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FREE EVERY TUESDAY JUNE 12>18 2012

PLAN B

HEADS GOES BACK TO BACK TO SCHOOL SCHOOL +LABRINTH HACKNEY WEEKEND PREVIEW

Robert Pattinson | Lovebox | Kebab Club | Ping Pong

“CRUISE IS BRILLIANT” Stylist

“A REALLY GOOD FUN NIGHT OUT” Heat

“IT ROCKS!! HONESTLY AWESOME!!” Magic FM

“TOM CRUISE ROCKS!” TV Times

SEE IT WITH FRIENDS WITH ORANGE WEDNESDAYS

IN CINEMAS WEDNESDAY JUNE 13

Regulars

5 Scouted Secret Cash Machines, Last Chance London, and more

6 Talent Scout Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet tells us about his favourite London haunts

Cover Story 10 Plan B and Labrinth East London’s finest on the state of education in Britain, growing up in the capital’s most creative quarter and performing at Hackney Weekend

9 London by Lamé Amy gets the blues – and it’s not the rain

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The Big Picture 48 London goes wiff-waff wild

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Scouted //SECRET CASH////////////////////////////////////// MACHINES OF LONDON//////////////////////////// doesn’t understand ST PANCRAS////////////////// Scout why Londoners aren’t taking INTERNATIONAL///////////// advantage of St Pancras International. The station more than holds its own when compared to New York’s Grand Central Station and is begging to be an entertainment destination. At first glace the station appears to be devoid of cash machines. Fear not – due to some very clever planning, the Eurostar terminus is full of them. The majority of ATMs are hidden behind escalator shafts, a good use of what otherwise would have been dead space. Run by littleknown Raphaels Private Bank, we checked them out and everything is legit. Additional cashpoints can be found near the entrance to the left luggage facility at the station – these are run by the somewhat more ubiquitous HSBC.

last chance

LONDON BOYS  Soho Theatre Closes Sat Jun 16

Chariots of Fire Hampstead Theatre Closes Sat Jun 16 Detroit National Theatre: Cottesloe Closes Fri Jun 15 The Mystery of Edwin Drood Arts Theatre Closes Sun Jun 17 Rest Upon The Wind Riverside Studios Closes Sun Jun 17 Sister Act New Wimbledon Theatre Closes Sat Jun 16

Kids acting up this summer? Get your hands on some free theatre tickets Almost 40 West End shows will be offering free children’s tickets and activities in August just as parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents run out of ideas to keep their beloveds entertained in the holidays. The Society of London Theatre scheme, called Kids Week, aims to encourage young people to experience live theatre. During August a

child aged 16 or under can go free to participating shows when accompanied by an adult paying full price. Among shows taking part are Billy Elliot the Musical, Matilda the Musical, Nickelodeon’s Dora The Explorer and Shrek the Musical. Free activities and events include taking part in a Tigerlympics Tea Party

or the chance to become a Munchkin in the Merry Old Land of Oz. Elsewhere, Michael Ball will submit to a Sweeney Todd Q&A and there’s opportunity to learn more about Disney’s The Lion King’s masks and puppets. Tickets for Kids Week go on sale today (Tuesday) at kidsweek.co.uk and on 0844 248 5151.

the doodles on the bus go round and round

don’t underestimate my boredom scoutlondon.com Scout London

Gary Kemp Musician, Marylebone The man behind Spandau Ballet’s huge collection of hits is guitarist and songwriter Gary Kemp, whose lyrics have been collated in a new book, The Lyrics of Gary Kemp. Natch. Let’s go to the pub. Scout’s buying - you pick the location. I tend to only do pubs with my family these days, so lunch is important. I love the Duke of Cambridge in Islington. It was the first all organic pub and does amazing food, great home-made breads and interesting beer. Sounds delicious. How about if we want to hit a restaurant? Kikuchi in Hanway Street. Brightly lit and narrow, it’s not for atmosphere, but the sushi is amazing and prepared perfectly. Try the seared fatty tuna - my wife’s favourite. How about outdoor spots? I ride with my mates around

Scout London Cover Stars 0005 Ali Miller, 32, Designer/maker, West Hampstead

What in London inspires you? The diversity of the city itself is amazing; from the people and different cultures they bring to the table, to the range of food, music and art all around. I’m also fascinated by the architecture and environment of London, which reflects its heritage and great history. Any London secrets to share? There are a few great hidden places. The Sir John Soane

Museum is one of them – just like an Aladdin’s cave. I also particularly like the V&A café for a break in town. Favourite part of London? Kenwood Park is a great place to relax. How important is London to your work? I’ve been born and raised in London, and this definitely shows in all my work. My art is about my home, my

Regent’s Park outer circle. Stealth peloton meets wheezing old blokes. Where do you get your shopping fix? Marylebone High Street is my local village. I’m addicted to books and reckon the best bookstore in London is Daunts. Where do you go to relax? At either one of the two best coffee houses in London - Kaffeine or Melrose and Morgan. Coffee is my other addiction and I love London’s new bespoke coffee shops. Double mac please. What’s your secret London tip for Londoners? Visit the Inns of Court. People don’t. It’s magnificent pre-Fire of London architecture. Go to the Temple Church there and also visit the hall where Shakespeare premiered Twelfth Night. After that, have a beer at the pre-Fire pub, Seven Stars. Then go and find Gog and Magog.

personal history, and the heritage I’ve got, so the London angle is definitely in there. What’s next for you? I’ve had an incredible set of amazing things happen to me in the last couple of years. I’m looking forward to more of those happening, expanding the current range, growing bigger, and more people knowing about and wanting my products. See more at: alimiller.co.uk

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 6

Scout London scoutlondon.com

16TH - 19TH

AUGUST

THE GUARDIAN

THE INDEPENDENT

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED IN THE MAGICAL BLACK MOUNTAINS, WALES Music VAN MORRISON • FEIST • MOGWAI

SPECIAL GUEST TBA • THE WALKMEN

STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS • DEXYS • YANN TIERSEN

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH • OF MONTREAL • JONATHAN RICHMAN TUNE-YARDS • MICHAEL KIWANUKA • THE FELICE BROTHERS KING CREOSOTE & JON HOPKINS • THE BEES •SCRITTI POLITTI • JUNIOR BOYS MR SCRUFF - KEEP IT UNREAL • JAMES BLAKE (DJ) • TIME & SPACE MACHINE

BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH • DAMIEN JURADO • FIELD MUSIC • LOWER DENS • FRIENDS BOWERBIRDS • SLOW CLUB • BETH JEANS HOUGHTON & THE HOOVES OF DESTINY GHOSTPOET • CASS MCCOMBS • BULLION • DARK DARK DARK • THREE TRAPPED TIGERS DAUGHTER • WILLY MASON • KING CHARLES • THE STAVES • TREMBLING BELLS • JOE PUG LUCY ROSE • PEAKING LIGHTS • ISLET • MEGAFAUN • CATE LE BON • CASHIER NO.9 • TOY • ALT-J THE WAVE PICTURES • KWES • VONDELPARK • LONE • GANG COLOURS • LAURA J MARTIN JAMIE N COMMONS • STEALING SHEEP • STEVE SMYTH • VADOINMESSICO • PSYCHEMAGIK (DJ) RICHARD NORRIS • ROCKETNUMBERNINE • AHAB • THE PICTISH TRAIL • TEETH OF THE SEA TREETOP FLYERS • SWEET BABOO • TINY RUINS • PEN PASTWN (RICHARD JAMES) • MOWBIRD SEAMUS FOGERTY • WITHERED HAND • GOODNIGHT LENIN • PAUL THOMAS SAUNDERS RM HUBBERT • AIRHEAD • PETE PAPHIDES - VINYL REVIVAL • CRYBABY • RICHARD WARREN THE PERCH CREEK FAMILY JUG BAND • NO THEE NO ESS • CHAILO SIM GEORGIA RUTH • DAVID MCCAFFREY • ALASKA • JOANNA GRUESOME SEN SEGUR • STUFF • GRETA ISAAC • ONE SIXTH OF TOMMY Comedy BUG WITH ADAM BUXTON • JOSIE LONG • THE RUBBER BANDITS • ZOE LYONS • ROBIN INCE • HOLLY WALSH • MIKE WOZNIAK • HENRY PAKER • MARK OLVER • DELETE THE BANJAX • EDWARD ACZEL • GAVIN OSBORN • And Many More TBA Einstein’s Garden SIMON WATT: DISSECTIONS UNCUT • ROSIE WILBY: THE SCIENCE OF SEX • MJ HIBBETT & THE VALIDATORS: DINOSAUR PLANET • LORI CAMPBELL • BRONZE MEDALLISTS • BRIGHT CLUB • And Lots More...

Literature JIM BOB • ROBIN INCE • STELLA DUFFY • LEANNE WOOD IN CONVERSATION WITH RACHEL TREZISE • JAMES FEARNLEY • JOHN PEEL’S SHED BY JOHN OSBORNE • RICHARD KING • THE STORY OF WALES WITH JON GOWER • And Many More TBA Plus 9 STAGES • 24HR BARS • CHAI WALLAHS • DUSK TILL DAWN BONFIRE • LOCAL BEER & CIDER • GOURMET FOOD • LOADS TO DO FOR KIDS & TEENS • MASSAGE & THERAPY • MOUNTAINS • And Lots More...

Adults: £145 (including camping). Student: £125 (including camping). Holiday Ticket £40 (Add a holiday ticket and camp for a whole week) Tickets available from www.ticketline.co.uk/green-man Tel 0844 888 9991 Coach Tickets and packages available from National Express www.nationalexpress.com/greenman For more information, including the full line up please visit www.greenman.net

www.greenman.net

Tourism plan is a damp squib By Amy Lamé ondon seems to be under a perpetual raincloud. The capital’s gutters are awash with detritus, and that’s just outside City Hall. We blame the weather for everything. London’s hosepipe ban is still in effect, despite the torrential tipping-it-down. Apparently it’s the wrong kind of rain at the wrong time of year. Who knew?! Even the shops are seeing a weatherrelated slump in sales. The only ones doing well are the tourist kiosks selling flimsy, overpriced Union Jack umbrellas. And Boris Johnson. People, I have PMB – Post-Mayoral election Blues. Blue seems to be everywhere at the moment, except in the sky. It’s the colour of those blasted bikes, the hue of Boris’s crooked tie and his politics, and reflects the shade of my general mood. All this rain isn’t helping. What ever happened to “blue sky thinking” and ELO’s Mr Blue Sky? Instead I’m being dragged down by New Order’s Blue Monday and consoling myself with cut-price Yo Sushi. This mix of bad weather and bad politics seems to be keeping the capital under a perpetual rain cloud. It may have discouraged Londoners from voting, but – flimsy umbrellas at the ready – at least it

LAW_KEVEN/ _GEE_/ LISIBO

won’t keep the tourists away from sending their hard earned dollars/ yen/euros. That’s if the Government has anything to do with it. Its latest scheme to try and drum-up some deficit-busting dosh is to sell the UK as a holiday destination with a “unique selling point”. This USP is not the Olympics, nor the Diamond Jubilee. Not London’s

theatrical tours de force, nor our free world-class museums. Not our top notch restaurants, or our trendy nightclubs. Forget London’s street style fashion and cool street markets. The Government has decided the best way to convince potential visitors to the UK is to tell them that it doesn’t rain as much as they think it does. YES you read that right. Our blue-hued leaders are flawed on many issues, but this really does leave the cake out in the rain. Rain is nothing to be ashamed of. London’s hazy steel skies are flattering, the cloud is a comfort

blanket. Drizzle inspires our pop stars and influences our visual artists. Monsoons make a cup of tea and a slice of thick, hot buttered toast a well-earned treat on a blustery afternoon. I’ve even heard a few London raindrops in a strong gin and tonic give it a special tasty vim and vigour. All this talk of rain leads me, naturally, into a pub. Why were pubs invented? To shelter from said rain. Why are our museums so fabulous? To provide rainy day / every day things to do. Why does every Carluccio’s picnic basket come with a waterproof? Because no British picnic has ever been without a downpour. Rain defines London and Londoners. Why pretend otherwise? Instead of trying to hoodwink tourists into believing that they may be able to get a suntan on their Great British Holiday, why don’t we issue each one of them a free T-shirt with IT’S RAINING. I’M OVER IT emblazoned across the front? Throw in a super sturdy Rihanna-sponsored Umbrelllaahhhh and an Age UK-branded plastic rain cap. Arm tourists for the battle of Oxford Street, enable them to embrace the Environment Agency flood warnings. Forget the forecast, Peter Cockroft…let it pour!

OVERSEEN LONDON I was enjoying a curry in my fave hangout on Drummond St, Diwana. During dinner, my partner’s face turned red – did she swallow a chili? NO, it was an elderly man in the flat opposite, NAKED, emerging from the bath and putting on his pants, giving an entirely new meaning to Rear Window.

REASONS TO LOVE LONDON

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There’s nothing quite like eating ice cream in the rain. So thanks, Gelupo, your Ricotta and Sour Cherry Ripple gelato has been a calming moment in all this tempestuous weather. gelupo.com scoutlondon.com Scout London

Hackney Weekend 2012

r o f B n a l P A schools behaviour, one could be forgiven for assuming it would be even less likely that he would have a positive view on schooling. But it’s not traditional education he’s espousing. Instead, he’s preaching tolerance, understanding and a new approach to handling pupils who are disruptive. “D’you know what, I met positive people who were teaching in that school. They gave me the confidence to do what I’m doing now and if I hadn’t gone there I might be doing something a lot more negative to make money now.”

Robinson’s ideology – sees him a fully signed-up member of the same school of thought. He says: “If a kid can’t get on in a big comprehensive and is being disruptive, the teacher kicks them out. I understand why – because they’re disrupting the other kids. But if we know there are kids like this out there, why are we not recognising who they are from a younger age and putting them in schools where they can improve, like I was? “The problem is, people often think that kind of school is a waste of money. You’ve got a bunch of

66 It’s really important kids feel they can express their opinions 99 being scared of them – people should try and engage with them. That’s what he said. It’s the newspapers that swung it round into the ‘hug a hoodie’ campaign and turned it into a joke.” For someone who left school with three GCSEs, the east London rapper, actor and now director, AKA Ben Drew, is extremely passionate about education. Having been expelled from secondary school and sent to a Pupil Referral Unit due to his 10 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Drew’s education policy is akin to that of educationalist Sir Ken Robinson, who advocates a radical rewriting of the way schools teach. Robinson claims that we are educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies – far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity – are ignored or even stigmatised, with terrible consequences. Plan B’s experience – no matter how cursory his understanding of

kids that are regarded as ‘bad’ and getting kicked out of school and they’re getting taken to Alton Towers, right? People go, ‘why are you wasting money taking kids to Alton Towers?’ I’ll tell you why – it’s because they’ve never been outside their postcode, they’ve never been outside their council estate. Taking them out to these places is showing them compassion and love and excitement and they need that because they’re growing up in an environment where they’re not

allowed to have a childhood. Be it abusive parents or gangs on the streets, they have to be adults from a young age.” A cursory glance at the BBC Hackney Weekend line-up is proof enough of just how many of today’s chart acts have come from east London: Leona Lewis, Plan B, Professor Green, Labrinth, Tinchy Stryder are just a few examples. However, as Drew has described, it’s also a place which attracts headlines for the wrong kind of reason; regularly featuring in the bottom end of social statistic league tables such as on school performance and deprivation. Before the musical extravaganza, the BBC is rolling out a major programme of social action and outreach – The Radio 1 and 1Xtra Academy. It is offering 10,000 young people across the area chance to gain skills and experience in the creative industries and business, and to be inspired by leading people in their fields. Along with Leona Lewis, Labrinth and a host of others, Drew is actively involved with the Academy. He has been spending time back at his old Pupil Referral Unit, talking to the students about making it in the music business and tutoring them for a performance at the Hackney Weekend. “You know Allen Leech from Downton Abbey? I asked him why

GETTY

lan B is having a rant. His eyes flash with passion as he spits: “The way we treat each other, the attitudes we have towards each other are all perpetuated and manipulated,” he pauses, acknowledging who he’s talking to, “I’m sorry to say it but – by the press.” An eyebrow raises as he warms to his topic: “What David Cameron said in the ‘hug a hoodie’ campaign was actually all positive and correct. These kids don’t get any love, no one showing them any encouragement and – rather than

Ahead of its Hackney Weekend concerts, the BBC has launched a series of events in the East End, using the area’s chart-toppers to inspire teenagers. It’s something Plan B is especially passionate about, as James Drury discovers

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he wanted to be an actor. He said he done a school play. There was an Irish actor come up to him and said ‘you was really good, you should consider becoming an actor one day’ and just walked off. He said that was the reason he became an actor. So, someone like me spending half an hour with these kids – that can shape their whole life. That’s why I’m back there.” He adds: “It’s not often things happen in east London and I hope that I can inspire kids to work at their talent and to make something

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of themselves,” he says. “When I’m asked to be an ambassador I feel like I’m doing [young people] a disservice if I’m not involved with something like this.” It’s not the first time he’s worked with teenagers from the East End. He made his directorial debut with iLL Manors – released in cinemas last week – which cast a number of unknown actors from the area. “The sense of purpose I got from doing that was greater and more important than the actual film for me,” he says, “so coming back here I get really emotional when I hear some of the kids’ stories.” It may sound a bit touchyfeely, but Drew is realistic about teenagers’ expectations. He says people think they can become stars through sheer luck and talent, and have no understanding of the amount of graft needed to make it. “They don’t know the hard work that goes in to what we do. It wasn’t given to us, we had to work hard to get to where we wanted to be and our schedules are gruelling. “I don’t think kids understand that part of the process, so I’m not just getting them ready to perform I’m also showing them how much effort you have to put in to get here.” He’s also passionate about encouraging people to take responsibility for changing their own situations. “You can ask a politician to do something for you, he will say he will do it and you will feel like you’ve done all you can but you don’t do it yourself. “We need to take responsibility ourselves. I ain’t gonna rely on the politicians to make things happen. Indeed he isn’t. Practising what he preaches, he is setting up an organisation to help creative young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. “It’s really important that kids can express themselves and their opinions. When I was younger I felt ignored, like I didn’t have a voice, like no-one was gonna listen to me and no-one was talking to me, representing me, representing the kids that I stood for.”

scoutlondon.com Scout London 11

Hackney Weekend 2012

‘I’m going to ’ le!C rribA be tethoug A Going back to his roots – what’s the fuss? Urban producer with some serious punk sensibilities, Labrinth, tells Si Hawkins he’s more nervous about performing in front of his friends in London than anything else

hen the brilliant young producer Labrinth decided to step boldly from the shadows and try his hand at front-of-stage pop stardom a few years back, he hadn’t foreseen quite such a high-profile homecoming gig. Playing your old manor always adds a layer of pressure but at Hackney Weekend the borough’s new prodigal son will stride out before umpteen thousand fans, further millions back home and, more troublingly, his nearest and dearest. “I’m going to be really bad,” he says, in jest but with just a hint of wobble-voiced worry. “I’m going to be terrible. I’m going to be around all my friends and they’re going to be, like, ‘Lab, please, go home…’” Refreshingly free of in-your-face bravado, Lab – AKA Timothy McKenzie – is something of an anomaly on the current pop scene, and it’s a role he revels in. On one hand the 22-year-old is one of the hottest new beat-makers around, the brains behind Tinie Tempah’s huge crossover grime hit Pass Out, numerous subsequent Brit-

rap productions and has a burgeoning reputation across the pond. As a budding solo artist Labrinth has created havoc with his own credibility, however, by signing to Simon Cowell’s label Syco, which was previously populated by talent show alumni. It seems an oddly restrictive move for such an envelope-pushing young talent, but hooking up with someone so infamous is pretty punk-rock, he reckons. “It really is! Who says it’s wrong? In the industry there are certain things we don’t allow ourselves to do in terms of ‘cool.’ But I don’t believe in ‘cool’, the same as I don’t believe that you have to be a certain type of sound to be commercial.’” McKenzie has already managed to smuggle some edgy beats onto Cowell’s label via his debut album Electronic Earth, which emerged in early April to suitably mixed reviews. True, he does hide his vocals behind a vocoder rather a lot, but the musical variations are impressive, from gritty electronica and two-step to piano

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One big weekend The eyes of the world will be turning to the East End sooner than you think... ballads and even a dash of heavy rock. The compulsion to cross the streams largely stems from a soul-soaked upbringing in Hackney, then a noisier education in Stoke Newington. “I grew up with very much a gospel, R’n’B, hip-hop background, and when I went to school some of my friends were like grunge guys, they introduced me to Nirvana, Slipknot, stuff like that,” he recalls. “It was like being introduced to another world and I really loved the energy of it.” Oddly enough he now finds London audiences the most reluctant to embrace his genre shifts, particularly the punky bits. “It might even be odd in Hackney,” he says. “I’ve been making some records in the studio that have a Clash-esque energy, but it sounds weird from the guy who made Pass Out: ‘Yeah alright Lab, tell us when you’re finished with that crap.’” So is he genuinely perturbed about this Hackney Weekend show? “It is a bit nerve-wracking,” he says. “But I think I’ll be alright.” Let’s just hope he doesn’t pass out.

A month before the eyes of the world look to east London for the Olympics, they will first turn to Hackney Marshes for the BBC Hackney Weekend. With live music across six stages, and a line-up including Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kasabian, Florence and the Machine, Tinie Tempah, Jessie J and David Guetta, it will be the UK’s biggest free ticketed music event. Up to 50,000 people per day are expected to attend, and 50 per cent of the tickets were earmarked for Hackney residents. The extravaganza has grown out of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and One Big Sunday

events, which visited a different city every year. The concerts have never been to London before – generally being directed to areas which don’t often get such an array of international superstars. However, the Games has prompted “Auntie” to bring the brand to the capital for the first time, and make it the biggest to date. We’re not sure what Jay-Z will make of East End staple, pie and mash, but the fact it comes with “liquor” may well cause him some confusion.

PHOTO: BBC

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June 23-24, Hackney Marshes. Coverage on BBC Three, Radio 1 and 1Xtra scoutlondon.com Scout London 13

London

Thinking outside the box Red phone boxes have been redesigned by artists, designers and celebrities for a city-wide art hunt. Alice Wiggett speaks to the creators of some of the best

he dominance of mobile phones is sadly reducing the red London phone box to little more than a curiosity and a tourist attraction. However, from Monday the iconic structure will be getting a serious make-over and transformed into a citywide public art project. To mark the 25th anniversary of the ChildLine charity, 85 phone boxes which have been redesigned by the likes of architect Zaha Hadid, model Lily Cole, cartoonists Modern Toss, milliner Philip Treacy, and fashion designer Julien Macdonald, will go on display. The BT ArtBox project will see the creations dotted about London in a colourful treasure hunt. Designs range from leopard print, photomontages, camouflage, abstract assemblages, Jubilee-themed boxes and even a padded telephone box. Photographer Willie Christie has used a photograph of creative director of US Vogue Grace Coddington’s lips to adorn his phone box. She is his ex-wife and, appropriately, the box will be placed outside the Vogue headquarters in London. Malcolm Garrett, BT ArtBox curator and the man who designed record sleeves for bands such as Buzzcocks, says: “London is one of the premier art capitals of the world and it is important that it fully embraces projects like this, especially at times when the eyes of the world are upon it.” On June 15 there will be chance to see all 85 boxes on display in Trafalgar Square, before they are moved to landmark locations around the capital, including Covent Garden, St Pancras Station, Carnaby Street, The Ritz, outside Big Ben, in Hyde Park and even in the shark tank at London Aquarium. Peek-a-boo: The BT ArtBoxes will be across the city

“It brings art out from the rarefied atmosphere of the art gallery and places it directly into the community,” Garrett says. Selected boxes will be auctioned on July 18 at The National Portrait Gallery to raise funds for ChildLine. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the BT ArtBoxes as they’re incredibly diverse and should look fantastic when they’re placed across the city,” ChildLine founder Esther Rantzen tells Scout London. “Ben Shine’s Long Distance ArtBox, which features a giraffe popping out the top, and Cosmo Sarson’s Peekaboo ArtBox are very eye-catching so I’ll be looking out for them. “If I had designed an ArtBox, I think it would have been like a tropical forest, with orchids and monkeys, and perhaps Tarzan making a phone call!” One of the most recognisable London designs will be by New Zealand artist, Mandii Pope. She says: “I looked at the shape of the BT ArtBox and figured if I could make or find a Big Ben roof, I could combine two British icons, utilising the existing shape of the phone box. It would then be perfectly suited as an icon of London.” Pope’s design features some hidden details, such as Olympians and London marathon runners. The Queen and Will and Kate can be spied waving out of the top windows. Taking the near-obsolete and bringing it bang up to date will be the TweetBox, created by Alasdair Scott, which will display the BT ArtBox Twitter feed. People tweeting while close to the box will have their photo taken by the box, which can then be shared with their followers. From June 15, across London Doubly iconic: Mandii Pope’s creation will incorporate Big Ben

 Lip service: Willie Christie’s ArtBox captures his ex-wife’s lips

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featured Boxing clever Benjamin Shine “I created two pieces for this event. Long Distance, featuring a giraffe poking its head through the roof, takes inspiration from the telephone as a worldwide connector; playfully referencing the incredible reach this technology provides us. It very much plays with the London backdrop, which provides the necessary juxtaposition for the giraffe to appear so out of context. The other, Box Lounger, brings the familiar phone box indoors, as it is transformed into a sofa. Designed with buttonback red leather upholstery and light-up telephone signs, it packs a patriotic punch in its fusion of British heritage design.”

Photographer Peter Anderson “My box is a memorial shrine to Joe Strummer. Using my 80s photographs of Strummer and The Clash, the telephone box has become a pop-up gallery, featuring the perfect set of photo frames. The title of my piece is London Calling, from The Clash album title, linking it to the call box. It’s a shrine and an exhibition out on the streets, which is great as not everyone visits galleries. “

Artist Gerry Judah “The telephone box itself inspired me. It is a fantastic monolith. By cutting it up and displacing it, I tried to show the angst and broken relationships which kids in need often have. That was an important message which I wanted to send out. It’s meant to be an urban piece, I needed to reflect the surroundings of the city and it’s a fantastic setting being in the Tower of London.”

scoutlondon.com Scout London 15

London ONGOING

Honor Oak Knit Night at The Honor Oak, St German’s Road, Forest Hill Jun SE23 1RH 12, 26, 7.30pm, FREE. Friendly and relaxed crocheting and knitting group. Until Jun 26.

Brass Rubbing at London Brass Rubbing Centre, St Martins In The Fields, Trafalgar Sq, WC2N 4JJ Charing Cross Jan-Dec, Mon-Wed 10am-6pm, Thu-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 11.30am-5pm, £4.50. Get to grips with characters from history with a selection of replica brasses on offer including medieval knights in armour, costumed ladies, St George and the Dragon, William Shakespeare and other historical characters.

TUESDAY JUNE 12

BBC Television Centre Tour at BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, W12 7RJ White City Mon-Sat 10am (tours) last tour 4.15pm, £11.75, child £8.25, concs £10.75, NUS £9, family £35. A chance to experience this working television centre. Visitors can see the studios, including BBC News, and get the chance to experiment in an interactive studio.

Music: Talk at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB Euston FREE, 5pm-6pm, booking essential. Dr Rhiannon Mathias discusses her book about the composers. Spitalfields Music Summer Festival: Gabrieli Consort And Players: The Fairy Queen at Christ Church Spitalfields, Fournier Street, E1 6QE Liverpool Street £5-£32, child £5£16, NUS £5, under 26s £5-£24, 7.30pm9.30pm. Purcell’s fantastical semi-opera. Stitch N Bitch at The Earl Ferrers Pub, 22 Ellora Road, SW16 6JF Streatham FREE, 8pm. Knitting group. The Wire Salon: No Regrets: The Enigma Of Scott Walker: Talk at Cafe Oto, 18-22 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL Dalston Kingsland £4, 8pm, doors. Editor Rob Young discusses the singer’s career, followed by a panel discussion.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 13 Bishopsgate Library Tour at Bishopsgate Institute, 230 Bishopsgate, EC2M 4QH Liverpool Street FREE, 6.30pm. Take a trip around the Grade II listed building. Spitalfields Music Summer Festival: Gabrieli Consort And Players: The Fairy Queen: Talk at Christ Church Spitalfields, Fournier Street, E1 6QE Liverpool Street FREE, booking essential, 6.30pm.

London 2012: Daily Olympic Walks at Bromley-by-Bow Underground Station, St Leonards Street, E3 3JJ Bromley-by-Bow Mon-Sun 11am, until Sep 9, £9, child £5, concs £7, adv tickets from www.tourguides2012.co.uk. A guided walk around the London 2012 Olympic site led by a Blue Badge guide.

Dream Builders: Renzo Piano: Talk at RIBA, 66 Portland Place, W1B 1AD Regent’s Park phone for availibility, 6.30pm-8pm. The architect and the BBC’s Razia Iqbal discuss the design and construction of The Shard. Susan J Raven: Reading In The Great Book Of Nature: Talk at Rudolf Steiner House, Park Road, NW1 6XT Baker Street £3.50, NUS/concs/under 25s £1, 7.30pm-9pm. The anthroposophy student discusses how to enhance our relationship with nature. Sound Cases: Lutyens, Maconchy, Williams And 20th Century British

Transport for London travel update

Central line: No service between Marble Arch and Bethnal Green all weekend. Metropolitain line: No service between Wembley Park, Uxbridge and Northwood all weekend. Rail replacement buses operate. Northern line: No service between High Barnet and Camden Town until approximately 8.45 on Sunday. Docklands Light Railway: No service between Stratford and Westferry to Island Gardens all weekend.

16 Scout London scoutlondon.com

London Overground: On Sunday: No service between Richmond to Camden Road until 12.30. No service between Shepherd’s Bush to Willesden Junction until 12.30. No service between Highbury & Islington to West Croydon until 08.00 and Sydenham to Crystal Palace all day. Tramlink: No service between Mitcham and Mitcham Junction and Arena to Elmers End all weekend. For the latest information on all public transport across the capital check tfl.gov.uk

Priceless London Wonderground: Tumble Circus: This Is What We Do For A Living at The London Wonderground Spiegeltent, Jubilee Gardens, off Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX Embankment £15.50 & £20.50, child £10.50, concs £12.50, family £33.75-£67.50, 9.30pm, 3pm. Awardwinning circus comedy duo. Anne James Chaton, Andy Moor, Jackdaw With Crowbar at Cafe Oto, 1822 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL Dalston Kingsland £8, adv £7, 8pm, doors. Poetry combined with improvised music. Dr Sketchy at Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £15, adv £10, 8pm. An art workshop in a burlesque environment for over 18s. Mini Moles Babies Group (Under 5s) at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican FREE, 11am12noon, booking essential. Themed activities for little ones and their carers. The Role Of The Polished Axe In Neolithic Society: Talk at British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG Tottenham Court Road FREE, 1.15pm. Independent speaker Elizabeth Wilkes discusses how the weapon featured in the people’s life. A Musical Rumpus: A Fairy Queen In The Forest (Ages 0-2) at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Shoreditch High Street phone for prices, 10.30am-11.30am, 12noon-1pm. An

interactive musical event created especially for toddlers and inspired by Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen.

THURSDAY JUNE 14 Cycling To Suffrage: The Bicycle And Women’s Rights, 1890-1914: Talk at The Women’s Library, 25 Old Castle Street, E1 7NT Aldgate East £8, concs £6, 7pm-8.10pm. A discussion on the place of the bicycle in the lives of women during the Suffrage era. The Lady Elizabeth: The Virgin Queens Perilous Path To The Throne: Talk at National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, SE10 9NF Greenwich £7.50, for series £30, concs £20, 11am-1pm. London Liming Eastern Euro: Talk at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Shoreditch High Street FREE, 9.30pm-11.45pm. Picasso As An Etcher: The Great Innovator: Talk at British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG Tottenham Court Road FREE, 1.15pm. Independent speaker Norman Ackroyd discusses the artist’s work. Postcards Festival: Lightning Ensemble, Ian Marchant, Frederike: Triple Bill Programme (1908 - Body And Soul/20 Hours And Counting/New Site-Specific Work) at Jacksons Lane Theatre, 269a Archway Road, N6 5AA Highgate £10, 8pm. Three physical and modern circustheatre works. Peter Sheppard Skaerved: Lecture at Royal Academy Of Music, Marylebone Road, NW1 5HT Regent’s Park FREE, 1pm-2pm. Exploring relationships between performers, composers, instruments and instrument-makers. Spitalfields Music Summer Festival: Gabrieli Consort And Players: Stravinsky Mass: Talk at Christ Church Spitalfields, Fournier Street, E1 6QE Liverpool Street FREE, booking essential, 6.30pm. With Paul McCreesh. Symphonic Jazz And Its Pianistic Processes: Talk at Royal College Of Music, Prince Consort Road, SW7 2BS South Kensington FREE, 5.15pm.

FRIDAY JUNE 15 The Autism Show at ExCel, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, E16 1XL Canning Town phone for prices, 10am5pm. Advice and guidance about the developmental disability. Culture Now: Penny Arcade: Talk at ICA, 12 Carlton House Terrace, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH Charing Cross £5, mems FREE, 1pm. Display Lecture: The Construction And Conservation Of Swords at Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN Bond Street FREE, 1pm-2pm. Lawrence Durrell: Conference at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB Euston FREE, 1.30pm-5.30pm, booking essential. Talks and discussions about the writer’s life and work, followed by a concert. Poetry And The British Museum: Talk at British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG Tottenham Court Road FREE, 1.15pm. Professor Mark Ford discusses the how poets have used the museum and its reading room.

recommended SATURDAY JUNE 16

Copperdollar’s Spidora at Theatre Square, National Theatre, South Bank, London. SE1 9PX N1 9AG Waterloo FREE, Jun 15 (2.30pm, 4.30pm, 7.30pm), Jun 16 (2pm, 4.30pm, 7.30pm), Jun 17 (12pm, 2pm, 7pm). Copperdollar’s Spidora is in the manner of a traditional sideshow. Enter the spider’s labyrinth if you dare.

SUNDAY JUNE 17 The Best Of British Dinosaurs: Talk at Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD South Kensington FREE, 12.30pm-1pm, 2.30pm-3pm. A museum palaeontologist discusses how fossils are used to reconstruct what the animals looked like.

Big Dance 2012: The Big Dance Bus at Woodbury Down Estate, Woodberry Down Estate, N4 1QY Manor House FREE, 12noon-4pm. A touring double decker Routemaster with its own dance floor, where everyone can watch and participate in performances and workshops. Patricia Routledge: Facing The Music: Talk at Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NL Embankment £17.50 & £25, 7.30pm. The actress discusses her career with broadcaster Edward Seckerson. Vintage Fashion Fair at Hammersmith Town Hall, 275 King Street, W6 9LZ Hammersmith 10am-5pm £5, 8am10am £10, 10am-5pm, 8am-10am. Stalls and displays. Words In Process Scratch Night at Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH Chalk Farm £5, 7.45pm. Artists showcase their spoken word works with the opportunity to receive audience feedback.

Display Introduction - Take One Picture: Veronese’s Family Of Darius Before Alexander: Talk at The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN Leicester Square FREE, 1pm-1.45pm. Ali Mawle leads a talk on the artwork. Josephine Hart Poetry Hour: The Poet In The Garden: Reading at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB Euston £7.50, concs £5, 6.30pm7.45pm. Actors read garden-inspired poems. Spark London at Upstairs At The Ritzy, Coldharbour Lane, SW2 1JG Brixton FREE, 7.30pm. Literary open mic night with host Michael O’Kelly.

MONDAY JUNE 18 British Monarchs Season: The Embarkation Of Charles II At Scheveningen By Willem Van De Velde The Younger: Talk at Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN Bond Street FREE, 1pm-2pm. Coffee House Poetry: What We Should Have Said at The Troubadour, 263-267 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA Earl’s Court £7, concs £6, 9pm, doors. Spoken word and poetry performances, comedy, music and an open-mic.

Steve Richards And Alastair Campbell: Talk at Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG King’s Cross St Pancras £9.50, 7pm.

D No EO w N op G en re a en t w ic h

Reach Upwards To The Affirming Sun: Lawrence Durrell In 2012: Talk at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB Euston £7.50, concs £5, 6.30pm-8pm. Writers Nicoletta Demetriole, Simon Ings and Joanna Hodgkin discuss the novelist’s creative legacy. Spring Loaded: Bloom!: The End Is Near at The Place: Robin Howard Dance Theatre, 17 Duke’s Road, WC1H 9PY Euston £15, concs £12, 8pm. This modern dance work attempts to reveal the multiple guises of a modern day hero.

Art For Eternity: Paintings From The Tomb Of Nebamun: Talk at British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG Tottenham Court Road FREE, 1.15pm. Independent speaker George Hart discusses the artwork from the grave. A Bloomsday Celebration: James Joyce’s Portrait Of Dublin at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB Euston £7.50, concs £5, 2.30pm-4pm. Dr Joseph Brooker and Professor Steven Connor discuss the author’s work with readings. Build The Truce: Family Activity at Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ Lambeth North FREE, 2pm-4pm, 11am-1pm. Creative sessions based on the theme of global truce. The Real War Horses at National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, SW3 4HT Sloane Square £15, concs £12.50, 10.30am-5.30pm. Spitalfields Music Summer Festival: Old Earth: Insight at Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, EC2A 3PQ Old Street FREE ticketed, 5.30pm. A discussion on the creation of the contemporary classical piece.

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Shopping

An open book Bookshops are fighting back against the gizmos with social events, clubs and more. Alice Wiggett picks the best

nce upon a time the daily commute was full of passengers reading dog-eared paperbacks. Today, with the rapid rise of e-readers and iPads, carriages and buses are now beginning to fill with pristine covered gizmos. But where does that leave London’s bookshops? How do they compete with shiny gadgets? The answer is something a computer can never replace: a social environment, conversation and the simple joy of walking into a labyrinth where books take centre stage.

Scout London picked out our favourite bookshops in the city – those that go the extra mile to provide book clubs, social events, a personalised service and expertise – assets which digital book-buying will never be able to effectively replicate. For the romantics and those with a serious book habit, there’s a real feast of independent, long-serving or just plain beautiful places to discover. London’s largest chain – Waterstone’s – boasts a flamboyant façade in the heart of Bloomsbury. The Grade I listed building and

66 How do bookshops compete with shiny gadgets? 99

18 Scout London scoutlondon.com

is one of the largest academic bookshops in Europe. The five-storey Foyles on Charing Cross Road has been a London landmark since the Foyle brothers opened its doors in 1906. It is due to move to a purpose-built shop next door in 2013 with a promise that the new premises will retain the “unique character” of Foyles. One of our favourites is the beautiful Edwardian interior of Daunt Books in Marylebone High Street which features long oak galleries and skylights illuminating the literature inside. The social aspect of reading can be found in local communities, as Kirkdale Bookshop & Gallery in Sydenham demonstrates. The best thing about this shop is its programme of lively social activities. There are two writers’ groups, regular author signings, a philosophy group, evening events (with wine and nibbles). It also runs a regular story time for children on Saturday mornings and an active open book club, and in 2002 a small art gallery was added, to exhibit the work of local artists. The John Sandoe Bookshop in Chelsea started in 1957. What was once a poodle grooming parlour is now home to over 25,000 books. This is a cosy place in which to while away hours totally undisturbed, browsing shelf upon shelf of books. The selection and range is impressive considering the floor space – every surface is filled. But the best feature of the shop is the staff, who have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the titles and are always willing to advise. It is definitely worthwhile asking them for suggested reading material; you will be sure to leave with something to treasure. The Owl Bookshop in Kentish Town has a good loyalty scheme, offering members a five per cent discount, as well as a monthly newsletter and the chance to contribute reviews. Owned by James Daunt of Daunt Books, each month The Owl has a programme of talks and discussions, the next of which takes place on June 29 at 7pm, and features Joel Finler, who will be talking about his new book, Hollywood Movie Stills. The independent Broadway Market Bookshop in Hackney is crammed with books in a tiny space. Set over three floors, the shop is also a permanent exhibition space. Apart from the array of fiction, poetry and non-fiction, the bookshop runs events including discussion evenings, poetry and fiction readings, book signings and first Thursday openings of its art exhibitions. The shop is passionate about supporting new writers and their work, as well as small publishers such as Eland. There are also interesting reprints of forgotten gems and second-hand collectibles. However, our favourite aspect of the shop is the large travel section which is strong on London and local history.

recommended SPECIALIST BOOKSHOPS Cooking Books for Cooks In this bookshop they really do cook the books – cookbooks are put to the test in the café at the back of the shop, while classes take place in the demonstration kitchen upstairs. With thousands of titles from around the world, you can chuck out the microwave once and for all. 4 Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill, W11 1NN Ladbroke Grove Rare Books Peter Harrington

Art and Design

Vintage Magazines

Magma

The Vintage Magazine Shop

For the aesthetically inclined, Magma is the place to go. This is the kind of art and design bookshop that has titles other bookshops won’t stock.

Collectable publications from The Picture Post to vintage copies of Esquire can be found here. The selection of magazines and comics range from £2 to £200.

117-119 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R 5BY Farringdon

39-43 Brewer Street, W1F 9UD Tottenham Court Road

If interested in original first editions and rare books, look no further: this is one of the finest used book dealers in the world. 100 Fulham Road, Chelsea, SW3 6HS South Kensington Occult The Atlantis Bookshop First opened in 1922, The Atlantis Bookshop is the oldest independent occult bookshop in London. A Mecca for mysticists worldwide. 49a Museum Street, WCIA ILY Holborn Travel Stanfords Travel Bookshop Established in 1853, Stanfords is the top specialist retailer in travel literature. Among the famous past patrons is Captain Robert Falcon Scott. 12-14 Long Acre, WC2E 9LP Leicester Square Comics

RACHEL CLARE

Gosh!

Fashion

General

Claire de Rouen Books

Hatchards

Hidden away above a sex shop in Soho, Claire de Rouen Books is the best specialist fashion and photography bookshop in London. Stocking out-ofprint titles and the newest publications, this is the place where they know their Balenciaga from their YSL.

Opened by John Hatchard in 1797 on Piccadilly, from where it still trades Hatchards is a London classic. Its previous clientele says it all: Kipling, Wilde and Lord Byron to name just a few. Michael Palin will be dropping in on July 5 to sign copies of his new book.

121-125 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0EW Tottenham Court Road

187 Piccadilly, W1J 9LE Piccadilly Circus

Specialising in comics and graphic novels from around the world, this is a firm favourite among geeks and the curious. 1 Berwick Street, W1F 0DR Tottenham Court Road Children’s Books The Golden Treasury Bookshop This is one of the best independent children’s bookshops around. Its dynamic events centred on popular books are sure to give youngsters the reading bug. 29 Replingham Road, SW18 5LT Southfields scoutlondon.com Scout London 19

Food & Drink

The first rule of Kebab Club It’s the perfect post-pub snack, but all too often dismissed as a pleasure only a drunk could love. It’s about time this changed. Laura Martin meets London’s Kebab King

20 Scout London scoutlondon.com

people respond differently to them as a cuisine,” he observes. “Some see them purely as a greasy post-pub snack smothered in chilli sauce, while others acknowledge them as a subtle art of getting a few important factors right.” Indeed, while some people might turn their noses up at having to critique a kebab, PKC had no difficulty in recruiting members. Once the restaurant for that month has been nominated by a member, the eating and critiquing begins. There’s a club scorecard which rates each place against 10 criteria, taking in everything from ambience and service to quality of bread. It’s deliberately ruthless. “We’re not experts and I know it’s not supposed to be haute cuisine, but casual dining shouldn’t justify sloppy service or [often the reason for a few deducted points] have overly bright lighting,” says PKC. “It’s funny to notice how the most pleasant of members can become merciless once they have a scorecard and a couple of glasses of wine inside them.” All scores are currently being logged to create the definitive guide to kebabs in the capital, which will be featured on a forthcoming blog. Until that’s ready, we’ll just have to wait, but PKC has one final tip to help us rate our takeaway: “You can usually tell the calibre of an establishment by whether its garlic sauce contains mayonnaise. It should really be yogurtbased, but as mayo lasts longer many opt for that instead. Despicable”. For details on the Kebab Club or to be considered for an invitation, email kebabclublondon@gmail.com.

That’s a wrap Kebab Club’s top three spots for indulging your meaty needs Gokyuzu 26-27 Grand Parade, Haringey, N4 1LG

Harringay Green Lanes

A buzzy scene with plenty of good kebab offerings.

Yeni Umut 2000 6 Crossway, Stoke Newington, N16 8HX

Dalston Kingsland

Not a looker and limited in space, but one of the best spots around. Mangal 2 4 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, N16 8BH

Dalston Kingsland

Good enough for artists Gilbert & George, who apparently eat here every day. Think you know a better ‘bab? Let us know: @scoutlondon

FERNANDO STANKUNS

eing the President of Kebab Club is quite a title to hold, but one which the movement’s founder is more than suited to. Along with his trusty crew, he’s fighting the corner of this guiltiest of meaty treats, scouring London for the finest examples of skewered seduction and rating them as part of a critic’s club. For the purpose of this interview, the cavalier asks to remain anonymous as, “revealing my identity could be catastrophic for the club and its members, to whom I have a duty”. President of Kebab Club (PKC), your secret’s safe with us. Engaged in the hunt for the capital’s tastiest kebab for 18 months now, PKC was first struck with the idea of starting Kebab Club after spending time in the Big Apple. “I used to live in New York where some friends had a burger club,” he says, explaining that although we’ve only just caught on to the idea of gourmet burgers this side of the Pond, it’s always been acceptable to order them in restaurants over there. “I heard about this burger club where they turned up to a different establishment each month. Sometimes these would be high-end steak joints, sometimes Downtown takeaway places, but they’d always only eat burgers and would have to rank them all.” Back in Britain, PKC was bitten by the bug. “I liked the idea of adding some purpose to the pleasure of eating, I guess,” says the 29-yearold. And he didn’t have to think hard about the equivalent London meal to focus on. PKC recognises the snobbish response to which kebabs are prone, but this only serves to encourage him on his mission. “It’s funny how

reviews

Top Ten

gluten free

Nopi, Special menu available W1B 5NE Piccadilly Circus

Elliot’s Cafe, Coeliac chef; creative alternatives SE1 9AD London Bridge

WAG Free, Wheat and gluten free bakery SW9 8PR Brixton

The Mermaid’s Tail, Wheatfree fish and chips WC2H 7NA Covent Garden

Honest Burgers, Gluten free buns SW9 8PR Brixton

Stingray Café, Gluten-free pizzas NW5 2HR Tufnell Park

Foxcroft and Ginger, Cakes and sandwiches W1F 0DR Piccadilly Circus

Hummus Bros, Gluten-free bread available W1F 0TH Oxford Circus

Mela, Indian with no shortage of choices WC2H 8HL Covent Garden

Hotel, Gluten free 10 Soho breakfasts W1D 3DH

C. G. P. GREY

Tottenham Court Road

Shayona Neasden London’s top restaurateurs vie to give their venues the wow factor. They enlist six-figure designers, find premium locations, team up with top hotels and covet panoramic views. Few can compare with Shayona. Set within the magnificent Neasden Temple – the largest Hindu temple outside of India – it is somewhere that elicits a genuine intake of breath. As the complex rises from an otherwise drab warren of residential streets, it’s nigh on impossible not to be struck silent. Once inside the temple grounds, a walk across the car park, through a cash and carry and via a takeaway sweets counter to reach the restaurant is a less awe-inspiring journey, but an appetite-whetting one. What awaits is a plush dining hall which combines boisterous canteen commotion with neat tables and smart servers. The rich and silky mango lassi or a tall glass of vaghareli chaas - a spiced buttermilk that’s best described as a creamy version of chai tea - are enough to make you forget the fact that there’s no alcohol served here. The food here adheres to Hindu Sattvic principles, which means it’s not only vegetarian but also free from “pungent foods” such as onion and garlic. This is a fascinating point of difference with the Indian food we’re more familiar with in this country. Nevertheless, the menu spans the subcontinent from the thalis of Rajasthan, the curries of North India and the Punjab to the street food of Mumbai and the dosas of South India.

The restaurant is dominated by large families and groups ordering even larger selections of small dishes to share, and indeed you’ll want to try as wide a range as possible so a visit en masse is recommended, to ensure the chance to sample the widest selection possible. Try crispy okra fries which put their potato cousins to shame; addictively crunchy kachori, lentil-stuffed dumplings; and bajri rotla, an earthy millet bread typically consumed on fast days but good dipped into a curry or dhal anytime. There’s a dish of just about any vegetable you can imagine, dressed with oils and spices and blessed with slow cooking so as to remain virtuous in health but become full of flavour. Dishes such as “cooked aubergine” are more exciting than the menu might seem to indicate. But, if by the end of it you’re still craving something less health-minded, be sure to try the sweets before you leave. Among the wide selection are fudge-like bharfi in original and chocolate varieties; honeycomb-esque mehsoor kaju; and rose-flavoured, syrup-drenched gulab jamun dumplings. Whether or not the temple puts you in contact with a higher place, you’re going to leave on some kind of high. The stunning setting, strong sense of community and wholesomely good food at very low prices should be enough to do it. Otherwise, there’s always the sugar in the desserts. BN Neasden Temple, 105-119 Brentfield Road, NW10 8LD Neasden

scoutlondon.com Scout London 21

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Food & Drink

reviews

Bentley’s Piccadilly

Madd Soho

Chef Richard Corrigan’s much-publicised beef and oyster bar may turn out to be a simple set menu rather than anything more exclusive, but at his institution of a restaurant it’s easy to feel a bit regal. And why not, indeed. With strawberry Bellinis to start, oysters served seven different ways and enough beef to sink a Jubilee flotilla, this is the kind of Sunday lunch not even Grandma could top. What she’d make of creative canapés such as a deep-fried green olive and an anchovy speckled breadstick, we couldn’t say, let alone a Vietnamese-style oyster with fried ginger and rice wine. But while the innovation certainly works, we’re glad it knows its bounds. Topside, horseradish and Yorkshires are served untampered, while a final hit of rhubarb crumble and custard is almost enough to stop the £45 bill seeming too unappetising. Almost. BN

One would assume that if the Mad Hatter and Willy Wonka ever met each other, they’d be the best of friends. If they were in need of a venue for a rendezvous then Madd in the heart of Soho would be ideal. Decked out in bright block colours normally associated with children’s play areas, this insanely innovative bar/café concept allows customers to order anything that they want…as long as its main ingredient is mango. From skewered prawns with mango to mango chutney dips, mango mousses and a seductively silky mango crème brulee, the Madd concept really does deliver. You’ll need a sweet tooth – and some sunglasses if you’re planning on sticking around for long – but there are few places in Soho that can provide so much fun during a fleeting visit. Well, at least where food is concerned. David Harfield

11-15 Swallow Street, W1B 4DG

Piccadilly Circus

53 Rupert Street, W1D 7PH

Leicester Square

Viajante Bethnal Green

16” West Brasserie Greenwich

When entering Viajante, you surrender yourself to a culinary journey curated by Nuno Mendes. The Portuguese food obsessive trained at California Culinary Academy and travelled extensively before finding home in Bethnal Green. His food is a map of these travels. Dinner is in six-, nine- or twelve-course sittings and there is no menu, each course instead being explained at the table. Canapés of amaranth with sorrel and langoustine with rosemary and enoki whet the palate while mains of cod tripe and smoked bone marrow follow with great aplomb. The addition of a vegetable to dessert is very fashionable now, so Jerusalem artichokes with chocolate soil and blood orange keep Viajante on trend. You may not love everything, but it’s worth the gamble for an experience to remember. BN

Off the beaten track isn’t a description that should be used for a restaurant adjoining a world-renowned tourist attraction, but when visiting this latest addition to the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich of an evening, it certainly feels that way. You’ll need to ignore the given address and head to the middle of the pitch black park to find the restaurant, which is so named as it’s apparently sixteen seconds west of the meridian line. After such a trek we’re ready to be wowed. Although certain dishes do the job with vigour, others are a Titanic disaster. A roast baby chicken comes fullflavoured and well-cooked, but a dish of gnocchi is every bit a ready meal. There’s clearly potential here but as a ship it really needs to get in shape. As for the concrete and steel ‘minimalist modern’ decor, we felt like we just had dinner in Canary Wharf station. BN

Bethnal Green Town Hall & Apartments, Patriot Square, E2 9NF Bethnal Green

National Maritime Museum, Park Row, SE10 9NF

Cutty Sark

scoutlondon.com Scout London 23

Food & Drink CENTRAL Briciole 20 Homer Street, W1H 4NA Edgware Road Italian ££ All day Italian trattoria and deli from the team behind Latium in Fitzrovia. Grilled meats, pastas, salumi and salads are what it’s all about. MEAT Market Jubilee Market Hall, Tavistock Street, WC2E 8BE Covent Garden Burger joint £ The latest meaty addition to Yianni Papoutsis’ empire, following fast in the footsteps of Meat Liquor. Expect queues. Boisdale of Bishopsgate 13-15 Eccleston Street, SW1W 9LX Victoria Scottish £££ London’s original Scottish joint. Large plates of food accompany a much more refined whisky selection. Quilon Crowne Plaza St James’s, 41 Buckingham Gate, SW1E 6AF St James’ Park Indian £££ Michelin-starred Indian finery. The beauty of this venue is that they take the beers almost as seriously as the food.

Humming Bird 84 Stroud Green Road, N4 3EN Finsbury Park Caribbean ££ Traditionally hearty West Indian fare with a local feel and a loyal following. Despite the name, don’t expect cupcakes. Zigni House 330 Essex Road, N1 3PB Essex Road Eritrean £ East African dishes and an exotic atmosphere to match. Try the homemade injera bread and prepare for some spice.

EAST Bistrotheque 23-27 Wadeson Street, E2 9DR Cambridge Heath Modern European ££ Dishes such as steak tartare and fish & chips are presented with quirky flair at this artsy hangout. Clapton Hart 231 Lower Clapton Road, E5 8EG Hackney Central Pub £ This once dodgy dive has been acquired by the Antic pub group. Eclectic furniture, plenty of ales and a developing food menu mark the change.

The Laughing Gravy 154 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8EN Southwark Gastropub ££ Equally popular for blow-out Sunday lunches, wine and charcuterie boards or just beer and bar snacks.

WEST Lowcountry 4 Fulham High Street, SW6 3LQ Putney Bridge American ££ Traditional American ‘lowcountry’ dishes. If you’re not sure what that means, think pulled pork, Andouille sausages and seafood gumbo. Saigon Saigon 313-317 King Street, W6 9NH Ravenscourt Park Vietnamese ££ Cook your food at the table with their ‘steamboat’ option featuring simmering stock and raw ingredients.

Scandinavian Kitchen 61 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 7PP Oxford Circus Cafe / deli £ The Scandinavian Kitchen is the perfect place to come for a coffee and open gravlax sandwich. Better yet, pick up the ingredients to make your own.

NORTH Gaucho 5 Finsbury Avenue, EC2M 2PG Moorgate Argentine £££ Gaucho couldn’t give a flying steak about the smoking ban. Their Broadgate branch have just launched a dedicated cigar terrace with open-air bar.

SOUTH

Oslo Court Charlbert Street, NW8 7EN St John’s Wood French £££ Serving classics with confidence and grandeur. Opt for the escalope for a real step back in time.

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Le QuecumBar 42-44 Battersea High Street, Clapham Junction SW11 3HX French ££ A certifiably eccentric venue which pairs classic French dishes with near nightly live ‘gypsy jazz’ sessions. Liquorish 123 Lordship Lane, SE22 8HU East Dulwich British/European ££ Relaxed venue that’s all about local sourcing. Pizzas, grills, roasts, cocktails and board games are all packed in. Ganapati 38 Holly Grove, SE15 5DF Peckham Rye Indian ££ Seasonal south Indian cooking with a focus on vegetarian dishes and a creative flair. Indian wine is stocked, too.

Dinner By Heston Blumenthal 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA Knightsbridge British £££ The recently crowned ‘best restaurant in the UK’ is in no way short of hype, but its £32 set lunch menu is still one of London’s best kept secrets.

Scout London Price Guide ££££ £££ ££ £

Over £19 per main £14-18 £9-13 Under £9

recommendations EAT IN

Bacon Jam Homemade in Walthamstow and packed with umami, this crazy condiment is addictive enough with just bread, cheese or crackers. Add it to a burger for ultimate indulgence, or try it as a secret ingredient in soups and stews. Really. From £14.40, bacon-jam.co.uk

TAKE OUT Sushi Diet

Sushi restaurant Feng Sushi has teamed up with leading nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston to create an “affordable” diet plan. The Feng Diet consists of three meals and two snacks daily, containing approximately 1,500 calories in total. These are conveniently delivered to an address £95 for three days, fengsushi.co.uk

EAT IN

Propercorn Apparently using “secret recipes” that insist on only using authentic ingredients (including garden chives, roasted onions, sun-dried tomatoes and crème fraiche), Propercorn is a much healthier alternative to the sugar-coated cinema snack. Available in Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun Dried Tomato, Sweet & Salty, Sour Cream & Chive and Lightly Sea Salted, the London-based company promises more exciting flavours are

on the way. Put down that bag of crisps now. From 80p, available at selected branches of Waitrose, Harvey Nichols, Whole Foods Market, BENUGO, LEON, POD, Chop’d, Abokado and Peyton and Byrne. facebook.com/Propercorn

scoutlondon.com Scout London 25

Art & Culture

 Giuseppe Cavalli Carnival at Fano, 1950  Gillian Wearing Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say

 Gillian Wearing Self Portrait at 17 Years Old, 2003

The unmissables

Fed-up of missing that exhibition you kept meaning to go to? Alice Wiggett rounds up the can’t-miss shows which will be closing soon

e all know the feeling. An exhibition opens, plans are made to go, but four months later, everything’s got hectic and it’s passed. With a season of blockbuster exhibitions in London it’d be criminal to let that happen this year. Fear not – we’re taking on your mum’s job and reminding you to see these top events before they close. Brains: The Mind As Matter Ever wondered how the “little grey cells” work? The Wellcome Trust’s exhibition follows the quest to decipher the most unique and mysterious human organ. Called Brains, it explores what humans have done in the name of medical and scientific enquiry. Real brain specimens are featured, including those

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belonging to some of the most famous people in history, such as Albert Einstein and William Burke. There’s also a section devoted to “cutting and treating” – not for the faint hearted. Until June 17, Wellcome Trust, FREE, wellcome.ac.uk Damien Hirst: For the Love of God Diamonds are forever, or are they? Grab a last chance to see Damien Hirst’s controversial diamond-encrusted skull, For the Love of God, which closes at Tate Modern next week when it’ll be whisked away not long after it was bought at auction by a mystery “consortium of businessmen”, according to Hirst. The work is a life-size platinum cast of an 18th century human skull, covered by 8,601 flawless diamonds, inset with the original owner’s teeth.

The work reportedly cost around £14 million to make and is estimated to be worth £50 million. Until June 24, Tate Modern, FREE, tate.org.uk Gillian Wearing ‘Help’, ‘I’m desperate’, ‘Work towards world peace’, ‘Will Britain get through this recession?’ No, we haven’t just had an existential crisis, these are just a few of the thoughts, cries and questions included in Gillian Wearing’s series Signs That Say What You Want Them To Say, And Not Signs That Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say, a project where strangers are offered paper and pen and encouraged to write a message, then photographed. A selection of the results form part of this exhibition, which also brings together other films and photos by

highlights Wearing, in an exploration of our public personas and private lives. Until June 17, The Whitechapel Gallery, £8.50, concs £6.50 whitechapelgallery.org Giuseppe Cavalli: Master of Light The phrase “still life” conjures up thoughts of bowls of fruit – great in the hands of masters, but let’s face it, not often groundbreaking stuff. Giuseppe Cavalli believed “the subject has no importance at all” – for him it was all about light. Rather than tableware and fruit, this exhibition focuses on the photographer’s beautiful and innovate use of light in his subjects. Everyday objects from bottles to candlesticks and reclining nudes are transformed into expressive, subtle works. This exhibition will change preconceptions of the still life. And there won’t be a bunch of grapes in sight. Until June 17, Estorick Collection of Modern Art, £5, concs £3.50, estorickcollection.com

Prelz Oltramonti Collection/ Head Ache, 2008 Credit:Image couresy of the Artist and GV Art/ Gillian Wearing courtesy of Maureen Paley, London

Nicholas Hawksmoor: Architect of the Imagination Churches – often associated with boring school trips, guidebooks and Sundays. But they also form the iconic skyline London is famous for. 350 years after his birth, this exhibition demonstrates that Hawksmoor’s churches were some of the most innovative building designs of the time. The exhibition juxtaposes a range of images of the buildings, plans and drawings with quotes from architects, writers and critics, from Charles Dickens to TS Eliot, all relating to or inspired by Hawksmoor and his work, which shaped London’s physical history. Until June 17, Royal Academy of Art, FREE, royalacademy.org.

Going for gold

The Mechanical Hand The Mechanical Hand at Kings Place looks at how contemporary artists have worked with, explored and evolved print-making. Spanning 25 years of artists’ projects at Paupers Press art print studio in Hoxton, it includes work by Damien Hirst, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Rachel Whiteread and Grayson Perry. Until June 22, Kings Place, FREE, kingsplace.co.uk

 Headache by Helen Pynor, 2008

When Lord Rosebery opened the Whitechapel Gallery in 1901 he remarked: “It must be admitted the building is not of a very imposing or artistic appearance.” Perhaps he didn’t quite have the architect’s eye, as the building is now Grade II listed and a favourite for many. However, for over 100 years the gallery felt there was something missing: a frieze above the entrance, where a large blank rectangle has remained. Original plans show the gallery was to have a panel embodying its public message – to bring great art to the people of London. A mosaic was planned but was judged too big and too expensive so was never realised. Over a century later, the gallery has commissioned east London artist Rachel Whiteread to rectify the “gap” – and the results will be unveiled on June 15. Part of the Young British Artists scene which includes the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin, Whiteread’s sculptures take the form of casts. She fills everyday objects, from cardboard boxes to buildings, with materials such as plaster and resin. Whitechapel Gallery curator Emily Butler tells Scout London: “Rachel’s inspiration was drawn from the decorative Tree of Life motif on the towers flanking the façade. Taking casts from some of the existing architectural features, or the relieved terracotta tiles, she has created beautiful clusters of gilded bronze leaves and branches, negative casts of the gallery windows in terracotta, and a number of leaves will be gilded on the existing tiles. “She was inspired by the gilding on the rooftops of buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral as well as by nature found springing up in unusual places in the city.” The unveiling of the frieze will be 111 years “late”. But Lord Rosebery would approve. scoutlondon.com Scout London 27

Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner...

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Art & Culture CENTRAL

British Museum: Great Court at British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG Tottenham Court Road FREE, additional charges for special exhibitions, Until Dec 31. A two-acre square, enclosed by a spectacular glass roof, transforms the museum’s inner courtyard, with the world-famous Reading Room at its centre, into the largest covered public square in Europe. Anatomy Of An Athlete at Hunterian Museum, 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3PE Holborn FREE, Until Sep 29. An exhibition which explores the anatomy and physiology of Olympic athletes. Ian Derry: The BAFTA Exhibition at Quaglino’s, 16 Bury Street, SW1Y 6AJ Green Park FREE to diners, Until Jul 18. A display of a number of television personalities, commissioned by BAFTA. Song Dong: Waste Not at Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Barbican FREE, Until Jun 12. An installation of more than 10,000 items collected by the artist’s mother over 50 years. Imagined Lives: Portraits Of Unknown People at National Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE Charing Cross FREE, Until Jul 8. Fourteen portraits of unknown people. Carlo Labruzzi: The Grand Tour at Dickinson, 58 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6LX Piccadilly Circus FREE, Until Jul 13. Drawings and watercolours of Rome, the Roman Campagna, Naples, the Marche and Venice. 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. Sandra Lousada: Work And Performance at National Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE Charing Cross FREE, Until Jul 10. Photographs spanning 50 years.

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.

Migrations: Journeys Into British Art at Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG Pimlico £6, concs £5, mems FREE, Until Aug 12. British art as seen through the theme of migration. Henry Moore: Late Large Forms at Gagosian Gallery, Britannia Street, 6-24 Britannia Street, WC1X 9JD King’s Cross St Pancras FREE, Until Aug 18. Large bronze sculptures inspired by organic forms. Polly Morgan: Endless Plains at All Visual Arts, 2 Omega Place, N1 9DR King’s Cross St Pancras FREE, Until Jul 31. An installation exploring the cycle of life inspired by a trip to the Serengeti. Juan Munoz: An Inaccessible Moment at Frith Street Gallery, 17-18 Golden Square, W1F 9JJ Piccadilly Circus FREE, Until Jun 20. Figurative sculpture. Not The Royal Academy 2012 at Llewellyn Alexander, 124-126 The Cut, SE1 8LN Waterloo FREE, Until Aug 18. Second chance for artists.

recommended Sep 30. A collection of photographs and art to commemorate the experience of the Olympics in Waltham Forest. Shepard Fairey at StolenSpace Gallery, Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL Shoreditch High Street FREE, Until Jul 1. Propaganda prints by the established street artist. Geraldine Gliubislavich & Hrvoje Majer: Groupshow at Vegas Gallery, 274 Poyser Street, E2 9RF Bethnal Green FREE, Until Jun 30. Paintings highlighting the relevance of the medium in the digital age. IRWIN: Time For A New State at Calvert 22, 22 Calvert Avenue, E2 7JP Liverpool Street FREE, Until Jun 24. Works in various media by the visual arts component of the late-20th-century art movement NSK. Steve Lewis: London’s East Then And Now at Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, E15 1BX Stratford FREE, Until Jul 4. Photographs documenting life in East London during the 1960s. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: At Home With The World at Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, E2 8EA Old Street FREE, Until Sep 9. Objects, furniture and ceramics spanning 400 years, charting the international influence on Britain’s domestic interiors. We Love You at Limoncello, 15A Cremer Street, E2 8HD Old Street FREE, Until Jul 7. Works in various media.

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 and costume and the body, and the emergence of London as a world city. Michael Sole at GXgallery, 43 Denmark Hill, SE5 8RS Denmark Hill FREE, Until Jul 4. Contemporary landscapes. Wandsworth Museum at Wandsworth Museum, 38 West Hill, SW18 1RX East Putney £4, concs £3, under 6s FREE, Until Dec 31. A museum of local life, with displays relating to the history and culture of the area. English Heritage: The Wernher Collection at English Heritage: The Ranger’s House, Wernher Collection, Chesterfield Walk, SE10 8QX Blackheath £6.50, child £3.90, concs £5.90, mems FREE, Until Sep 30. An eclectic collection gathered by Sir Julius Wernher during the 19th century.

WEST

SOUTH London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Writing Britain: Wastelands To Wonderlands at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB Euston £9, child FREE, NUS/disabled/unwaged £5, OAP £7, Until Sep 25. An exploration in how the landscapes of Britain run throughout great literary works. Queens In Waiting: Charlotte & Victoria at National Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE Charing Cross FREE, Until Oct 14. Paintings of the princesses. Vicky Wright: The Garments Of The Dominators at Josh Lilley Gallery, 44-46 Riding House Street, W1W 7EX Goodge Street FREE, Until Jul 6. Paintings inspired by an anonymous text provoked by the London riots.

NORTH Yael Bartana: And Europe Will Be Stunned at Hornsey Town Hall, The Broadway, N8 9JJ Hornsey FREE, Until Jul 1. Films exploring the flaws of utopian ideologies. Zoe Leonard: Observation Point at Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright Road, NW3 6DG Finchley Road FREE, Until Jun 24. Photography by the New Yorkbased artist. Postcards Festival: Elsa Quarsell: The Domestic Burlesque at Jacksons Lane Theatre, 269a Archway Road, N6 5AA Highgate FREE, Until Aug 30. A selection of images of burlesque performers.

EAST Capture Waltham Forest at Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road, E17 9NH Walthamstow Central FREE, Until

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee: Royal River: Power, Pagentry And The Thames at National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, SE10 9NF Greenwich £11, child £5, family, 2 adults, up to 2 children £24.50, family, 1 adult, up to 3 children £14.50, concs £9, Until Sep 9. A major exhibition featuring paintings, manuscripts and other artefacts. Eric Baudelaire: The Anabasis Of May And Fusako Shigenobu, Masao Adachi And 27 Years Without Images at Gasworks, 155 Vauxhall Street, The Oval, SE11 5RH Vauxhall FREE, Until Jul 22. An installation and film investigating the history of the Japanese Red Army. Nicole Dawson & Rosie Allen: Moments Of Stillness at The Paul McPherson Gallery, 77 Lassell Street, SE10 9PJ Maze Hill FREE, Until Jun 16. Paintings, prints and reliefs inspired by nature, light and shadow.

Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL South Kensington £10, concs available, Until Jan 6. A large display of ballgowns dating from 1950 to the present day. Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair at Olympia, Hammersmith Road, W14 8UX Earl’s Court phone for prices, Until Jun 17. A wide selection of paintings, antiques, jewelling and memorabilia on display. 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. The Stone Roses: The Third Coming at Whiteleys Shopping Centre, Queensway, W2 4YN Bayswater FREE, Until Aug 12. A number of photographs and memorabilia charting the rise, fall and rise again, of the Manchester band. Victoria Revealed at Kensington Palace State Apartments, Kensington Gardens, W8 4PX High Street Kensington £14.50, child FREE, concs £12, Until Feb 28. Mixed works and historical artefacts exploring the life of Queen Victoria, inspired by extracts from her journals and correspondence.

scoutlondon.com Scout London 29

Comedy

Enough monkey business

he last conversation I had with Nina Conti bizarrely revolved around her unlikely starring role as an airline stewardess in a fairly trippy TV advert for those packed lunch foodstuff, Cheestrings. “No, I haven’t been approached to make more of those!” Conti jokes good-naturedly when I ask if there’s another of those ads in the pipeline. Conti has bigger on-screen concerns these days. “I’ve just got back from the Hot Docs festival in Toronto, watching amazing documentaries,” she explains. Conti was showing her film Her Master’s Voice at the Canadian event. “It was incredible to be among such fascinating people. Normally I hang out with foam and latex – they don’t have an independent thought to speak of, so it was very refreshing.” Conti – the ever-affable actress, ventriloquist, comic and daughter of debonair dad Tom Conti – shot to fame with her puppet sidekick, a depressed monkey called Monkey.

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She has recently made two films of her own after taking a short course at the Frontline Club, a war reporter’s hangout in Paddington. And they’ve changed her life. “The first doc was Her Master’s Voice which I made by myself, self-funded through a compulsion to tell a story and write a wacky love letter to the late Ken Campbell,” Conti explains to Scout London. “It shows me taking the bereaved puppets of Ken – he left them to me in his will – on a pilgrimage to Venthaven, the home for orphaned and retired dummies in Kentucky. Of course, I unravel along the way. It was very personal and I never knew anything would come of it so I was thrilled when the Beeb picked it up, then it went on to win the audience award at [US film and music convention] South By South West.” The film will be shown on BBC4 this summer. “But just when I thought I couldn’t delve any deeper or give any more of my own personal madness I went on to make a second

documentary and got a lot more than I bargained for,” Conti says with gusto. “It documents Monkey and I investigating the world of new age therapy. I was imagining it to be quite light but some of that stuff is heavy and it was fascinating what went on.” She laughs: “My relationship with Monkey is very complex, it turns out.” At the Udderbelly this month and next, Conti is doing her Talk To The Hand show for the last time. So how will her simian sidekick feel about having his classic material sidelined for good? “Monkey is in the loft at the moment lying face down on the floor. My guess is he’s a little depressed. But soon as the hand goes in he’s got a lot to say,” says Conti. “I think it’s gone to his head that he’s being taken seriously in the world of documentary and he fancies himself an intellectual.” She laughs: “He wants me to read Proust so he may improve himself further.” Nina Conti, June 13, Udderbelly, Southbank

Claes Gellerbrink

With a documentary film career taking off, ventriloquist Nina Conti and her puppet Monkey are preparing to perform their classic show for the last time, she tells Chris Beanland

recommended ONGOING 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. Until Jul 8. Newsrevue at Canal Cafe Theatre, Bridge House Pub, Delamere Terrace, W2 6ND Royal Oak Thu-Sat 9.30pm, Sun 9pm, £10, concs £8.50. Topical sketches and songs. Until Dec 23. Lewis Schaffer Is Free Until Famous at The Source Below, 11 Lower John Street, W1F 9TY Piccadilly Circus Tue & Wed 8pm, FREE. Self-deprecating stand-up. Until Jun 27.

TUESDAY JUNE 12

Chris Moyles’ Comedy Empire at Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, E8 1EJ Hackney Central 7.30pm, FREE. With Jason Byrne, Mark Watson, Andrew Maxwell, Ava Vidal and Josie Long. Rob Beckett’s Summer Holiday: Work in Progress at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 9pm, £6. Sharp observations and stories. Better Living Through Comedy at The Green Note Cafe, 106 Parkway, NW1 7AN Camden Town 8pm, £5. With Jigsaw and Fat Kitten Improv. The Cutting Edge at Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Piccadilly Circus 8pm, £14, NUS/concs £9. With Sean Meo, Roger Monkhouse, Alistair Barrie, Jarred Christmas, Scott Capurro and Paul Thorne. Stand Up For The Week: Work In Progress Shows at Up The Creek, 302 Greenwich Creek Road, SE10 9SW 7.30pm, £5. With Jon Richardson, Seann Walsh, Josh Widdicombe, Sara Pascoe, Paul Chowdhry and Andrew Lawrence.

E4 Udderbelly Festival: Frisky And Mannish: Extra-Curricular Activities at E4 Udderbelly At Southbank Centre, Jubilee Gardens, SE1 8XX Embankment 9pm, £15.50 & £20.50, concs £14. Fast-paced musical comedy.

Topical Cream at The Vandella, 15-19 Goldhawk Road, W12 8QQ Goldhawk Road 8pm, adv £7. With Marcel Lucont and MC Nathaniel Tapley.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 13 E4 Udderbelly Festival: Nina Conti: Talk To The Hand at E4 Udderbelly At Southbank Centre, Jubilee Gardens, SE1 8XX Embankment 9pm, £15.50 & £20.50, concs £14. Inventive ventriloquism. Monkey Business Comedy Club at Sir Richard Steele, 97 Haverstock Hill, NW3 4RL Chalk Farm 8pm, £15. With Harry Hill, Daliso Chaponda and MC Martin Besserman. Morgan & West: Clockwork Miracles at Canal Cafe Theatre, Bridge House Pub, Delamere Terrace, W2 6ND Royal Oak 7.30pm, £6. Magical comedy. Pear Shaped In Fitzrovia at Fitzroy Tavern, 16a Charlotte Street, W1T 2NA Goodge Street 8.30pm, £5. With Richard Stainback, Freddie Jarvis, Katie Brigit O’Brien, Richard Wright, David Maguire, Sassy Clyde, Jimmy James Jones and MCs Brian & Krysstal and Anthony Miller. Greg Proops: The Smartest Man In The World at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 9.30pm, £10.

THURSDAY JUNE 14

Bill Bailey: Qualmpeddler: Work In Progress at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 8pm, £17.50. Comedy legend tries new material. Comedy Punch at The Barrow Boy Bar, 308-310 North End Road, SW6 1NQ West Brompton 8.30pm10.30pm, £7, adv £5. With Matt Forde and James Alderson. Humble Quest For Universal Genius at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 8.30pm, £10, concs £8. With MC Mark Allen. The Legendary Comedy Try Out Night at Downstairs At The King’s Head, 2 Crouch End Hill, N8 8AA Finsbury Park 8.30pm, £4, concs £3. With Joshua Ross, Nick Slugge, Sonia Aste, Helen Armfield, David T Hyde, Sam Savage, Sam Stone, Jason Tree, Ruth Cockburn, Michael Shall, George Keeler, Jamie Oliphant, Darren Ford and MC Maureen Younger Monkey Business Comedy Club at The Oxford, 256 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2AA Kentish Town 8pm, £7.50, concs/mems £6. With Matt Wills, Kate Cook, Bryan Walsh, Stephen Diplacito, Tez and Paul-David Collins.

FRIDAY JUNE 15 Banana Cabaret at The Bedford, 77 Bedford Hill, SW12 9HD Balham 9pm-11pm, £14, concs £11. With Alistair Barrie, Adam Bloom, Tommy Rowson and Don Biswas. The Boat Show at Tattershall Castle, Victoria Embankment, SW1A 2HR Charing Cross 8pm, £13.50, concs £11. With Craig Hill, Kerry Godliman, Paul Tonkinson and MC Maff Brown. Bush Hall Presents at Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12 7LJ Shepherd’s Bush 7.30pm, £15. With Simon Munnery, Tony Law and MC Holly Walsh. Comedy Cafe at Comedy Cafe, 66-68 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Liverpool Street 8pm, £12. With Erich McElroy, Dag Soras, Nick Sun and Tom Rhodes. James Grant Live Presents Four Screws Loose at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £8. Popculture-obsessed stand-up with musical mashups. Up The Creek at Up The Creek, 302 Greenwich Creek Road, SE10 9SW 8.45pm, £11, concs £8. With Robert White, Tom Rhodes and MC Otiz Cannelloni.

SATURDAY JUNE 16 Big Night Out at Rumba, 36 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EP Piccadilly Circus 8pm-10pm, phone for prices. With Greg Burns, Rob Collins, Nick Helm and MC Chris Gilbert. Central London Comedy Club at Theodore Bullfrog, 28 John Adam Street, WC2N 6AS Charing Cross 8.30pm, £5. Featuring Paul F Taylor, Darren Walsh, Pam Ford, Josephine Lacey, George Ryegold, Joe Bor and MC Ramsay MacDonald. Comedy Cabaret at Downstairs At The King’s Head, 2 Crouch End Hill, N8 8AA Finsbury Park 8.30pm, £10, concs £7. With Jane Hill, Mark Maier, Inder Manocha, Danny Ward, Joe Rowntree and MC Dominic Frisby. Comedy Cafe at Comedy Cafe, 66-68 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Liverpool Street 8pm, £16. With Erich McElroy, Dag Soras, Nick Sun and Tom Rhodes. Covent Garden Comedy Club at The Covent Garden Comedy Club @ Heaven, Under The Arches Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG Charing Cross 8pm, £13. With Tony Law, Stephen Grant, Silky and MC Sally-Anne Hayward. Foster’s Comedy Live at Highlight, Camden Lock, Middle Yard Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AB Camden Town 8.15pm-10.30pm, £17 & £18. With The Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue, Phil Butler, Simon O’Keeffe, Dave Twentyman and Carl Donnelly. FunBags & Friends at Canal Cafe Theatre, Bridge House Pub, Delamere Terrace, W2 6ND Royal Oak 7.30pm, £6.50. Sketches and songs. Jongleurs Comedy Show at Sway, 61-65 Great Queen Street, WC2B 5BZ Holborn 7pm, 8.45pm, £17, inc meal £40. With Keith Farnan, Dave Williams and Nathan Caton. Lights! Camera! Improvise! at Hen &

Chickens, 109 St Paul’s Road, N1 2NA Highbury & Islington 9.30pm, £8.50. An improvised movie live on stage. Piccadilly Comedy Club at The Comedy Pub, 7 Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Leicester Square 8.30pm-10.45pm, £10, £15 inc meal. With Michael Smiley, Tom Toal, Lindsay Sharman and Paul Harry Allen. Rachel Stubbings: Stubbing Out Problems Live at Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High Street, NW1 7BU Camden Town 9.30pm, £6.50. The agony aunt solves relationship woes. Up The Creek at Up The Creek, 302 Creek Greenwich Road, SE10 9SW 8.45pm, £15, concs £12. With Barry Castagnola, Robert White, Tom Rhodes and MC wOtiz Cannelloni.

SUNDAY JUNE 17 Comedy Variety Cabaret at Downstairs At The King’s Head, 2 Crouch End Hill, N8 8AA Finsbury Park 8.30pm, £10, concs £7. With Bobby Carroll and Lou Sanders. Manos The Greek: The Tale Of An Immigrant at Hen & Chickens, 109 St Paul’s Road, N1 2NA Highbury & Islington 7.30pm, £6.50. Stories and anecdotes. Daniel Simonsen: Ridiculous at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 8pm, £8. Offbeat humour.

MONDAY JUNE 18 Abnormally Funny People at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 7.45pm, £10. Stand-ups who happen to have a disability. The Freewheelin’ Cariad Lloyd at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £8.50, concs £7.50. Character comedy. Happy Mondays at Amersham Arms, 388 New Cross Road, SE14 6TY New Cross 8pm-10pm, early bird £4. With Carl Donnelly, Roisin Conaty and Holly Walsh. LaughterShock New Act Night at The College Arms, 18 Store Street, WC1E 7DH Goodge Street 8pm, FREE. With David Ward, Eleanor Curry, Karina Brisby, Kevin Sheath, Laura McClenaghan, Saul Dufosse, Jack Grant and David Jones. Summer Cook Up Season: Josie Long at Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, Clapham Junction SW11 5TN 9.30pm, £10, concs £8. The renowned stand-up previews some of her new material.

Sean Lock: Work In Progress at Pleasance Theatre, Carpenter’s Mews, North Road, N7 9EF Caledonian Road 8pm, £7.50. Cynical humour.

scoutlondon.com Scout London 31

Film

Probing Pattinson Twilight fans are in for a shock – Robert Pattinson’s latest offering promises sex, violence and a certain intimate medical examination. As Susan Griffin discovers, the shy boy from Barnes is all grown up

hanks to his role as ‘vegetarian’ vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga, Robert Pattinson is now one of the biggest stars on the planet, and for that very reason he nearly turned down his latest role, in David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. “It was a little nerve-wracking,” says the 26-year-old. “It scared me because I was shooting the last Twilight when I got offered it and I was really self-conscious, thinking: ‘Ugh, I’m just so over saturated, everywhere’. “I really wanted to do ensemble things and then this comes along, which is so in your face, but there was something about it. And it was David [Cronenberg], so I couldn’t really say no.” In the movie, Pattinson plays 28-year-old high finance golden boy Eric Packer, who’s determined to be chauffeured across New York City in his extravagant limousine to get a haircut. That’s despite New York being in traffic

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chaos, due in part to a visit from the President paralysing the city. As the day goes on, an eruption of wild activity unfolds on the city’s streets. Eric watches helplessly as his empire collapses and his growing paranoia leads him to piece together clues that lead to a terrifying discovery: his imminent assassination. It’s a visceral trip for cinema-goers. Conversation is almost poetic, while the majority of scenes take place in the back of Packer’s limousine. Taking on an almost cocoon-like feel, it’s the place he conducts business meetings, meets lovers, has sex, eats, drinks, urinates and even has his daily check-up by a doctor. But it wasn’t the sex, the violence, or even a certain probing scene that fazed Pattinson. “The toughest part was just the first day,” he says. “The only thing I didn’t really know how to do, even when we started shooting, was the first

line. I kept saying to David: ‘I don’t know how to say the first line’, which is ‘I want a haircut’.” Laughing nervously (he has almost a girlish giggle), he says: “I still think it’s the worst delivery in the whole movie.” Far from being embarrassed by a scene in which he endures a prostate examination, (while seducing his financial advisor), Pattinson says he was excited about it. “It’s a scene that you know has never been done before and is never going to be done again.” Fresh from Cannes (where photos of him kissing his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart finally confirmed one of the industry’s worstkept secrets) and a European tour promoting Cosmopolis, he’s looking a little tired sitting in a suite at The Corinthia Hotel. Wearing dark trousers, a grey T-shirt and blue jacket, Pattinson’s hair is characteristically dishevelled and his chin’s covered in stubble. He

featured

66 It’s a scene you know has never been done before and is never going to be done again 99 takes another sip of coffee and jokes about the caffeine keeping him “wired”. Exhausted he may be, but the mega-star is still polite and down-to-Earth, which is no mean feat given the worldwide adoration he receives. He’s also passionate about this film, despite knowing certain critics could be out to get him. Rubbing his head, he says, “[For] anyone who has to analyse someone in the movie industry, someone who makes a lot of noise early on when they’re young, it’s irritating to people,” he says. “I completely get it, because I judge people the same way,” he adds, grinning. “You have to earn respect.” Pattinson’s first foray into acting was at his local Barnes Theatre Club, where he took part in a production of Tess of the d’Urbervilles. His performance landed him an agent and a role in Vanity Fair, although the part ended up on the cutting room floor. Apparently the casting agent felt so bad for not telling him what had happened, she put him forward for the role of doomed golden-boy Cedric Diggory, in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire – which he won. “When I went into Harry Potter it was the fourth one, so everybody knew each other and everything was so well oiled,” says Pattinson. “With Twilight, it was very weird doing a

franchise at an embryonic level and interesting to see so many warring energies. “People think certain criteria need to be met to set up that type of franchise and Catherine [Hardwicke, the director of the first Twilight] obviously had a kind of indie background, so it was a very volatile set in a lot of ways.” While Edward Cullen is the archetypal brooding lead, and Pattinson’s roles in Remember Me and Bel Ami have both seen him work his wide-set eyes to great effect, he insists “the next few things I’m doing are all quite different”. The films haven’t been titled yet but he

reveals one is “action-ey and funny and the next is pretty strange”. “It’s not like a cool part,” he says. “He’s a really strange person and a bit of a simpleton, which I haven’t really done before,” before pausing, laughing and adding: “Apart from in my real life!” Not that his millions of fans would agree. To them, Pattinson’s a god, and even a quick nip to the corner shop can result in pandemonium, but he seems to take it in his stride. “It’s so funny being close to home and the same thing happens,” he says of the London fans. “I always thought it was a foreign thing,” he muses. Pattinson admits that seeing screaming teenagers flock to see Cosmopolis is “crazy” but hopes the film will turn more people on to Cronenberg movies. An accomplished musician, Pattinson says he misses playing piano and guitar at open mic nights – something he used to do when work dried up pre-Twilight. But while he wants to focus on music “before I’m too old”, he adds with a grin: “I’ve suddenly got a little bit reinvigorated by acting.” Cosmopolis is released in cinemas on Friday scoutlondon.com Scout London 33

Film Rock Of Ages (12A) Director Adam Shankman cranks up the volume to 11 for this hugely entertaining 80s-set musical starring Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough as lovebirds Drew and Sherrie, who don’t stop believin’ in their dreams, even when bare-chested front man Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) comes between them. “When my hamster died, your music really helped me through!” Sherrie coos to her idol, just before the mayor’s puritanical wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) spearheads a campaign to demonise the leather-clad hordes. Punctuated by renditions of Bon Jovi, Foreigner, Journey and Poison among others, Rock Of Ages is unabashed joy. The cast is in fine voice, including Cruise, who took singing lessons to deliver Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar On Me with a primal swagger. He rocks. DS

Fast Girls (12A) Director Regan Hall puts London under starter’s orders for the 2012 Olympic Games with this feel-good drama about a talented 200m sprinter (Lenora Crichlow) from the wrong side of the sporting tracks, whose raw talent and gutsy determination propel her into the British relay squad where she clashes with the team’s privileged golden girl (Lily James). The script, cowritten by Noel Clarke (Adulthood), Jay Basu and Roy Williams, passes the baton from one cliché to the next – forbidden romance with the team physio (Bradley James), enmity mellowing into unity – culminating in a championship showdown that leaves a patriotic lump in the throat. Crichlow is an endearing heroine and Phil Davis adds humour as her trainer, who is continually distracted by his wayward pooch, Linford. DS

Red Lights (15) Seeing is deceiving. Look beyond the obvious and you might glimpse writer-director Rodrigo Cortés’s sleights of hand during this intriguing psychological thriller, which centres on the tale of paranormal investigator Dr Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and her gifted partner Tom (Cillian Murphy), who debunk fraudulent mediums, mind-readers and ghost hunters through the appliance of rigorous science. The professional sceptics seemingly meet their match in a spoon-bending blind psychic (Robert De Niro) but appearances can be deceptive… Red Lights promises somewhat more than it delivers, turning a narrative screw for the opening 45 minutes, but once Cortés slowly reveals his grand design, incredulity supplants fascination. Murphy, Weaver and De Niro are solid, each savouring a barn-storming monologue that reveals another piece of the elaborate and convoluted puzzle. DS

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recommended

3-Iron (15)

The Apartment (PG)

South Korean writer-director Kim Ki-duk conjures a dreamy, hypnotic love story with almost no dialogue, relying on stunning cinematography, Slvian’s haunting orchestral score and heartbreaking performances from his two leads to carry the tender romance. Jae Hee (Lee Hyun-Kyoon) is sublime as homeless drifter Tae-suk, who breaks into houses while their owners are away to use the facilities, repaying them by doing their laundry and fixing broken electrical devices. In the house of a wealthy businessman, Tae-suk discovers battered wife Sun-hwa (Lee Seung-yeon). The two form a romantic bond until the husband Min-kyu (Kwon Hyuk-ho) returns home. DS

Screening as part of a season dedicated to actress Shirley MacLaine, Billy Wilder’s bittersweet romantic comedy deservedly won five Oscars in 1961. CC “Bud” Baxter (Jack Lemmon) works at a New York insurance firm where he is just one ambitious schmuck among dozens. In order to secure promotion, Bud allows his superiors to use his apartment for trysts with their mistresses. Tensions flare when Bud realises his boss (Fred MacMurray) has taken the objection of his affections – elevator operator Fran (MacLaine) – as a lover. The script sparkles with one-liners and moments of heartbreak, plus the infamous spaghetti scene. DS

Jun 15, 4.30pm, Jun 17, 3pm, £10, concs £8, mems £7, Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH Charing Cross

Jun 15-28, times vary, £5-£10, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT Waterloo

The Breakfast Club (15)

Jubilee Film Festival

During the 80s, writer-director John Hughes perfectly captured the pangs of first love and the folly of youth in classic comedies and romances including Pretty In Pink, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Some Kind Of Wonderful. His 1985 coming of age story, The Breakfast Club, arguably remains his best work. Characters are beautifully observed and the cast wear their broken hearts on their sleeves. Waterproof ponchos will be provided but be prepared for a few teary downpours to the strains of Simple Minds and Keith Forsey. DS

The Union Jack bunting may be a fond memory for most of us but one corner of south London is still in a celebratory mood. The Bob Hope Theatre marks the Queen’s 60-year reign with a week of suitably regal films. Nigel Hawthorne dazzles as a monarch who fears he is losing his mind in The Madness Of King George (Jun 12), while Judi Dench and Billy Connolly are exquisitely matched as grieving Queen Victoria and her trusty manservant in Mrs Brown (Jun 13). Helen Mirren earned her Academy Award coronation as The Queen (Jun 14) and festivities close with Tom Hooper’s hilarious and heartfelt story of friendship across the social divide, The King’s Speech (Jun 15). DS

Rooftop Film Club, Jun 18, 9pm, doors open 8pm, £10, The Queen Of Hoxton, 1-5 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX Shoreditch High Street

Jun 12-15, 7.45pm, doors 7pm, £5, Bob Hope Theatre, Wythfield Eltham. Road, Eltham, SE9 5TG scoutlondon.com Scout London 35

DVD / Download

Coming out in the wash(ington)

e may have worked as an actor for almost 40 years but Denzel Washington hasn’t succumbed to saccharine recounts of the truth. The 57-year-old Oscar winner prefers to talk candidly about his career choices. Take Safe House, for example, which arrives this week on DVD. Washington stars as the CIA’s most dangerous traitor opposite an aspiring but naive rookie played by Ryan Reynolds – but he wasn’t initially keen. “This was one of the last films my late agent really wanted me to do but I wasn’t that impressed with the screenplay,” Washington admits, in a low, measured voice, which makes him as magnetic in person as he is on screen. “If I hadn’t met [the director] Daniel Espinosa, I probably wouldn’t have done this movie. It didn’t interest me.” But having watched Swede Espinosa’s Snabba Cash (Easy Money), he was fascinated by the young film-maker. “I liked Daniel and the way he filmed,” says Washington, who decided if he was going to get on board, he wanted to work on writer David Guggenheim’s screenplay. “I enjoy helping to develop material and I’ve been doing it for 20 years or more. I’m a logic master. If things don’t make sense, I have to make them make sense.” So, along with Espinosa and a number of

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writers, Washington sat in a room, day after day for four months, honing the script. “It took us a long time but it was also a way for me to get into the part and figure out my character,” he says. Washington plays spy-turned-traitor Tobin Frost who has eluded capture for a decade. One day he stuns the intelligence community when he surfaces in South Africa. He’s taken to a ‘safe house’ for interrogation but when it’s attacked by gunmen, Matt Weston (Reynolds), who’s been waiting for an opportunity to prove himself, is forced to help Frost escape, and the two must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead. “I didn’t want to do a lot of CIA research because Tobin Frost wasn’t CIA anymore. He hated everything about the agency and I wanted to discover his dark side,” says Washington.

The producer gave him a book entitled The Sociopath Next Door. “It became my bible. What I learned number one, was that most sociopaths aren’t violent. Tobin’s violent but what they have in common is no conscience. “They’re manipulative; they’ll lie and use charm, wit and pity. “I felt the skill set he was born with, those negative traits, were actually helpful in the line of CIA work, the ability to deceive and destroy without remorse.” Washington believes a man like Tobin would relish chaos. “I think his blood pressure goes down when there’s murder and mayhem. I think he’s just interested in winning, so every day I wrote in my script and my journal, ‘How am I going to win today? What am I going to win?’” While he clearly takes his work seriously, his focus has always been his wife Pauletta and their four children – John David, Katia and twins Malcolm and Olivia, all in their 20s. “We’re going out for dinner tonight,” Washington says of Pauletta, who’s accompanied him to London. “But after 31 years, it’s not a date – it’s an opportunity!” To read our full interview with Washington, go to scoutlondon.com Safe House is released on DVD on June 15

Alexis ANTHONY Maryon CHAMMOND / FLICKR/TURBOTODDI

He’s starred in almost 50 movies, won two Oscars and after 31 years of marriage still goes on dates with his wife. Susan Griffin discovers a wonderfully honest side to the legendary Denzel Washington

new releases The Muppets (U) When a plot to bulldoze the Muppet Theater and drill for oil underneath it is uncovered, the Muppets are galvanised into action. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and the gang organise a televised appeal to save the beloved building. The Muppets is a perfect family film with broad humour, interspersed with delightful ditties including the exuberant Life’s A Happy Song. The script strikes the perfect balance between affection and irreverence, knowingly tipping

the wink to leaps in plot logic. When one character reveals that the only way to save the theatre is to raise $10m in two weeks, crotchety Waldorf turns to the camera and quips: “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were reciting an important plot point!” Human cast Jason Segel and Amy Adams embrace the ridiculousness of the premise with gusto, like when Kermit initially refuses to spearhead the telethon and Adams despairs: “This is going to be a really short movie!” Blissfully, it’s not.

J Edgar (15) J Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio), the controversial director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, clings to power. He dictates his memoirs to Agent Smith (Ed Westwick) and drifts back in time in hazy reminiscences to the 1919 bombings which sent shockwaves through Washington DC. With assistant director Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) and his secretary Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) at his side, Hoover becomes embroiled in the ill-fated search for the missing infant son of aviator Charles Lindbergh (Josh Lucas) and

clashes with Robert F Kennedy (Jeffrey Donovan). Away from the corridors of power, Hoover strives to impress his domineering mother, Anna Marie (Dame Judi Dench), who instructs him to hold firm when others doubt him. However, power comes at a price. Admittedly, Clint Eastwood’s film is overlong at 131 minutes and the ageing make-up used to transform DiCaprio into a liver-spotted septuagenarian isn’t convincing. However, his lead performance is electrifying and Hammer cuts a fine figure as the loyal protégé.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (12) Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) remembers September 11 – “the worst day” – and the loss of his father Thomas (Tom Hanks), which devastated his mother (Sandra Bullock). When his father was alive, they used to play a scavenger hunt game called Reconnaissance Expedition on the streets of New York City. An old key found in a smashed vase sparks Oskar’s imagination and the youngster becomes convinced that Thomas has left him a clue to a new game. A late-night encounter with the mute, elderly man (Max von Sydow) who rents a room in his grandmother’s apartment provides Oskar with an unlikely accomplice for

the search. Their odyssey criss-crosses Manhattan including a memorable visit to despondent wife Abbey Black (Viola Davis), who tells the boy, “Finding the lock that key fits would be a miracle.” Based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s second novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close revisits the deadliest act of terrorism committed on American soil through the eyes of a boy. The film is anchored by a mesmerising performance from newcomer Horn, who is the emotional heart of the piece. Hanks is glimpsed in flashback and Bullock impresses in her few scenes, but von Sydow dominates the screen, conveying heartbreaking emotion through his eyes and gestures. scoutlondon.com Scout London 37

LGBT

A festival phenomenon Lovebox festival’s Sunday shenannigans have grown into an LGBT extravaganza which comes close to eclipsing the rest of the event. Nicholas Chindaret finds out more

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Clockwise from top left: James Baille; Lovebox in full swing; Alex Noble; James Hillard (second from left)

event on the gay calendar and attracts all kinds of like-minded alternative and creative people from London and beyond. It proves you can hold a queer event that’s not afraid to lead with music.” Horse Meat Disco’s Hillard agrees: “Lovebox has cornered the market of the more alternative side of the LGBT community – a real melting pot where sexuality isn’t the overriding reason for people to come.” This sense of inclusiveness at the root of Lovebox Sunday perhaps also echoes the diminished need for segregated premises that some identify as one of the causes of the recent demise of so many gay venues. Ballie promises “lots of very colourful happy people and a serious hangover in the morning”. For him and Noble, the wide mix of performers

contributes to creating a unique atmosphere and energy. Those may also be important parts of the unifying effect of the festival. All three men concur that Lovebox has a significant effect in encouraging positive relations between the straight and gay communities. They see the shared party experience as a great leveller helping break down barriers and prejudice, while highlighting commonalities. “In a way the fact that there is a ‘gay day’ on the Sunday could create a feeling of segregation,” says Noble. “But whichever way you are inclined, you can go to the whole festival and the LGBT community will be accepting and welcoming to everyone.” Lovebox, June 15-17, Victoria Park

Alexis Maryon

t may have attracted a broad audience since Andy and Tom from Groove Armada first launched their festival, but it was the announcement in 2010 that Sunday would be going all out to attract the LGBT community that transformed matters. In just a couple of years “gay day”, as it has been unofficially dubbed, has become so succesful and popular that its reputation threatens to eclipse that of the rest of the event. It’s largely down to the fact that the billing doesn’t compromise on quality, and rejects the stereotyped programming of some other LGBT events. This year’s edition, in the newly refurbished Victoria Park in Hackney, is no exception. Headliners include Grace Jones, Chaka Khan and Chic featuring Nile Rodgers. Adding to the mix of cabaret and art, the hottest and best London gay clubs bring their exceptional taste and sounds to the festival. The near-legendary Horse Meat Disco and Dalston Superstore are among those who will be bringing the party. Horse Meat Disco, which will also be running an afterparty at its usual home of The Eagle in Vauxhall (see listings highlight) is again hosting the pansexual craziness that is NYC Downlow, along with the help of some of London’s alternative performance artists. James Hillard, co-director of HMD, is particularly proud of this year’s line up of DJs: “It’s a weekend of amazing music right on your doorstep,” he tells Scout London. “If you’ve never fancied the challenge of a festival then this is the one to start with. And basically, all your mates will be there.” Dalston Superstore is hosting a tent and an outdoor stage, including Lana Del Rey on the line-up. Alex Noble, the creative mind behind the superstore fun, promises an intriguing “psychedelic entrance to a pop art monochromatic interior with towering patterns and colours” for the tent. For James Ballie, the promoter of Lovebox Sunday, the reason for its success with LGBT people is that it has answered a need. “Lovebox Sunday has definitely filled a gap and very quickly,” he explains. “It has become a must-do

recommended TUESDAY JUNE 12 Candy Boys at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 7pm-3am. 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, 9pm-3am. Pop, R&B and 1980s hits from Sandra D and Joe Grohl.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 13 Disco Paradiso at Joiners Arms, 116-118 Hackney Road, E2 7QL Old Street phone for prices, 11pm-2am. DJs Jo Public and Stewart Who? spin disco, soul, funk and rock’n’roll. Girls-A-Loud at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 8pmlate. DJs Coco Yeah and MDMX play pop, chart and electro. Shinky Shonky at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA Leicester Square FREE, 10pm-3am. Boogaloo Stu and his colourful coterie spin classic and contemporary pop, plus live cabaret performances. Trannyoke at Escape Bar, 10A Brewer Street, W1F 0SU Piccadilly Circus FREE, 9pm-3am. 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, 10pm-3am. 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, 11pm-5am. Lee Harris, Niyi Maximus Crown and Big John Freeman spin house, pop, electro, R&B, funk and dancehall.

THURSDAY JUNE 14

QueerlyOut at Escape Bar, 10A Brewer Street, W1F 0SU Piccadilly Circus £5, £3, FREE before 9pm, 9pm-3am. DJ Robby D spins dance, pop and R&B. Dolly Mixtures at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 9pm3am. DJP plays pop and R&B.

Industri at Barcode Vauxhall, Railway Arch 69 Goding Street, SE11 5AW Vauxhall FREE, 8pm-2am. House from Miss Minty, Brent Nicholls and Paul Heron. Macho City at Joiners Arms, 116-118 Hackney Road, E2 7QL Old Street £5, £3 after 2am, FREE before 11.30pm, 10pm-3am. Resident DJs spin disco, pop and retro. Retrosexual at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA Leicester Square FREE, 10pm-late. Tasty Tim spins 80s music. Xxtra at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square £5, FREE before 11pm, 10pm-3am. Terry-James Lynch hosts a night of house, electro and pop, plus fashion.

FRIDAY JUNE 15

Shake & Pop at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road £5, mems £3, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-3am. DJ Bam Bo Tang spins urban anthems, chart, retro hits and pop classics. Kali’s 17th Birthday Party at The Dome, 178 Junction Road, N19 5QQ Tufnell Park £8, £7 w/flyer,10pm-3am. Bollywood glam with Mona Singh. The O Zone at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA Leicester Square w/flyer FREE, 10pm-3am. Dusty O spins pop, chart and R&B. Popstarz at The Den & Centro, 18 West Central Street, WC1A 1JJ Holborn phone for prices, 10pm-4am. Resident DJs spin indie, pop and R&B. Popstarz: After Dark at The Den & Centro, 18 West Central Street, WC1A 1JJ Holborn FREE, 4am-8am. Resident DJs spin indie, rock, R&B, pop and Motown. Super Techno Party Machine at East Bloc, 217 City Road, EC1V 1JN Old Street Station £5, 10pm-4am. DJ Larry Tee spins techno and house. Therapy at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square FREE before 11pm, 10pm-3am. Electropop and dance from DJs Miswhite, Minx, Paul Heron and Sonathaq. Tonker at Eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £6, mems £5 after 10pm, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-3am. DJ Tim Jones and Alan X play house, chart and dance.

SATURDAY JUNE 16 A:M Afterhours at Fire, South Lambeth Road, SW8 1UQ Vauxhall £12, w/flyer £8, 3am-11am. 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. Carpet Burn at Eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £5, FREE before 11pm, 9pm-4am. Resident DJs spin disco, pop and retro hits. Duckie at Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £6, 9pm-2am. 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, 9pm-3am. 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, 10pm-3am. Andrew Elmore spins funk, house and dance. Monster at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road £5, mems £3, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-3am. DJ Sandra D spins chart hits, dance and pop classics. Remix at Escape Bar, 10A Brewer Street, Piccadilly Circus W1F 0SU w/re-entry stamp £5 after 10pm, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-3am. DJ Julio Bravo spins dance from the last four decades, plus Kitsch Cabaret and karaoke with Dame Vesta Blues. Wow at Freedom Bar, 66 Wardour Street, W1F 0TA Piccadilly Circus phone for prices, 10pm-6am. DJ Stuart spins commercial house and dance.

SUNDAY JUNE 17

S.L.A.G.S / CHILL-OUT Sundays at Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £8, £5 before 7.30pm, 2pm-12midnight. Simon Le Vans, Andy Almighty and Sean Sirrs spin disco, electro and house, plus The D E Experience performs live. Lady Lloyds Hit Factory at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA Leicester Square FREE, 8pm-3am. Lady Lloyd spins retro pop. Beyond Afterhours at Fire, South Lambeth Road, SW8 1UQ Vauxhall adv £12, 6pm-1am. DJs Steve Pitron, Mikey D, Alan K, Sharp Boys, Gonzalo Rivas, Paul Heron, HiFi Sean, Paul Christian, Ariel and Fat Tony spin house, electro and techno across three floors. Free Your Soul at Madame Jojo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SE Piccadilly Circus £5, £3 before 11pm, 10pm-2.30am. Resident DJs spin old skool, disco, jazz, soul, house and Latin. Later at Fire, South Lambeth Road, SW8 1UQ Vauxhall £6, w/flyer £5 before 1.30pm, 11.30pm-8pm. 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, 10pm-2am. Resident DJs spin indie and electro. Orange at Fire, South Lambeth Road, SW8 1UQ Vauxhall £12, £10 before 12midnight, w/flyer £5 before 1am, 10pmlate. 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. Sunday Social at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 8.30pm-12.30am. Resident DJs spin pop hits.

MONDAY JUNE 18

Horse Meat Disco at Eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £6, 8pm-3am. Official post Lovebox party with Glaswegian duo Optimo and HMD residents Jim Stanton, James Hillard and Severino. 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.

Bearcode at Barcode Vauxhall, Railway Arch 69 Goding Street, SE11 5AW Vauxhall phone for prices, 9pm-1am. Resident DJs play house music. Detention at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA Leicester Square FREE, 10pm-3am. 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, 10pm-2am. DJ Alex spins soul and funk. Mondays at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, phone for times. Resident DJs spin pop and R&B.

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Music Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not even released her debut album yet, but Lucy Rose is causing a serious stir. Andy Welch catches up with the rising star ahead of her biggest solo gig to date, at Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heaven

40 Scout London scoutlondon.com

LUCY ROSE UP

featured f 2011 was a big year for Lucy Rose, with rapturously received releases and sellout live shows, 2012 has so far beaten it hands down. In the past few months, the singersongwriter has put the finishing touches to her debut album, been signed to Sony offshoot Columbia, plus performed with Bombay Bicycle Club all over America and at their triumphant London gig at Alexandra Palace. That night, during the band’s encore, she was hoisted onto the shoulders of guitarist Jamie MacColl and paraded around the stage. “I didn’t want a shoulder ride, but yeah, the view, looking out on 8,000 people all dancing, was pretty special. I was just trying not to laugh the whole time,” she recalls. On June 20 she headlines London’s Heaven, her biggest solo show to date. The same day she’ll also turn 23, not that she’ll be mentioning it. “The guys in my band say they’re going to bring a cake on stage, but I would hate that. I’m still quite shy and don’t like things like that,” she says. “I still get so nervous going on stage, I don’t think I’d know what to do if everyone started singing Happy Birthday or something.” Lucy Rose’s three releases so far (all glorious acoustic folk-pop), Middle Of The Bed, Scar and Red Face, all made BBC Radio 6Music Singles Of The Week, meaning there’s already an anticipation for her debut album, which she hopes will be released in September. We caught up with her to find out just how her decision to turn down a place at University College London a few years ago is most definitely paying off. How has the tour been going? It’s been fantastic. The Cardiff show was great. Mumford & Sons were playing in Cardiff on the same night, so I was a bit worried no-one would come to see me, but our venue was packed. Maybe it was just all the Mumford haters that came to my gig. And how was the tour with Bombay Bicycle Club? It was great. We did five weeks in America and Canada. And the UK leg was brilliant. Ally Pally was especially good.

Has touring with them affected your own shows? Do you feel more confident having spent so much more time on stage? Definitely. I’ve got my pre-show warm-up sorted now, warming my voice and things. It’s just practicing, really, so playing with them has been great for that. I think I sing better now, and I definitely look after my voice more. It’s annoying, but worth it. And has it given you more ambition? Does playing in front of 8,000 people make you want similar-sized shows of your own one day? I don’t really think that far ahead. I feel so far away from their level at the moment. I just want to release an album and I want people to like it. I have ambitions, but I don’t really look into the future. The reaction to your singles has been great. Do you pay attention to what people are saying and writing about you? I know a bit, but I don’t really indulge in reviews

66 Reading positive things

about yourself is as detrimental as the negative stuff 99

and things. It’s too weird. I try not to think about it all too much. Googling yourself is a sin, and I reckon reading positive things about yourself is just as detrimental to your health as reading the negative stuff. Are you looking forward to the show at Heaven? I’m terrified. I worry too much, I know that, but I am excited really. I just hope it goes well. It’s the same night as my birthday, but I’m not sure if it’s a good way to celebrate or not. I don’t want to turn 23 either. That’s quite old for a musician isn’t it? Is your album finished? Yes, all done. I’d always imagined it coming out this year, and when I signed to Columbia a few weeks ago there was a debate about the release date. September is soon, I realise, but fingers crossed that’s when it’ll be. I’ve been touring these songs for over a year now, so I want get on with writing album number two. I’m brimming with ideas. How similar is the rest of the album to the songs we’ve heard? They’re representative, you could say. But the next single is quite ridiculous. It’s got four extreme tempo changes in it, a reggae bit and a hip hop beat. Describing it like that sounds awful, but it works, I promise. Lucy Rose plays at Heaven on June 20 scoutlondon.com Scout London 41

Music

Lovebox June 15-17, Victoria Park, £29 (Friday only)£99 (weekend) Groove Armada's festival notches up its 10th birthday this weekend and it's easy to see why the event has grown so popular. With a line-up gathering together Hot Chip, Felix da Housecat, Skream, Sub Focus and the wonderful "gay day" Sunday, it's the perfect way to do a festival but still sleep in your own bed. Alternatively, head to one of the famous afterparties in clubs across the city and don't plan on sleeping in your own bed.

Also this week: Abigail Washburn, Kai Welch Jun 14, The Lexington, adv £10 Aborted Jun 17, The Underworld, adv £12.50

Chris Cornell

Bastille

June 18, London Palladium, £27.50-£35

June 14, Scala, £10

Former frontman of Soundgarden, Audioslave and one of the most versatile vocalists in rock, Chris Cornell's solo material is of equally high standards as his musical pedigree. The acclaimed singer, songwriter and lyricist brings his Songbook tour to the normally-atheatre setting of the Palladium for the first time. There's also chance to catch Soundgarden when they play Hard Rock Calling later next month. 42 Scout London scoutlondon.com

South Londoner Dan Smith got fed up with being a singer-songwriter (who can blame him? It's a lonely job), so recruited a band and has been exciting "ones to watch" columns ever since. The band is named after Bastille Day – when the French revolutionaries stormed the infamous Parisian jail. While there's no sniff of a guillotine here, the quartet's pop music "with integrity and depth" will certainly be tastier than letting them have cake. Mais oui.

Baddies June 13, The Barfly, £7.50 Albert Lee & Hogans Heroes Jun 15, Boisdales Of Canary Wharf, £10-£30 Alex Clare Jun 12, The Scala, adv £15 Amjad Ali Khan Jun 13, Wigmore Hall, £7, concs £4 Anais Mitchell & The Young Man Band Jun 12, Dingwalls, £13.50 Andrew Roachford Jun 16, The Jazz Cafe, £20 Arhai Jun 18, Rich Mix, FREE Beatnik Youth Orchestra, The Deviants, Sonja Kristina’s Acid Folk, The Dirty Strangers, Rotten Hill Gang Jun 14, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices

Ben Montague, Kristyna Myles, Sophie Janes Jun 13, O2 Academy Islington, £11 Blinq Quartet With Gwilym Simcock Jun 12 & Jun 13, Ronnie Scott’s, £25£40 Chew Lips, Fiction, I Am A Camera Jun 15, The Garage, £5 Colin Hay Jun 16, Bush Hall, £20 Cud Jun 16, The Garage, £12.50 Dam Funk, Kwes Jun 13, XOYO, adv £12 Damien O'Kane Jun 15, Kings Place, £12.50, adv £9.50 Danny & The Champions Of The World, Jason McNiff, Danni Nicholls Jun 13, 12 Bar Club, £6 Eyes Set To Kill Jun 18, The Underworld, adv £11 Future Of The Left Jun 14, XOYO, £10 Gabby Young And Other Animals Jun 13, The Scala, adv £12.50 Gregory Porter Jun 14, The Bloomsbury Theatre, £26.50 Justin Townes Earle Jun 14, KOKO, £13 Lucy Wainwright Roche Jun 14, The Slaughtered Lamb, £13.50, early bird £9.50 Natalie Williams Soul Family Jun 17, Ronnie Scott’s, £20-£32.50 Sparks Jun 13, Bush Hall, £32.50 Spitalfields Music Summer Festival: Talvin Singh & Anne Garner Jun 13, Christ Church Spitalfields, £5.32, child £5-£16, NUS £5, under 26s £5-£24 Sunn O))), Nurse With Wound Jun 12, KOKO, £18

this week Jaga Jazzist June 16, Barbican Centre, £15-22.50 On the face of it, Jaga Jazzist sounds awful – a mix of jazz, classical, electronic beats, post-rock and more. But oh my goodness it works. It really works. For this one-off show, the Norweigan outfit will perform new versions of songs from all four of their albums in specially-commissioned, widescreen orchestral arrangements with the Britten Sinfonia. It's inspiring, uplifting and really catchy stuff. Beard-stroking not allowed.

NOFX June 16-17, O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, £20

NOFX is a far cry from your skaterboi-style pop angst. Instead, the quartet has been around for almost 30 years, selling over 10m records despite never being signed to a major label. Along the way they've dissed other punk bands in songs, refused to have their videos played on MTV and VH1 and rarely do interviews, claiming they don't need the mainstream media. Well, they're clearly right – as these two likelyto-be-sold-out shows will attest.

Aiden Grimshaw June 13, Proud Camden, £6

The Walkmen June 12, Village Underground, Of all the New York bands to emerge in 2002 (The Strokes, Interpol et al), The Walkmen have been the most enduring. While they never made the arena-sized success of their contemporaries, the critical response which follows them everywhere has eclipsed that of their perhaps financially better-off NYC friends. Which probably explains why they're celebrating their 10th year as a band. This show comes just a week after their seventh album, Heaven, is released so will be Brits' first chance to hear it performed live.

Yes, it is that guy from Team Dannii Minogue in X-Factor series seven. Y'know, the one who was beaten by Katie Waissel in one of the final rounds. Losing out to Waissel clearly didn't dampen his musical desire, as his debut album Misty Eye is set for release in August. Find out what he's been up to – and if it's any good – when he headlines Proud tomorrow. Take earplugs. For the screaming girls, of course.

Listening Post

PLAYLIST

My Love Turns To Liquid Dream 2 Science Rush Hour

Rehab youngTEE White Label

Big Coast Beautiful Swimmers Future Times

Obo (Tiago Remix) Soft Rocks ESP Institute

Mind Bombs DMX Krew Voltaire

Couer De Lyon Semtek In Plain Sight

Tacos For Dinner Semtek & Chardonnay World Unknown

Dreams Simoncino L.I.E.S.

Burning Feeling Lovelock Internasjonal

GAK 4 GAK Warp

Scout London Designer Tom's moving house selection...

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Music Active Child, The Invisible, Hospitality, Nzca/Lines Jul 5, Village Underground, adv £11 Adam Ant & The Good, The Mad And The Lovely Posse, Georgie Girl & Her Poussez Posse Nov 30, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, adv £28.50 Africa Utopia: Baaba Maal Jul 28, Southbank Centre, £10-£25, concs £5£12.50 Africa Utopia: Taj Mahal Jul 4, phone for times, Southbank Centre, £10-£40, concs £5-£20 Al Jarreau, The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars Jul 26, Ronnie Scott’s, £100-£150 Al Scott Trio Jun 29, Ajani, FREE Alanis Morissette Jun 27, O2 Academy Brixton, £37.50 Alec Kopyt Jun 27, Rich Mix, FREE Alex Clare Oct 25, KOKO, £17.50 Alex Cornish Nov 30, Bush Hall, £10 Alexander Stewart Jun 20, The Jazz Cafe, £12 Andy Fairweather Low Sep 30, Millfield Arts Centre, £18, adv £17 Anna Calvi Jul 12, Somerset House, £25 Antony’s Meltdown: Lou Reed Aug 10, Southbank Centre, phone for prices Antony’s Meltdown: Marc Almond Aug 9, Southbank Centre, £22.50-£27.50, £11.75-£23.75 Atlas Sound Jul 19, The Scala, adv £12.50 Azealia Banks Oct 12, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 BBC Proms 2012: Prom 38: National Youth Jazz Orchestra Aug 10, Royal Albert Hall, £12 & £16 Ballyhoo Eventide Aug 26, Nambucca, phone for prices Barb Jungr Jun 23, The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston Culture House, £12 Bellowhead Nov 7, Roundhouse, £22.50 Ben Howard, Willy Mason Nov 28-Nov 30, O2 Academy Brixton, £17.50 Benjamin Francis Leftwich Jun 26, Power’s, £16 Billy Bragg, Joe Henry, Grace Petrie Sep 16, Southbank Centre, £15-£22.50, concs £7.50-£11.25 Billy Ocean Jul 21, Under The Bridge, £27.50 Biscotti Dec 6, Cecil Sharp House, £20, adv £17.50 Bitty McLean Jul 31, The Jazz Cafe, £20 Bleech Jun 22, The Borderline, £7 Bloc Party Jun 21, phone for times, KOKO, £20 BluesFest 2012: Brand New Heavies

Blink 182 Jul 25 & Jul 26, O2 Academy Brixton, £35

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Jennifer Lopez Oct 22, The O2 Arena, £50-£75 Jun 30, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £25 & £50 BluesFest 2012: Erykah Badu Jun 27, HMV Apollo, £27.50-£55 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: The Robert Cray Band Jun 26, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £25-£55 BluesFest 2012: Van Morrison Jun 29, HMV Apollo, £45-£100 Blur, The Specials, New Order Aug 12, Hyde Park, adv £55 BrynFest: Gruff Rhys Jul 6, Southbank Centre, £12-£18, concs £6-£9 Bush Aug 30, KOKO, £27.50 Carrie Underwood Jun 21, Royal Albert Hall, £22.50-£45 Carter USM Nov 10, O2 Academy Brixton, £25 Charlotte Gainsbourg And Connan Mockasin Jul 19, Somerset House, £25 Chris Isaak Oct 9, HMV Apollo, £35 Cian Nugent, Richard Dawson Jun 20, The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston Culture House, £8 Culturefest 2012 Jun 24, The Coronet, adv £27.50 Curtis Stigers Jun 25-Jun 29, Ronnie Scott’s, £38-£50 Dappy Oct 3, HMV Apollo, £18.50 Darren Hayes Sep 24, IndigO2, £22.50£37.50 Daryl Hall Jul 12, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Dave Newton Trio Jun 18, Pizza Express Jazz Club, £17.50 Dave Stewart Sep 7, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices David Essex Nov 30, IndigO2, £20-£35 Deacon Blue Oct 22, Roundhouse, £29.50-£39.50 DeeLee Dube Jul 26, MAP Studio Cafe, £10 Dexys Sep 16, Barbican Centre, £30 & £32.50 Diamond Head, Tytan, Culprit Jul 3, O2 Academy Islington, £15 Die Antwoord Jul 5, HMV Forum, £15 Django Django Oct 31, Nov 1, Heaven, £12 Dr John Jul 18 & Jul 19, Under The Bridge, £30-£50

Dry The River Nov 1, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £12 Eagles Of Death Metal Aug 21, O2 Academy Islington, adv £17.50 Ed Sheeran Oct 13-Oct 17, HMV Apollo, £24 Eddie Vedder Jul 30 & Jul 31, HMV Apollo, £37-£50 Efterklang & Northern Sinfonia Oct 30, Barbican Centre, £15-£22.50 Faith No More Jul 8, HMV Apollo, & Jul 10, O2 Academy Brixton, £33.50 Fat Freddy’s Drop Aug 4, HMV Forum, £29.50 Fields Of The Nephilim Oct 31, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £20 Flux Pavilion Oct 10, KOKO, £14.50 Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons Jun 26 & Jun 27, Royal Albert Hall, £85 Fun Jul 9, Heaven, £11 Garbage, The Jezabels Jul 1, O2 Academy Brixton, adv £29.50 George Crowley Quartet Jul 6, The Constitution, £5

Jessie J Mar 9 & Mar 10 2013, The O2 Arena, £25 & £33.50 George Michael: Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour Oct 13, Oct 14, Oct 17, Earls Court, £51-£91 George Michael: Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour Sep 29, Royal Albert Hall, £46-£126 Gojira Jun 27, O2 Academy Islington, adv £16.50 Gong Nov 19, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £20 Gonjasufi Jun 16, Village Underground, £15, adv £12.50 Gossip Jul 5, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Grandaddy Sep 4, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £20 Gravenhurst Sep 26, Cecil Sharp House, £12.50 Greg Lake Nov 25, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £27.50 Grimes Sep 5, Heaven, £11 Hard Rock Calling 2012: Soundgarden, Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, Paul Simon Jul 13-Jul 15, phone for times, Hyde Park, Fri £50, Sat £60, Sun £55, Sat & Sun £110 Heaven 17 Nov 3, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £22.50-£27.50 Hit Factory Live: Steps, Jason Donovan, Bananarama, Rick Astley, Dear Or Alive Jul 11, Hyde Park, £54.25 Hot Chip Jun 13, Heaven, £20 Incubus Jul 9, O2 Academy Brixton, £29.50

Jack Savoretti Jun 20, Bush Hall, £15 Jack White Jun 21, O2 Academy Brixton, phone for availability Jack White Jun 22, HMV Apollo, £30-£37 Jaguar Skills Oct 13, HMV Forum, £15 Jason Mraz Dec 1, The O2 Arena, £32 Jessie J Mar 9 & Mar 10, The O2 Arena, £25 & £33.50 Jill Scott Jul 9 & Jul 10, Somerset House, £37.50 Kate Rusby Oct 23, Southbank Centre, £25 & £30, concs £12.50 & £15 Katy B Jul 8, Somerset House, £25 Lady Antebellum Jul 16, HMV Apollo, £30 Laura Marling Jul 7, Royal Albert Hall, £22.50-£45 Levellers Jun 25, The Garage, £17.50, w/ CD £19.50 Lianne La Havas Jul 16 & Jul 17, Village Underground, £16.25 Liars Jun 12, XOYO, £12.50 Lionel Richie Oct 28 & Oct 29, The O2 Arena, £40-£65 London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Angelique Kidjo, Baaba Maal, Justin Adams, King Sunny Ade, Seckou Keita, The Invisible Republic Of JuJu, Wizboyy Jul 21, London Pleasure Gardens, FREE, ticketed, adv booking required at btriverofmusic.com 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 bbc.co.uk London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Scissor Sisters Jul 21, Tower Of London, FREE, ticketed, adv booking required at btriverofmusic.com, phone for availability London 2012 Olympic Games: Opening Ceremony Celebration Concert: Snow Patrol, Stereophonics, Duran Duran, Paolo Nutini Jul 27, gates 2.30pm, Hyde Park, £60 London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay: The Olympic Torch Relay Big Hyde Park Gig: Dizzee Rascal, The Wanted, Mark Ronson & Katy B, You Me At Six, Eliza Doolittle, Rizzle Kicks, Wretch 32 Jul 26, Hyde Park, £15 London 2012: BT London Live Hyde Park Jul 28-Aug 11, Jul 30-Aug 3, Aug 6-Aug 10, dawn, music and performance, Hyde Park

Olly Murs Mar 29, The O2 Arena, £34

future events Classical One Direction Feb 22 & Feb 23, Feb 23 & Feb 24, The O2 Arena, phone for prices

Andrea Bocelli Nov 14-15, The O2, £45-£120 Andre Rieu, Johann Strauss Orchestra Dec 16, The O2 Arena, £40-£90 BBC Proms 2012: Prom 14: Kronos Quartet Jul 24, Royal Albert Hall, £12 & £16 Evelyn Glennie And Philip Smith Jun 22, Wigmore Hall, £15-£30 London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Kronos Quartet, Alif Ensemble, Arun Ghosh, In Transit, Transglobal Underground, Van-Anh Vanessa Vo, Youth Music Voices, Zakir Hussain Jul 22, Battersea Park, FREE, ticketed, adv booking required at btriverofmusic.com

Natalie Clein Jun 17, Wigmore Hall, £12 inc meal coffee, sherry or juice, concs £10 inc meal coffee, sherry or juice

Aardman Animations Ltd. 2012

London Symphony Orchestra Jun 14, Barbican Centre, £10-£35 Royal Academy Of Music Baroque Orchestra And Soloists Jun 16, Kings Place, £12.50 & £16.50, adv £9.50

London Jazz Festival: Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade Nov 17, Barbican Centre, £10-£50 London Jazz Festival: John McLaughlin Nov 11, Barbican Centre, £10-£35 Lovebox 2012: Hot Chip, Friendly Fires, Grace Jones Jun 15, Jun 16 & Jun 17, Victoria Park, Fri £29, Sat/Sun £49.50, Fri & Sat £65, Sat & Sun £87.50, weekend ticket £99 Lucy Rose Jun 20, Heaven, £11 Luke Girvan, Sherry Davis, Tom Tyler, M Ward Jul 2, KOKO, £15 M83 Jul 16, Somerset House, £25 Macy Gray Jun 27 & Jun 28, The Jazz Cafe, adv £30 Madness Dec 14, The O2 Arena, £29.50£47.50 Madonna Jul 17, Hyde Park, £70 & £125 Marc Almond Jul 9, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £19.50 & £27.50 Marc Bolan 35th Anniversary Concert Sep 15, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £25£35 Marillion Sep 16, HMV Forum, £28.50 Marilyn Manson, Lacuna Coil Jul 5, O2 Academy Brixton, £30 Marina And The Diamonds Jun 25, The Tabernacle, adv £18.50, phone for availability Maverick Sabre Oct 6, O2 Academy Brixton, £18.50 Maximo Park Nov 7, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, adv £17.50 Megadeth Jun 12, Electric Ballroom, £35 Melanie C Nov 6, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Mica Paris Jun 21 & Jun 22, Jun 22, Pizza Express Jazz Club, £25 Michael Kiwanuka Dec 5, Southbank Centre, £17.50 & £20, concs £8.75 & £10 Mick Hucknall Sep 18 & Sep 19, Royal Albert Hall, Tue £30-£50, Wed £30-£60 Mike And The Mechanics Jul 18, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £30

BBC Proms 2012: Prom 20: Aurora Orchestra: The Wallace & Gromit Prom: Musical Marvels! Jul 29, Royal Albert Hall, £6 & £12 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Jun 12, Southbank Centre, £9-£55, concs £4.50-£27.50 Spitalfields Music Summer Festival: To 23 June, various venues

Ronan Keating: Fires Tour Jan 26, The O2 Arena, £35

Motorhead/Anthrax Nov 17, O2 Academy Brixton, £34 Natalie Duncan Jun 20, Boisdales Of Canary Wharf, £10-£20 Neil Sedaka Oct 17, Royal Albert Hall, £40-£55 Neneh Cherry & The Thing Jul 15, Village Underground, £15.50 Nickelback, Daughtry Oct 1, The O2 Arena, £39.50 Nicki Minaj Jun 24 & Jun 25, HMV Apollo, £35 & £45, phone for availability One Direction Feb 22 & Feb 23, Feb 23 & Feb 24, The O2 Arena, phone for prices

Scissor Sisters Oct 23 & Oct 24, Roundhouse, £32.50 Orbital Dec 14, O2 Academy Brixton, £30 Paloma Faith Jul 17 & Jul 18, Somerset House, £25 Postcards Festival: Marcella And The Forget Me Nots: Murder And Lullabies Jun 21, Jacksons Lane Theatre, £10 Queen & Adam Lambert Jul 11, Jul 12, Jul 14, HMV Apollo, £70 & £75, phone for availability Regina Spektor Jul 2, Royal Albert Hall, £38.50 Reverend & The Makers Oct 26, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 Richard Hawley Oct 3, O2 Academy Brixton, phone for prices Rick Wakeman, Hawkwind, Focus, The Strawbs, Curved Air, Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash Jun 23, Crystal Palace Park, £42.50, adv £30 Rizzle Kicks Nov 16, O2 Academy Brixton, £17.50 Robert Plant Jul 12, HMV Forum, phone for prices Ronan Keating: Fires Tour Jan 26, The O2 Arena, £35 Rufus Wainwright Nov 18, HMV Apollo, £37.50-£60 Rush May 24, The O2 Arena, £60 & £75 SBTRKT Oct 4 & Oct 5, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 Saint Etienne Jun 25, London Palladium, £25 & £28.50 Saint Saviour Jun 27 & Jun 28, St Pancras Old Church, adv £10 Shels, Latitudes, Astrohenge Jul 1, The Underworld, adv £10 Sparks Oct 26, Barbican Centre, £20£27.50 Spiritualized Nov 5, Roundhouse, £23.50 Steel Panther Nov 15, HMV Apollo, £19.50 Steve Miller Band Oct 20, Roundhouse, £35-£47.50 Tangerine Dream Jun 24, O2 Shepherd’s

Bush Empire, £45 The Brian Jonestown Massacre Jul 7, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, adv £15 The Cat Empire, Clairy Browne, The Bangin’ Rackettes Dec 9 & Dec 10, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £25 The Chapman Family Jun 25, The Macbeth, £7, adv £5 The Cinematic Orchestra Jun 30, Barbican Centre, £24.50-£35 The Civil Wars Nov 6, Roundhouse, £19.50 The Cranberries Jun 18, HMV Apollo, £35 The Datsuns Jun 28, Power’s, £8 The Enemy Jul 13, Somerset House, £25 The Farm Oct 28, O2 Academy Islington, £17.50 The Hives Dec 14, Roundhouse, £18.50 The Human League Nov 26, Royal Albert Hall, £27.50 The Pharcyde Jul 17, KOKO, adv £20 The Psychedelic Furs Jul 5, The Garage, £20 The Temper Trap Jul 11, Somerset House, £27.50 The Ting Tings Jun 22, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices The Voice UK Live Sep 15, The O2 Arena, £35 Tiger Lilly, The Glass Child Jul 9, Nambucca, £3 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Jun 18 & Jun 20, Royal Albert Hall, £40-£75 Tony Bennett Jun 30 & Jul 1, Royal Albert Hall, phone for prices Trudy Kerr Jun 24, Ronnie Scott’s, £12 Ultravox Sep 27, HMV Apollo, £35 Ultravox Sep 30, Palace Theatre, £32.50 UpCDownC, Mayors Of Miyazaki, What The Blood Revealed, Gunning For Tamar, Waking Aida Jun 22, Underbelly, £6, before 8pm £4 Van Dyke Parks & Britten Sinfonia, Gaby Moreno Jun 23, Barbican Centre, £15-£25

BluesFest 2012: Tom Jones Jul 1, HMV Apollo, £35-£75 W.A.S.P. Sep 21, HMV Forum, £22.50 Warped Tour Nov 10, Alexandra Palace, £40, disabled £20 Wireless Festival 2012: Rihanna, Drake, Jessie J, Professor Green Jul 6 & Jul 7, Jul 8, Hyde Park, Fri phone for prices, Sat day ticket £49.50, Sun day ticket £52.50, Sat & Sun two day ticket £97 Wolfmother Jul 6, IndigO2, £22.50 & £27.50 Wolfsbane Oct 25, The Garage, £12 Wu Legends Jul 13, HMV Forum, £27.50 & £50 Xavier Rudd Aug 8, KOKO, £20

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Music TUESDAY JUNE 12 The Boom Boom Room at Salsa!, 96 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0JG Tottenham Court Road £5, phone for times. Funk, Baile funk, house, urban Latin, reggaeton and pop courtesy of DJ Carioca, DJ Bruno, DJ Bebeto, DJ Rafael and DJ Thallom, plus live music from Rosanna Band, Wesley Band and Gender Band. Cass 2012 Aftershow Party at The George Tavern, 373 Commercial Road, E1 0LA Shadwell FREE, phone for times. Resident DJs spin indie, electro and Balkan beats, with live band. Funky Fresh at Rumba, 36 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EP Piccadilly Circus phone for prices, 10pm-3am. Resident DJs spin dance, R&B and funk. Panic at The Roxy, 3-5 Rathbone Place, W1T 1HJ Tottenham Court Road £5, NUS/w/flyer £3, guestlist w/flyer FREE before 10.30pm, 10pm-3am. Max Panic, Gaz Panic and That Perfect Fumble spin indie, electro, retro and pop. Paradox at The Den & Centro, 18 West Central Street, WC1A 1JJ Holborn phone for prices, 12midnight-7am. Residents Antoretox and David Vice supply house and electro.

party classics. Super Human Disco at Wax Jambu, 145 Upper Street, N1 1QY Angel FREE. DJ Hee Man spins funk, disco, electro and hip hop. Thirsty Thursday at Thirst, 53 Greek Street, W1D 3DR Tottenham Court Road £5, FREE before 10pm, 5pm-3am. DJ Aiden spins funky house and disco. Thursdays at Goldsmiths Tavern, 316 New Cross Road, SE14 6AF New Cross phone for prices, phone for times. Resident DJs spin garage, house, R&B and electro.

FRIDAY JUNE 15

WEDNESDAY JUNE 13 Boom Bap at The Player, 8 Broadwick Street, W1F 8HN Oxford Circus FREE, 8pm-1am. DJ Hudge spins hip hop, funky house and old skool. Stripped Back Soul at The Blues Kitchen, 111-113 Camden High Street, NW1 7JN Camden Town FREE, 7pm-1am. Resident DJs play Motown and soul. Under The Counter at Cellar Door, Zero Aldwych, WC2E 7EN Charing Cross FREE, 9pm-late. Resident DJs spin jazz, swing and vintage hits, plus burlesque and cabaret performances from Desmond O’Connor and Pippa Evans. Vintage Rock And Retro Soul Disco at Surya, 156 Pentonville Road, N1 9JL Angel phone for prices, 2.30pm-6pm. Resident DJs spin retro rock and Rock’n’roll.

THURSDAY JUNE 14 Bad Sex at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH Camden Town £7, £5 before 10pm, NUS/guestlist £5, NUS/guestlist FREE before 10pm, 7.30pm-2.30am. Phaze One, Mayton DJs, Fin Munro, The Penelopes and Toy Soldier spin indie, rock and disco, plus burlesque and cabaret performances. It’s Your Birthday at The Hoxton Pony, 104-108 Curtain Road, EC2A 3AH Old Street £7, £5 before 10pm, concs £3, 8pm-1am. Resident DJs spin pop, rock’n’roll, disco, electro and hip hop. Roller Disco at Renaissance Rooms, opposite Arch 8, Arches, Miles Street, SW8 1RZ Vauxhall £10 inc skates, £7.50 bring your own skates, NUS £6 inc skates, 8pm-12midnight. Funk and disco for a wheeled audience. Serious About Salsa at Fiesta Havana, 490-492 Fulham Road, SW6 5NH Fulham Broadway FREE before 10pm, 7pm-2am. Salsa, mambo and bachata from DJ JD, plus salsa dancing. Straight Up Fresh at Market Place W1, 11 Market Place, W1W 8AE Oxford Circus FREE, 8pm-2am. DJ UC spins a complex array of multi-generational

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Fabriclive at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £18, adv £17, £7 after 3am, NUS £10 before 12midnight, mems £13, 10pm-6am. Caspa, Emalkay, Matty G, The Others, D1, Orien, Rod Azlan, G Double, DJ Hype, Dillinja, Sigma, Choice Cuts at The Dogstar, 389 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LQ Brixton £5, FREE before 11pm, 9pm-4am. Resident DJs spin hip hop, electro, pop and dubstep. Club NME at KOKO, 1a Camden High Street, NW1 7JE Mornington Crescent £5, 9.30pmlate. DJs spin indie, rock and electro, featuring performances from Missing Andy and Proxies. Cocktail Fever at Anam, 3 Chapel Market, N1 9EZ Angel £5, FREE before 9pm, phone for times, booking essential. Resident DJs spin club classics, chart and disco. Deviation Street at The Alley Cat, 4 Denmark Street, WC2H 8LP

Fridays at Joiners Arms, 116-118 Hackney Road, E2 7QL Old Street £10, £5 after 2.30am, FREE before 11.30pm, 10pm4am. Rob Sykes, Paul Heron, Mista Pierre and Jeffrey Hinton spin house, techno and electro.

Tottenham Court Rd phone for prices, 8pm-3am. Sweet But Deadly DJs spin 1960s and current garage, punk and psych, plus live garage rock’n’roll bands. El Grande at Club Colosseum, 1 Nine Elms Lane, SW8 5NQ Vauxhall £10, NUS £8, 9.30pm-4.30am, last entry 3am. DJs Marito and guests supply Cuban and Latin beats, with dance classes available. The Gallery at Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6DP Elephant And Castle £14, mems £11, 10.30pm-6am. Hernan Cattaneo, Guy Mantzur, Riley & Durrant, Gareth Cooke, Graeme Lloyd, Max Corderoy, Karma and Fly Or Die spin electro and trance. Hot Damn! at The Purple Turtle, 61-65 Crowndale Road, NW1 1TN Mornington Crescent £6, 7pm-3am. Resident DJs Handsome Matt, Liam And Tobes play indie, pop, punk and rock. House Party at Infernos, 146 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UH Clapham Common £10, FREE before 10pm, £5 before 10.30pm, 9pm-3.30am. Resident DJs spin house classics from early 1990s to present day. I Love The 90s at The Garage, 20-26 Highbury Corner, N5 1RD Highbury & Islington £8, £5 before 12.30pm, FREE before 11.30pm, 10.30pmlate. Resident DJs spin hip hop, indie and Britpop from the 1990s. Joyriders at The Roxy, 3-5 Rathbone Place, W1T 1HJ Tottenham Court Road £7, £5 before 10.30pm, NUS/w/flyer £5, NUS/w/flyer £3 before 10.30pm, 5.30pm-3.30am. The resident DJs spin pop, electro and disco. Kiss With A Fist at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH Camden Town £10, £8 before 10pm, guestlist £6 before 10pm, FREE before 9pm, 7.30pm-10.30pm. DJ Risco and Dixon Brothers spin indie, disco and electro, with a love performance from The Future Shape Of Sound, plus burlesque and cabaret performances. Kung Fu Disco at Electric Social, 40 Acre Lane, SW2 5SP Brixton £5, FREE before 11pm, 9pm-3am. Resident DJs spin indie, hip hop, dubstep, disco and house. LDN DC Presents at The Rhythm Factory, 16-18 Whitechapel Road, E1 1EW Whitechapel £5, adv £3, 10pm-6am. Ikonika (DJ set), Optimum and residents spin dubstep, house, trance and techno. Off Track at 333, 333 Old Street, EC1V 9LL Old Street £5, FREE before 11.30pm, 10pm-3am. House, electro, dubstep, drum’n’bass, hip hop and R&B courtesy of Freight Train. One Kiss at Sound, 1 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA Leicester Square £10, £5 before 11pm, 10pm-3am. DJs Krisis and Melody Kane play chart, R&B, house, electro and hip hop. Pop It! at The Underworld, 174 Camden High Street, NW1 0NE Camden Town £6, w/flyer £4, 11pm-3am. Resident DJs spin pop and retro hits. Press Dat at East Village, 89 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HX Old Street £10, adv £5 & £7, 10pm-3.30am. Double 99, MC Creed and guests supply speed garage, house, hip hop and UK bass. Press Play at Wax Jambu, 145 Upper Street, N1 1QY Angel FREE, 8pm-2am. The Sonic Emporium plays disco, house and electro.

Lovebox Festival Offical Afterparty at XOYO, 32-37 Cowper Street, EC2A 4AP Old Street £11, 9pm-late. Zinc, Disclosure, Baio, w-Roman Soundsystem, Martelo, Monki, Moxie and Klose One spin dubstep, electro and house. Propaganda at O2 Academy Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS Angel £5, 10.30pm-3.30am. DJ Dan and guests spin an eclectic mix of indie, electro, pop, dance and drum’n’bass. Read The Crowd at Hed Kandi Bar, 38 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UR Clapham North phone for prices, 7pm2am. David Minns, Lee Rich and guests spin house and old skool anthems. Roller Disco at Renaissance Rooms, opposite Arch 8, Arches, Miles Street, SW8 1RZ Vauxhall £12.50, 8pm-2am. Old school roller disco with resident DJs playing disco, funk, soulful house, electro and breakbeat. Sin City at Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High Street, NW1 8QP Camden Town £7, NUS/mems £5 before 11.30pm, w/flyer £5 before 12midnight, 10.30pm-3.30am. Stevie C, Riyad, Tony Madball and Demonic play contemporary rock and metal in the main room, while Shuff and Vixen spin classic rock and metal in room two. Soul Fridays at Mustard, 2 Old Change Court, EC4M 8EN Mansion House phone for prices, phone for times. Resident DJs supply commercial R&B, old skool and funky house. Vegaboundz at Proud 2, The O2 Arena Peninsula Square, SE10 0DX North Greenwich adv £8-£15, 10pm6am. DJs Pharoahe Monch, True Tiger with D Double E and guests supply hip hop and dub. What The Funk at Cherryjam, Porchester

Monster Mash at Cellar Door, Zero Aldwych, WC2E 7EN Charing Cross FREE, 9pm1am. Resident DJs play jazz and swing, plus live act Kitty La Roar and Nick of Time.

clubbing Road, W2 6ET Royal Oak £7, FREE before 10pm, phone for times. Resident DJs spin pop, R&B and hip hop.

SATURDAY JUNE 16 Chockablock Vs House-Bound at The Rhythm Factory, 16-18 Whitechapel Road, E1 1EW Whitechapel £10 before 12midnight, 10pm-6am. DJs T2, Mark Radford and guests spin hip hop, house and retro beats. Club De Fromage at O2 Academy Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS Angel £6.50, 10.30pm3.30am. Resident DJs Tony and Slow Alfie spin pop hits, with themed fancy dress. Club Aloha at South London Pacific, 340 Kennington Road, SE11 4LD Oval £5, £3 before 10pm, FREE before 9pm, 7pm3am. Le Frere Dangereux supplies funk, soul and dance party tunes. Come Play With Me at The Edge, 11 Soho Square, W1D 3QF Tottenham Court Road FREE before 10pm, 10pm-3am. Resident DJs spin house and electro. Desert Island Disco at Sugarcane, 247249 Lavender Hill, SW11 1JW Clapham Junction FREE, 4pm1.30am. Residents play old school tracks. District at The Bowery, 36-38 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1EP Tottenham Court Road FREE, 9pm2.30pm. Hip hop, funk, soul, R&B, dubstep, broken beat and house from resident DJs Hooch, Brian Norman, Renegade, Mr Blue, DJ 279 and D-Bo. Electro Swing Club at The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH Old Street £10, £5 before 10pm, 8pm-2am. DJs AlgoRythmiK, Spry Bry, Koyabashi, Jon Bingly Bongly, Chris Tofu and Auntie Maureen’s Headphone Disco spin electro-swing and jazz. Fabric at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £19, adv £18, £10 after 4am, NUS £12, mems £13, 11pm-8am. Derrick Carter, Nick Curly, Terry Francis and Luke Slater spin house and techno, plus The Advent and Makam perform live. Feeling Gloomy at O2 Academy Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS Angel £8, £6 before 12midnight, adv NUS £5, 10.30pm-3.30am. Leonard and Cliff spin melancholy pop and indie. Funk Punk at Electric Social, 40 Acre Lane, SW2 5SP Brixton FREE before 10pm, 9pm-3am. Resident DJs spin funk, soul, pop, hip hop and retro hits. Genre at Wax Jambu, 145 Upper Street, N1 1QY Angel FREE, 4pm-2am. Resident DJs spin drum’n’bass, dubstep, funk, jazz and house. Ginglik Live at Ginglik, Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8PH Shepherd’s Bush £8, £6 before 10pm, 9pm-3am. DJ Stayhome, Forms and Kone-r supply electronica, techno, acid, disco, dubstep, old skool and esoteric classics. Glamorous at The Clapham Grand, 21-25 St John’s Hill, SW11 1TT Clapham Common £10, guestlist £5 before 11pm, 10pm-3am. The residents play funky house, soul, R&B and disco. Hed Kandi Presents Pure Kandi at Hed Kandi Bar, 38 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UR Clapham North phone for prices, 7pm-2am. Resident DJs spin funk and house.

Helter Skelter at Heroes Bar, 147 Kentish Town Road, NW1 8PB Kentish Town FREE, 9pm-2am. DJs George Wheels and Leonie spin psychedelic, 1960s garage, rock’n’roll, and soul. Jam Hot at Market Place W1, 11 Market Place, W1W 8AE Oxford Circus £10 gents, £5 ladies, £5 gents before 12midnight, FREE ladies before 12midnight, FREE before 10pm, 8pm-2am. DJ Konvex spins rock’n’roll classics to the latest jams. Ethno Bling at The Bedroom Bar, 62 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Old Street £5 adv, £7 on the door, 10pm-3am. Jeremy Soul, Wiseacre and guests supply house, Latin and dance beats. Lemonade at The Nest, 36 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XJ Dalston Kingsland £5, FREE before 10.30pm, 9.30pm-4am. Resident DJs spin electro and disco.

Lovebox Festival After Party at The Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6DP Elephant And Castle £15, 11pm7am. Dixon, Damian Lazarus, Miguel Campbell, Gerd Janson, Jack Savidge, Edwin Congreave, Tim Sweeney, Crazy P Soundsystem and Delice Dephunk spin house, electro, techno and disco across three floors. Love You Like Hell at Catch, 22 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA Old Street phone for prices, phone for times. Resident DJs spin 1970s-80s rock ballads, italo disco and 1980s cheese. I Love The 80s at The Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, NW1 7PG Camden Town £7, NUS £5, w/flyer £5 before 11.30pm, 10.30pm-3am. Jake Armstrong and Martin2Smoove play pop, indie, disco, cheese and rock. Mega Spanish Summer Party at The Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, N1 9NL King’s Cross St Pancras phone for prices, 10pm-6am. Resident DJs spin Spanish music and vibes. Monkey Funk at The Bedford, 77 Bedford Hill, SW12 9HD Balham £6, 11pm2am. The residents supply club classics in the theatre, with funk, soul, ska, rock’n’roll and blues in the ballroom. Muy Gupo at Salvador And Amanda, 8 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JA Leicester Square £10, guestlist £5, FREE before 9pm, 9pm-3am. Resident DJs spin current chart and indie.

Oh No! at The Garage, 20-26 Highbury Corner, N5 1RD Highbury & Islington £5, concs £4, 11pm-late. Resident DJs spin electro, house, chart and indie. Okie Dokie Presents at Crucifix, 7-9 Crucifix Lane, SE1 3JW London Bridge £10-£15, 11pm-7am. Attan, Jack & I, Charlie Dave Kent and guests supply hip hop, house and dance vibes. Ride at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH Camden Town £5, 7.30pm-2.30am. Cat Lovers, Filthy Few and Automation spin indie, electro and disco, plus burlesque and cabaret performances. Roadblock at Catch, 22 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA Old Street phone for prices, phone for times. DJs Tomfoolery and Mangno spin house, hip hop and garage. Roller Disco at Renaissance Rooms, opposite Arch 8, Arches, Miles Street, SW8 1RZ Vauxhall £15, adv £14, 8pm-2am. Old school roller disco with Mr Shiver and DJ Bradley playing disco, funk, soulful house, electro and breakbeat. Shake at Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High Street, NW1 8QP Camden Town £10, NUS/mems £8 before 11.30pm, 10pm3am. Disco and pop from DJ John Osbourne and Paul C in the main room, while DJ Milo plays party anthems in room two. Shogun Audio at Cable, 33A Bermondsey Street, SE1 2EG London Bridge £15, adv £13 & £14, 10pm-6am. Friction, Shy FX, Icicle, Rockwell, Alix Perez, Spectrasoul, Technicolour, Komatic, RackNRuin, Dr S Gachet and Liquid Gold spin drum’n’bass, dub and electro, plus MCs GQ, Stamina, Mantmast and LX One. Silver at The Underworld, 174 Camden High Street, NW1 0NE Camden Town £6, NUS/w/flyer £5, 11pm-3am. DJ Jo Bliss plays indie and electro. Space: The Summer Sessions at Pacha, Terminus Place, SW1V 1JR Victoria £20, adv £15, 11pm-6am. Kinkyfunk DJs and Twisted Plastic DJs spin house and electro across two rooms. Subsoul at The Social, 5 Little Portland Street, W1W 7JD Oxford Circus £5, FREE before 8pm, 6pm-1am. Jazzie B, Spin Doctor and Chris P Cuts provide soul, disco, hip hop and house. Tiger Blood at 333, 333 Old Street, EC1V 9LL Old Street £5, FREE before 11pm, phone for times. Resident DJs spin hip hop, roots, reggae, dub, dubstep and drum’n’bass. Viet Party at Club Colosseum, 1 Nine Elms Lane, SW8 5NQ Vauxhall £20, 11pm-6am. DJs Red & Blue, T-One, Phuong Pharreal, D-Viant, Dr Grey and guests spin R&B and Latin beats. We Are One at Sound, 1 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA Leicester Square £10, £5 before 11pm, 10pm-3am. DJs Krisis and Flex spin pop, R&B and dance anthems. What’s My Name? at The Macbeth, 70 Hoxton Street, N1 6LP Old Street FREE, 7pm-late. Brock Diamondquartz, And Ko, Miguel Dare and Scarlett Valentine spin pop, hip hop and R&B.

SUNDAY JUNE 17 The Electric Musicbox at Market Place W1, 11 Market Place, W1W 8AE Oxford Circus £10 gents, £5 ladies, £5 gents before 12midnight, FREE ladies before 12midnight, FREE before 10pm, 8pm-2am.

Resident DJs spin party mixes and dance favourites. Fuse at 93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane, E1 6RU Liverpool Street guestlist FREE, 1pm-10.30pm. Resident DJ Enzo Siragusa provides techno, house, electro and minimal. Industry Night at Fiesta Havana, 490-492 Fulham Road, SW6 5NH Fulham Broadway FREE, phone for times. Resident DJs spin Latin, funk and soul, plus live 10 piece Latino band. Jaded at Cable, 33A Bermondsey Street, SE1 2EG London Bridge £12, concs £8, 5pm-1am. DJ Raymundo Rodriguez plays house and techno. Jamais Vu at Horse And Groom, 28 Curtain Road, EC2A 3NZ Shoreditch High Street £5, FREE before 9pm, 8pm-2am. Resident DJs spin drum’n’bass, dubstep and hip hop. Shiftless Shuffle at East Village, 89 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HX Old Street £5 class, 2pm-7pm. Simon Mansell and Dean “Jazzman” Moor spin hard jazz-funk, jazz, Latin, Brazilian and fusion. Jazz dance classes available. Showtime at Sound, 1 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA Leicester Square £10, £5 before 11pm, 10pm-3am. DJ Phatman plays house, electro, R&B and chart. Soulful Sundays at So.Uk, 165 Clapham High Street, SW4 7SS Clapham Common phone for prices, phone for times. DJ Wigz plays a mix of classic soul, funk, electro and jazz. Sundays at Cargo, 83 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Old Street FREE, phone for times. Resident DJ spins house and funk. The Sunday Show at Sound, 1 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA Leicester Square £10, £5 before 7.30pm, 8pm-late. Resident DJs spin chart, dance and R&B, plus live music.

MONDAY JUNE 18 Funday Monday at Cargo, 83 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Old Street FREE, 7pm-1am. DJ Jimbo Jangles plays house, dance, indie, pop, R&B and electro. Rehab at The Roxy, 3-5 Rathbone Place, W1T 1HJ Tottenham Court Road £5, NUS/w/flyer £3, mems £1 before 9.30pm, 10pm-3am. DJ Haley, Zoe Demonette, Dan Udy and Malarky supply indie, electro and pop. Service Industry Night at Rumba, 36 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EP Piccadilly Circus £7, £5 before 12midnight, w/payslip FREE before 12midnight, 9pm-3am. Colin Russell and Donald Sweeneey provide R&B, hip hop and chart. Sin at Rumba, 36 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EP Piccadilly Circus FREE, phone for prices. Resident DJs and guests spin party anthems and dance beats. Stampede at Escape Bar, 10A Brewer Street, W1F 0SU Piccadilly Circus £5, FREE before 10pm, 10pm-11pm £1, NUS £3, 9pm-3am. DJ Laurence Rene spins poppunk, alternative, rock and ska, with hosts Oli Sandler and Matt Boland. Swing Cats Jam at 229 The Venue, 229 Great Portland Street, W1W 5PW Great Portland Street £6 after 9pm, 9pm-11pm. Resident DJs spin swing, jazz and retro, plus dance lessons with Robert & Claire Austin.

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Sport & Fitness

Where to play in London Highbury Table Tennis Club at Highbury Grove School This is the place for ping pong and beers. highburytabletennis.co.uk 8 Highbury Grove London N5 2EQ Highbury & Islington

Ping when you’re winning

Young Offenders Institute at 93 Feet East theyoi.co.uk 150 Brick Lane E1 6QL Shoreditch High Street

oris Johnson famously announced at the close of the Beijing Olympics that it was the Victorians – not the Chinese – who invented ping pong, and that “wiff-waff” was a parlour game played on grand dining tables. The mayor’s claim, delivered with plenty of snorting side-spin, has since been disputed, but the fact remains that with London 2012 rapidly approaching, the appetite for table tennis – or

whatever you want to call it – in the capital is growing apace. In 2010 arts project Ping! introduced a four-week initiative to put up more than 100 temporary tables - equipped with bats and balls - alongside key landmarks, museums and squares in London. It was a huge success, and returns this summer. From June 29 until the end of the Paralympics there will be 130 tables put up across the capital at Beer and pong: Pongathon sees competitive table tennis, while drinking and dancing. Ace combo

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places such as Leicester Square, Heathrow, Kings Cross, Natural History Museum, Shoreditch Church and Canary Wharf. This time there will be additional attractions, such as artist-designed tables, dating match-ups, and glow-in-the-dark games. Sing London, backed by the English Table Tennis Association, is the team behind the scheme and creative director Colette Hiller is delighted by the success. “Since 2010 we have attracted a further 150,000 regular players,” she says, “and it’s easy to see why. It often takes a very small intervention to generate social interaction between strangers, and here is a game that crosses over age barriers, national and cultural divides. And unlike most other sports you can pick it up and improve immediately. “We’ve found people are very trustworthy and don’t walk off with the bats.” She adds: “Two years ago, when we started Ping! there were lovely examples of gardeners playing

Wilton’s Music Hall Occasional tournaments wiltons.org.uk 1 Graces Alley, London E1 8JB Aldgate East The Book Club wearetbc.com

100-106 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4RH Old Street

each other in the parks before work, security guards doing likewise, and office workers having a go in their lunch breaks. I expect, with the Olympics about to start, the desire to play will be even greater this time around.” Adrian Leigh founded Pongathon in October and hosts nights at clubs across London where hundreds of people – on company days out, or on their own – can test their table tennis talents out against strangers, with a beer in hand and a soundtrack of dance music. He has been amazed by the interest, and is looking to expand quickly. “The Games

MAX BRAUN

By Oliver Pickup

featured

66 It’s what all the

cool kids in Sweden, New York and Berlin are doing 99

Bobby on the ball: Ping pong tables will be put up across London

coming has helped, but it’s been a great success,” he says. “We have provided something that is sociable, fun and trendy. But it’s what all the cool kids are doing in Sweden, New York and Berlin – there is a real taste for it in London too. It’s a great ice-breaker.” Paul Drinkhall, Team GB’s sole representative in the men’s singles, thinks these initiatives are fantastic for the sport. He tells Scout London: “People go to these events, have fun and get

involved and it is great that there are different takes on the sport to capture the imagination, be it music or luminous balls. It is little wonder with ideas like Ping! and Pongathon that table tennis is one of the only sports in Britain in which the participation levels are continuing to go up.” pingengland.co.uk pongathon.com singlondon.org etta.co.uk

Watch the track: Ping! grabs the attention of these station staff

WE ARE LOND N scoutlondon.com

The new magazine for London. Available 24/7 at scoutlondon.com scoutlondon.com Scout London 49

Theatre

Giving London an extra lift At a time when all eyes will be on London, one festival turns its focus to the world, as James Glavin discovers

ith the Jubilee sailing into memory and the Olympics just around the corner, could London get any buzzier? Absolutely. And the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) 2012 is about to prove it. The event brings an ambitious programme of events from across the globe to the capital. “It’s been two years in the making,” artistic director Mark Ball tells Scout London. “What defines LIFT is its sense of curiosity in bringing to London the stories of the world that wouldn’t ordinarily be profiled here. We have a clear agenda to find the most interesting theatre makers who have something to tell us about the world.” Part of the world that seems particularly under LIFT’s spotlight is the Middle East. Ball agrees. “I’d say the spine of this year’s programme is work from that region. I travelled there in 2010 and saw a generation of more experimental, radical and political artists who were starting to make work within the context of these often very controlled societies.” This seems even more vital following the events of the Arab Spring last year, Ball says. “These artists have an important role in the

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re-imagining of their own countries. It’s a great opportunity for a young generation of artists to challenge our perceptions about the region.” With so much going on in London this summer, it could have been challenging to get noticed, but the team behind LIFT 2012 sees it

 Mark Ball

as a unique opportunity to showcase the city’s talent and creativity. “The world’s media will be here, there’s a real buzz about London – what better time for a festival that’s about the world in London?” The eclectic programme presents almost too much to choose from, but a few productions seem to be earning particular interest. The Rest is Silence (see review, right) was a sell-out when it featured in the Brighton Festival and the epic scale of Motor Show is also attracting attention. It’s an unlikely pairing of motoring and modern dance and takes place over 22 acres of wasteland near The O2 in Greenwich. The audience watches from a distance, wearing headphones to transport them into the interior of the cars they can see approaching. This use of headphones is a technique that regular collaborators Frauke Requardt and David Rosenberg used previously in 2010’s awardwinning Electric Hotel, and Rosenberg tells Scout that Motor Show is a development of the themes of that piece. “We were interested in exploring further the way an audience can be placed away from a piece of work while still maintaining an intimacy through sound,” he says.

featured “So even though they’re seeing things from far away, the feeling should be that they are within the action as well. One of the main things we’ve been playing with is the huge depth of the space and the perspective we’re able to get.” Productions that experiment with the interaction between performers and audience seems to be what LIFT does best. Other examples include 66 Minutes In Damascus, an immersive, atmospheric production which leads its audience through the bowels of Shoreditch Town Hall in the shoes of someone picked off the street in Syria. Another highlight is Gatz, an eight hour-long, word for word reading of The Great Gatsby. This doesn’t seem in keeping with a contemporary theatre festival, but Mark Ball is quick to point out how topical it is. “Gatz is substantially different from anything else in the programme but has a huge resonance with what’s happening now. It was written a few years before the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression and is about power without responsibility, the carelessness of wealth and a generation which was on a precipice but partying on regardless. “The current public dialogue about the irresponsibility of bankers makes it a very relevant piece.” LIFT 2012 has a global scope, but the festival also teaches us new things about London itself. Ball suggests the example of 100% London, at the Hackney Empire. “It’s a show featuring 100 non-professional performers who have been recruited to perfectly represent

The Rest Is Silence dreamthinkspeak

66 LIFT is

defined by a sense of curiosity 99 the demographics of London. It’s just one of a whole range of things from the beautiful and the immersive to the challenging and the political that make you see the city in a different way.” LIFT 2012, June 12–July 15, various venues, liftfestival.com

The difficulty in reviewing The Rest Is Silence is that to reveal too much about its extraordinary staging might rob future audiences of being as bowled over as I was by the surprising ambition of dreamthinkspeak’s production. So, although this review will have to remain tight-lipped on the detail, it’s without a doubt easy to say it is one of the most remarkably staged productions I’ve seen in some time. It’s a reinterpretation of Hamlet and while the text is entirely Shakespeare’s own, it has been deconstructed and reorganised to mine it for new meaning. One almost wishes that the incredible stagecraft had been applied to the full version of Hamlet instead, but The Rest Is Silence succeeds in getting to the very essence of the play. A reasonable knowledge of Hamlet would probably help audiences get the most of the play, but even Shakespeare virgins will be captivated as the excellent cast brings to life the tense, unsettling world that director Tristan Sharps has created. The Rest Is Silence is a visual and verbal treat for any fan of original and innovative theatre and promises to be one of the most talked about highlights of LIFT 2012. JG The Rest Is Silence, June 12-23, Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, Hammersmith, W6 9RL Hammersmith

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Theatre WEST END

The Sunshine Boys ends Jul 28, Savoy Theatre, Savoy Court, Strand, WC2R 0ET Charing Cross £20-£58.50, concs available, Premium Seats £75, 20 top price seats at £10 each, available in person only from 10am on day of performance, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Neil Simon’s comedy with Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths as the estranged comic duo Willie Clark and Al Lewis. The 39 Steps ends Mar 30 2013, Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, W1J 0TR Piccadilly Circus £15-£55, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Wed 3pm, Sat 4pm, no perf Dec 26, Dec 24, 4pm. John Buchan’s thriller. 6 Actors In Search Of A Director ends Jun 23, Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NL Embankment £29.50, concs £24.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3.30pm. Steven Berkoff’s latest comedy, set on a film location set. Abigail’s Party ends Sep 1, Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0DA Leicester Square £12.50-£49.50, Premium Seats £75, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm. Mike Leigh’s 1970s suburbia-set comedy drama, featuring Jill Halfpenny as Beverly. Antigone ends Jun 20, National Theatre: Olivier, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo Jun 1-20 £12-£32, Tue 2pm OAP £12 & £22, Jun 15 & 16, 18-20, 7.30pm, mats Jun 16, 19, 2pm, Jun 17, 2.30pm. Sophocles’s Greek drama features Jodie Whittaker in the title role. 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, MonSat 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-£67.50, Apr 23-Sep 22 Mon-Fri 8pm & 5pm under 26s £20, Mon-Thu, Sat 8pm, Fri 5pm & 8.30pm, mats Sat 3pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, 3pm, Dec 22, 3pm. Long running musical. Collaborators ends Jun 23, National Theatre: Olivier, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£32. Alex Jennings and Simon Russell Beale feature in John Hodge’s 1930s Moscow-set drama. Democracy ends Jul 14, Old Vic, 103 The

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Cut, SE1 8NB Waterloo Jun 15-23 £10-£35, under 25s £12, Jun 24-30, Jul 1-14 £10-£45, Wed, Sat 2.30pm OAP £26, under 25s £12, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, Jun 21, 2.30pm (press night Jun 20, 7pm, no mat perf Jun 16, 20). Michael Frayn’s spy drama based on reallife events. Dreamboats And Petticoats ends Nov 24, Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5DE Charing Cross £17.50-£55, Premium Seats £55-£65, Mon-Fri 7.30pm, Sat 8pm, mats Thu 3pm, Sat 4pm. Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran’s musical. Ghost - The Musical ends Apr 20 2013, Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman Street, W1D 7DY Piccadilly Circus Mon-Wed/ Thu mats £25-£65, Thu eves/Fri & Sat £25-£67.50, Premium Seats £85, £25 day tickets available Mon-Fri from the box office from 10am on the day of the performance, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. A stage adaptation of the 1990 film. Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain! ends Sep 21, Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0HH Charing Cross £10-£14.50, Wed-Fri 1pm, Sat 10.30am & 12noon, Sun 3pm & 5pm. A look at all the nasty, crazy things British people have done to each other over many years. Jersey Boys ends Feb 17 2013, 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 Jun 12-Oct 21, Sun 5pm, no perf Dec 25, Dec 30, 3pm, extra mat perf Dec 27, 3pm. Musical drama about the career of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons. 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 based on Victor Hugo’s novel. The Lion King ends Jan 6 2013, Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street, WC2E 7RQ Charing Cross Tue-Thu £30-£60, Fri, Sun £32.50-£62.50, Sat £35-£65, Jun 12-Jan 6, Sep 2-Dec 31, Jan 1-6 2013, TueSat 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, no perf Dec 25, no mat perf Dec 26, extra mat perf Dec 27, 2.30pm. Musical. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: The Last Of The Haussmans ends Sep 16, National Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo Jun 12-18 previews £12-£29.50, Jun 19-30, Jul 1-31, Aug 1-31, Sep 1-16 £12-£47, Mon-Fri/Sun 7.30pm, 2.15pm & 2.30pm child £12-£23.50, Wed 2.15pm OAP £12-£27, Jun 12-16, 18, 2023, 26-30, Jul 2-7, 9 & 10, 27 & 28, Aug 3 & 4, 9-11, 13, 20-22, 27-30, Sep 3-6, 14 & 15, 7.30pm, press night Jun 19, 7pm, mats Jun 20, 23, 27, 30, Jul 4, 7, 28, Aug 4, 11, 22, 29, Sep 5, 15, 2.15pm, Jul 29, Aug 5, 12, Sep 16, 2.30pm. A witty, moving and savage look at a family that is losing its collective grip. Written by Stephen Beresford. Long Day’s Journey Into Night ends Aug 18, Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ Piccadilly Circus £21£53.50, Premium Seats £76, Mon & Tue, Thu-Sat 7pm, mats Wed 2.30pm. David Suchet and Laurie Metcalf star in Eugene O’Neill’s drama. Mamma Mia! ends Sep 1, Prince Of Wales Theatre, 31 Coventry Street, W1D 6AS

Charing Cross Mon-Fri £20-£64, Sat £20-£67.50, Premium Seats £85 & £95, Mon-Thu, Sat 7.30pm, Fri 5pm & 8.30pm, mats Sat 3pm, extra mat Jul 27, 3pm, no eve perf Jul 27. Musical comedy. Matilda: The Musical ends Feb 17 2013, Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street, WC2H 9HU Covent Garden Feb 14 2012-Feb 17 2013 £20-£62.50, disabled £31.25, Tue-Thu under 18s £19-£52.50, Tue 7pm, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, Sun 3pm, extra mat perf Nov 1, 2.30pm. Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s tale. 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. The Grand Dame of the West End, millions of Londoners and tourists alike have been entertained by twisty Christie. The Mystery Of Edwin Drood ends Jun 17, Arts Theatre, 6-7 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB Covent Garden Jun 1-17 Tue-Sun £10-£40, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm, Sun 4pm. Rupert Holmes’s musical, based on the unfinished book by Charles Dickens. Naked Boys Singing ends Dec 29, Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NL Embankment £15 & £22.50, Fri & Sat 10pm. Comedy revue celebrating the male nude form. Caution: contains full frontal nudity. 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. Michael Frayn’s farcical comedy. The One Hour Plays! Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square £10, Jun 18, 8.30pm. Drama created from scratch in 60 minutes. One Man, Two Guvnors ends Jan 12 2013, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 18 Suffolk Street, SW1Y 4HT Piccadilly Circus £15-£55, premium seats £85, concs available, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 25, extra mat perf Dec 27, Jan 3, 2.30pm, Dec 24, 2.30pm, Dec 26, 7.30pm. Richard Bean’s comic tale, based on Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant Of Two Masters. 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. Posh ends Aug 4, The Duke Of York’s, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BG Leicester Square £15-£52.50, NUS £25, OAP £29.50, adv OAP £32.50, Premium Seats £75, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Laura Wade’s drama about members of an elite student dining society. 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. Shrek - The Musical ends Mar 31 2013, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Catherine Street, WC2B 5JF Covent Garden £20-£65, Wed & Thu eves family of four £99-£150, additional seats £29.50 (upper circle) &

£45 (best available), Premium Seats £95, Mon, Thu-Sat 7.30pm, Wed 7pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm, no perf Oct 10. Musical based on the computer-animated film. 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 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm, 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 Jul 21, 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. 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 Aug 1, 15, 22, Oct 31 2012, 8pm, extra mats Aug 15, 22, Oct 31 2012. Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell’s show.

London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Gatz ends Jul 15, Noel Coward Theatre, 85-88 St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4AU Leicester Square £25.50-£75.50, Jun 8 previews £10.50-£45.50, Jun 9 & 10 previews £10.50-£65.50, Wed, Fri-Sun 2.30pm-10.30pm inc two 15-minute intervals and a 90-minute supper break, press perf Jun 13. A loving enactment of F Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal novel, The Great Gatsby. 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. A Walk On Part: The Fall Of New Labour, starts Mon, ends Jul 14, Arts Theatre, 6-7 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB Covent Garden £15-£29.50, standby for NUS/OAPs/child £20, From Jun 18, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm. An adaptation of former government minister Chris Mullin’s diaries.

recommended 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. We Will Rock You ends Oct 20, Dominion Theatre, 268-9 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7AQ Tottenham Court Road Jan 1-Dec 31 2011, May 15-Oct 20 2012 £27.50-£60, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm. Musical. What The Butler Saw ends Aug 25, Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, WC2R 0NH Charing Cross Jun 1-30, Jul 1-31, Aug 1-25 £25-£49.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Jul 27, extra mat perf Jul 24, 2.30pm. Joe Orton’s final play featuring Omid Djalili. Wicked ends Apr 27 2013, Apollo Victoria Theatre, 17 Wilton Road, SW1V 1LG Victoria Mon-Fri eves/mats £15£62.50, Sat eves £15-£65, 24 front row day tickets priced £27.50 each released 10am at the box office, maximum two per person. It’s not easy being green. The Witness ends Jun 30, Jerwood Theatre At The Royal Court, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS Sloane Square Mon £10, Tue-Sat £20, concs available, MonSat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3.30pm, Jun 21, 28, 3.30pm. A modern thriller written by Vivienne Franzmann. The Wizard Of Oz ends Sep 2, 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 7pm, Wed-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.

Top Hat - The Musical ends Jan 26 2013, Aldwych Theatre, 49 Aldwych, WC2B 4DF Covent Garden £20£65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, 31. Irving Berlin’s romantic musical.

Susan Hill’s ghost story. Yes, Prime Minister ends Jan 1 2013, Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY Charing Cross £26.50, £46.50, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn’s comedy.

OFF WEST END

Detroit ends Jun 15, National Theatre: Cottesloe, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo Jun 1-15 £12-£32, Mon-Fri mid week mats OAP £12-£22, under 18s £12-£20. Last chance to see writer Lisa D’Amour’s acclaimed brutal, hilarious play, set in the mid-American city of Detroit. BOYS ends Jun 16, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road £10-£20, concs £10-£12.50, Mon-Sat 7.15pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm. Ella Jackson’s contemporary rites-of-passage drama. Chariots Of Fire ends Jun 16, Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, NW3 3EU Swiss Cottage £29, concs £15, Mon £22, mats OAP £15, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed 2.30pm, Sat 3pm. Mike Bartlett’s stage version of the race to compete in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. Children’s Children ends Jun 30, Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, N1 1TA Highbury & Islington Jun 1-30 £8£32, Mon-Thu 7.30pm over 60s, students concs on ticket price £22 & £24/Wed, Sat 2.30pm over 60s, students £16, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, Jun 20, 2.30pm. Matthew Dunster’s often funny play about two long-standing actor friends whose relationship is under strain. Little Sunshine, Little Rainfall: A Thousand Cranes starts Fri, ends Jun 16, Artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, N12 0GA Finchley Central £7, NUS £5, Jun 15, 11am & 1pm, Jun 16, 12noon & 3pm. Japanese-inspired children’s theatre about a mischievous fox. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: The Comedy Of Errors ends Jul 4, Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH Chalk Farm £12-£47, OAP £12-£25, Jun 13, 7pm, Jun 15, 19 & 20, 22, 27, 29, Jul 3 & 4, 7.30pm. Shakespeare’s comedy of identical twins and mistaken identities. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: The Rest Is Silence ends Jun 23, Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, W6 9RL Hammersmith £25, From Jun 12, TueSun 8pm, mats Wed, Sat & Sun 4pm. A multimedia take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: The Tempest ends Jul 5, Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH Chalk Farm £12-£47, Jun 14, 7pm, Jun 16, 21, 23, 26, 28, 30, Jul 2, 5, 7.30pm. Magical tale of a

usurped Duke, a shipwreck and retribution. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Twelfth Night ends Jul 5, Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH Chalk Farm £8-£47, Jun 12, 18, 25, 7.30pm, mats Jun 14, 1pm, Jun 16, 21, 23, 28, 30, Jul 5, 1.30pm. David Farr directs Shakespeare’s comedy of disguises and wounded hearts. Mary Shelley ends Jul 7, Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Road, NW6 7JR Kilburn Mon eves/Wed mats £14-£21, Tue-Fri eves/Sat mats £20-£27, Sat eves £24-£31, From Jun 12, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Sat 3pm, extra mat perf Jun 20, 27, Jul 4, 2pm (press night Jun 14, 7pm). Helen Edmundson’s drama exploring the life of the Frankenstein author. Olfactory ends Jun 28, Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL Hammersmith FREE, From Jun 12, Tue-Thu 12noon-3pm. Intimate performance exploring the sense of smell. The Physicists ends Jul 21, Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LX Covent Garden Jun 7-30, Jul 1-21 £10-£32.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. A satirical drama written by Friedrich Durrenmantt, adapted by Jack Thorne. The Play’s The Thing: Henry V ends Aug 26, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 21 New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT Mansion House lower/middle/upper galleries seated £15£39, yard standing £5, under 18s £12-£36, Jun 12 & 13, 15 & 16, 19-22, 26, 28, 30, Jul 3, 5, 7, 11-13, 27, Aug 2, 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21 & 22, 25, 7.30pm, Jun 22, 12midnight, Jun 24, Jul 1, 8, Aug 12, 19, 26, 6.30pm, mats Jun 13 & 14, 16, 27, 29, Jul 4, 6, 28, Aug 3 & 4, 8, 22 & 23, 2pm, Jun 24, Jul 1, 8, Aug 12, 19, 26, 1pm. Jamie Parker stars as the young English monarch warring with the French, in Shakespeare’s history play. The Prophet, starts Thu, ends Jul 21, Gate Theatre, 11 Pembridge Road (above the Prince Albert Pub), W11 3HQ Notting Hill Gate Jun 14-19 previews £10, Jun 20-30, Jul 1-27 Mon-Sat 7.30pm £20, concs £15, Sat 3pm £10, From Jun 14, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3pm (press night Jun 20). A part-verbatim drama written by Hassan Abdulrazzak, set during

LIFT 2012: White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, starts Sun, ends Jul 1, Gate Theatre, 11 Pembridge Road (above the Prince Albert Pub), W11 3HQ Notting Hill Gate £12, concs £10, Jun 17, 24, Jul 1, 2pm & 5pm, Jun 24, 3.30pm, inter-show talk. Solo political drama written by a young Iranian dramatist.

the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Rest Upon The Wind ends Jun 17, Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, W6 9RL Hammersmith £22.50, concs £18, Jun 12-16, 7.45pm, mats Jun 16 & 17, 2.45pm. A new drama about 19th century Middle Eastern immigrants forced to seek refuge in America. Written by Nadim Sawalha. Spinach ends Jul 7, King’s Head, Islington, 115 Upper Street, N1 1QN Angel £17.50-£22.50, concs £15, From Jun 12, Tue-Sat 7.15pm, mats Sun 3pm, press night Jun 15. An exploration of abduction and disorientation in which every line is sung instead of spoken. Summer Cook Up Season: Berlin Nevada: Scratch Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Clapham Junction Hill, SW11 5TN FREE, Jun 15, 7.30pm. A collaborative contemporary performance, aiming to explore public spaces through a theatrical lens. Summer Cook Up Season: Operation Greenfield ends Jun 23, Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, SW11 5TN Clapham Junction £15, concs £10, Mon-Sat 8pm, Jun 19, 23, 9.45pm. Coming-of-age musical about four teenage talent show competitors. Torch Song Trilogy ends Aug 12, The Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, SE1 1RU London Bridge Jun 12-30, Jul 1-31, Aug 1-12 £29.50, concs £27, £37 inc meal, Tue-Sat 8pm, mats Sat & Sun 3.30pm (press night Jun 12, no mat perf Jun 17). Harvey Fierstein’s comedy drama is directed by actor-director Douglas Hodge.

FRINGE The 10th More London Free Festival At The Scoop: The Importance Of Being Ernest, starts Wed, ends Jun 15, The Scoop At More London, The Queens Walk, SE1 2AA London Bridge FREE, Jun 13-15, 6.30pm. The Pantaloons Theatre Company presents Oscar Wilde’s comedy drama. Bash (Iphigenia In Orem/A Gaggle Of Saints/Media Redux) ends Jun 17, Barons Court Theatre, The Curtain’s Up, 28A Comeragh Road, W14 9HR Barons Court £15, concs £12, Tue-Sun 7.45pm. Three one-act plays written by Neil LaBute. Be Good Revolutionaries ends Jun 23, Oval House Theatre, 54 Kennington Oval, SE11 5SW Oval £14, concs £8 & £10, Tue-Sat 7.45pm. Drama set amongst the family of a lost revolutionary hero. Beast ends Jun 17, White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, SE11 4DJ Kennington £13, concs £10, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6pm, mats Sat 3pm. An evocative drama featuring film footage, about a love affair between an ageing artist and a young prostitute, written by Elena Bolster. Believers Anonymous ends Jun 23, Rosemary Branch Theatre, 2A Shepperton Road, N1 3DT Old Street Jun 7-23 £12, concs £8, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6pm. The world premiere of a new comedy about addiction and faith. Belong ends Jun 23, Theatre Local At The Bussey Building, 133 Rye Lane, SE15 4ST Peckham Rye pay what you can, adv £10, concs £8, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Wed, Sat 3.30pm. A satirical drama written by Bola Agbaje.

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Theatre Black Barn, starts Fri, ends Jun 17, LOST Theatre, 208 Wandsworth Road, SW8 2JU Stockwell £10, concs £7, Jun 15-17, 8pm, doors 7.30pm. Physical drama tinged with horror. Cat Commander: Is Falling Tristan Bates Theatre, The Actors Centre, 1a Tower Street, WC2H 9NP Leicester Square £10, concs £7, Jun 16, 3.30pm. A confessional characterbased cabaret. Daybreak ends Jun 30, Tristan Bates Theatre, The Actors Centre, 1a Tower Street, WC2H 9NP Leicester Square £13, concs £10, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sun 3.30pm. Notion Theatre presents Bobby Cronin’s time-bending musical. A Duet Without You Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Aldgate East £10, concs £8, Jun 16, 4.30pm & 7.30pm. A work-in-progress from Chloe Dechery, exploring what it means to be two. Events While Guarding The Bofors Gun ends Jun 16, Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, SW10 9ED West Brompton £14 & £16, concs £10 & £12, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat & Sun 3pm. John McGrath’s Cold War-set drama. Directed by Robert Hastie.

Vanya, Starts Mon, ends Jul 7, The Print Room, 34 Hereford Road, W2 5AJ Notting Hill Gate £20, concs £15, phone for availability, From Jun 18, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3pm. Mike Poulton adapts Anton Chekhov’s drama. Excuse Me, I’m Trying To Please You Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High Street, NW1 7BU Camden Town £10, concs £8.50, Jun 18, 7.30pm. Solo comedy featuring monologues and original songs. Faith ends Jun 16, The Courtyard, Bowling Green Walk, 40 Pitfield Street, N1 6EU Old Street £15, concs £12.50, Tue-Sun 7.30pm. Meredith Oakes’s drama set during the Falklands War. Gap Year Tristan Bates Theatre, The Actors Centre, 1a Tower Street, WC2H 9NP Leicester Square £6, concs £5, Jun 18, 1pm & 7.30pm. A semi-autobiographical one-woman comedy sketch show. Goodnight Mrs Calabash - The Jimmy Durante Musical ends Jun 24, Upstairs At The Gatehouse, Hampstead Lane, N6 4BD Highgate £10-£16, Tue-Sat 7.30pm,

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mats Sun 4pm. Tony Day’s musical inspired by the life of the American entertainer Jimmy Durante. The Heavier Load ends Jun 17, Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High Street, NW1 7BU Camden Town £10, concs £8, Jun 12-16, 7.30pm, Jun 17, 6.30pm. One-act drama exploring the relationship between a brother and sister. Henry V ends Jun 30, Marylebone Gardens, 35 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QD Regent’s Street £16, concs £10, MonSat 7.30pm. A contemporary, immersive staging of Shakespeare’s history play. Indifference Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Aldgate East £10, concs £8, Jun 15, 7pm. Contemporary performance piece created from popular holiday dances. Legendary Histories: Legend Theatre Co ends Jun 24, Colour House Theatre, Merton Abbey Mills, off Merantun Way, SW19 2RD Colliers Wood £8, concs £7, Sat & Sun 2pm & 4pm. Educational interactive theatre. Letters To Larry ends Jun 16, Jermyn Street Theatre, 16B Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6ST Piccadilly Circus £18, concs £15, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3.30pm. Drama exploring the relationship between Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. LIFT 2012: Minsk, 2011: A Reply To Kathy Acker ends Jun 23, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ Waterloo £17.50, NUS/under 25s £10, From Jun 12, MonSat 7.45pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.45pm, no mat perf Jun 13 (press night Jun 15, 7pm). Contemporary drama about life under dictatorship. London 2012 Cultural Olympiad: Crow, starts Mon, ends Jul 7, Greenwich Dance Agency, The Borough Hall, Royal Hill, SE10 8RE Greenwich Jun 18-20 previews £10, Jun 21-30, Jul 1-7 £15 & £18, concs £12 & £15, From Jun 18, Mon-Sat 8pm, press night Jun 21, 7pm, Jun 30, Jul 7, 5pm. A puppet and dance adaptation of Ted Hughes’s dark poem, from Matthew Dunster. The Lower Depths ends Jun 24, Theatre Collection, Above The Lord Stanley Pub, 51 Camden Park Road, NW1 9BH Caledonian Road £10-£12, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 5pm. La Reve ends Jul 6, Cafe De Paris, 3-4 Coventry Street, W1D 6BL Piccadilly Circus £15, adv £12, £50 inc 2 course dinner, £55 inc 3 course dinner, all tickets include admission to after show club event until 3am, Fri 8.30pm, doors open 7pm, dinner served at 8pm. A decadent and entertaining show featuring well-known personalities from the alt-cabaret and burlesque world. Mad About The Boy ends Jun 16, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ Waterloo £15, Mon-Sat 8pm, mat Jun 13, 16, 3pm. Gbolahan Obisesan’s drama about expectations and miscommunication. Meat ends Jun 30, Theatre 503, The Latchmere Pub, 503 Battersea Park Road, SW11 3BW Sloane Square £14, concs £9, Tue-Sat 7.45pm, Sun 5pm. Jimmy Osborne’s drama about a factory worker who becomes a vigilante. A Midsummer Night’s Dream ends Sep 5, The Open Air Theatre, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, NW1 4NU Regent’s Park Jun 11-13, 20-23, 25 & 26, Jul 5-7, 9-11, 19-21, 23-26,

Aug 16-18, 20-22, 30 & 31, Sep 1, 2-5 £22.50-£42.50, Premium Seats £49.50, Jul 25 & 26, Aug 2-4, 6-8 Olympics Tickets pricing when booked before Apr 30 £20.12. Shakespeare’s evergreen forest fantasy. A Midsummer Night’s Dream ends Jul 1, Brockwell Park, Dulwich Road, SE24 0NG Herne Hill £9.50-£13.50, Jun 12-14, 17, 20 & 21, 24, 26, 29 & 30, 7.30pm, mats Jun 23, Jul 1, 3pm. William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, directed by Mark Leipacher. Mrs Brown Rides Again ends Jun 16, HMV Apollo, Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH Hammersmith £19.50-£39.50, Jun 12-16, 6.30pm. Comedy starring Brendan O’Carroll as irrepressible mammy Agnes Brown. No Picnic ends Jun 24, Waterloo East Theatre, 3 Wootton Street (Entrance In Brad Street), SE1 8TG Waterloo £14, From Jun 12, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sun 4pm. A satirical dark comedy by Greg Freeman, on the crisis of conscience faced by teddy bears. Othello, starts Fri, ends Jul 1, Brockwell Park, Dulwich Road, SE24 0NG Herne Hill £9.50-£13.50, Jun 15-17, 19, 22-24, 27 & 28, Jul 1, 7.30pm, mats Jun 24, 30, 3pm. William Shakespeare’s tragedy is directed by Rachel VelentineSmith. Pandregina ends Jun 21, Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £10, Thu 8.30pm. David Hoyle presents this cabaret show which attempts to break the norm for the politically correct definitions of masculine and feminine. Pussy Galore Volupte, 7-9 Norwich Street, EC4A 1EJ Chancery Lane £58 inc meal, Jun 15, 7pm & 10pm. Burlesque show set to classic James Bond theme tunes. Pythagoras (Smith) ends Jun 17, Pentameters Theatre, Three Horseshoes, Heath Street, NW3 6TE Hampstead £12, concs £10, Tue-Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm. An award-winning play by the poet Dannie Abse. Ragtime ends Sep 8, The Open Air Theatre, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, NW1 4NU Regent’s Park Jun 14-16, 18 & 19, 27-30, Jul 2-4, 12-14, 16-18, Aug 13-15, 23-25, 27-29, Sep 6-8 £22.50-£42.50, Premium Seats £49.50, Jul 28, 30 & 31, Aug 1, 9-11 Olympics Tickets ,Jun 14-16, 18 & 19, 27-30, Jul 2-4, 12-14, 16-18, 28, 30 & 31, Aug 1, 9-11, 13-15, 23-25, 27-29, Sep 6-8, 7.45pm, mats Jun 16, 28, 30, Jul 4, 14, 18, 28, Aug 1, 11, 15, 25, 29, Sep 8, 2.15pm. Musical about three families separated by race and destiny. Sister Act ends Jun 16, New Wimbledon Theatre, 93 The Broadway, SW19 1QG Wimbledon £19.50-£40.50, adv £25.50-£35.50, concs £14.25-£36.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Musical comedy based on the 1990s film. Spirit Of Afrika: Journey To Joy Broadway Theatre, Rushey Green, SE6 4RU Catford £25, concs £15, Jun 15, 7.30pm. A variety show celebrating African culture and featuring drumming, dancing, magic and acrobatics. Tales From The River Thames: New International Encounter ends Jun 23, Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, SE1 2HZ London Bridge £15, child £10, concs £12, From Jun 12, Mon-Fri 10.45am & 1.15pm, Sat 2pm. A devised, promenade show which is based on tales

Priceless London Wonderground: Cantina ends Sep 30, The London Wonderground Spiegeltent, Jubilee Gardens, off Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX Embankment Jun 1-30, Jul 1-31, Aug 1-31, Sep 1-30 £15-£50, booths £175, £200. A glamorous mix of vaudeville, circus-theatre, dance and music, all taking place inside a traditional Spiegeltent. written by primary school children from three London boroughs. Presented by New International Encounter. Tender Napalm ends Jun 23, Southwark Playhouse, Shipwright Yard, corner of Tooley Street and Bermondsey Street, SE1 2TF London Bridge £10-£18, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3.15pm. Philip Ridley’s drama exploring love in the shadow of catastrophe. The Ugly Duckling: Little Angel Theatre (Over 3s) ends Jul 8, The Little Angel Theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, Cross Street, N1 2DN Angel £10, concs/child £8, Fri 5pm £5, Jun 13 & 14, 20, 27 & 28, Jul 4 & 5, 10am & 1pm, Jun 15, 21 & 22, 29, Jul 6, 1pm & 5pm, Jun 16 & 17, 23 & 24, 30, Jul 1, 7 & 8, 11am & 2pm, no perf Jun 21, 5pm, Jul 7, 2pm. Adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s children’s story. Wag! The Musical ends Jun 22, Ye Olde Rose And Crown Theatre Pub, 5355 Hoe Street, E17 4SA Walthamstow Central £15, Mon-Sat 7pm. KSW Productions presents a musical comedy about footballers’ better halves. While The Sun Shines ends Jun 17, The Lion & Unicorn, 42-44 Gaisford Street, NW5 2ED Kentish Town £15, concs £12, Jun 12-16, 7.30pm, mat Jun 17, 3.30pm. Top Goat Theatre presents Terence Rattigan’s comedy drama. World Stages London: The Suit ends Jun 16, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ Waterloo Jun 1-16 £10-£29.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. A musical play from Peter Brook and Marie-Helene Estienne, adapted from Can Themba’s fable set in a South African township in the 1950s. World Stages London: Wah! Wah! Girls ends Jun 23, Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, WC2A 2HT Holborn Jun 1-23 £15-£42, 4 tickets at top two prices incl at least one child family £120, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, Sun 4pm. An exciting mix of Bollywood-style dance and songs, original music and a modern romance, in a musical written by Tanika Gupta.

Competitions Win a VIP Package to The Carlsberg Sports Bar at The Casino at The Empire The Casino at The Empire is launching the first Carlsberg Sports Bar to coincide with the start of Euro 2012. Scout London has teamed up with The Casino at The Empire to offer a VIP package for you and five friends to experience what happens when Carlsberg make a sports bar for one night. The Carlsberg Sports Bar will open its doors on June 4 and will be screening all Euro 2012 matches until July 1. Entrance will be free and with a capacity of 200, it’s set to be the best

venue in London to enjoy this summer’s most exciting football tournament. The bar will also be open throughout the summer, showing all your favourite sporting occasions from Wimbledon, The Olympics, The British Open, Royal Ascot and the US Open. The bumper prize package includes £40 worth of gaming vouchers per person, free food platters and a stacked Carlsberg fridge for up to five guests in a roped-off VIP area.

To enter, email win@scoutlondon.com and answer the following question: What is the first Euro 2012 match fixture taking place on Friday June 4? a) b) c)

Poland v Greece Spain v Italy Denmark v Germany

For more information go to thecasinolsq.com

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Over 18s only. The Casino at The Empire, 5-6 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7NA. Opening hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week. Icon Balcony Bar: Open 6pm to 1am, seven days a week. Shadow Bar: Open Fridays and Saturdays from 10.30pm. Vapor: Open 10am to 5am Monday to Saturday, and 12noon to 5am on Sundays. Fulushou: Open every night from 6pm. Last orders 1.15am. The Casino at The Empire operates an open door policy for customers of 18 years and over (you will be asked for ID if you look under 21). Entry to the casino is free. For full terms and conditions please visiit scoutlondon.com/terms-conditions-for-competitions/

Win tickets to Havana Rumba Don’t miss out on the hottest Cuban Salsa party in town at the E4 Udderbelly Festival this month. Direct from Havana comes an intoxicating cocktail of Rumba, Salsa, Rum and Reggaeton. Get up close and personal in a sensational evening of Cuban Salsa with the coolest, sensual dancers in town and see dazzling, eye-popping mind-blowing performances from the Kings of CubanDance and Cuba’s sexiest divas of the dancefloor. Bump and grind the night away. It’s irresistible, insatiable, unmissable!

Scout London has teamed up with Havana Rumba to offer a pair of tickets and a free drink to three lucky winners. To enter, email win@scoutlondon.com and answer the following question: In what country would you find the city of Havana? a) Cuba b) China c) Russia For more information, please visit underbelly.co.uk

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Tickets valid for all Mon-Thurs performances until 24th June. Tickets are non-transferable and nonrefundable. No cash value. For full terms and conditions, please see scoutlondon.com/terms-conditions-for-competitions/

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Visit www.thelionking.co.uk or call 0844 871 3000 LYCEUM THEATRE, LONDON Photo by Simon Turtle. Andile Gumbi as ‘Simba’. © Disney.