct 17, Earls Court, £51-£91 Glenn Hughes, Fish May 25, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £22.50 Godsmack, The Defiled Jun 20, HMV Forum, £19.50 Grimes May 9, XOYO, £9 Guns N’ Roses, Thin Lizzy May 31 & Jun 1, The O2 Arena, £45 & £50 Hard Rock Calling 2012: Soundgarden, Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, Paul Simon Jul 13-Jul 15, phone for times, Hyde Park, phone for prices Hit Factory Live: Steps, Jason Donovan, Bananarama, Rick Astley, Dear Or Alive Jul 11, Hyde Park, £54.25 Imelda May May 4, Royal Albert Hall, £22.50-£35, concs £18 It Bites, Jon Amor Blues Group May 20, Bush Hall, £18 Jack White Jun 22, HMV Apollo, phone for prices Jay-Z And Kanye West May 18-May 22, The O2 Arena, £39.50 & £60 Jeff Williams Quartet May 7, The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston Culture House, £10 Jethro Tull Apr 27, HMV Apollo, £25£32.50 Jimmy Cliff May 18, IndigO2, £20-£45 John Cale May 25, Southbank Centre, £20-£30, concs £10-£15 Judas Priest May 26, HMV Apollo, £37.50 Katie Melua Oct 10, HMV Apollo, £37.50

Coldplay Jun 1, Jun 2, Jun 4, gates, Emirates Stadium, £55£75, phone for availability NKOTBSB: New Kids On The Block And Backstreet Boys Apr 28, phone for times, The O2 Arena, phone for prices Neil Sedaka Oct 17, Royal Albert Hall, £40-£55 Neneh Cherry & The Thing Jul 15, Village Underground, £15.50 Nickelback Oct 1, The O2 Arena, £39.50 Nicki Minaj Jun 24 & Jun 25, HMV Apollo, £35 & £45 Norah Jones Jun 1 & Jun 2, Southbank Centre, £22.50-£45, concs £12.25£22.50 Of Mice & Men, Bury Tomorrow May 3, The Underworld, £10, phone for availability Of Monsters And Men May 2, phone for times, The Lexington, £15 One Direction Apr 1, Apr 2, Apr 4, Apr 5, Apr 2, The O2 Arena, £25 & £33.50

Eddie Vedder Jul 30, HMV Apollo, £37-£50 Orbital Dec 14, O2 Academy Brixton, £30 Paradise Lost, Insomnium, Vreid Apr 29, The Scala, £16.50 Peter Hook And The Light Jun 1, O2 Academy Islington, phone for prices

future events Classical

Polar, Carcer City May 10, The Garage, £7 Professor Green May 5, O2 Academy Brixton, £20 Prong May 13, The Garage, £13.50 Queen & Adam Lambert Jul 11 & Jul 12, HMV Apollo, £70 & £75 Radiohead Oct 8 & Oct 9, The O2 Arena, £47.50 & £65

Aled Jones Oct 25, Union Chapel, £35

Jill Crossland Apr 25, Cadogan Hall, £10-£25 Allan Clayton And Iestyn Davies Apr 26, Middle Temple Hall, £5-£45 Gil Shaham And Akira Eguchi May 3, Wigmore Hall, £15-£30 Leonidas Kavakos And Emanuel Ax Apr 24, Wigmore Hall, £15-£30 London Philharmonic Orchestra Apr 28, Southbank Centre, £9-£65, concs £4.50-£32.50 London Symphony Orchestra Apr 29, Barbican Centre, £10-£35 Musicians From The Royal Northern College Of Music Apr 28, Wigmore Hall, £3, concs £2 New London Orchestra Apr 27, Stratford Circus, £9, concs £7, family £23

Mark Harrison

The Sixteen Jun 9, Christ Church Spitalfields, £5-£32, child £5-£16, under 26s £5-£24 OperaBabes, Rachel Kolly D’Alba May 2, Cadogan Hall, £10-£30 Philharmonia Orchestra Apr 29, Southbank Centre, £8-£45, concs £4-£22.50 The Latin Chamber Ensemble May 3, Southbank Centre, £20, concs £10 Venice Baroque Orchestra May 28, Southbank Centre, £6-£35, concs £3-£17.50

London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: BBC Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend: Leona Lewis, Will.i.am, Jessie J, Ed Sheeran, Florence & The Machine, Tinie Tempah, Plan B, Lana Del Rey, Jack White, Professor Green, Calvin Harris, Wretch 32, Labrinth, Emeli Sande, Dappy Jun 23 & Jun 24, Hackney Marshes, booking essential FREE, Ticket Registration via www.bbc.co.uk Ramin Karimloo May 1, Southbank Centre, £14.50-£45, concs £7.25-£22.50 Regina Spektor Jul 2, Royal Albert Hall, £38.50 Rick Wakeman, Hawkwind, Focus, The Strawbs, Curved Air, Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash Jun 23, Crystal Palace Park, £42.50, adv £30 Richard Hawley Jun 8, HMV Forum, £20 Rizzle Kicks Nov 16, O2 Academy Brixton, £17.50 Rufus Wainwright Nov 18, HMV Apollo, phone for prices Ryan Adams Apr 30, London Palladium, £28.50-£38.50 SBTRKT Oct 4 & Oct 5, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 Saint Etienne May 28, London Palladium, £22.50-£28.50 Scissor Sisters May 16 & May 17, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £32.50 Set Your Goals, Make Do And Mend, The Story So Far May 24, The Old Blue Last, £10 Spector May 17, Electric Ballroom, £10 Squeeze Dec 12, HMV Forum, £37.50

Lostprophets, Modestep May 4, O2 Academy Brixton, £25

Steel Panther Nov 15, HMV Apollo, £19.50 Steve Hackett May 20, Islington Town Hall, £25-£30 Steve Miller Band Oct 20, Roundhouse, £35-£47.50 Steven Wilson May 15, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £25 Tangerine Dream Jun 24, phone for times, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £45 Tenacious D Jun 5 & Jun 6, O2 Academy Brixton, £35 The Charlatans Jun 8, HMV Apollo, £29.50 The Cranberries Jun 18, HMV Apollo, £35 The Cribs May 8, Troxy, £20 The Diamond Jubilee Concert Jun 4, gates 3.30pm, Buckingham Palace, FREE, tickets allocated by ballot, register before Mar 3 at www.jubileeconcert2012.co.uk The Dillinger Escape Plan Apr 26, The Garage, £17.25 The Gaslight Anthem Jun 11, KOKO, £20.25 The Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets May 19, O2 Academy Brixton, £37.50 The Horrors May 25, O2 Academy Brixton, £17.50 The Human League Nov 26, Royal Albert Hall, £27.50 The Temper Trap May 21 & May 22, KOKO, £16.50 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Jun 18 & Jun 20, Royal Albert Hall, £40-£75 Tony Bennett Jun 30 & Jul 1, phone for times, Royal Albert Hall, phone for prices Tony Christie Apr 25, Islington Town Hall, £20 & £25 Tricky Apr 27, IndigO2, £35 Trudy Kerr Band, Ingrid James May 12, phone for times, 606 Club, £12 Ugly Kid Joe, Fozzy, Butcher Babies Jun 6, The Underworld, adv £17.50 Veil Of Maya, Betraying The Martyrs, Vildhjarta, Structures, Volumes May 4, The Underworld, £11 W.A.S.P. Sep 21, HMV Forum, £22.50 Westlife: The Greatest Hits Tour, Vanquish May 12, May 23, May 24, The O2 Arena, £38.50 & £44 Wireless Festival 2012: Wireless 2012: Rihanna, Drake, Jessie J, Professor Green Jul 6 & Jul 7, Jul 8, phone for times, Hyde Park, Fri phone for prices, Sat day ticket £49.50, Sun day ticket £52.50, Sat & Sun two day ticket £97 Wolves Like Us, Junius Apr 25, The Borderline, £8 Wretch 32, Jakwob May 9, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 Yelawolf May 14, Electric Ballroom, £14.50

Slash Jun 6, HMV Apollo, £29.50

Music

WEDNESDAY APRIL 25 Eclectic City 2 at The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard Street, EC2a 4RH Old Street £5, 19.00-late. DJs Slam Dunk, March eight, Willie Vanillie and DJ Syko spin 1990s classics, hip hop, electronica, dance and pop. Metrolatina at Salsa!, 96 Charing Cross road, WC2H 0JG Tottenham Court Road £4, FREE before 9pm, 21.30-02.00. resident DJs mix jazzy salsa with Cuban sounds. Smile at Thirst, 53 Greek Street, W1D 3DR Tottenham Court Road £4, £3 before 12midnight, 17.00-03.00. resident DJs play funky house, club classics and pop.

THURSDAY APRIL 26 assembly at The old Queen’s Head, 44 essex road, N1 8LN angel FREE, 19.30-01.00. resident DJs spin indie, rock and electro. Bad Sex at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm road, NW1 8aH Camden Town £5, 19.30-02.30. resident DJs spin house, electro and indie. Countrier Than Thou at The Lock Tavern, 35 Chalk Farm road, NW1 8aJ Camden Town FREE, 20.00-late. Bonanza & Son play country, folk and blues, plus The ely Plains perform live. It’s Your Birthday at The Hoxton Pony, 104-108 Curtain road, EC2a 3aH Old Street £7, £5 before 10pm, concs £3, 20.00-01.00. resident DJs spin pop, rock’n’roll, disco, electro and hip hop. Latin krazy at Salsa!, 96 Charing Cross road, WC2H 0JG Tottenham Court Road £4, FREE before 9pm, 18.00-02.00, last adm 1am. DJs spin salsa, merengue, bachata and reggaeton, plus salsa dances lessons.

Dutty Crepes at Market Place W1, 11 Market Place, W1W 8aE Oxford Circus FREE, 20.00-02.00. DJ Khalil and Sofa King spin disco, hip hop, funk, electro and pop.

Burlesque Idol at Madame Jojo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SE piccadilly Circus £10, 19.30-21.00. Lola LaBelle hosts the burlesque talent show, plus live comedy support. Fabriclive at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £17, adv £16, £21 inc CD, mems £12, NUS £10 before 12midnight, £7 after 3am, 22.00-06.00. DJ Hype, Pascal, Hazard, dBridge, TC, original Sin, Jaydan, Heist, LTJ Bukem, Ai, Total Science, Paul SG, Cameo, Scrufizzer, Kozzie, Krept, Konan, robbo ranx, J Sweet, Stinkahbell and rocha mix drum’n’bass, dubstep, garage and grime across three rooms, plus MCs Conrad, Funsta, Fats, 2Shy, evil B, GQ and Moose. Friday at Barrio north, 45 essex road, N1 2SF angel FREE, 20.00-02.00. DJ Ferdie spins Latin, electronica and Afrobeat. Friday at The Big Chill House, 257-259 Pentonville road, N1 9NL king’s Cross phone for prices, 20.30-02.00. DJ Snips spins funk and hip hop. Fridays at The George Tavern, 373 Commercial road, E1 0La Shadwell phone for prices, 20.00-03.00. DJs and bands play indie and pop. Jubilee at The Barfly, Camden, 49 Chalk Farm road, NW1 8aN Chalk Farm £5, 19.30-late. DJs Carl Barat, Chris McCormack and Alan Cherry Cola spin rock’n’roll, indie, punk and pop, plus Banjoey ramone and noizie noise perform live.

Bedrock at The Borderline, orange yard, Manette Street, W1D 4JB Tottenham Court Road £7, w/flyer £5 before 12midnight, 23.00-04.00. DJs Little Chris and George spin indie, electro, rock, retro and pop. Club NME at KoKo, 1a Camden High Street, NW1 7JE Mornington Crescent £4 before 12midnight, £2 before 10.30pm, 22.00-late. resident DJs spin indie, house and electro, plus Losers and Mr Fogg perform live.

Never Forget at The Monarch, 40-42 Chalk Farm road, NW1 8BG Chalk Farm FREE, 20.00. resident DJs spin American indie, pop, hip hop, dance hits and Britpop from the 1990s.

FRIDAY APRIL 27

48 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Saturday afternoon High Tease & Burlesque at Cellar Door, Zero Aldwych, WC2E 7EN Charing Cross phone for prices, 14.00-late. resident DJs spin jazz, swing and vintage hits, plus burlesque performances from Miss ivy Paige and Vicious Delicious.

SATURDAY APRIL 28

The Gallery 17th Birthday at The Ministry of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6Dp Elephant and Castle £15, 22.3006.00. Ferry Corsten (DJ set), Aly & Fila, Claudia Cazacu, Tall Paul, Steve Lee, Gavyn Mytchel, Matt Weeks, Mia Monroe, Weekend Millionaires, Kane Harris, Shane Long, Jay Madden, Luke Whipps, olly Barkins, Martin Coates, Deliverance, Alternatives, Dolly rockers, House Gurus, Jay P & nashville, Mikey & Jake Gowers and Bill Miller & Benny D spin house, electro and techno.

Uprawr at Dingwalls, Camden Lock, Chalk Farm road, NW1 8aB Camden Town £5, NUS £4, w/flyer £3, 22.30-02.30.

push The Button at royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £5, 21.00. DJs Hits&Mrs and DJ BJ spin pop hits from the last two decades, with host Harry Clayton-Wright. Ultimate power at electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High Street, NW1 8Qp Camden Town £10, 21.00-03.00. resident DJs spin rock, power ballads and indie. Club De Fromage at o2 Academy islington, n1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, N1 0pS angel £6.50, 22.30-03.30. The resident DJs at Tony and Slow Alfie spin pop hits, with themed fancy dress.

Roller Disco at renaissance rooms, opposite Arch 8, Arches, Miles Street, SW8 1RZ Vauxhall £15, online adv £14, 20.0002.00. old school roller disco with Mr Shiver and DJ Bradley playing disco, funk, soulful house, electro and breakbeat. Dirty Dutch at The Ministry of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6Dp Elephant and Castle £15, mems £12, 23.00-07.00. DJs Chuckie, Sub Focus and Gregory Klosman spin electro, house and techno. Disco Infernos at infernos, 146 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UH Clapham Common £10, £5 before 10pm, 21.00-03.30. The residents supply disco. Fabric at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £19, adv £18, £23 inc CD, mems £13, NUS £12, £10 before 4am, 23.00-20.00. DJs Craig richards, Steve Bug, Terry Francis, Steve rachmad, Move D, Prosumer and Voigtmann spin house and techno across three rooms, plus Kate Simko performs live. Funkymojoe Is Full Of Glamour at Funkymojoe, 159-161 High road, E18 2pa South Woodford £5, FREE before 9.30pm, 20.30-02.30. resident DJs spin funky house, club classics, r&B and commercial garage. Genre at Wax Jambu, 145 upper Street, N1 1QY angel FREE, 16.00-02.00. DJs Flight and reference spin drum’n’bass, jungle, house and techno. Lost and Found at Madame Jojo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SE piccadilly Circus £8, mems £5, 22.0003.00. Keb Darge and Andy Smith play blues, rockabilly, funk and northern Soul. Mixcloud at The Big Chill House, 257-259 Pentonville road, N1 9NL king’s Cross phone for prices, 21.00-04.00. Adam And Joe, Mr Mafro, Ben Gomori and Quietus DJs mix house, techno, disco, electro and dubstep.

Electric Deluxe at electric Brixton, 1 Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill, SW2 1RJ Brixton adv £15, 22.00-06.00. Speedy J, Marcel Dettman and Marcel Fengler mix techno in the main room, while Tom Dicicco, Chris Stanford And Dax J, Gareth Wild, Fabio Mann and Mr F spin house and techno in room two, plus a live performance from Sandwell District. Too Cute To puke at The Baby Bathhouse, 125 Stoke newington Church Street, Stoke Newington £3, N16 0UH 21.00-02.00. So Tough Selector, Beth and Jaspin mix feminine punk, indie, pop and soul.

SUNDAY APRIL 29 Hangover Lounge at The Lexington, 9698 Pentonville road, N1 9JB angel FREE, 12.00-02.00. resident DJs play rock, soul, psychedelia and pop. Sheltered at The Lock Tavern, 35 Chalk Farm road, NW1 8aJ Camden Town FREE, 15.00-late. Sheltered DJs spin indie and rock, plus Stealing Sheep, All We Are and Model Staggs perform live. Soul Food at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm road, NW1 8aH Camden Town FREE, 19.30-11.30. Super Sunday Roasts at The Star of Bethnal Green, 359 Bethnal Green road, E2 6LG Bethnal Green FREE, 00.0012.00. resident DJs play downtempo, soul and r&B.

MONDAY APRIL 30 afro-Cuban Lounge at Buffalo Bar, 259 upper Street, N1 1RU Highbury & Islington club & lessons £7, £4, 21.00-late. African-Cuban salsa, timba and Latin jazz with salsa dance classes to suit all abilities. The Fix at The Boogaloo, 312 Archway road, N6 5aT Highgate phone for prices, 18.00-00.00. indie-rock, pop and folk courtesy of resident DJs and live acts. karaoke at The Alibi, 91-93 Kingsland High Street, E8 2pB phone for prices FREE, 22.00. resident DJs spin pop, plus karaoke. Re-Quest at Mother Bar, 333 old Street, EC1V 9LE FREE, 20.00-03.00. DJ Master Level plays funk, soul, hip hop, house and reggae.

LArS BorGeS

TUESDAY APRIL 24 Jamm Sandwich at The Purple Turtle, 6165 Crowndale road, NW1 1TN Mornington Crescent £5, guestlist £3, 18.30-late. eddie Pillar, Arthur Baker and Lascelle Gordon spin pop, hip hop, r&B and dance hits. panic at The roxy, 3-5 rathbone Place, W1T 1HJ Tottenham Court Road £5, NUS/w/flyer £3, w/flyer FREE before 10.30pm, 22.00-03.00. Max Panic, Gaz Panic and That Perfect Fumble spin indie, electro, retro and pop. White Heat at Madame Jojo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SE piccadilly Circus £5, concs/flyer £4, 22.30-03.00. DJs Matty, olly and Marcus spin electro, techno and indie.

clubbing

Sport & Fitness

featured

Swinging London There’s no need to leave the capital to get on the course, as Oliver Pickup discovers

hen gerry ‘Bubba’ Watson eased in to the famous green jacket – a garment reserved only for US Masters winners – having won at Augusta earlier this month, he provided optimism for all hack-and-hopers around the world. Being self-taught – the 33-year-old has never had a lesson and shuns coaching – his success offers a beacon of light to all slicers and shankers. Bubba has coaxed out the romantic golfer in us all, and with the sun threatening to shine as we Londoners enter British summertime there is even more reason to practise our wayward swing. But just where in the capital can we tee off? Here Scout arrows in on the courses, pitch-and-putts and driving ranges that are only a three wood (or so) away from the centre of London. GOLF COURSES

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Hampstead Heath, the ancient park which covers 190 acres, boasts one of the highest points of the capital – and is also home to one of the oldest golf courses in the area. Founded in 1893, Hampstead Golf

Club’s nine holes were designed by Tom Dunn, a man who was, more than anyone else, responsible for golf in the capital. He designed over 20 courses in and around London and Hampstead is a gem of a location and, with the numerous elevation changes, offers a real challenge to all golfers – and you don’t need to be a member. “It really is an oasis,” says Paul Green, “and the clubhouse is just perfect - old and welcoming. That vantagepoint offers wonderful views across north-west London. A memorable and unexpected experience.” hampsteadgolfclub.co.uk Just down the road is another cracking place to swing your clubs: Highgate Golf Club, which boasts of being “the closest 18-hole course to central London” as it’s only 11 minutes from Oxford Street. However, to play you will need to splash out on membership – and for a gent there is a joining fee of £1,949 and then an annual subscription fee of £1,299 highgategc.co.uk Further south, just the other side of Wandsworth Common, there is

 Pitt Cue Co. pulled pork burger

the more inclusive Central London Golf Club, which is open to all on a pay-and-play basis, and is open from 7am until one hour before sunset, so you can easily fit in nine holes. There is also a floodlit, covered driving range if you don’t make it in time for a round after work. Lessons – for all abilities – are on offer, and Andrew Hunter says CLGC is “a decent course for a Saturday afternoon ‘hack around’ and great for beginners worried about embarrassing themselves in front of snooty weekly golfers”. www.clgc.co.uk PITCH AND PUTT With pickings limited, then, for a decent round of golf centrally, why not seek out a pitch and putt? They are dotted about the capital, but the only difficulty is that the local councils which own them rarely splash out on advertising their existence, says Peter Dunning, owner of the course at Palewell Common Drive, near Barnes. “Now I’ve built it up, since I bought it off the council in 1994, it runs itself and is a very affordable way to have some fun,” he says. “We are busiest

For more modern golfing fun check out Urban Golf, which now boasts three outlets in central London – in Soho, Smithfield and Kensington Shopping Mall. Founder, Stoke Park Professional James Day’s ethos has been to break down barriers that Londoners will come up against when trying to play golf. You won’t get scolded for wearing jeans here, and can

at weekends and the great thing is we have the posh and the poor hitting around. On a good day – when the weather is spot on – we can get some 200 people playing.” 020 8876 3357 Another popular pitch and putt course can be found on the site of the 1879 Royal Agricultural Exhibition in Queen’s Park, which is open all year round and daily at 11am, closing two hours before the park shuts. Manager Richard Gentry says “the nine-hole course was introduced in 1966, covers seven acres of the park and is a popular feature in the park, attracting young and old, the good and those that need some practice with their swing.” Not bad for £4.50 a round. 020 8969 5661 GOLF SCHOOLS For those looking for lessons more centrally check out the Holland Park Golf School (020 7602 6156) and the Knightsbridge Golf School (020 7235 2468), or The Swing Factory at Jumeirah Carlton Tower (08702 717172).

drive your ball on to some of the most picturesque courses on the planet – thanks to a simulated screen. Even better, you can swig your whiskey as you go. www.urbangolf.co.uk In a similarly grass-free environment is City Golf Clubs, which is between Bank and Moorgate tubes, and offers 2D golf analysis and lessons. www.citygolfclubs.com scoutlondon.com Scout London 49

Theatre

All the world on stage

orget all this StratfordUpon-Avon nonsense – Shakespeare is London’s playwright. The bones of our city’s greatest writer may be stuck in a Warwickshire church wall, but his working life’s triumphs and failures happened almost exclusively in a small triangle of space between Southwark, Temple Bar and Shoreditch. Back in Shakespeare’s time, noone would have believed his work would leave this tiny area’s theatres and end up being performed, read and revered in places as far away as Buenos Aires or Baghdad. This summer, however, the proof of his global popularity will be demonstrated in the city where it all began. The World Shakespeare

50 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Festival, which started its London run last weekend at the Southbank’s reconstructed Globe Theatre, is bringing a stellar lineup of international Shakespeare productions back to the Bard’s former stomping ground. Featuring 21 speciallycommissioned shows in its vast programme, the festival’s London Globe to Globe strand attempts the interesting but difficult feat of selling foreign-language Shakespeare to a London audience – one that’s already in love with his English verse. The project is both exciting and pretty brave, and as the festival’s director Deborah Shaw explains, its goal is to “celebrate Shakespeare and redefine what a festival can be in this era of globalisation” rather

than bring out the usual ruffs and cut-glass diction. She adds: “It’s a concentration of creative energy around a shared vision which we hope will catch something of the zeitgeist, will delight audiences and inspire a whole new generation of artists.” A kind of Shakespearean Olympics offering one million tickets across Britain, The World Shakespeare Festival’s London offerings could hardly be more eclectic or international. New Zealand theatre company Ngākau Toa, for example, kick off their version of Troilus And Cressida this week with a Maori Haka war chant, while America’s Q Brothers’ production of Othello gives the tragedy a hip-hop makeover. Kenya’s The Theatre Company

will relocate The Merry Wives of Windsor to Nairobi and Brazil’s Grupo Galgo are bringing a carnival slant to their circus and dancepacked take on Romeo and Juliet. The festival also demonstrates the spooky ability of Shakespeare’s writing to move and remould with the times. Poland’s Kochanowski Theatre will be shaking up Macbeth with a version featuring junkies, transvestites and hoodiewearing gangsters, while an Italian production of Julius Caesar relocates the play to – where better? – the backstabbing political scene of modern Rome. The festival is not solely about rejecting classic stagings, however. The best of the world’s theatrical establishment are also on board, with the National Theatres of both

Simon Annand

The World Shakespeare Festival will see every one of The Bard’s plays performed by companies from around the globe as Feargus O’Sullivan reports

featured

66 Shakespeare is

no longer English property. He is the favourite playwright and artist of the whole world 99

Jillian Edelstein / Keith PATTISON

China and Greece appearing, and revered Japanese Shakespeare director Yukio Ninagawa returning to London with a production of

Cymbeline at the Barbican. The festival also has some reminders that Shakespeare’s politically barbed, irreverent plays

still have the power to land people in deep water in places less liberal than London. Afghan company Roy-e-Sabs, which is leaving Kabul for the first time with its Comedy of Errors, has tested taboos in its home country through mixing male and (occasionally unveiled) female performers. Belarus’ Free Theatre, meanwhile, has to perform in a constantly-changing roster of private flats to avoid state censorship and intimidation in its homeland, Europe’s last dictatorship. This is all intriguing stuff, no doubt – but isn’t it all too far from the Shakespeare many Britons know and love? Festival visitors will struggle to find memories of the reign of Good Queen Bess, of Bosworth Field and the Forest of Arden in the festival’s productions. But as is made clear by RSC artistic director Michael Boyd – whose company’s contribution to the festival includes a summer run at the Roundhouse – to appreciate Shakespeare’s lasting greatness as a writer we need to open our minds. If we look at his work as a solely English product tied up

with dreamy nostalgia about our country’s past, we only shrink his power. “Shakespeare is no longer English property. He is the favourite playwright and artist of the whole world, and studied at school by half the world’s children. People of all races, creeds and continents have chosen to gather around his work to share stories of what it is like to be human. To fall in love or fall from grace. To be subject to the abuse of power or to live with the dreams of angels in the shadow of our own mortality.” In an Olympic year when the eyes of the world will be on London, it makes sense to celebrate British culture’s global reach, and the World Shakespeare festival’s polyglot productions are a brilliant, un-jingoistic way of doing so. And while a hip hop Iago or a crossdressing Macduff might not tickle everyone’s fancy, there’s always the quirky pleasure trying to make sense of a Midsummer Night’s Dream’s already unhinged comedy when it’s acted out in Korean. World Shakespeare Festival runs in London until November 3 scoutlondon.com Scout London 51

Theatre The 39 Steps ends oct 20, Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, W1J 0TR piccadilly Circus £12.50-£55, 20.00; mats. John Buchan’s thriller. all New people ends Apr 28, The Duke of york’s, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BG Leicester Square £14-£48.50, Premium Seats £65.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. offbeat comedy written by and starring Zach Braff from TV sitcom Scrubs. Belong Starts Thu, ends May 26, Jerwood Theatre At The royal Court, Sloane Square, SW1W 8aS Sloane Square Mon available on day of perf £10, Tue-Sat £20, under 26s £8, OAP/NUS £15, From Apr 26, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3.30pm (press night May 2, 7pm, no perf May 7, no mat perf Apr 28, extra mat perf May 17, 24, 3.30pm). A satirical drama written by Bola Agbaje.

DNa ends Apr 28, unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, SE1 2HZ London Bridge £15, child £10, concs £12, Tue-Sat 7pm, mats Wed-Fri 1.15pm, Sat 2pm. Hull Truck presents Dennis Kelly’s thoughtprovoking thriller.

Billy Elliot - The Musical ends Dec 15, Victoria Palace, Victoria Street, SW1E 5Ea Victoria £19.50-£65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. An adaptation of the film. Blood Brothers ends nov 24, Phoenix Theatre, 110 Charing Cross road, WC2H 0Jp Leicester Square £20£65, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu 3pm, Sat 4pm. Willy russell’s musical. Chicago ends Jan 26 2013, Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross road, WC2H 0HH Charing Cross £26-£66, Mon-Thu, Sat 8pm, Fri 5pm & 8.30pm, mats Sat 3pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, 3pm, Dec 22, 3pm. Musical. The Duchess Of Malfi ends Jun 9, old Vic, 103 The Cut, SE1 8NB Waterloo £10£49.50, Mar 17-27 previews £10-£44.50, Premium Seats £75, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. John Webster’s Jacobean tragedy directed by Jamie Lloyd. Hay Fever ends Jun 2, noel Coward Theatre, 85-88 St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4aU Leicester Square £16£53.50, Premium Seats £85, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. noel Coward’s comedy starring Lindsay Duncan and Kevin Mcnally. Jersey Boys ends oct 21, Prince edward Theatre, 28 old Compton Street, W1D 4HS Tottenham Court Road Tue-Thu £20-£65, Fri-Sun £20-£67.50, Premium Seats Tue-Thu £85, Fri-Sun £95, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Tue, Sat & Sun 3pm, except Apr 24-Oct 21, Sun 5pm. Musical drama about the career of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons.

THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE COMEDY ‘THEATRICAL GOLD’ STEPHEN FRY

0844 847 1778 love39steps.com CRITERION THEATRE PICCADILLY CIRCUS

The king’s Speech ends Jul 21, Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross road, WC2H 0Da Leicester Square MonSat £10-£52.50, Thu 2.30pm OAP £35, standby rate £25, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. David Seidler’s original drama which inspired the celebrated film. Les Miserables ends oct 27, Queen’s Theatre, 51 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6Ba piccadilly Circus £10-£65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Musical drama. The Lion king ends Sep 30, Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street, WC2E 7RQ Charing Cross Tue-Thu £30-£60, Fri, Sun £32.50-£62.50, Sat £35-£65, Apr 24-Jul 23, Sep 2-30, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat & Sun 2.30pm, Jul 24-Sep 1, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed & Thu, Sat 2.30pm, no eve perf Jul 27. Musical.

The Sunshine Boys Starts Fri, ends Jul 28, Savoy Theatre, Savoy Court, Strand, WC2R 0ET Charing Cross £20-£58.50, Apr 2730, May 1-16 previews £15-£53.50, concs available, 20 top price seats at £10 each, available in person only, from 10am on day of performance, From Apr 27, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm (press night May 17, 7pm). neil Simon’s comedy with Danny DeVito and richard Griffiths as the estranged comic duo Willie Clark and Al Lewis.

7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm, extra mat perf Jun 8, 3pm, no perf Jun 4, Jul 2-Sep 30, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat Jul 2-Sep 30, Wed, Sat 3pm, Oct 1-Feb 23 2013, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat Oct 1-Feb 23 2013, Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Musical based on the MGM film about the end of silent movies. South Downs & The Browning Version: Double Bill ends Aug 4, The Harold Pinter Theatre, 6 Panton Street, SW1Y 4DN piccadilly Circus £15-£49.50, Premium Seats £75, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm (press night Apr 24, 7pm). one-act dramas by David Hare and Terence rattigan. Stomp ends Dec 15, Ambassadors Theatre, West Street, WC2H 9ND Leicester Square £20-£49.50, Mon, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 6pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm, extra eve perfs Jun 6, Aug 1, 15, 22, Oct 31 2012, 8pm, extra mats Aug 15, 22, Oct 31 2012. Steve Mcnicholas and Luke Cresswell’s show. Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street ends Sep 22, Adelphi Theatre, 409-412 Strand, WC2R 0NS Charing Cross £20-£67.50, £25 seats available in person from the box office from 10am on day of performance (max 2 per person), Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Michael Ball and imelda Staunton star in Stephen Sondheim’s musical. Thriller Live ends Sep 23, Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES piccadilly Circus £27.50-£59.50, Premium Seats £85, Tue-Fri, Sun 7.30pm, Sat 8pm, mats Sat 4pm, Sun 3.30pm. A celebration of the music of Michael Jackson. War Horse ends oct 26 2013, new London Theatre, 166 Drury Lane (corner of Parker Street), WC2B 5pW Covent Garden £15-£55, Premium Seats £85, Mon, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Tue 7pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Michael Morpurgo’s story.

London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Big and Small (Gross Und klein) ends Apr 29, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Barbican £16-£65, TueSat 7.15pm, mats Sun 4pm, Apr 26, 28, 1.30pm. Award-winning Cate Blanchett stars in Botho Strauss’s surrealistic drama. The Mousetrap ends Dec 15, St Martin’s Theatre, West Street, Cambridge Circus, WC2H 9NZ Leicester Square £15.60£41.60, Premium Seats £60.60, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Tue 3pm, Sat 4pm. Agatha Christie’s murder mystery. The phantom Of The Opera ends oct 27, Her Majesty’s Theatre, 57 Haymarket, SW1Y 4QL piccadilly Circus £22.45£85, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Musical. Rock Of ages ends oct 28, Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8Dp Holborn Mon-Thu £20£57.50, Fri & Sat £20-£65, Mon-Thu 7.30pm, Fri 5.30pm & 8.30pm, Sat 8pm, mats Sat 4pm. Chris D’Arienzo’s musical celebrating Los Angeles rock culture. Singin’ In The Rain ends Feb 23 2013, Palace Theatre, 109-113 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5aY Leicester Square £14-£84, £25 day seats available from the box office from 10am on day of the performance, Mon & Tue 7pm, Wed-Sat

Noises Off ends Jun 30, novello Theatre, 5 Aldwych, WC2B 4LD Covent Garden Mon-Thu £10-£52.50, Fri & Sat £10-£55, Premium Seats £85, concs available, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm (captioned perf May 1). Michael Frayn’s farcical comedy. We Will Rock You ends oct 20, Dominion Theatre, 268-9 Tottenham Court road, W1T 7aQ Tottenham Court Road Jan 1-Dec 31 2011, Jan 1-May 13, May 15-Oct 20 2012 £27.50-£60, May 14 10th Anniversary Special Show £14.15, £40.50, £73.25, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, May 14, 7pm, 10th Anniversary Special Sho. Musical. West End Eurovision 2012 Starts Thu, ends Apr 26, Dominion Theatre, 2689 Tottenham Court road, W1T 7aQ Tottenham Court Road £20-£45,

JoHAn PerSSon

WEST END

recommended Platinum Package inclues pre-show drinks, programme, top price ticket and access to After-Show Party £100, Gold Package inclues pre-show drink, programme and top price ticket £60, Apr 26, 11.30pm. Paying tribute to the annual televisual euro-pop treat, a number of current West end shows compete for the audience’s votes.

London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Twelfth Night Starts Fri, ends Apr 28, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 21 new Globe Walk, SE1 9DT Mansion House £10-£35, standing £5, disabled £5-£17.50, under 18s £7-£32, under 3s FREE, season ticket £100, Apr 28, 7.30pm, mat Apr 27, 2.30pm. A vibrant rendition of Shakespeare’s comedy, featuring traditional indian dance. Performed in Hindi. The Wizard Of Oz ends oct 28, London Palladium, 8 Argyll Street, W1F 7TF Oxford Circus £25-£65, Premium Seats £84, £25 day seats available from the box office from 10am on day of the performance, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, Sun 3pm. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s version of L Frank Baum’s tale. The Woman In Black ends Dec 15, Fortune Theatre, russell Street, WC2B 5HH Covent Garden £16.50-£45, Premium Seats £55, Jan 9 2012-Jul 15 2012, Sep 2 2012-Dec 15 2012, Tue-Sat 8pm, mats Jan 9 2012-Jul 15 2012, Sep 2 2012-Dec 15 2012, Tue, Thu 3pm, Sat 4pm, Jul 16 2012-Sep 1 2012, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Jul 16 2012-Sep 1 2012, Tue 3pm, Sat 4pm. Susan Hill’s ghost story. Written On The Heart ends Jul 21, Duchess Theatre, 3-5 Catherine Street, WC2B 5La Covent Garden £22.50£74.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. David edgar’s drama about the genesis of the King James Bible.

Making Noise Quietly (Being Friends/ Lost/Making Noise Quietly) ends May 26, Donmar Warehouse, 41 earlham Street, WC2H 9LX Covent Garden Apr 19-21 previews £10-£25, Apr 23-30, May 1-26 £10-£32.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Three short plays forming a triptych exploring the effects of war and the universal bonds of suffering. Written by robert Holman. Soul Sister ends May 5, Hackney empire, 291 Mare Street, E8 1EJ Hackney Central £10-£27.50, TueThu, Sat 7.30pm, Fri 8.15pm, Sun 5pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, Apr 25, May 2, 2.30pm. A musical devised by Pete Brooks and John Miller, inspired by the life of ike and Tina Turner.

FRINGE Baba Shakespeare: Tower Theatre Company ends May 3, Arcola Tent, 2 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL Dalston Junction £12, concs £10, Apr 26 post-show Magic Bus event £25 sold separately, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3pm, Apr 26, post-show Magic Bus charity event. Featuring choreography by Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati. Black Battles With Dogs ends May 5, Southwark Playhouse, Shipwright yard, corner of Tooley Street and Bermondsey Street, SE1 2TF London Bridge £9-£17, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3pm. Bernard-Marie Koltes’s drama exploring racism and colonialism. Chalet Lines ends May 5, The Bush Theatre At The old Library, 7 uxbridge road, W12 8LJ Shepherd’s Bush Apr 6 & 7, 10 & 11 previews £18, concs/ under 26s £10, Apr 12-30, May 1-6 MonSat 7.30pm £24, concs £12, Wed & Sat 2.30pm £18, concs/under 20s £10, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Lee Mattinson’s comedy-drama, a journey over 50 years’s worth of birthdays, weddings and hen partys, experienced by the Walker women.

OFF WEST END CircusFest 2012: professor Vanessa’s Wondershow ends Apr 29, roundhouse, Chalk Farm road, NW1 8EH Chalk Farm Apr 23 & 24 previews £12, Apr 25-29 £20, ages 25 & under £5, family £60, Apr 24-29, 7.30pm, mats Apr 28, 28, 2.30pm. A celebration of vintage circus shows from the 1930s through to the 1950s, with a mix of cabaret and variety acts.

CoMPAny THeATre

Educating Rita Starts Wed, ends May 12, The Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, SE1 1RU London Bridge £29.50, concs £27, £37 inc meal, From Apr 25, Tue-Sat 8pm, mats Sat & Sun 3.30pm, May 3, 10, 3.30pm. Willy russell’s comedy drama features Claire Sweeney and Matthew Kelly. Filumena ends May 12, Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, N1 1Ta Highbury & Islington Mar 15-21 previews £8-£26, Mar 22-May 12 £8-£32, concs available, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, May 2, 2.30pm. eduardo De Filippo’s jubilant comedy drama, adapted by Tanya ronder.

Sat reserved seating £27.50, unreserved seating £17.50, Tue-Sat 7.30pm (press night Apr 25, 7pm). Tour de Force Theatre Company presents an adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s American classic. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Measure For Measure Starts Tue, ends Apr 25, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 21 new Globe Walk, SE1 9DT Mansion House £10-£35, standing £5, disabled £5-£17.50, under 18s £7£32, under 3s FREE, season ticket £100, Apr 25, 7.30pm, mat Apr 24, 2.30pm. Shakespeare’s comedy is performed in russian. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: a Midsummer Night’s Dream Starts Mon, ends May 1, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 21 new Globe Walk, SE1 9DT Mansion House £10-£35, standing £5, disabled £5-£17.50, under 18s £7£32, under 3s FREE, season ticket £100, Apr 30, May 1, 7.30pm. A mix of mime, music, dance and song in this adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy. Performed in Korean. Misterman ends May 28, national Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9pX Waterloo Apr 14, 16 & 17 previews £12-£34, Apr 18-30, May 1-28 £12-£40, Mon-Fri 7.30pm under 18s £12-£16.50, midweek mat senior citizen £12-£30, Apr 27 & 28, 30, May 1, 8-10, 14-17, 23-26, 28, 7.30pm, mats Apr 29, May 27, 3pm, May 10, 17, 26, 2.15pm. Cillian Murphy stars in enda Walsh’s epic drama on the evangelist Thomas Magill trying to save the sinful town of inishfree.

The Seagull Effect Starts Thu, ends Apr 26, redbridge Drama Centre, Churchfields, E18 2RB South Woodford £9, concs £5.50, Apr 26, 8pm. Physical drama set during 1987’s Great Storm. Stop Search Starts Fri, ends May 26, Broadway Theatre, rushey Green, SE6 4RU Catford £14.50, concs £11, From Apr 27, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Wed & Thu 2pm, Sat 4pm (press night Apr 30). A hard-hitting drama on the impact of the police’s Stop and Search powers, Written by Dominic Taylor. Travelling Light ends Jun 2, national Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9pX Waterloo £12-£47, Tue-Thu mats OAP £12-£27, disabled £12 & £15, Mon-Fri, Sun under 18s/Sat mats under 18s £12-£23.50, Apr 24-26, May 2-5, 7, 11 & 12, 18 & 19, 21 & 22, 29-31, Jun 1 & 2, 7.30pm, mats Apr 26, May 3, 5, 12, 19, 31, Jun 2, 2.15pm, May 6, 13, 20, 3pm. nicholas Wright’s drama in which a successful film director looks back on his early life. Uncle Vanya ends Apr 28, The Print room, 34 Hereford road, W2 5aJ Notting Hill Gate £20, concs £15, phone for availability, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3pm. Mike Poulton adapts Anton Chekhov’s drama. World Stages London: Wild Swans ends May 13, young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ Waterloo Apr 13-19 previews £10, £17.50, Apr 20-30, May 1-13 £10-£29.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. A stage adaptation of the best-selling book written by Jung Chang.

ch La to an st se ce e

Travelling Light a new play by Nicholas Wright

London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Richard III Starts Sat, ends Apr 29, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 21 new Globe Walk, SE1 9DT Mansion House £10-£35, standing £5, disabled £5-£17.50, under 18s £7£32, under 3s FREE, season ticket £100, Apr 29, 6.30pm, mats Apr 28, 2.30pm, Apr 29, 1.30pm. Shakespeare’s history play on power, politics and paranoia, performed in Mandarin. E4 Udderbelly Festival: Showstopper! The Improvised Musical ends Jul 1, e4 udderbelly At Southbank Centre, Jubilee Gardens, SE1 8XX Embankment £15.50 & £20.50, concs £14, May 6, 20, Jun 3, 17, Jul 1, 7.45pm. An improvised musical comedy, based on audience suggestions. The Great Gatsby ends May 19, Wilton’s Music Hall, 1 Graces Alley, off ensign Street, E1 8JB aldgate East Apr 20-22, 24 previews reserved seating £15, unreserved seating £10, Apr 25-30, May 1-19 Tue-

HHHH Financial Times, Guardian, The Times

‘A love letter to the movies.’ Guardian

‘Antony Sher shines in a charming snapshot of early cinema.’ Sunday Times

020 7452 3000 • Good seats available from late April

nationaltheatre.org.uk Photo by Johan Persson

No booking fee

Competitions Win VIp hospitality tickets to see the Red Hot Chili peppers at knebworth The red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the best live stadium bands you’ll see. The Californian four-piece will be playing only two dates in the uK this year, one of which is at Knebworth, where they’ll be supported by e3’s own Dizzee rascal, plus The Wombats and reverend and the Makers. Although you’ll generally find Scout down the front at gigs, we are rather partial to a spot of ViP hospitality treatment,

especially at such a prestigious occassion. if you’ve never experienced it, think prime quality seats, a three-course seated dinner, post-concert snacks, drinks before and after the show and more pampering than the Chilis themselves. Well, maybe. We’ve got a pair of ViP tickets to the red Hot Chili Peppers’ massive gig at Knebworth on June 23 to give away so one of you can enjoy this spectacular line-up in

some serious style. To enter, email win@scoutlondon.com and answer the following question: Where are the red Hot Chili peppers from? a) Surrey b) California c) Colorado For more information about the concert, see kililive.com/rhcp

Win one of five meals for four at The Living Room As you fold up your winter coats for storage and prepare to debut your trendy new season attire, there is no better way to embrace the most beautiful time of year than by heading to The Living room, where high fashion is fused with innovative and international cuisine. The fixed price menu features exciting new dishes, made with the same high quality and creative flair we’ve come to expect from the expert chefs. A few highlights from the menu include: Starters Thai fish cakes with marinated cucumber and sweet chilli sauce

red and yellow tomato bruschetta with pesto and mozzarella

Mains Chicken, tiger prawns and cashew coconut laksa with coconut rice

Grilled sea bass on tomato, lime, chilli and coriander dressed noodles Steak frites with slow roast tomatoes and rocket

puddings Blackberry and crème de mure crème brulée

Chocolate truffle cake and dairy vanilla icecream with crushed ‘hokey pokey’

The menu is priced very reasonably, offering one course for £8, two courses for £11 and three courses for £14 – meaning everyone will be heading over to The Living room to sink their teeth into a bite or two. To give you a flavour of what’s on offer grab the chance to win one of five meals for four.

To enter, email win@scoutlondon.com and answer the following question: Q: The popular dish, laksa originated in which country? a) Zimbabwe b) Malaysia c) Bulgaria Prize can be redeemed at either: The Living Room unit 1 Tower Bridge House, St. Katharine Docks London e1W 1AA The Living Room 3 - 9 Heddon Street, London W1B 4Be you can visit The Living room’s website at thelivingroom.co.uk, follow @thelivingroom_ on Twitter or search for The Living room restaurant and Bar on Facebook.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competitions are free to enter. Comeptitions close midnight April 30 2012. Entries will be judged after the closing date and winners will be notified by phone or email within 14 days. Prizes will be sent out within 14 days of notification by the companies or promoters involved. Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash. No purchase necessary. For full T&Cs for all competitions, visit scoutlondon.com.

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Summer concerts at Kew Gardens 2012 Tuesday 3 July

Status Quo

The Straits

Wednesday 4 July

M People CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers Thursday 5 July

Pink Martini/Tim Minchin Friday 6 July

James Morrison with special guests

Saturday 7 July

Will Young

Nerina Pallot

Sunday 8 July

Gipsy Kings

Los Lobos

Tickets from ÂŁ35.50 (plus booking fees*) Book online at www.kew.org/music* Call the 24 hour ticket hotline: 0871 231 0834* Book in person at Kew Gardens at Victoria Gate Supported by