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FREE EVERY MONDAY FEBRUARY 04>10 2013

ART & CULTURE COMEDY FILM FOOD & DRINK MUSIC SHOPPING SMALL SCREEN THEATRE

Rafe Spall | johnny vegas | Tony Law

presents & Asgard present

RICHARD THOMPSON

Wed 20 Feb I CARDIFF I St David’s Hall Thu 21 Feb I BIRMINGHAM I Symphony Hall Fri 22 Feb I BRIGHTON I Dome Sat 23 Feb I BRISTOL I Colston Hall Sun 24 Feb I CAMBRIDGE I Corn Exchange Mon 25 Feb I LONDON I 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire Tue 26 Feb I LONDON I Barbican SOLD OUT Thu 28 Feb I EDINBURGH I Usher Hall Fri 1 Mar I LIVERPOOL I Philharmonic Hall Sat 2 Mar I SHEFFIELD I City Hall Sun 3 Mar I GATESHEAD I The Sage Gateshead Mon 4 Mar I LEEDS I Irish Centre EXTRA DATE Wed 6 Mar I NOTTINGHAM I Royal Concert Hall

MARISA MONTE

Verdade Uma Ilusão Sunday 14 April London Hammersmith Apollo

GORAN BREGOVIC

Thu 7 Mar I BEXHILL I De La Warr Pavilion Fri 8 Mar I BASINGSTOKE I Anvil SOLD OUT Sat 9 Mar I ST. ALBANS I Alban Arena EXTRA DATE Sun 10 Mar I SALFORD I The Lowry SOLD OUT

THE ELECTRIC TOUR New album Electric out Mon 11 Feb on Proper

Champagne for Gypsies Saturday 18 May London Royal Festival Hall

serious.org.uk

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK

Saturday 23 March London Barbican

SOUL REBELS

Sunday 12 May Norwich Theatre Royal

Full details of all shows can be found at serious.org.uk. Sign up to the Serious e-news for all the latest news and show information serious.org.uk/subscribe

MARIZA

Monday 13 May London Barbican Tuesday 14 May Norwich Theatre Royal

RODRIGUEZ

Searching for Sugarman Saturday 8 June London Hammersmith Apollo

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Regulars

4 Scouted Date Night, Places That Change Your Life, Book Now, Last Chance London 6 Talent Scout Hadouken! frontman James Smith tells us about his favourite London haunts

Sections 16 20 27 29 32 34 38 40 48

London Food & Drink Shopping Art & Culture Comedy Film Small Screen Music Theatre

Cover Story COVER PHOTO: PHIL YEOMANS, rex features / THE BIG PICTURE: Des Willie for Sky Atlantic

8 Pub crawls Enjoy London’s marvellous collection of boozers on one of our mightily-merry pub crawls

The Big Picture

Charles Dance as Floyd in new comedy series Common Ground – page 38

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Unchained melodies Lost that loving feeling? Let the return of one of the most romantic shows ever restore the wind beneath your wings

VENUE Tinseltown, Various locations PRICE ££ PERFECT FOR The double date Anyone who grew up hooked on American teen culture – from Grease to Saved By The Bell – will know that the diner is where it’s at. Share a milkshake, hit the jukebox with Fonz-like cool, don’t spill ketchup down your front and there’s a good chance you’ll get to ‘make out’ later. Tinseltown is a modern twist on the American diner: the booths are comfy, spacious and the flatscreen TVs only play the

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coolest music. If you really want to push the boat out, order the Ferrero Rocher milkshake. And guys, you might want to test your masculinity with one of the gigantic challenge burgers. This sort of cheesey fun works best in a group – it ramps up the irony.

FACT TO ENTERTAIN

This is where rap star Xhibit dines when he is in town.

IT’S GOING WELL ...

They’re open until late, so you can make a night of it.

YOU NEED TO ESCAPE

Feign indigestion after your massive burger.

JONATHAN BEWLEY / Murdo Macleod

# love

Date Night

The one where you go all Happy Days...

Sounds like love A Love Letters night in full swing

o on, admit it: you’re a romantic at heart. It’s ok – we all are. Even the most sour-faced cynic will have a weak spot that, when pushed, can have them grinning giddily like a child who has been left alone with the booze cabinet. But maybe you still need convincing. In which case, boy do we have the event for you. No, it’s not a Barry White tribute act or even the first 10 minutes of Pixar’s animation Up played on loop (though, if you weren’t moved by this film you might want to check that you’re not some kind of coldhearted reptile masquerading as a human). It is, in fact, an event that describes itself as being “somewhere between a wedding reception, a wake and a radio dedication show”. Welcome to the truly marvellous Love Letters Straight From Your Heart. Staged by performance duo Uninvited Guests, this unashamedly sentimental and

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NOW

last chance

LONDON

GET IN TOUCH

unfailingly moving sort-of-theatre piece has been melting hearts all over the country for the past few years, and is returning to London in time for Valentine’s Day. The premise is simple: audience members (around 30 in total) each choose a song in advance and write a dedication to go with it – to a partner, a lost relative, a former crush, whoever; each record is then played on the night, accompanied by one of the hosts reading its relevant (and often anonymous) dedication. Everyone sits around a long dinner table and listens, laughs, cries, cheers, dances and whatever else to each other’s amorous anthems – often without actually knowing which nearby audience member the words and songs belong to. Granted, it sounds a little odd, and maybe even like the sort of event Glenn Close would have taken Michael Douglas to before their attraction turned, well, you know. But it’s a truly joyous, entirely sane and irresistibly seductive and fun evening that celebrates the one thing that all of us crave – love. Love Letters Straight From Your Heart, Southbank Centre, February 6-8 & 14-16, £20, southbankcentre.co.uk

The Who: Quadrophenia The O2 June 15 theo2.co.uk

American Justice Arts Theatre Closes Sat Feb 9

Richard III Apollo Theatre Closes Sun Feb 10

No Quarter Royal Court Closes Sat Feb 9

Twelfth Night Apollo Theatre Closes Sat Feb 9

Astronomy Photographer of the Year Royal Observatory Closes Mon Feb 12

Antony Gormley: Model White Cube Bermondsey Closes Sun Feb 10

The Royal Ballet: Onegin Royal Opera House Closes Fri Feb 8

One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show Tricycle Theatre Closes Sat Feb 9

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Doctor Brown

Soho Theatre March 25-April 20 sohotheatre.com

Bruno Bisang: 30 Years of Polaroids The Little Black Gallery Closes Sat Feb 9

04: Mildred’s, Soho The only thing duller than a vegetarian is eating like one, or so my nan always says. Well, she’s quite clearly never been to the veggie delight that is Mildred’s. Nestled on Lexington Street, near Carnaby Street, Mildred’s is the vegetarian restaurant for meat-eaters. Think the best bits of every food culture – curry, stir fry, flatbreads, pies, burgers

– as tasty as they should be, just totally sans meat. One bite of their sweet potato fries and you’ll have forgotten all about that thing called ‘steak’. The staff are knowledgable and friendly, the atmosphere is bustling and the puddings are to die for. It’s also excellent value for money. There’s only one problem: you can’t book ahead, so you’ll have to join a queue.

mildreds.co.uk Send us your favourite spots of inspiration by email, Twitter or Facebook. You might end up in Scouted.

The Smashing Pumpkins Wembley Arena July 22 wembleyarena.co.uk

Once

Phoenix Theatre March 16-November 30 oncemusical.co.uk

BAD MEANING GOOD

BAD MEANING BAD

In spite of fears the Olympics would hurt takings, West End theatre enjoyed its most successful year ever in 2012, bringing in £530m.

Is this the beginning of the end for Ministry of Sound? Southwark Council is due to rule on plans for flats which could threaten the club.

We like this

We don’t like this

Julius Caesar Donmar Warehouse Closes Sat Feb 9 The Magistrate National Theatre Closes Sun Feb 10 Fair Em Union Theatre Closes Sat Feb 9

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James Smith Musician

Let’s go for a drink – Scout’s buying. Where shall we go? Well if you’re buying, we’re going for Margaritas. Let’s go to Bar FiftyFive on Jamestown Road in Camden. It has two bars, is always buzzing and the walls are adorned with some fantastic psychedelic poster prints of rock music acts. The Margaritas come long or short and they also do an epic espresso martini that’ll keep you partying all night long. All that partying has made us hungry. Where shall we eat? Like most men I’m a big fan of steaks and, while there are many places, I’d have to go for Gaucho Grill in London Bridge. This place just pips the rest because of the

Scout London Cover Stars 0026 Daniel Halsall, 31, Painter & printmaker, Forest Hill

What in London inspires you? The artists and designers that live and work here. There are some amazing creative people that I’ve become friends with. I love seeing other artists’ and designers’ work in production from start to finish – you can learn so much so quickly. Any London secrets to share? There are some great galleries

worth visiting. The Stolen Space Gallery just off Brick Lane puts on great exhibitions, as does Nelly Duff on Columbia Road. Favourite part of London? Covent Garden has always been a favourite since I was young. It always feels like a vibrant creative place with a commercial edge, which I love.

magnificent view of Tower Bridge and the GLA building. What’s a great cultural experience you’ve had recently? I would be daft if I didn’t mention the Olympics here! I was fortunate to go and spend a day in the Olympic Park and went to see a couple of events. It was a very pleasurable day out. What’s your favourite London venue? There are quite a few but I personally really like playing gigs at Koko in Camden. It has a fantastic, often rowdy floor, and if the balconies are packed the atmosphere in there is epic. For bigger shows I really like Brixton Academy. It always feels loud in there and the sloping floor means you don’t need to be 6ft to see the band. For nightclubs, Fabric wins. The sound system is unreal. Every Weekend is released on February 18

How important is London in your work? It’s very important. Whenever I live in London the work looks different to that made elsewhere. It seems to have more of a graphic look to it. My work also has a strong fashion element and it’s easy to get inspiration for that in London. See more at: danielhalsall.com

Hey there, are you a talented creative? Fancy decorating the Scout London logo that appears on our cover each week? We welcome London-based artists, designers, illustrators, photographers. Get in touch: talent@scoutlondon.com 6

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Producer James Smith is the founder and frontman of electro/ punk ‘grindie’ band Hadouken!. Making dance music to start circle pits to, they’ve been hard at work laying down third album, Every Weekend, ahead of a tour in April.

The UK premiere of Peter Schaufuss’s acclaimed production of Midnight Express Based on Billy Hayes’s best selling 1977 book

‘Stupefyingly beautiful’ Dance Europe

‘Highly dramatic Another great success’ Dancing Times

9 - 14 April 2013 • London Coliseum 020 7845 9300* • eno.org* midnightexpresstheballet.com

*bkg fee applies

Midnight Express is performed to a specially conceived and mastered sound track Photograph: Svetlana Postoenko

S chaufus s

P E T E R BALLET APS

• PRODUCTION

Doing the rounds By Ben Norum

the world – largely because it’s home to some of the best pubs in the world. Drinking is obviously a major part of the entire crawl experience, but they’re also about the enjoyment of the pubs themselves, and the areas of the city they inhabit. Forget the potential laddish image, there can be fewer finer ways to embrace the history and culture of London than through a tour of its most definitive public arenas. We’ve put together a few of our own crawls, which should please transport geeks, foodies, real ale fans and anyone into Jack the Ripper. Your tour of the beer starts here.

doug armand, GETTY

ccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term ‘pub crawl’ has been in use since the late 19th century, yet nobody knows exactly where or when the concept really came about. With the oldest taverns and arguably the biggest pub-going cultures, the smart money is on the UK or Ireland. And, with the highest density of pubs at the time, London is top of the suspects list. Well, we like to think it is, at least. Either way, London is responsible for some of the most famous crawls in

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Traditional inn Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Feeling crafty Euston Tap has one of the largest selection of craft beers in London

Transport Geeks’ Circle Crawl Grand interior The Princess Louise

e’ve all heard of the Circle Line pub crawl. But that’s a bit cliché, isn’t it? We thought so. This alternative crawl runs in a rough circle starting and ending in central London, but incorporates almost all methods of London public transport along the way (we begrudgingly had to miss out Croydon’s trams because they’re just so far away). Start at The Princess Louise (High Holborn, WC1V 7EP) a minute from the Tube. It’s a beautiful and vast old gin palace with etched glass windows and wood paneling. We thought we’d better get the Boris Bike ticked off early on, before too much booze had been consumed; jump on one from the dock across the road and head to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (Fleet Street, EC4A 2BU). There’s another docking station right outside and the journey shouldn’t take more than five or 10 minutes. This historic pub, made atmospheric through a complete lack of natural light, was the first pub in the City rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666, while a pub of some description has stood on the site since 1538. It’s time to catch a bus for the next leg of the journey. Catch the frequently-running 15 (or

Start: Holborn N15) from the Shoe Lane stop across the road and get off at Tower Bridge, from where The Dickens Inn (St Katherine’s Way, E1W 1UH) is just a short walk. A reconstructed and re-styled wooden warehouse probably used to store tea, this final in a trio of historic pubs dates back at least as far as the 18th century. One of London’s most pleasant modes of transport comes next, as you catch a river boat from Tower Millennium Pier to Greenwich Pier just by the Cutty Sark. Around the corner is The Greenwich Union (Royal Hill, SE10 8RT), a fun pub with a passion for craft beer and an extensive range of Meantime offerings, brewed less than a mile away. It would only be fair to include a walking section of the crawl, and you can take in the maritime atmosphere of the Royal Naval College as you head to The Pilot Inn (River Way, SE10 0BE) not far from The

Finish: Euston O2 (a sobering 40-minute stroll or a short bus ride on the 188 if you’re feeling lazy). It’s a quaint Fuller’s with all the usual ales from the brewery, and well worth remembering next time you fancy a pre-show drink but aren’t keen on paying extra in the venue. For many, the next part of the crawl will be the most exciting, as it necessitates taking the Emirates Air Line over the river to ExCel. This isn’t an area overflowing with drinking options, but La Barrique (Western Gateway, E16 1DR) is somewhere that takes its wine very seriously indeed and has an extensive selection by the glass. For those missing beer, a short trip on the DLR from Custom House will take you to Stratford, where the magnificent Tap East (Lower

Ground Floor, Westfield, E20 1EJ) awaits with a huge array of craft ales (including many of its own brewed on-site). An Overground train from Stratford takes you to Canonbury and The Snooty Fox (Grosvenor Avenue, N5 2NN), with a small but carefully chosen range of rotating local beers. From there, it’s a short walk to Highbury & Islington and a Tube ride down the Victoria Line a couple of stops to Euston, where The Euston Tap (Euston Tap, NW1 2EF) is a perfect ending, with one of London’s biggest selections of craft ales and close to many Tube lines for the journey home. If you have a PAYG Oyster, you might want to get a day travelcard for this one!

Mobile Map version: j.mp/ScoutCircle

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Crawl for more Londonist

A beer with a view Regent’s Canal towpath

One of our favourite London websites, the good folk over at Londonist aren’t short on ideas to help waste more weekends in pubs. Check out their evergrowing selection of areaspecific crawls on their website, as they work their way around London from A-Z. If that tickles your fancy, you’ll want to get your hands on The Londonist Book of London Pub Crawls eBook, which costs less than a pint and is available for Kindle and other devices. londonist.com

Canals & Craft Beer P

Finish: Haggerston

airing picture perfect boats and probably some views with the perfect hipsters strumming guitars pint, this crawl takes as you continue along the in some of London’s best canal to De Beauvoir Town pubs for craft beer, treating to reach Duke’s Brew & you to well over 60 beers and Que (Downham Road, N1 ales on tap and draft along 5AA), where top notch the way. From Angel station, barbecue food plays second Craft Beer Co. (White Lion fiddle to super-local beers Street, N1 9PP) is just a short from Beavertown Brewery, walk away, and boasts one of along with many great the city’s biggest selections British ales. Crafty crawl stop The North Pole in New North Road of beer. The range changes Finally, it’s just a short constantly, plus there are the same; the six or so ales on offer walk to the last stop, countless bottles of rare beer regularly include some surprising The Fox (Kingsland Road, E8 beauties should you want to take and unusual selections. The longest 4DA), where beers from Hackney away a souvenir. It’s less than 10 walk of the crawl is along the canal Brewery and London Fields are minutes to the next stop, The to The North Pole (New North among the rotating pumps that Charles Lamb (Elia Street, Road, N1 7BJ), where around 20 back up a bottle list of almost N1 8DE), which offers tempting ales and craft lagers include a good 50 beers. Try as many as you can small dishes should you want to showing from London breweries, as before midnight, and it’s just a line your stomach while sampling well as many from the US. short stumble back to Haggerston the carefully-chosen selection of You’ll pass the bohemian canal station, and home. beers and wines, including London ale Redemption. The first jaunt along the pretty Regent’s Canal towpath leads to the next stop, The Earl of Essex (Danbury Street, N1 8LE). Its 20 or so taps include an ever-changing beer of the day, as well as brews from the in-house Earl’s Brewery. Back to the canal and across the bridge, it’s a 10-minute stroll to The Wenlock Arms (Wenlock Road, N1 7TA). It’s something of an Map data ©2013 Google old man’s pub, but an institution all

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A Pub Crawl Through History Written by Mike Pentelow, this book isn’t about pub crawls at all. What it is about is the history of pubs in the UK, where they get their names from and what the stories behind them are. Whether you’re heading out on a crawl of your own, or are just a regular pub visitor (and aren’t we all), this is a fascinating guide to the backgrounds of the establishments in which you’re spending your time and money. Published by Janus and available on Amazon for £14.44

Mobile Map version: j.mp/ScoutCanals

EWAN MUNRO

Start: Angel

London Pub Crawl Co. App Get your hands on this iPhone and Android app for £3.99 and browse through 40 crawls pub-by-pub, complete with maps, photos, descriptions and information on how to get there. iPhone users can also purchase a 69p version with five crawls included by way of a tester. We’d happily recommend the full version, though. Available on the App Store or Google Play

Monopoly Pub Crawl This is probably the most famous London pub crawl, but a logistical nightmare to organise. Say thank you to the kind people at monopolypubcrawl.org.uk who have done it for you. Visit the site for guidance and a plotted Google map to help you out. From there, you can also log onto their Facebook group to see how others who tried it got on. monopolypubcrawl.org.uk

Camden Pub Crawl New to London? Friends all teetotal? Want to meet new people? These daily crawls around some of Camden’s less touristy bars provide a night of fun with a new group of people, from just £10 a ticket. The groups meet at The Wheelbarrow between 7.30pm and 8.30pm before moving on to venues including Proud, Camden Blues Kitchen, Belushi’s and Barfly. camdenpubcrawl.com

Mobile Map version: j.mp/ScoutJack

Final stop Dirty Dick’s

Jack The Ripper Crawl Start: Shoreditch High Street

hanks to Jack, the Whitechapel area is no stranger to guided walks that trace the locations of London’s most notorious murders. Add some beer into the mix and you have a macabre evening’s entertainment all set out. We start this crawl in The Commercial Tavern (Commercial Street, E1 6NU) opposite where the Commercial Street Police Station once stood. If you feel like playing detective yourself, this is the perfect spot for getting your smartphone out and plotting the five murder sites. Search the phrase “Jack the Ripper Murder Sites map” and a useful Google Map of the locations will come up,

Finish: Liverpool Street or download the Jack the Ripper Virtual Tour app on your iPhone. The next stop is The Golden Heart (Commercial Street, E1 6LZ), just a couple of minutes away, and a stop-off to see the spot where Annie Chapman died, on Hanbury Street. The Ten Bells (Commercial Street, E1 6LY) is the next stop; this pub was reportedly a regular haunt of two of Jack’s victims, and indeed Mary Jane Kelly’s final resting spot can be found just around the corner. The Princess Alice (Commercial Street, E1 6LP) is the next stop, a pub which came up numerous times during the Ripper police investigation, though is now

Infamous The Blind Beggar

certainly one of the less outlandish venues on Commercial Street. Veering off the street for the first time, the crawl moves to The Blind Beggar (Whitechapel Road, E1 1BU) close to Whitechapel Station. It sits near the murder site of Mary Ann Nichols (Durward Street) and opposite Royal London Hospital, where it has been suggested that the nifty-with-aknife Jack might have worked as a surgeon. Keeping the murder theme alive (so to speak), in March 1966 this pub was where George Cornell was shot dead by Ronnie Kray. The artsy powerhouse that is The George Tavern (Commercial Road, E1 0LA) is a pit stop before a half-mile walk which takes you past the final murder sites of Elizabeth Stride, who was found dead bleeding from the neck, and Catherine Eddowes, who was disemboweled close to the corner of Aldgate’s Mitre Square. From the final site, a few minutes’ walk takes you to Dirty Dick’s (Bishopsgate, EC2M 4NR), a characterful, spacious and late-licensed Young’s pub, named after an 18th century shopkeeper who refused to wash following the death of his fiancée on their wedding day. It’s rather handily just across the road from Liverpool Street Station, too. scoutlondon.com Scout London 11

A match made in a canteen Ben’s Canteen offers beer and food matching

Bar Snack Gastro Crawl Start: Fulham Broadway

ho said eating was interesting selection cheating? Pubs of canapés, such as aren’t just about baby baked potatoes booze, they’re also about top and mini fish & chips notch bar snacks. This crawl in a cone. celebrates the best pub nosh in Another short – town, though we suggest you but much less scenic share portions to avoid reaching – walk leads you a premature saturation point. across a roundabout We start with London’s and down into Deer-licious The Harwood Arms’ venison Scotch egg only Michelin-starred pub, Battersea, where The Harwood Arms (Walham Ben’s Canteen (St should help regain a little appetite Grove, SW6 1QP), and a sample John’s Hill, SW11 before the eating starts again at of the legendary oozing-yolked 1SL) and Powder Keg Diplomacy venison Scotch egg, which is a snip The Ship (Jews Road, SW18 sit opposite each other. Both boast 1TB). A full gastropub menu and at £3.50. There are also plenty of a good selection of ales and even bar snacks including an excellent ales to wash it down. provide beer and food matches. Scotch egg are supported by the The White Horse (1-3 While the first one’s creative and Parson’s Green, SW6 ever-changing menu currently 4UL) in Parson’s Green features fish tacos and tempura is the next stop; the cauliflower, the latter tempts with so-called Sloaney Pony vegetable crisps, triple-cooked complements a hefty beer chips and half pints of prawns. selection with snacks of A 10-minute walk away, the smoked eel on rye bread next stop of the crawl is the and ham hock terrine, original branch of Draft House plus some artisan pork (Northcote Road, SW11 6QW). The scratchings. At The Sands End (Stephendale Road, SW6 2PR), a platter may be in order, as bar snacks vary from whitebait to oysters via Welsh rarebit and sausage rolls, all freshly made. Mobile Map version: A short walk over Map data ©2013 Google j.mp/ScoutGastro Wandsworth Bridge

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Finish: Clapham Junction exemplary beer selection is served in thirds (of a pint) so you can try many different styles; the snack menu includes curried Scotch eggs, chicken wings and footlong pork scratchings. If you have room, The Goat (Battersea Rise, SW11 1EQ) is the last stop, where the fish finger sandwiches are a must, served with crisp lettuce and homemade tartare sauce in a soft bap. This is one crawl that might leave you rolling back to nearby Clapham Junction station.

Pub Crawl Fascinating Fact The world’s biggest ever pub crawl took place in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia in 2004, when 4,718 people took part. London tried to beat this in 2010 with an event called World Record Pub Crawl 2010. Though organisers expected more than 5,000 people to attend, safety concerns from local boroughs meant it had to be abandoned.

London Symphony Orchestra Valery Gergiev Maxim Vengerov Les Arts Florissants Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel Joyce DiDonato Juan Diego Flórez BBC Symphony Orchestra Magdelena Kožená Academy of Ancient Music Murray Perahia Leonidas Kavakos Britten Sinfonia barbican.org.uk Resident Orchestra

Associate Orchestra

Associate Ensembles

International Associates

classical music spring 2013

Amazing orchestras World-class artists One venue

★★★★ Evening Standard

★★★★

Sunday Telegraph

★★★★

The Big Issue

The Scotsman

LIVE IN LONDON STAR OF Q I A ND

JONATHAN CREEK

PRESENTS

mickperrin.com

SAT 16 / SUN 17 FEB 2013 TICKETS 0844 249 1000 hammersmithapollo.com

Tickets also available through

A WONDERFUL RETURN TO STAND-UP Chortle

Small-scale specialists Antidote focuses on small-scale producers

West End Wine Crawl Start: Embankment

rawls don’t have to be all about beer. And they don’t have to involve lots of walking, either. This crawl takes in six of London’s best wine bars without leaving the West End. From your starting point at Embankment Tube, Gordon’s Wine Bar (Villiers Street, WC2N 6NE) is within cork-popping distance. Cosy and candlelit, this is one of London’s first wine bars, and a much-loved institution. Just a few minutes’ walk across Strand brings you to Terroirs (William IV Street, WC2N 4DW), a wine bar and restaurant that specialises in French natural and biodynamic wines. Be bold with your choices and if you feel like grabbing a bite to eat, this is the place to do it. The small plates of rillette, terrine and charcuterie are particularly good. Another short walk takes you to Cork & Bottle (Cranbourn Street, WC2H 7AN) in Leicester Square, which serves over 300 wines from around the world. Le Beaujolais (Litchfield Street, WC2H 9NJ) is no more than a minute away, and is another low-lit, privately-owned, tourist-snubbing, quirky homage to vino. It’s small, rustic and extremely friendly, so get a glass and get chatting.

Friendly atmosphere Le Beaujolais

Finish: Oxford Circus A walk across Shaftesbury Avenue and into the heart of Soho takes you to Vinoteca (Beak Street, W1F 9SH). This third branch of the St John Street original (there’s another one in Marylebone) is more polished than the previous bars on the crawl, but no less passionate. You’ll find a list of around 300 wines, including plenty of bottles under £20. Antidote (Newburgh Street, W1F 7RR) is the final stop on the crawl, just a couple of minutes’ totter away. The 160-strong list includes natural, organic, biodynamic and untreated wines from only small-scale producers. They even sell bottles to take home if you fall in love with something you try. And with such a short distance to crawl back to Oxford Circus station, you may as well stay for a few.

French fancies Terroirs specialises in French wines

A vine-stitution Gordons Wine Bar on Villiers Street

Mobile Map version: j.mp/ScoutWine

scoutlondon.com Scout London 15

Chinese New Year: a bluffer’s guide Er, we had new year a few weeks ago. Why are the Chinese waiting until now? Because the Chinese New Year isn’t determined by the Gregorian calendar that we use. They use lunar and solar calendars (together, the ‘lunisolar’ calendar). As such, Chinese New Year falls on a different day in our calendar each year, but is always between January 21 and February 20. That’s confusing. Just you wait. We haven’t even got started. You probably know about 16 Scout London scoutlondon.com

the animals – how each year is themed by one of 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, with 2013 being the year of the snake. Yes, I’m not completely stupid. Well, alongside each year having one of 12 different animal names, they’re also themed according to one of the five elements of Chinese astrology – wood, fire, earth, metal and water – as well as either yin or yang. The animal changes every year, but the elements only every two, while yin and yang switch back and forth each year.

Er, WTF? So is this, like, the year of Snake Fire Yan or something? Close, it’s the year of Yin Water Snake. Wow, kind of makes our plain old 2013 seem rather boring. And presumably there are a raft of traditional celebrations – Auld Lang Syne in Mandarin and so on? Not Auld Lang Syne, but they do definitely mark the occasion in similarly vibrant fashion. The festivities actually last 15 days, and factor in all manner of festivals, special meals, gift-giving, parades, fireworks and… Fireworks! I love fireworks. Well you’re in luck, because so do the Chinese – it’s even thought they invented them. And not just for making pretty patterns in the sky – they believe that the

loud explosions help to ward off evil spirits. In fact, they’ve been using bamboo stems filled with gunpowder for this very purpose for hundreds of years. Ok, I’m sold. How do I get involved? Simple. Get down to the West End this Sunday (February 10). There’ll be a parade in the morning, starting at 10am at Trafalgar Square, ending in Chinatown (go figure) at 11am. There’ll also be outdoor stages hosting various Chinese entertainment throughout the day on Shaftsbury Avenue and in Trafalgar Square. Aaaaaaaand… Yes, there’ll be a big fireworks display at 5.55pm. Chinese New Year, February 10, chinatownlondon.org

Grant Pritchard, the travel library, rex features

Want to join in the Chinese New Year celebrations this Sunday? Don’t feel you understand it enough to really take part? Well read on

Feeling priced out of the London property market? Get

ONGOING Facts, Fiction And Philosophy at London School Of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE Temple From Jan 21, Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, ends Mar 2, FREE. An exhibition presented by the LSE Language Centre. Until Mar 2. Knitting For All: Workshop at St Ann’s Public Library, Cissbury Road, N15 5PU Seven Sisters Sat 3.30pm-4.45pm, FREE. Learn how to read a pattern and make garments. Until Feb 23. The View From The Shard at The Shard, London Bridge Street, SE1 9SG London Bridge From Feb 1, Mon-Sun 9am-10pm, last adm 8pm, closed Dec 25, timed admission, every 30 mins, £24.95, child £18.95, under 3s FREE, children must be accompanied by a paying adult. Enjoy panoramic views across extending almost 40 miles across London. Until Dec 31.

Monday February 4

The Changing Economics of Space at Royal Academy of Engineering, Prince Philip House, 3 Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y 5DG Charing Cross £7.50, concs £5, 6pm. Join space entrepreneur and pioneer Martin Sweeting for this lecture that will reveal the future of the satellite industry. Chaired by the BBC’s Maggie Philbin. The City Mills, E8

Annual LGBT History Month Lecture: Frederick The Great And Prince Henry Of Prussia: Two Brothers’ Lives Between Love And Repres: Lecture at Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN Bond Street FREE, 6pm-7pm. Dr Christoph Vogtherr discusses the men’s private lives and relationship. Bad Pharma: Lecture at London School Of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE Temple FREE, ticketed, 6.30pm-8pm. With author, journalist and campaigner Dr Ben Goldacre.

Tuesday February 5 Crouch End Poetry Group: Workshop at Hornsey Library, Haringey Park, N8 9JA Crouch Hill FREE, 10.30am-12.30pm. Develop poetry writing and craft. Ftw Comedy Pop Quiz at The Queen Of Hoxton, 1-5 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX Shoreditch High Street £3, 8pm-late. An interactive weekly quiz with stand-up from James Loveridge, Amy Howerska, Luke Capasso and Kerry Billson between rounds. Introduction To Beekeeping: Course at Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4HS Sloane Square £95, 10am-4pm. Beekeeper Peter James shows how to get started with the crucial hobby and create the right environment for your bees. Pongathon at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Shoreditch High Street FREE, 5pm11pm. Ping pong games with music. Raconteurs: Adult Tales at Downstairs At The King’s Head, 2 Crouch End Hill, N8 8AA Finsbury Park £6, 8pm, doors. Chris Neill hosts a monthly celebration of the spoken word. Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour at Wembley Arena, HA9 0AA Wembley Park £35-£55, 7.30pm. See the stars of the TV series, including Michael Vaughn, winner Louis Smith and Denise Van Outen, perform live. Also on Feb 6 at 7.30pm.

Transport for London travel update

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Circle line No service Moorgate to Hammersmith via King’s Cross St Pancras all weekend. District line No service West Kensington to Ealing Broadway all weekend. Hammersmith & City line No service King’s Cross St. Pancras to Barking all weekend. Metropolitan Line No service Baker Street to Aldgate all weekend. Northern Line No service Archway to High Barnet and Mill Hill East all weekend

Bakerloo Line No service Queen’s Park to Harrow & Wealdstone all weekend Docklands Light Railway No service Canning Town to Beckton all weekend. London Overground No service Richmond to Willesden Junction all weekend. On Sunday, no service Watford Junction to Queen’s Park

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Wednesday February 6 The Age of the Universe at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican FREE, 1pm-2pm. With Professor Carolin Crawford, University of Cambridge. BAFTA Masterclass Labs: Editing With Lucy Gunning at ICA, 12 Carlton House Terrace, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH Charing Cross £10, concs £8, mems £7, 6.15pm. An illustrated presentation of editing skills. Brain On Fire: My Month Of Madness With Susannah Cahalan at Foyles, 113119 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0EB Tottenham Court Road FREE, 7pm-8.30pm. The author talks to Simon Hattenstone about her experiences of being diagnosed with anti-NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis. Leytonstone Film Club at Leytonstone Library, 6 Church Lane, E11 1HG Leytonstone £4, 7pm-9pm. With discussions about film and screenings of a chosen film each week. Richard Seymour: Book Launch at Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, N1 9DX King’s Cross St Pancras £3, redeemable against purchase, 7pm. The author discusses his book Unhitched: The Trial Of Christopher Hitchens.

Thursday February 7

Get Our Historic Narrowboat Fleet: Talk at London Canal Museum, 12-13 New Wharf Road, N1 9RT King’s Cross St Pancras £4, child £2, NUS/OAP £3, mems £2, family £10, 7.30pm. Talk by Alison Smedley of the Historic Narrowboat Owners’ Club.

Friday February 8 Investigative Journalism With Iain Overton at The Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ Paddington £150, adv booking required, 10am-5.30pm. This session will introduce you to life as an investigative journalist. The Story Of Crime Fiction: Panel Discussion at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB Euston £7.50, concs £5, adv booking required, 6.30pm8pm. Mark Lawson talks on the inspiration for crime fiction.

Saturday February 9

Lucy Hughes-Hallett Discusses The Pike at Lutyens And Rubenstein Bookshop, 21 Kensington Park Road, W11 2EU Ladbroke Grove £5, 7pm, doors 6.30pm. Lucy Hughes-Hallett charts the controversial life of D’Annunzio. Beginners Watercolour: Workshop at Donald Hope Library, High Street, SW19 2HR Colliers Wood FREE, 4.30pm-6pm. Drop-in session Darkness Audible: Benjamin Britten, 1913-1945 at Gresham College, Barnard’s Inn Hall Holborn, EC1N 2HH Chancery Lane FREE, 6pm-7pm. An overview of the life and work of Britain’s greatest modern composer during his first great creative period. Join The RA For The Day: Workshop at Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3BP Holborn £45, inc refreshments, 10.15am-4pm, doors 10am. With James Willis. Tracey Thorn: Book Launch at Rough Trade East, Brick Lane, E1 6QL Aldgate East phone for prices, 7pm. The singer discusses, reads from and signs copies of her book Bedsit Disco Queen: How I Grew Up And Tried To Be A Pop Star.

Introduction To Birdwatching: Walk at London Wetland Centre, Queen Elizabeth Walk, SW13 9WT Hammersmith (then 10 min bus ride) £20, inc breakfast, adv booking required, plus admission £9.99, child £5.55, concs £7.45, family £27.82, under 4s FREE, 9.30am-11am. Practical introductory course to help identify different birds. Theatrical Handel: Talk at Handel House Museum, 25 Brook Street, W1K 4HB Bond Street £6, child FREE, concs £5, 3pm. Talk given by Dionysis Kyropolous. Huw Watkins In conversation With Tom Service: Talk at Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, W1U 2BF Bond Street £3, 6pm.

Sunday February 10 Antiques, Collectors And 20th Century Fair at Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, N22 7AY Wood Green £6, adv booking required, 9.30am-4.30pm. Furniture, ceramics, paintings and artefacts. Dressmaking: Make Me a Domestic Sewing Goddess: Workshop at The Papered Parlour, 7 Prescott Place, SW4 6BS £77.50 inc refreshments, 12noon-5pm. Learn the basics of hand and machine sewing with Mia Jafari. School Of Life Sunday Sermon: Hussein Chalayan On Fitting In: Talk at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, WC1R 4RL Holborn £15, 11.30am. A talk on being an outsider from society. Welcome To Cheese & Wine: Workshop at Vinopolis, 1 Bank End, SE1 9BU London Bridge £50, 1pm. Sample selected wines and cheeses.

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‘pricedin’ to 60123 *Industrial and Provident Society 30441R exempt charity. Details correct at time of going to print 01/13. Your home is at risk if you fail to keep up repayments on a mortgage, rent or other loan secured on it. Please make sure you can afford the repayments before you take out a mortgage. Competition Terms & Conditions apply: Register to be entered into the prize draw to win a Gym Membership. *The figure quoted is a percentage share and is a guideline and may vary according to individual incomes and circumstances. FOR FULL TERMS & CONDITIONS please see www.lqgroup.org.uk/pricedin for details. Imagery depicts a CGI representation of the development/s.

Bo selector Ben Norum meets the man who’s bringing the future of Chinese cuisine to London, the self-named Demon Chef, Alvin Leung

orn in London to Chinese parents, Alvin Leung grew up in Brixton before going to university in Elephant & Castle. After working as a waiter in Canada, he moved to Hong Kong and bought a speakeasy called Bo Inosaki for £3,000. He taught himself to cook and transformed it into Bo Innovation, which now has two Michelin stars. Now he’s opened a new restaurant, Bo London, here in his home city. Though he has given himself the forbidding title of Demon Chef, it doesn’t suit the man who talks to us while sipping a glass of warm milk. How does Bo London differ from Bo Innovation? A lot of people have asked me if I’ve toned it down for the British palate, but I haven’t. I don’t think I need to. The menu at Bo London has a big British influence (the tasting menu is called Ode To Britain) and we deliberately use a lot of British ingredients. I’ve called a dish Bed & Breakfast as it has a smoked quail egg in a bird’s nest made out of taro, so kind of like the bird’s bed.

20 Scout London scoutlondon.com

So you think the people of London are ready for your food? London is very diverse, cosmopolitan and international, and as a result people here are exposed to a wide variety of different cuisines. This makes them very adventurous and open-minded. My food mixes many different influences, so in many ways this is a perfect audience. Would you call your cooking ‘fusion food’, then? My upbringing was split between London, Canada and Hong Kong. I developed favourite items from different cultures and naturally I’ll mix them up. At home that could be as simple as instant noodles with sausage. If that’s fusion food, then yes. You’ve coined the phrase “X-treme Chinese” to refer to your cuisine. What does it mean? ‘Extreme’ can be interpreted in many ways. Sometimes it can be interpreted the wrong way and people think every dish should be

X-Treme English mustard, langoustine, preserved duck egg, red cabbage

Chinese seafood Scallop with peas, crispy woba, jolo

shocking and sensationalist, but it’s not like that. I just want to provide something exciting that stirs up the imagination; something that takes diners to the boundary.

route a bit more, and that’s what I’m trying to do here.

Is there anything that’s too extreme for you to serve? I would eat and serve most things and I’m certainly not squeamish. Ethics are important though, and being a dog-lover I wouldn’t want to eat a dog. Equally, while I won’t condemn shark fin, it’s something I choose to do without. What do you think of the Chinese food scene here in London? I actually think it’s gone downhill. When I was here in the late 70s it was clearly on the up, but now it’s gone the other way. The problem with Chinese chefs is that we don’t tend to want our children to be chefs, and so the craft is not being passed down. Some of my favourite restaurants in Chinatown have shut down and become buffet restaurants; Chinese food is becoming just a ‘cheap eat’. It needs to go down the fine-dining

There’s been talk of Bo London being very expensive... (A 14 course tasting dinner is £98; a set lunch menu is £30) I don’t mind people saying that. They’re right, it’s not cheap, but that’s what fine-dining is. I can’t give the same quality and variety of dishes and ingredients if I don’t charge that. Bo is a luxury experience, for special occasions. Do you eat out in other Chinese restaurants here? When we leave late after service, New Mayflower on Shaftesbury Avenue is always a good bet – we go there a lot. You’ve become known as the Chinese Heston Blumenthal. How do you feel about that? It’s an honour to be compared to someone so big, though I’d rather be called the Chinese Alvin Leung! Bo London, 4 Mill St, W1S 2AZ bolondonrestaurant.com

Top Ten Chinatown

Seasons Crispskinned roast duck fresh 1 Four from the window W1D 5PR Leicester Square

Shan Szechuan street for spice lovers 2 Bafood W1D 5AH Leicester Square

Candy Cafe A hidden local gem serving bubble tea W1D 6AU Leicester Square

Mayflower Authentic canteen-style cooking; open 4 New late W1D 6LY Leicester Square

Cocktail Club Drinks on high when 5 Experimental noodles get too much W1D 5PS Leicester Square

Legends Taiwanese with tacky charm 6 Leong’s W1D 6AX Leicester Square

Mr Kong’s Stay safe or go for the jellyfish, feet and tongues WC2H 7BA Leicester Square

China Hearty dining, 8 Imperial Hong Kong-style WC2H 7BA Leicester Square

Golden Gate Cake Shop Cakes like you know them and cakes like you don’t W1D 5BR Leicester Square

Hems Why not go to a pub in Chinatown? 10DeDutch W1D 5BW Leicester Square

Grill On The Market Smithfield £££ Nestled alongside the grand Victorian halls of historic Smithfield Meat Market, this is a bold choice of location for a restaurant specialising in meat. It feels all the bolder for being the first London opening from the Blackhouse group of grill venues, which operate throughout Cheshire as well as in Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. Beige walls, a pale wood floor and plain but comfy brown leather chairs are decidedly less bold, and in no small way reminiscent of a Harvester. But Harvester never started a meal with sourdough and beef dripping so we’ll let them off the hook. A powerfully hoppy and creamy pint of IPA from Kent winemakers Chapel Down is a perfect way to wash down our meaty induction, and a rare treat in its own right. The deep-fried baby squid which follows is better described as a damp squib: greasy, chewy and served with out-of-the-jar mayo. A slightly dry and entirely unexciting salt and pepper chicken skewer that could have done with more of each seasoning is left as the highlight of the starter selection. Thankfully our main courses arrive before we give up on the kitchen altogether and change our order to more bread and dripping. Given that the menu specialises in steaks and a selection of grilled seafood, it’s logical that the surf’n’turf options which combine the two are its crowning glory. A fillet served with half a lobster is the indulgent choice at £40 a pop, but it rewards with silkenly tender meat and a rich

earthy flavour, while the lobster is soft, juicy and delicately seasoned. At half the price, a pleasingly charred and fat-rippled rib eye steak served with a skewer of garlic king prawns ups the ante in terms of flavour. The fact that our waiter can tell us where any of the meat comes from and how the fish is caught is a bonus, and that all of it – with the exception of the specialised Australian Wagyu – is British, is reassuring when other restaurants to open of late have been decidedly lacklustre in their sourcing policies. The traders in the nearby meat market would no doubt approve. Proving it’s not just meat that they can do well when they put their mind to it, the meal reaches a suitably sticky end with a warm, dense and sauce-drenched sticky toffee pudding that’s exemplary of its kind, while a seductively wobbly crème brûlée provides an audible thwack of approval when tapped with a spoon. There are edges to be ironed out and there’s no denying a dodgy start, but with careful sourcing at the top of the agenda and a simple menu to show off the results, the Grill’s heart is in the right place. It’s not cheap and the little details count, though, so let’s hope the kitchen gets into its stride sharpish to prevent the restaurant’s untimely slaughter in a competitive market. Ben Norum 2-3 West Smithfield, EC1A 9JX Barbican scoutlondon.com Scout London 21

Novikov (Asian room) Mayfair ££££

Camino King’s Cross ££

Arkady Novikov’s first British restaurant is a story of two sides, one serving Italian and the other Asian. Those opting for Asian are spoilt with the likes of gratinated crab with Thai spices, beef dumplings laced with foie gras, fragrant and meaty yuzu-scented black cod and decadent sushi and sashimi platters. No expense, flourish or intricate presentation is spared. Flavours are light, fresh and tangy, but never pungent or fiery; it’s like a meal from Chinatown wrapped in a highly styled, designer label bubblewrap dress. Steer clear of the caviar and a meal for two will still come close to the triple figure mark, but the clientele – who mostly seem to be older Russian men and younger Russian women – wouldn’t bat an eyelid. If glitz is the name of the game, then why not live like an oligarch for a few hours? Ben Norum

In the five years since it opened, Camino has been joined by sister branches in Canary Wharf and Monument, while an opening in St Paul’s is imminent. It’s also spawned Pepito, the country’s first exclusive sherry bar. It has created a Spanish haven out of the peaceful and picturesque Regent Quarter square, just off noisy Pentonville Road. The name Camino means ‘path’ or ‘way’, and it’s easy to lose yours on the long and winding all-day tapas menu. With refreshing pan con tomate, heady butter-drenched garlic prawns, crispy fried whole baby squid and plentiful portions of unctuous cured ham all proving their worth, thankfully it doesn’t matter too much what route you take. With a multi-award-winning wine list that’s almost entirely Spanish, you’ll want to indulge in a couple of sherries for the road, too. BN

50a Berkley Street, W1J 8HA

3 Varnisher’s Yard, Regent Quarter, N1 9FD

Green Park

King’s Cross

The King’s Head Roehampton ££

Blue Elephant Fulham ££

Saved from dereliction and restored to its former glory, this newly re-opened pub in suburban Roehampton is now looking fairly regal again. Aesthetics aside, the main change is the introduction of a fullyfledged gastropub menu that plonks venison carpaccio and lemon sole alongside burgers, fish and chips, and sausage and mash. The sole is moist and buttery, though the accompanying winey mussels taste like they belong to a different dish entirely; a rib-eye steak is packed with flavour and an enjoyable eat, but served much more than the rare that was ordered. When we ask for a bottle of pinot noir, we are brought pinot grigio; our waiter is confused that we want to change it. A classic cheese board that comes with fig chutney, beer bread and four cheeses that our waiter can’t name is a fitting ending to a meal that is fine, but frustrating. As an experience, it’s closer to The Royle Family than Buckingham Palace. BN

It was around a year ago that this long-standing West London institution upped sticks from Fulham Broadway in favour of the bright lights of the new Imperial Wharf development near Chelsea Harbour. Though its new-build location is hardly charming, inside is something else. Crossing boundaries between Thai restaurants and Thai spas, the room radiates with a relaxing cosmetic smell and beams through a small rainforest worth of tropical plantage. A tom yam soup flows with vibrant flavours of citrus, chilli and ginseng; scallops come luxuriously smothered in butter and anointed with flecked green peppercorns; marinated duck breast is only subtly hinted with tamarind for a hit of mouth-juicing sourness. This is clever, subtle, sensual cooking that makes the most of Thai spices to create an experience that’s both gastronomic and therapeutic. BN

1 Roehampton High Street, SW15 4HL 22 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Putney

The Boulevard, Imperial Wharf, Townmead Road, SW6 2UB Imperial Wharf

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L TI N U 1ST G 3 N I H K RC O O MA B

CENTRAL

The Landseer 37 Landseer Road, N19 4JU Upper Holloway Gastropub ££ A calm haven away from bustling Holloway Road, this gastropub is modern in its feel and its food offering, but old fashioned in its friendly service and roaring open fire. Cocktails and a fine selection of wine backs up the ale offering. Joe’s 78-79 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AR Chalk Farm Bar ££ Opposite the Roundhouse, this bar keeps the rock and roll action going with regular DJs and a 1950s jukebox packed with blues, swing and rhythm and blues. Should you dance yourself hungry, then there’s the Joe’s Hotdog to top you up and keep you going. Quiff optional.

EAST

Spice Market 10 Wardour Street, W1D 6QF Leicester Square Asian ££ This pan-Asian restaurant in Leicester Square’s W Hotel has just launched a new Raw Bar. A menu of light, fresh and zesty dishes includes wild sea bass sashimi with green chilli, pistachios and mint, and sea scallops marinated in coconut milk and served with water chestnuts and lime juice. Fish Bone 82 Cleveland Street, W1T 6NF Great Portland Street Fish & Chips £ One of the London contenders shortlisted for National Chip Week’s Best Chippy Award. This venue wins hearts for fresh, crispbattered sustainable fish and big, fat chips. There’s a little room to eat in, but takeaway is the name of the game. Primo 117 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8AD Leicester Square Italian ££ The Valentine’s menu here includes roast chicken with truffle butter and a starter of asparagus and foie gras. If that doesn’t get you feeling soppy, then maybe a free glass of Champagne will. Quaglino’s 16 Bury Street, SW1Y 6AJ Green Park Modern European £££ As part of an ongoing series of photography exhibitions at Quaglino’s, the walls of this big and buzzy restaurant can now be seen clad in photos of Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones taken during the 60s at a studio just round the corner. The photos are from a collection by photographer Gered Mankowitz entitled Rock and Roll. Banca 30 North Audley Street, W1K 6ZF Green Park Italian £££ Banca promises to bring Milan to Mayfair in the name of Valentine’s Day. Choose from a three- or fourcourse menu packed with aphrodisiac ingredients including Champagne, caviar and oysters. Three courses are £80, four courses are £110.

NORTH

Wahaca 119 Waterloo Road, SE1 8UL Waterloo Mexican ££ Thomasina Mier’s everpopular Mexican restaurant group has grown to a total of nine branches, with this soon to open venue at Waterloo to be number 10. It will take the downstairs space at what is currently Waterloo Brasserie opposite The Old Vic theatre, with a branch of GBK taking the top.

WEST

Cabana Westfield Stratford City, 5 Chestnut Plaza, Montfitchet Way, E20 1GL Stratford Brazilian ££ Brazilian BBQ restaurant Cabana is holding a voucher strike. In a stand against the over-use of restaurant discount vouchers – and, hey, for a bit of a gimmick at a quiet time of year – it is allowing diners to take any restaurant voucher into one of the branches and trade it in for two skewers of spicy Malagueta chicken for the price of one. Chinese Cricket Club 19 New Bridge St, EC4V 6DB Blackfriars Chinese ££ This City restaurant, named in honour of the Chinese National Cricket team, has recently celebrated its third anniversary. To mark the occasion, and Chinese New Year, this Sunday will see a special four-course menu for £55, which includes a glass of prosecco on arrival and traditional dishes including shredded chicken in sesame sauce, braised pork in lotus leaf and steamed sea bass with ginger and spring onion. Lemon tart is a less traditional but tempting dessert. It’s likely to be popular, so the restaurant recommends booking ahead. Hache 147 Curtain Road, EC2A 3EQ Old Street Burgers ££ This small London burger chain has been somewhat overshadowed by the onslaught of trendy burger joints to open of late, but it’s still going strong. This is venue number four, and offers the same vast selection of toppings and encroutements to pimp up your burger that have made the restaurants in Camden, Chelsea and Clapham so enduringly popular.

SOUTH

York & Albany 127-129 Parkway, NW1 7PS Camden Town British ££ Throughout February, every Tuesday will see live music at York & Albany, with their resident soul singer Raff performing alongside leading industry names. It starts tomorrow with The Sean Pregnolato Band who will be performing stripped back acoustic blues and reggae.

24 Scout London scoutlondon.com

The Wheatsheaf 24 Southwark Street, SE1 1TY London Bridge Gastropub ££ This historic and iconic Borough pub has been closed for over three years, but is now back with a bang. Quirky new additions include a campervan kitchen serving street food-inspired dishes on a new heated terrace, and a screen showing a live feed from London Bridge station. Est. India 73-75 Union Street, SE1 1SG Borough Indian £ Occupying a previously empty space on Union Street, just down from where Gordon Ramsay is soon to open his new Union Street Cafe, this Indian restaurant will offer dine-in and take-out options.

Naga 2 Abingdon Road, W8 6AF High Street Kensington ££ As of today, Naga will begin its celebration of the new Chinese year, the year of the snake, by adding a new cocktail using snake wine onto the menu. Made from rice wine infused with a whole pickled Cobra, it will be mixed with vodka, Cointreau, chilli vodka, sliced ginger, lime juice and brown sugar to form the deadly-sounding Serpent’s Kiss. Pop 15 Blenheim Crescent, W11 2EE Notting Hill Gate Popcorn £ Popcorn is set to be big in 2013, and now Europe’s first Popcorn Boutique has landed in Notting Hill. Air-popped corn is freshly made to order and coated in flavours that range from the indulgent to the weird. Try gingerbread with real ginger nut pieces, bloody Mary flavour, chocolate orange or olive oil and sea salt, to name a few. Raffles 287 King’s Road, SW3 5EW South Kensington Bar ££ With a 50 Shades of Raffles theme and a dress code titled Dangerous, this is not your usual Valentine’s dinner. Cocktails will be served by blindfolded waitresses (could be messy!) while erotic ballet will do its thing, supposedly in the background.

Scout London Price Guide ££££ Over £19 per main £££ £14-18 ££ £9-13 £ Under £9

DRINK IN

Baiju

This lesser-known Chinese spirit which translates literally as “white alcohol” is gradually working its way into London’s back bars and drinks cabinets. It’s China’s most popular drink, and now premium brand Shui Jing Fang is bringing it to our reach via See Woo stores, including the flagship Lisle Street shop in Chinatown. It’s made from Sorghum, an ancient grain similar to wheat, and boasts bold characteristics not too far removed from a Bourbon. If you don’t want to invest in a bottle, head to the bar at Alvin Leung’s Bo London restaurant (as featured on p20) for a beiju sour, which has the honour of being the only beiju cocktail currently available on London’s bar scene.

LEARN OUT School Of Wok Quick Fire Classes If you’re planning on cooking up a Chinese New Year storm in the kitchen this weekend, there’s still time to get some guidance. We like this Covent Garden cookery school which has as much of a sense of humour as its name suggests. It has started classes you can do in your lunch break. They run from noon-1pm and teach simple but effective street food dishes like grilled pandan chicken and Vietnamese pho noodles. And you get to eat what you make. You’re guaranteed to learn more than you will browsing Facebook while you stand in a queue at Pret for 15 minutes. School of Wok, 61 Chandos Place, WC2N 4HG schoolofwok.co.uk

£96.19 for 500ml from See Woo stores. shuijingfang.com

Calling All Junior Designers! We’re looking for new staff

more info : j.mp/scoutjunior scoutlondon.com Scout London 25

LIVE TOUR 2013 (WEARING RUBBER AT HIS AGE!)

Julian is looking for love... ...and he’s not leaving town empty handed

ONE NIGHT IN LONDON

2 JUNE

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Movie madness

We all love films, but some more than others. If you’re a total movie geek, don’t just settle for novelty tat – grab yourself some genuinely cool movie merchandise

why so serious?

what’s on the tube?

location, location

Fancy Japanese sock-makers Tabio were specially commissioned to make these socks for The Joker in The Dark Knight. Now that is serious movie memorabilia. Joker Socks, £18 from Tabio, Covent Garden

All of London’s Tube stations are replaced with the names of movies that were filmed nearby on this brilliant map from the BFI. Underground Film Map, £9.95 from filmstore.bfi.org.uk

Love movies? Love London? Then this book is for you. All the city’s iconic locations are included, with handy walks that take you around them. London Movie Guide, £10.49 from foyles.co.uk

make an arthouse a home

the godfather of grapes

holy awesome ride batman!

BFI Southbank is pretty much the epicentre of British film. Membership here gets you loads of discounts to screenings and events, including the London Film Festival. BFI Membership, £40 from bfi.org.uk/join

He’s made some of the greatest films in the history of Hollywood and now Francis Ford Coppola has turned his attention to wine. An original gift for any movie-loving vino connoisseurs. Coppola Diamond Collection Black Claret 2010, £23.63 from

Got some cash to burn? Well you could do worse than blowing a chunk of it on a painstakinglyprecise replica of the 60s Batmobile, complete with flame-thrower exhaust. Kapow! Replica Batmobile, £120,000 from firebox.com

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scoutlondon.com Scout London 27

SAVE THE MALE

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 35 in the UK. Be part of the Campaign Against Living Miserably. thecalmzone.net/stopsuicide thecalmzone

Reg charity no. 1110621

Classic carving Fragment of decorated reindeer bone, from the Palaeolithic period

Ahead of the curve Modelled figure of a woman, the oldest ceramic figure in the world

The really old masters

Moravian Museum, Anthropos In / On loan from Moravske Zemske Museum. Brno / Madel

Putting the ‘art’ into ‘artefact’, a new show at the British Museum displays some of mankind’s earliest creations

H 26,000 years old The oldest known portrait of a woman sculpted from mammoth ivory

umans were using art as a means of communication and expression, and as a way of understanding the world around them, long before they could write. Billed as being 40,000 years in the making, the British Museum’s new mega exhibition is a collection of exceptional ancient artefacts, all of which date from between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago. Among the pieces is a 23,000-year-old sculpture of an abstract figure from Lespugue, France, which so fascinated Picasso that it influenced his 1930s sculptural works.

The carvings and other works show skilful, practised artists experimenting with perspectives, scale, volumes, light and movement, as well as seeking knowledge through imagination, abstraction and illusion. Other items, made from mammoth tusk and reindeer antler, will be presented alongside modern works by Henry Moore, Mondrian and Matisse, to compare and contrast how humans have used art to communicate through the ages. Ice Age Art, The British Museum, February 7-May 26, britishmuseum.org scoutlondon.com Scout London 29

An Eclipse Theatre Production

By Don Evans

“Joyous... the whole show goes with a tremendous swing, its sharp wit matched with a genuine generosity of spirit”  Daily Telegraph

UNTIL 9 FEBRUARY DIRECTOR DAWN WALTON DESIGNER LIBBY WATSON LIGHTING DESIGNER NATASHA CHIVERS SOUND DESIGN ADRIENNE QUARTLY CAST

JACQUELINE BOATSWAIN, KARL COLLINS, JOCELYN JEE ESIEN, ROCHELLE ROSE, CLIFFORD SAMUEL, REBECCA SCROGGS AND ISAAC SSEBANDEKE

Originally co-produced with Sheffield Theatres | Presented by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Limited

“Walton’s production is pure – sometimes impure – delight”  Guardian “Ingenious… the acting is sharp and the writing sassy”  Evening Standard

BOX OFFICE 020 7328 1000 | W W W.TRICYCLE.CO.UK Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7JR | Nearest Tube: Kilburn Registered charity no. 276892

Central

Eva Hesse 1965 at Hauser & Wirth, 23 Savile Row, W1S 2ET Oxford Circus FREE, Until Mar 9. Drawings, paintings and reliefs from a pivotal transitional moment in the artist’s career. BP British Art Displays 1500-2010 at Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG Pimlico FREE, Until Mar 4. The Collection displays at Tate Britain rehung in the western suite of galleries. British Painting: Abstract And Pop at Whitford Fine Art, 6 Duke Street St James’s, SW1Y 6BN Green Park phone for prices, Until Feb 28. British abstract paintings and pop art produced after the Second World War. James Lee Byars: Works From The Sixties And The Angel at Michael Werner Gallery, 22 Upper Brook Street, W1K 7PZ Marble Arch FREE, Until Mar 16. An exhibition of major works by the American artist, including the sculpture ‘The Angel’. The Cartoon Museum at Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, WC1A 2HH Holborn £5.50, NUS £3, concs £4, mems/under 18s FREE, Until Dec 31. Showcase of British work including artwork on loan from The Beano, The Dandy and Topper. Charles Jennens: The Man Behind Handel’s Messiah at Handel House Museum, 25 Brook Street, W1K 4HB Bond Street £6, child £2, concs £5, under 5s FREE, Until Apr 14. All known oil portraits of Handel’s great collaborator. Constable, Gainsborough, Turner And The Making Of Landscape at Royal Academy Of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD Green Park £8, OAP/disabled/Art Fund mems £7, NUS £5, unwaged £4, family £18, ages 12-18 £4, under 12s FREE, Until Feb 17. More than a hundred works by three significant British landscape painters. John Davies: Highways at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican FREE, Until Jun 16. Photographs of major London thoroughfares. Design Museum Collection: Extraordinary Stories About Ordinary Things at Design Museum, 28 Butlers Wharf Shad Thames, SE1 2YD London Bridge £10.75, NUS £6.50, concs £9.70, child under 12 FREE, ongoing. A number of key 20th-century design items offering an insight into everyday objects. Oskar Fischinger at Tate Modern, Bankside, Holland Street, SE1 9TG Southwark FREE, Until May 12. Restored film footage of the artist’s 1926 performances.

Antony Gormley: Model at White Cube Bermondsey, 144-152 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3TQ London Bridge FREE, Until Feb 10. Large-scale sculpture and sitespecific installations. Hartnell To Amies: Couture By Royal Appointment at Fashion And Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF Borough £7, concs £5, Until Feb 23. London couture fashion by the designers to The Queen. Jeremy Hunter: High Resolutions at Atlas, 49 Dorset Street, W1U 7NF Baker Street phone for prices, Until Feb 16. North Korean propaganda photography. Ice Age Art: Arrival Of The Modern Mind at British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG Russell Square £10, concs available, Starts Thu, Until May 26. A display of Ice Age artifacts from across Europe, being shown in the country for the first time. Neil Libbert: Photojournalist at National Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE Embankment FREE, Until Apr 21. Significant pictures selected from the photographer’s 55-year-long career. Light Show at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX Waterloo £10, OAP £9, NUS £8, ages 12-18 £6.50, Until Apr 28. Sculptures and installations from the 1960s to the present, exploring the nature of light. The Northern Renaissance: Durer To Holbein at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, Birdcage Walk, SW1A 1AA Victoria £9.25, NUS/OAP £8.50, family £23, under 17s £4.65, under 5s FREE, Until Apr 14. Paintings, drawings, prints, manuscripts, sculpture, tapestries and armour. Man Ray Portraits at National Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE Embankment £12.70, OAP £11.80, concs £10.90, ages 12-18/unwaged/ NUS/disabled/disabled carer FREE, Starts Thu, Until May 27. A major retrospective featuring more than 150 vintage prints. Juergen Teller: Woo at ICA, 12 Carlton House Terrace, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH Charing Cross FREE, Until Mar 17. Fashion and commercial photography.

Schwitters In Britain at Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG Pimlico £10, concs £8.60, Art Fund mems £5, concs £4.30, Until May 12. Late collages, sculptures and assemblages from the British period of Kurt Schwitters.

North Judy Chicago And Louise Bourgeois, Helen Chadwick, Tracey Emin at Ben Uri Gallery, 108a Boundary Road, NW8 0RH Kilburn Park £5, child FREE, concs £4, Until Mar 10. A survey of the American artist and activist, contextualised with work by three other European female artists. Doug Corker: A life & A Body Of Work: 1939-2012 at Lauderdale House, Highgate Hill, Waterlow Park, N6 5HG Archway phone for prices, Starts Wed, Until Feb 17. Abstract art, collage and bright canvasses. Film In Space: An Exhibition Of Film And Expanded Cinema Selected By Guy Sherwin at Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright Road, NW3 6DG Finchley Road FREE, Until Feb 24. Experimental films by emerging British artists and film-makers. Sabi Westoby: Stitched at Artisan80, 80 Harlesden Road, NW10 2BE Dollis Hill FREE, Starts Wed, Until Feb 23. Contemporary, mixed-media assemblages and textiles.

Astronomy Photographer Of The Year 2012 at Royal Observatory Greenwich, Greenwich Park, Blackheath Avenue, SE10 8XJ Cutty Sark FREE, Until Feb 12. Images from this year’s competition. Pauline Boudry & Renate Lorenz: Toxic Play In Two Acts at South London Gallery, 65-67 Peckham Road, SE5 8UH Elephant & Castle FREE, Until Feb 24. The Berlin-based duo showcases film installations Toxic and Salomania. Gavin Dobson: The Artist’s Greatest Strength Is People Watching at Ovalhouse, 54 Kennington Oval, SE11 5SW Oval FREE, Until Feb 23. Illustrations inspired by the artist’s huge love of graphic novels and American comic books. POP at Will’s Art Warehouse, 1 Sadlers House, 180 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1LY Parsons Green FREE, Until Feb 20. Works in various media by artists including Susie Brooks, Tom Frost and Dan Parry Jones.

East The Banquet Years at MOT International, First Floor, 72 New Bond Street, W1S 1RR Bethnal Green FREE, Until Feb 16. A survey of the work of the defunct, satirical, London-based art collective BANK. Yiannis Baltagiannis: A Glimpse Of You at Fabrica 584, 584 Kingsland Road, E8 4AH Dalston Junction FREE, Until Feb 10. Repetitive photo prints mounted on solid aluminium backing. Steve Bishop: An Escalator Can Never Break, It Can Only Become Stairs at Carlos/Ishikawa, Unit 4, 88 Mile End Road, E1 4UN Whitechapel FREE, Until Mar 2. Contemporary art. Matt Bryans at Kate MacGarry, 27 Old Nichol Street, E2 7HR Liverpool Street: FREE, Until Mar 2. Sculptural installations and collages made from erased newsprint. Gerard Byrne: A State Of Neutral Pleasure at Whitechapel Gallery, 80-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX Aldgate East FREE, Until Mar 8. A major survey of the Irish artist’s work from 2003 to the present day. Dave Muller: Death Disco at The Approach, 47 Approach Road, E2 9LY Bethnal Green FREE, Until Feb 10. Paintings, drawings and text-based works by the American artist. Smash Lab at The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH Old Street £7, adv £5, Starts Tue, Until Feb 5. Performances by artists including Lewis Church, Laura Milnes and Laura Hemming-Lowe. Take Another Look at Museum Of London Docklands, West India Quay, Hertsmere Road, E14 4AL Canary Wharf FREE, Until Aug 4. An exploration of the people from the African Diaspora who lived and worked in Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries.

South Ansel Adams: Photography From The Mountains To The Sea at National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, SE10 9NF Cutty Sark £7, concs £5, mems FREE, Until Apr 28. Photographs of the natural landscapes of America.

Wil Murray: Painted Shut at Vitrine Gallery, Bermondsey Square, SE1 3FD London Bridge FREE, Until Feb 23. Large-scale installation created from materials left scattered around the Canadian artist’s studio. Nicolas Poussin’s First Series Of The Seven Sacraments at Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, SE21 7AD West Dulwich £5, OAP £4, concs FREE, Until May 19. Five remaining paintings from the series.

West Bruno Bisang: 30 Years Of Polaroids at The Little Black Gallery, 13A Park Walk, SW10 0AJ Sloane Square FREE, Until Feb 9. A selection of images and prints of models. Breaking The Ice: Moscow Art, 196080s at Saatchi Gallery, Duke Of York’s HQ, King’s Road, SW3 4RY Sloane Square FREE, Until Feb 24. A group show of works by 20 Russian artists. Pain Less: The Future Of Relief at Science Museum, Exhibition Road, SW7 2DD South Kensington FREE, Until Nov 8. An exhibition investigating the future of pain relief. Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer Of The Year at Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD South Kensington £9, concs £4.50, family £24, Art Fund mems £4.50, concs £2.25, under 3s FREE, Until Mar 3. One hundred winning images from the established contemporary wildlife photography competition.

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going: ‘Why are you saying that?’ So if I do something and she’s like ‘What’s that joke from?’, if I can’t figure out what I’m trying to say or its not very pleasant she will flag that up and go ‘that’s just a stupid accent, that’s the reason you’re doing that’. You do a lot of new material nights. What’s the attraction? Often they help me write because you get this sheer blind panic when you have nothing and you’re just about to go on – because you have to have something. I’ll steal things from the kids. I’ll just make up a name for an animal like spacebear or owlcat – they like to splice animals together. So I basically steal their ideas and see what I can do with them.

The new law After a decade of hard gigging, Tony Law is finally joining the big leagues. He tells James Drury it’s down to being ‘bloody-minded’

ony Law has been a favourite of die-hard comedy fans since first arriving on the scene over a decade ago. But the affable 43-year-old Canadian struggled to find a wider audience for his charming and hilariously absurd tales and anecdotes. But no longer. With triumphs at the Amused Moose Laughter Awards 2011 and the Chortle Breakthrough Award 2012 under his belt, he is now on the precipice of major mainstream success. Next week he begins a 12-night residency at the Soho Theatre – no mean feat for someone who admits he used to have to explain his jokes “because they were so sh*t”.

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We’re delighted to see you’re now getting the attention you deserve. Why do you think it has taken so long? It’s probably down to me being a bit more bloody-minded and going even harder towards being full of nonsense. Also, it’s easier for people to find you now with Twitter and all the other bollocks. You don’t need a big machine behind you to promote you. You can do it on the cheap now and you’ll find enough freaks out there to feed your habit. You’ve upped the nonsense – that leads nicely to the current tour, Maximum Nonsense… Y’know, every year I set out with the intention of writing a more

mainstream show that’ll garner me a larger audience, but inevitably it always goes the other way. So how do you come up with new material? Most of the stuff that’s generated from January to May will be improvised bits that I just keep on doing. Then in about May, my wife – who’s a photographer – comes in and looks at it all and analyses it and goes ‘What do you mean by that? Where does that come from?’ and she finds the soul in it. So she’s an important part of your creative process then? Definitely. In the last three years she has made a huge difference,

A lot of comedians – yourself included – seem to deconstruct their own comedy on stage these days. Why is that? Usually because the routines I’m doing are so sh*t at first that I have to be able to get a back-up laugh when they inevitably fail. It’s not even doing it cleverly like Stewart Lee, it’s more like ‘Why did I do that? That didn’t make any sense. That was a stupid thing to do’. That buys you some more time. How much of your shows tends to be improv and how much is tightly scripted? At the start of the Edinburgh Festival my shows change a lot, but I try to keep it the same from about day four. None of it is scripted, I can just remember it. However, I always film the show at end of Edinburgh because otherwise I will forget that material. When I’m on tour I will probably improvise a bit again. At Soho I probably won’t improvise too heavily, mainly because I don’t want to f*ck it up! What makes you laugh? I like to be surprised. Sean Lock is really good at that. You think the joke is heading somewhere, but he switches it at the end, which I love. Tony Law – Maximum Nonsense, February 18-March 2, Soho Theatre, sohotheatre.com

ONGOING Rich Hall’s Hoedown at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road From Feb 4, Feb 4-9, 9.30pm, Feb 10, 7pm & 9pm, Feb 11, 15, 7.30pm, ends Feb 15, Mon-Thu, Sun £15, concs £12.50, Fri & Sat £20, concs £17.50. Musical comedy. Until Feb 15. Lewis Schaffer Is Free Until Famous at The Source Below, 11 Lower John Street, W1F 9TY Piccadilly Circus 8pm, FREE. Self-deprecating stand-up. NewsRevue at Canal Cafe Theatre, Bridge House Pub, Delamere Terrace, W2 6ND Warwick Avenue Thu-Sat 9.30pm, Sun 9pm, £11, concs £9.50. Comedy sketches and songs inspired by current affairs. Until Feb 28. Sam Fletcher: Good On Paper at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 8.45pm, Thu £10, Fri & Sat £12.50, concs £10. Propbased humour, gags and sketches. Sean Lock: Work In Progress at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7.30pm, £18. Cynical humour and satirical observations.

Monday February 4 Simon Amstell: Work In Progress at The Invisible Dot Ltd, 2 Northdown Street, N1 9BG Kings Cross St Pancras Mon-Wed 7.45pm-8.45pm, £8. Dry and disdainful humour. Fortnight Club at Downstairs At The King’s Head, 2 Crouch End Hill, N8 8AA Finsbury Park 8.30pm, £5. With Mary Bourke, Jack Samuel Warner, Mark Dolan, Abi Roberts, Hal Cruttenden, Dan Antopolski, Brenda Gilhooley, Dan Wright, Julian Deane and MC Marian Pashley. Shaun Keaveny: Live And Langourous! at Pleasance Theatre, Carpenter’s Mews, North Road, N7 9EF Caledonian Road 7.30pm, £9, concs £8.50. The radio DJ presents special wit, satire and guests.

Katherine Ryan: Nature’s Candy at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Mon-Wed 8.45pm, Feb 4 £10, phone for availability, Feb 5 & 6 £12.50, concs £10. Dark and warped humour from the London-based Canadian.

Tuesday February 5

Friday February 8

The Monday Club at Tattershall Castle, Victoria Embankment, SW1A 2HR Charing Cross 8.30pm, £10, concs £8. With Tony Law, Ian Stone, Elis James, Lucy Beaumont and MC Iain Stirling.

Foster’s Comedy Live at Highlight, Camden Lock, Middle Yard Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AB Camden Town 8.15pm-10.15pm, £17 & £18. With Markus Birdman, Jarlath Regan, Fergus Craig, Christophe Davidson and James Alderson. Jongleurs Comedy Show at The Sports Cafe, 80 Haymarket, SW1Y 4TE Piccadilly Circus 8.30pm, Fri £12, Sat £15. With Jim Smallman, Andrew Watts and Imran Yusuf. Soho Comedy Club at The Casino At The Empire, 5-6 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA Leicester Square 8pm-10pm, £15, adv £10. With John Gordillo, Shazia Mirza, Junior Simpson and MC David Mulholland. Top Secret Comedy Club at The Africa Centre, 38 King Street, WC2E 8JT Covent Garden 8.15pm-10.45pm, £8, NUS £5.

Saturday February 9

Sarah Kendall: Get Up, Stand Up at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 9Tue-Sat 9.15pm, Feb 5 & 6 £10, Feb 7-9 £15, concs £12.50. Topical and thoughtprovoking humour from the awardwinning stand up. The Camden Comedy Sessions at The Camden Head, 100 Camden High Street, NW1 0LU Camden Town 7.30pm, FREE. With MCs Joe Hunter and Robin Cousins. Comedy At The Blacksmith & The Toffeemaker at The Blacksmith and The Toffee Maker, 292-294 St. John Street, EC1V 4PA Angel 8pm, £5. A selection of acts from TV, hosted by Rhys James. Gits & Shiggles Comedy Night at Half Moon, Putney, 93 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1EU Putney Bridge 8pm, £5. Guest acts take to the stage for an evening of laughter. Laugh at Ginglik, Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8PH Shepherd’s Bush 8.30pm, guestlist £8, mems £5. With Adam Bloom, Lucy Beaumont, Steve Bugeja. Alexei Sayle at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Feb 1-9 Tue & Wed £15, concs £12.50, Thu-Sat £20, concs £17.50. Alternative stand-up.

Wednesday February 6

The Lily Foundation at Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Piccadilly Circus 8pm, £18, phone for availability. With Noel Fielding, Jon Richardson, Jack Whitehall, Phill Jupitus, Josh Widdicombe, Andy Zaltzman and MC Kevin Day.

The Best In Stand-Up at Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Piccadilly Circus 8pm, £18, NUS/concs £13. With Andy Askins, Jarred Christmas, Stefano Paolini and MC Roger Monkhouse. Crack Comedy Club: The Patchwork Club at The Slug And Lettuce, 1 Islington Green, N1 2XH Angel 8pm, adv £4. With Andrew Bird. Sam Fletcher: Good On Paper at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road 8.45pm, Thu £10, Fri & Sat £12.50, concs £10. Propbased humour, gags and sketches. Totally Tom at St James Theatre, 12 Palace Street, SW1E 5JA Victoria 8pm, £12.50 & £15. Sketch comedy duo.

Pear Shaped In Fitzrovia at Fitzroy Tavern, 16a Charlotte Street, W1T 2NA Goodge Street 8.30pm, £5. With Abi Roberts, Luke Graves, Alan Power, Adam Green, Nick Root, Adrian Knight, Hamish Adams Cairns, Nick Ewans, Naomi Hefter and MCs Brian Damage & Krysstal and Anthony Miller. Ucking Comedy at The Camden Head, 100 Camden High Street, NW1 0LU Camden Town 8.15pm, FREE, donations welcome. With MC Michael Kossew.

Thursday February 7 Barry And Stuart: Show And Tell at Jacksons Lane Theatre, 269a Archway Road, N6 5AA Highgate 8pm, £14.95, concs £12.95. Magical comedy.

Jimeoin: What?! at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 9.30pm, £15. Observational wit and wisdom. Banana Cabaret at The Bedford, 77 Bedford Hill, SW12 9HD Balham 9pm, £14, concs £11. Kerry Godliman, Ben Norris, Ian Cognito and Lenny Peters. Barry And Stuart: Show And Tell at Jacksons Lane Theatre, 269a Archway Road, N6 5AA Highgate 8pm, £14.95, concs £12.95. Magical comedy. The Best In Stand-Up at Comedy Store, 1a

Foster’s Comedy Live at Highlight, Camden Lock, Middle Yard Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AB Camden Town 8.15pm-10.15pm, £17 & £18. With Markus Birdman, Jarlath Regan, Fergus Craig, Christophe Davidson and James Alderson. Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Piccadilly Circus 7.30pm, 11pm, 7.30pm £20, 11pm £15, NUS/concs £9. With Andy Askins, Jarred Christmas, Stefano Paolini and MC Roger Monkhouse. Bright Club at The Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AH Euston 7.30pm, £8. With Mae Martin, Chris Neill and MC David Morgan. Comedy Carnival at Metra, 14 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NG Leicester Square 8pm-10pm, £12. With Addy Van Der Borgh, Junior Simpson and MC Pete Jonas.

Comedy Cabaret at Downstairs At The King’s Head, 2 Crouch End Hill, N8 8AA Finsbury Park 8.30pm, £11, concs £7. With Diane Spencer, Andrea Hubert, Danny Ward, Inder Manocha and MC Dominic Frisby. Banana Cabaret at The Bedford, 77 Bedford Hill, SW12 9HD Balham 9pm, £16, concs £13. Kerry Godliman, Ben Norris, Ian Cognito and George Egg. The Funny Side...Of Covent Garden at The George, 213 Strand, WC2R 1AP Temple 8pm, £12.50. With Dominic Holland, Paul Ricketts, Otiz Cannelloni and MC Gareth Kane. Funny Women London Nights at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 9pm, £10, concs £8. With Lucy Beaumont, The Underdogs, Tamar Broadbent, Cheish Merryweather, Leanne Davis and Bex How. Sarah Silverman at The Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AH Euston 7.30pm, £25. Sharp and satirical humour from the US stand-up. Wegottickets Musical Comedy Awards 2013 at The Wilmington Arms, 69 Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4RL Angel 1.30pm, £10, adv £7. Paddy Cullivan, Dan Lees, Sandy Foster, Jonny & The Baptists, Tina Turner Tea Lady, Jacky Wood, Joe Charman and Eric Davidson.

Sunday February 10 Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip at The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston Culture House, 11 Gillett Street, N16 8AZ Highbury & Islington 8pm, £10. Stand up, rock and performance art trio. Comedymania Round 2 at The Flyover, 3-5 Thorpe Close, W10 5XL Ladbroke Grove 6.30pm-11pm, £10, early bird £7.50. With Kane Brown, Annette Fagon, Kae Kurd, Sam Hastings, Thaniya Moore and MC Aurie Styla.

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The anti-romcom Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne star in the brilliant new anti-romantic comedy, I Give It A Year. The pair tell Susan Griffin why you’ll definitely not be hoping for a ‘happily ever after’ with this one

omcoms. You’d be forgiven for nearly gagging at the thought. But hold your derision back for just a second, because this new British comedy doesn’t follow the usual script. Written and directed by Dan Mazer – who’s worked with Sacha Baron Cohen on mega comedy hits such as Da Ali G Show, Borat and Bruno – I Give It A Year starts where other romcoms finish, by lifting the veil on the first year of marriage between a couple who are wildly unsuitable.

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“You watch certain romantic comedies and you root for these characters to get together, but in reality they have a hilarious journey getting together because they’re not quite right for each other,” says Rafe Spall, who plays semisuccessful novelist Josh, opposite Rose Byrne’s ambitious high-flyer businesswoman Nat. “I suppose this film starts off where the conventional romantic comedy ends, where an unlikely couple gets together against all odds, and then it looks at what happens when these two

characters have to actually lead their lives together.” Sitting side-by-side, laughing lots and gently poking fun at each another, it’s clear the real-life Spall and Byrne really enjoy each other’s company. In fact, Mazer was concerned the pair’s friendship resulted in too much “sparkle” on screen. “I think Dan was nervous because we became friends pretty quickly,” says Byrne. “As a director, I can understand because that’s not the dynamic he wanted. He’d say, ‘You’ve got to be mean to him!’.”

Her co-star agrees it was initially tough playing against the stereotypical scenario. “In this you’re meant to will them apart, because you start to see they’re not right for each other,” says Spall. The 29-year-old actor, who once weighed 18-stone, is handsome in a slightly dishevelled way. But he reveals that he had to persuade the powers-that-be that he could pull off a romantic lead. “I had to prove I was handsome, funny and charismatic enough,” he says with an endearingly goofy grin.

Determined to look his best, he “lifted a few weights, and dodged a few carbs”, and insists he wasn’t hurt by the naysayers. “The casting of a lead part is a huge responsibility, so I understand people being precious about it,” says London-born Spall, son of the renowned actor Timothy Spall. But then the whole point is that Josh isn’t the ‘perfect man’. In fact, he’s the antithesis of the type of person Nat would usually go for.

“I think she’s going into the marriage knowing there are differences but celebrating them, and thinking that what they have will carry them through,” says Australian-born Byrne. The 33-year-old, who came to prominence with Glenn Close in TV series Damages, has since shown her comedic capabilities in Get Him To The Greek opposite Russell Brand, and Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig. She revelled in the opportunity to play uptight, highly-strung, humourless Nat. “As an actor you can’t judge your character, so you’re always their best lawyer, going in and fighting their case. For that you have to have empathy,” says the petite actress, who looks prettily prim in a buttoned-up black shirt beneath an orange jumper and skinny jeans. “She’s very English actually; a very particular English character and that was a great way of unlocking her,” says Byrne, who doesn’t think it unfeasible that Nat and Josh would have fallen for each other. “Opposites do attract – but then they can repel each other,” she says, laughing. “That’s what happened, and I think they had enough chemistry to get it over the line, then it just breaks down.” Their relationship is further compromised by competition, in the form of Josh’s former girlfriend, Chloe, played by The House Bunny’s Anna Faris, and

Getting it rom Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne in I Give it A Year

Nat’s suave client, Guy, played by The Devil Wears Prada heart-throb Simon Baker. “There’s not one you don’t root for,” says Spall. “It’s a love square really. Usually there’s a horrible person that you don’t want someone to end up with but there isn’t in this.” Even Guy, the handsome smooth operator, gets it wrong when he attempts to seduce Nat with the help of a violinist and doves. “It’s good because every potentially treacly scene is subverted,” says Spall, who recently starred in Prometheus and opposite Anne Hathaway in One Day. It’s also pretty X-rated. Take the scene in which Nat and Josh are showing her uptight parents their honeymoon snaps, when up pops a raunchy shoot that includes fullfrontal nudity. Asked if it was all their own work, Byrne says: “Half and half for me. Rafe went the whole nine...” The pair burst into giggles. “Yep, my whole body’s in this film, I was given no choice to be honest,” adds Spall. He also shows off some questionable dance moves with comedian Stephen Merchant, who plays Josh’s obnoxious best mate Danny. “We had a choreographer and I remember it being really weird learning to do the running man with Stephen Merchant in Pineapple Studios!” As someone who’s stripped off on screen and been in all sorts of cringe-inducing scrapes in the TV series Pete Versus Life, he admits he’s willing to do pretty much anything in the name of a laugh. “I just love comedy, I love having a laugh in real life and I love other people being funny,” says Spall, who married former Hollyoaks actress Elize du Toit in 2010. The couple now have two children, Lena, 18 months, and Rex, born in November. Unlike some couples, he says their first year of marriage wasn’t strained at all – something he attributes to their honeymoon baby. “Yeah, we had a baby in the first year so Elize was pregnant and that

An Aussie rose Rose Byrne

was a distraction.” Byrne, however, who’s rumoured to be dating Boardwalk Empire star Bobby Cannavale, didn’t even know the first year of marriage was supposed to be so testing. “I thought it’s meant to be the honeymoon year but weirdly it’s quite common,” she says. But then, unlike Spall, Byrne’s never been to a wedding where she thought the couple weren’t meant for one another. “I’ve been to loads of weddings where I’ve thought, ‘Nah, I just don’t buy it’,” Spall says, shrugging.

Leading man material Rafe Spall got into shape to win the central role in the film

“Marriage has become fashionable again and, when something becomes fashionable you end up with a lot of people following a trend who shouldn’t be.” And you only have to watch I Give It A Year to see how that’s likely to pan out. I Give It A Year is released on Friday, February 8 scoutlondon.com Scout London 35

new releases

I Give It A Year (15) Parting is such bittersweet sorrow in Dan Mazer’s London-set anti-romcom, which quickly declares its intention to split up a young married couple (Rafe Spall, Rose Byrne) in order to pair them off with more suitable soul-mates – in this case, a kooky old flame (Anna Faris) and a charming American businessman (Simon Baker). The gamble doesn’t quite pay off because Mazer tempers heartbreak with sentimentality, contriving a final flourish slathered in so much syrupy emotion you can feel the teeth rotting in your head as the end credits roll. His script boasts some hilarious interludes courtesy of Stephen Merchant and Minnie Driver in larger-than-life supporting roles, as a hapless ladies man and an acid-tongued harridan whose love-hate relationship with her spouse (Jason Flemyng) errs towards the latter. Damon Smith

Warm Bodies (12A) Love is blind, or certainly a little cross-eyed in Jonathan Levine’s post-apocalyptic zom-com. Based on the blackly humorous book by Isaac Marion, it sees feisty teenager Julie Grigio (Teresa Palmer) spark an unexpected attraction to a zombie called R (Nicholas Hoult), who has – unbeknownst to her – just devoured her boyfriend’s brain. Romance catalyses a remarkable physical transformation in R, suggesting there might be a cure to the plague that almost wiped out mankind. Warm Bodies is surprisingly sweet, anchored by an endearing performance from Hoult as the shuffling predator, who hankers for the glory days of vinyl. Levine casts a nostalgic, rosy glow over the post-apocalyptic gloom, earning a 12A certificate despite occasional explosions of flesh-ripping violence. Undead good. DS

Hitchcock (12A) Director Sacha Gervasi’s love letter to the golden age of Hollywood concentrates on the fractious relationship between Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his screenwriter wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) during the turbulent period when the couple risked everything to self-finance “a nice, clean, nasty little piece of work”, called Psycho. As principal photography begins, Hitch nurtures an obsession with his leading lady, Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson). In response, Alma entertains flattering overtures from fellow writer Whitfield Cook (Danny Huston), which fans the flames of her husband’s jealousy. Hitchcock is a handsomely-crafted portrait of tortured genius, distinguished by scintillating performances from Mirren and Hopkins, the latter delivering the lip-smacking one-liners with obvious relish. “My murders are always models of taste and discretion!” he grins. Gervasi’s picture is almost as elegant. DS

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DISNEY

Also showing

Wreck-It Ralph 3D (PG)

A Liar’s Autobiography

Films based on video games often malfunction, but Rich Moore’s feel-great computer animation is a glorious exception to the rule, using a coin-operated arcade as a backdrop to one pixellated character’s uplifting journey of self-discovery. Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C Reilly) is the bad guy in a game called Fix-It Felix Jr, but he grows tired of playing the villain. So Ralph jumps into the Sugar Rush racing game where he helps misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) chase the chequered flag in her modified go-kart ahead of rivals including King Candy (Alan Tudyk). Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee’s script sucessfully balances uproarious laugh with tears without shamelessly manipulating our emotions. Children will be squealing with glee at the turbo-charged action sequences; grown men, meanwhile, will find themselves surreptitiously weeping into their popcorn. DS

And now for something completely different. Inspired by recordings made by Graham Chapman before his untimely demise in 1989, A Liar’s Autobiography is a fictionalised tribute to ‘the dead one from Monty Python’, which doesn’t quite capture the madcap genius of the comedy troupe that made household names of Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Abandoning the stuffy constraints of a traditional biopic, Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson and Ben Timlett’s film melds 17 different animation styles from 14 animators to create a mosaic of memories from Chapman’s chequered life. The artistry of each vignette is impressive, tinged by impish humour, but there’s a noticeable lack of eye-opening disclosure behind all of the visual razzamatazz. DS

– The Untrue Story Of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman 3D (15)

I Wish (PG)

A Day at the Races (U)

Celebrated Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda explores familiar themes of childhood innocence and abandonment in this poetic slice of life, which is blessed with winning performances from real-life siblings. Twelve-year-old Koichi (Koki Maeda) lives with his mother (Nene Ohtsuka) in the southern town of Kagoshima. Far to the north in Fukuoka, Koichi’s younger brother Ryunosuke (Ohshiro Maeda) lives with their musician father (Jo Odagiri). The cherubs secretly embark on a cross-country odyssey to test out Koichi’s theory about the electrical field generated by passing trains. Every frame of I Wish is beautifully observed, galvanized by the irresistible natural chemistry of the pint-sized protagonists. DS

The Marx Brothers’ follow-up to smash hit A Night at the Opera delivers the same infectious blend of comedy and music, reaching a crescendo with the classic ice cream van scene, which sees Groucho being conned into buying horse racing guide books he doesn’t need. In his guise as veterinarian Dr Hugo Z Hackenbush, Groucho later conducts a medical examination of a jockey (Harpo) and delivers arguably the film’s most famous line: “Either he’s dead or my watch has stopped!” The plot centres on a singer (Allan Jones), who has wagered his life savings on a horse in order to save a sanitorium. DS Feb 10, 6pm (screening as a double bill with A Night at the Opera), £9.50, concs £8.50 Riverside Studios, Crisp Road W6 9RL Hammersmith scoutlondon.com Scout London 37

Short in the act With a star-studded cast and a highly original format, Common Ground is one of TV’s most exciting new comedy shows. Dan Frost chats to Johnny Vegas and director David Lambert

icture this: a sitcom that stars Charles Dance as a drug-taking rock’n’roller, Jessica Hynes as an inept local politician, Johnny Vegas as a disgruntled tattoo shop owner, Paul Kay as a cross-dressing debt collector and Tom Davis as his hardman boss. Then factor in a slew of other UK comedy talent – Katy Brand, Josie Lawrence, Linda Robson, Rufus Jones, Alan Ford, Totally Tom… the list goes on. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it – almost too star-studded to be real? But that is the cast of new comedy show Common Ground. Calling it a sitcom is perhaps a little misleading. It’s a series of 10 comedy shorts, each running for 11 minutes a-piece, with their own unique characters. But they’re all set around the same few streets in Clapham, and certain characters occasionally cross over into other episodes – so the sitcom tag isn’t entirely inappropriate. “It’s quite a unique format – there’s not really anything else like this,” director David Lambert tells Scout. “Each episode is like

38 Scout London scoutlondon.com

a stand-alone film, but set in the same world each week, with certain overlapping characters. And that creates a little sense of community – you don’t always see the same people, but they might crop up a couple of episodes further down the line.” Most of the shorts are by different writers – often their leading star. So the style of comedy tends to shift between episodes. “I think that’s a really unique selling point,” says Lambert, who has previously worked on The Mighty Boosh and Alan Partridge. “There’s total variation in the style of comedy, but it’s balanced by a very distinctive visual style that remains constant through all the episodes, alongside the location – it’s a very recognisable one world that we’ve created.” The bite-sized nature of their appearances gave some of the headline comedy stars an opportunity to play a host of juicy characters. Dance, for example, whose episode opens the series, is more accustomed to playing toffish bureaucrats and dramatic

villains than hard-living former tour manager Floyd. “It was so far removed from what I’m normally asked to do, I couldn’t say no, and I had a hoot doing it,” he told Scout in a previous interview. Paul Kay is another example. He was brought in at the last minute to star as an incredibly sinister, makeup-wearing debt collector, in an episode with Johnny Vegas as the central character. It’s a fun part and a scene-stealing performance. “We were begging Paul Kay to be in it, and he turned out to be so brilliant,” says Vegas. “We’d had this idea for a character, where you’d be like ‘is he transgender?’, but you’re never really sure because

Bad hair day Jessica Hynes as local politician Patricia in Common People

he’s so menacing. Paul came in and as soon as we’d run the scene once, we knew we’d made the right call.” With such delicious characters, the obvious annoyance is that you want to see much more of them than the mere 11 minutes on offer. So there’s already plenty of talk about taking them further – either through a second series of Common Ground or their own individual shows. Vegas is keen to try a second series, “with more time to sit down with all the other writers, so we can try and make the characters cross over even more”. And Dance also recently expressed a desire to revisit Floyd. “All of the characters have huge potential to carry on,” says Lambert, “either as their own series, or through a second series of Common Ground. They’re all so strong, and all brilliantly performed. Common Ground could end up being a springboard for a lot of other great shows.” Common Ground starts tonight (February 4) at 9pm on Sky Atlantic

Taken 2 (15)

Anna Karenina (12)

Available on DVD, Blu-ray and iTunes

Director Joe Wright upends this emotionally cold adaptation of Tolstoy with grand, eye-catching flourishes. Aping the stylistic vision though none of the heartbreak of Baz Luhrmann, the British filmmaker sets the adultery and deception of Anna (Keira Knightley, pictured) on a snow-laden theatre stage with moveable sets. All of the technical virtuosity is choreographed with split-second precision that verges on breathtaking. Oscar nominated costumes and art direction are ravishing, and Seamus McGarvey’s nominated cinematography shimmers with rich colour. However, such fastidiousness snuffs out any faint flickers of emotion and disjoints the narrative. Anna Karenina is a big, expensive bauble: pristine, polished and admirable, but structurally brittle and completely hollow. Damon Smith

Available on DVD, Blu-ray and iTunes

Former CIA field operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) rescued his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) from Albanian kidnappers in the first Taken movie. Now the father of one of the brutes he killed has amassed a small army to abduct and torture Bryan and his loved ones. Taken 2 is a testosterone-fuelled blast that doesn’t take itself seriously – not least with Kim’s transformation into a gun-toting chip off the old block – and delivers more slam-bang thrills than the first installment. DS

Girls Season One (15) Available on DVD and Blu-ray box set

Created by lead actress Lena Dunham, Girls is a winning and consistently funny comedy drama, which chronicles the trials and tribulations of a group of 20-something women living in New York. Sharp writing and excellent performances are complemented by a refreshing willingness to portray modern women of all shapes and sizes in all their glory. Dunham plays struggling writer Hannah, whose humdrum existence in Brooklyn is upended when her parents withdraw their financial safety net and force their daughter to stand on her own two feet. DS

Hotel Transylvania (U)

Available on DVD, Blu-ray and iTunes

Hotel Transylvania gives a family-friendly, computer-animated makeover to Bram Stoker’s bloodsucking anti-hero. Set in a leafy corner of Romania, Genndy Tartakovsky’s lively romp is extremely colourful and fast-paced, and the friction between Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) and his inquisitive daughter (Selena Gomez) sparks an occasional smart one-liner (“You’re barely out of your training fangs!”). However, there’s a paucity of originality in the script and characterisation is reduced to bestowing other monsters who visit Dracula’s hotel with a single quirk. DS

Borgen Seasons One and Two (15)

Available on DVD and Blu-ray box set

Fans of The Killing will find much to enjoy in Borgen. It follows the trials and tribulations of Denmark’s first ever female prime minister, played captivatingly by Sidse Babett Knudsen. With her team of aides and spin doctors, and under the scrutiny of a tireless media, she untangles thoughtprovoking political knots with guile and grace. Sam Proud

WeatherPro for iPhone

£2.49 Available from the iTunes app store

While many smartphones now come with in-built weather features, MeteoGroup’s WeatherPro app claims to be the most accurate. Its recentlylaunched version for iPhone 3.0 includes a My Location setting, tracking weather wherever you are in the world. Users can access hi-res interactive maps with city temperatures, while handy colourcoded weather alerts pop up on the forecast screen to warn of extreme winds, rain or high or low temperatures. Kate Whiting

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Store values HMV’s high street days appear to be numbered. But don’t just give up and head online – pay a visit to one of London’s awesome independent record stores. By Tej Adeleye

25 D’Arblay Street, W1F 8EJ Established in 1993, BM Soho is a place of pilgramage for lovers of electronic music. It’s staffed by an army of DJs, musicians, producers, record label owners and promoters – its roster includes drum’n’bass legend DJ Ray Keith and hot new talent DJ Youngsta – meaning there’s serious in-depth knowledge behind the counter. It also organises some pretty spectacular instore live events, by the likes of Moodymann, Louie Vega, Breakage and Derrick Carter. Legendary reggae specialist Dubvendor now has an integrated concession in the store. Good for: Dubstep, deep, soulful, minimal, tech, funky, electro and drum’n’bass.

Sounds of the Universe 7 Broadwick Street, W1F 0DA

With pride, the staff member we speak to tells us that music lovers can expect “anything not mainstream”. A bold proclamation, perhaps. But, housed in the building where the Rolling Stones played their first gig, the store lives up to its name, stocking music from all corners of the globe, in every genre, from practically every era. You want a Bollywood best-of? No problem. Turkish funk from the 70s? They’ve got it. You like Latin music? They have one of the largest collections in the world, with a particular focus on records from Brazil. This shop is unique for its anthropological appreciation and approach to collection-curating. We challenge you not to be rethinking your definition of obscure before you leave. Good for: World music – its record label, Soul Jazz records, has over 200 releases to date and runs unique cultural recording projects that document indigenous and local music cultures across the world.

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Sister Ray

34-35 Berwick Street, W1F 8RP Named after the 1968 track by the Velvet Underground, Sister Ray has come a long way from its humble beginnings in the 80s as a stall in Camden Market. The shop features on the cover of Oasis’s smash-hit album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, and was also the first shop to distribute records by the Arctic Monkeys, including their debut EP, Five Minutes with the Arctic Monkeys. As the longest running independent music shop in the West End, Sister Ray remains popular among music fans for its sharp focus on new releases from the likes of First Aid Kit, Tame Impala, Local Natives and Toro y Moi. It moved into the old Selectadisc premises a few years back, and still sells a cracking collection of records, while staying true to the spirit of its name, impressing with its collection of indie, rock and punk. Great for: Everything from folk to death metal, via bluegrass, krautrock and virtually every other genre you can imagine.

PRESS ASSOCIATION

BM Soho

Out on the Floor Records 10 Inverness Street, NW1 7HJ

This record store is home to a specialist collection of reggae, punk, and rock records. It’s been based in Inverness Street, Camden, for over 20 years, where alongside the posters and musical instruments, you’ll also be surrounded by the area’s many interesting characters. Good for: Reggae. The store is responsible for Tuff Scout, a record label specialising in reggae music from across the world.

Soul Brother Records 1 Keswick Road, SW15 2HL

Soul Brother is home to one of the world’s most extensive collections of rare, old and new independent soul. It’s even rumoured that George Clinton once burst barefoot into the store to buy lost copies of his own albums. Also, not many shops can claim to have helped resurrect the careers of soul singers such as Marlena Shaw, but these guys can – their record label, Passion Records, has been responsible for the re-release of her forgotten back catalogue, while other re-releases include the likes of Gil Scott Heron, James Mason and Willy Hutch. They also have their own radio show on Solar Radio. Good for: Soul, rare groove, blues, jazz.

Kristina Records

ilpo musto, rex features, PRESS ASSOCIATION

44 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XJ

Set up just over a year-and-a-half ago by friends James, Jack and Jason, all with plenty of experience buying and selling records across the country, the vinyl-only Kristina Records was a risky endeavour during the recession. Fortunately, their combined experience, clean contemporary interior and a hipster vibe characteristic of the area has made them a success. Asked what makes the store unique, the trio say they pride themselves on their ability to “curate” a unique collection of diverse, handpicked records, ranging from Jus Ed to Hype Williams to Sun Ra.

Diamond in the rough The Rough Trade East store off Brick Lane is one of London’s foremost independent record shops

Rough Trade Honest Jon’s Records and Rough Trade East 278 Portobello Road, W10 5TE

130 Talbot Road, W11 1JA & Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, E1 6QL

A name now synonymous with independent music in the UK, the brand was born in the 70s in Notting Hill, alongside the renowned record label that went on to sign the Smiths, The Strokes and The Libertines. In 2007 a new flagship store opened in Brick Lane, adding coffee and cake, an internet café and an exhibition space to the mix. Its live events are a particular highlight – the stage space has featured live Q&A sessions with music veterans and mini roadblock concerts from the likes of Radiohead and Blur.

A pioneering store in Notting Hill, Honest Jon’s was set up by “Honest” Jon Clare and Dave Ryner in 1974. Central to the ebb and flow of London’s varied music scenes, it has been a key player in reggae, bebop and R’n’B, with many of the country’s famous traders selling records outside or in the back room. James Lavelle, founder of Mo’ Wax records and a trailblazer in trip-hop and 90s turntablism, used to work behind the counter. Great for: Everything from English folk and southern soul to afrobeat and highlife. Their eponymous record label, co -founded with Damon Albarn in 2002, has since featured releases from EMI’s archives.

Good for: In-store concerts, tea and cake, music and culture books, plus those stripy T-shirts and Rough Trade bags that all the cool kids rock. Huge selection Sounds of The Universe

Good for: House, Techno, 70s underground rock, in-stores from DJs and bands including DJ Andres, Ream and Golden Grrrls. scoutlondon.com Scout London 41

THIS WEEK

Kraftwerk February 6-9 & 11-14, Tate Modern, Returns only

The gigs that crashed the Tate website are finally here. Thousands upon thousands of fans scrabbled to get tickets – online, on the phone and in person – to one of the hottest events in the 2013 musical calendar. Which is not a bad result for four middle-aged German men

February 7, Heaven, £18.10

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the way through to 2003’s Tour de France. All shows are sold out, but any returns will be made available on the night, two hours before the gig starts. Ausgezeichnet! Bankside, SE1 9TG Southwark

Delphic

Hurts

It’s like the 1980s all over again with English synthpop duo Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson, aka Hurts. Having come in the top five in the BBC’s Sound of 2010 poll, the pair have gone on to sell over a million albums and are often compared with the

with a nerdy love of electronics. But it’s this nerdiness that led Kraftwerk to become the pioneers of electronic music as we know it. The quartet will be playing all their albums on consecutive nights, starting on Wednesday with 1974’s Autobahn, and going right

similarly-sounding electro doom-mongers Depeche Mode. Their new album, Exile, is out in March, so expect to hear plenty of new tracks. Happy days. Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG Charing Cross

February 5, XOYO, £15.60 This must be electro indie week. Not only are Hurts coming back to town, but so are Manchester’s Delphic. Coincidentally, they also made it into the Beeb’s Sound of 2010 poll, which perhaps gives something of an idea for what was very much in fashion then

(and, to a degree, remains so now). Keys, soaring vocals, regimented beats. Delphic have got it all. And we like it a lot. Cowper Street EC2A 4AP Old Street

Two Door Cinema Club February 8, O2 Brixton Academy, £16.50

Scout Stereo

Toro y Moi Say That

Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators It’s All Because of You

Tight bass and snapping snares give this a more clubby sound than usual Chaz Bundick tracks.

Dripping in sweet soul, this is marvellous medicine for all ailments.

Almost certainly the biggest band to come out of Northern Ireland since Snow Patrol, TDCC are absolutely on fire right now. Their single Something Good Can Work was one of the catchiest tracks of 2009, while recent single Sun was a smooth yet scuzzy slice of disco-pop

that had us bopping all the way through autumn. Always entertaining live, this is possibly the last time they’ll be in a venue like this – arenas are most certainly on the horizon. Stockwell Road, SE9 9SL Brixton

Deptford Goth Union

The Child of Lov Give Me

Matthew Halsall Mary Emma Louise

X Factor Live

February 7, The O2 £32.50 We’re going to be honest with you: this wouldn’t normally be up the Scout street. But credit given where credit is due: the incredibly soulful voice of X Factor runner-up Jahmene Douglas (pictured), who’ll be performing as part of this show, has twisted our arm and led to its appearance here. So, we’re going to shamelessly lay our pop credentials

on the table and say that this guy is incredible. That’s right, we love Jahmene’s painfully shy cotton socks, and we’re not afraid to say it. In fact, we also love the wondrous Ella Henderson. So there! Peninsular Square SE10 0DX North Greenwich

Intelligent, funky hip hopinfluenced electronica.

For when you need a more calming moment. And the brother of this week’s Scout London Cover Star.

Listen to our playlist: j.mp/scout0026

Also this week: Bhi Bhiman Feb 8, Southbank Centre, £10 & £15, concs £5 & £7.50 Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience Feb 8 & Feb 9, Ronnie Scott’s, £25-£45 Lee Scratch Perry Feb 9 & Feb 10, The Jazz Cafe, £22.50 Little Feat Feb 8, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £30-£32.50 NME Awards Shows 2013: Dinosaur Jr Feb 4, Electric Ballroom, £20.60 NME Awards Shows 2013: Gabriel Bruce Feb 5, Hoxton Square Bar And Kitchen, £9.10 NME Awards Shows 2013: Hurts Feb 7, Heaven, phone for prices NME Awards Shows 2013: Tribes Feb 6, Secret Location, phone for prices Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Feb 10, Her Majesty’s Theatre, £45 Paloma Faith, Josephine Feb 7, Hammersmith Apollo, £22.50-£29.50 Plan B, Labrinth, Rudimental Feb 9, The O2, £30 Rita Ora Feb 5 & Feb 6, O2 Shepherd’s

Beautiful, gentle, touching, and not a folk guitar in sight.

The Night Shift Feb 7, Queen Elizabeth Hall, £9 adv, £12 on the door

Bush Empire, £19.50 Rolf Harris Feb 8, Southbank Centre, £25-£55, concs £12.50-£22.50 Sam Lee Feb 6, Viktor Wynd Fine Art Inc, phone for prices The Boy Least Likely To Feb 5, The Lexington, £12 The Horne Section Feb 11, The Invisible Dot Ltd, £5, phone for availability The Pharcyde Feb 7, The Jazz Cafe, adv £18.50 Wave Machines, Golden Fable, Portasound Feb 6, The Scala, adv £9

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BOOKING AHEAD

Fun Apr 12, Hammersmith Apollo, £18.50 Alicia Keys May 30 & May 31, The O2, £39.50 & £45 Alt-J May 16, O2 Academy Brixton, £16 AlunaGeorge Feb 19, XOYO, £11.50 Amon Tobin Mar 8, Hammersmith Apollo, £28.50 & £35 And So I Watch You From Afar Apr 16, The Garage, £11 Athlete May 10, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, adv £21.50 Bastille Mar 28 & Mar 29, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, adv £13 Beach House Mar 25 & Mar 26, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £18 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Mar 27, O2 Academy Brixton, £22.50 Blondie Jul 7, Roundhouse, £37.50 Buzzcocks Apr 6, Electric Brixton, adv £20

THURSDAY & FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT 12TH FEBRUARY AT 8PM 17 FEBRUARY AT 8PM TH

BOOK NOW 020 7769 8866 HIPPODROMECASINO.COM Leicester Square, London WC2H 7JH Over 18s only

Alchemy: Anoushka Shankar Apr 13, Southbank Centre, £10£20, concs £5-£10 Cancer Bats Mar 15, KOKO, £12.50 Chvrches Feb 27, ICA, £12 Cold War Kids May 9, The Forum, £15 Crystal Fighters May 23, KOKO, £14 Darwin Deez Feb 12, Heaven, £15 Death Grips May 2, The Forum, £15 Deftones, Letlive, Three Trapped Tigers Feb 20, O2 Academy Brixton, £28.50 Depeche Mode May 28 & May 29, The O2, £40 & £50 Eels Mar 21, O2 Academy Brixton, £30 Egyptian Hip Hop Mar 4, XOYO, £10 Elvis Costello & The Imposters Jun 4 & Jun 5, Royal Albert Hall, £45 Emeli Sande Apr 8, Hammersmith Apollo, £25-£29.50 Field Day Festival 2013: Bat For Lashes, Solange, Animal Collective May 25, Victoria Park, £49.50 Frank Hamilton May 3, The Borderline, £7.50 Girls Aloud Mar 1-Mar 3, The O2, £42.50£49.50 Hadouken! Apr 25, Electric Ballroom, £14.50

JLS Dec 21 & Dec 22, The O2, £25 & £33.50 Jaguar Skills Mar 23, KOKO, £15 James, Echo And The Bunnymen Apr 19 & Apr 20, O2 Academy Brixton, £38.50 Jamie Lidell Mar 8, Heaven, adv £16 Jessie J Oct 29 & Oct 30, The O2, £25 & £33.50 Kid Koala Feb 22, The Scala, £15-£19.50, adv £12 Lana Del Rey May 19 & May 20, Hammersmith Apollo, £28.50 Lawson Mar 1, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15.50 Lianne La Havas, Rae Morris, George Ezra Mar 11 & Mar 12, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 London International Ska Festival 2013 Mar 28-Mar 31, Various Venues, weekend ticket £99.99 Marlena Shaw Mar 26-Mar 30, Ronnie Scott’s, £30-£50 NME Awards Shows 2013: Doldrums Feb 20, Corsica Studios, £10.60 NME Awards Shows 2013: Everything Everything Feb 13, Heaven, £15.60 NME Awards Shows 2013: Fiction Feb 25, Electrowerkz, £8.60 NME Awards Shows 2013: Fidlar Feb 25, The Garage, £11.60 NME Awards Shows 2013: The Cribs, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Deap Vally, Drenge Feb 22, O2 Academy Brixton, £20.60 NME Awards Shows 2013: Wolf Alice Feb 11, The Waiting Room, £7.60 Neil Young & Crazy Horse Jun 17, The O2, £45-£65 Ocean Colour Scene Feb 25 & Feb 26, Electric Ballroom, £28.50 P!nk Apr 24, Apr 25, Apr 27, Apr 28, The O2, £42.50-£55 Patrick Wolf Apr 6, Southbank Centre, £17.50-£22.50 Roots Manuva Mar 16, KOKO, £17, adv £15 Roundhouse Rising: Anti Ghost Moon Ray Presents Feb 21, Roundhouse, £6 Roundhouse Rising: Bass Culture Showcase Feb 15, Roundhouse, £6 Roundhouse Rising: Best Fit Recordings Feb 22, Roundhouse, £6 Roundhouse Rising: Fence Records Present Feb 17, Roundhouse, £10

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Jun 15, Wembley Stadium, £50-£62.50 Shockwaves NME Awards Show: Django Django, Miles Kane, Palma Violets, Peace Feb 23, O2 Academy Brixton, £20 Sigur Ros Mar 7-Mar 9, O2 Academy Brixton, £30 Sinead O’Connor Mar 27, Barbican Centre, £18-£25 Skid Row, I Am I, Buffalo Summer Apr 13, O2 Academy Islington, £16

Classical

Grimethorpe Colliery Band Feb 17, Cadogan Hall, £25 Academy Of Ancient Music Feb 25, Wigmore Hall, £18-£32 Academy Of St Martin In The Fields Feb 22, Kings Place, £19.50£39.50, adv £9.50 Aled Jones May 12, Union Chapel, adv £35 An-Ting Chang Feb 22, Royal Academy Of Music, FREE BBC Symphony Orchestra Nov 10, Royal Albert Hall, £8-£36 City of London Sinfonia Feb 13, Village Underground, £15, child £5, concs £7.50 Festive Orchestra Of London Feb 16, St Martin-In-The-Fields, phone for prices Fretwork Feb 20, Kings Place, £16.50-£34.50, adv £9.50 Il Divo And Katherine Jenkins Apr 19, The O2, £35-£95 LSO String Orchestra Feb 19, LSO St Luke’s, £10-£22

Matchbox Twenty Apr 16 & Apr 17, Hammersmith Apollo, £29.50 So Solid Crew Mar 21, IndigO2, phone for prices Soweto Kinch Feb 25 & Feb 26, Ronnie Scott’s, £20-£30 Space, Dollface Mar 7, O2 Academy Islington, £17.50 Suede Mar 30, Alexandra Palace, £32.50 Tame Impala Jun 25, Hammersmith Apollo, £19.50 Teenage Cancer Trust: Kasabian Mar 22, Royal Albert Hall, £25-£75 Teenage Cancer Trust: Noel Gallagher With Damon Albarn & Graham Coxon Mar 23, Royal Albert Hall, £25-£100 Teenage Cancer Trust: Primal Scream Mar 21, Royal Albert Hall, £25-£75 Teenage Cancer Trust: Rizzle Kicks, Labrinth Mar 24, Royal Albert Hall, £25£50 Teenage Cancer Trust: Ryan Adams, Beth Orton Mar 19, Royal Albert Hall, £25-£75 The Flaming Lips May 20 & May 21, Roundhouse, £32 The Jacksons: Unity Tour Mar 3, Hammersmith Apollo, £45-£60 The Specials May 28 & May 29, O2 Academy Brixton, adv £37.50 The Stone Roses Jun 7 & Jun 8, Finsbury Park, £55

The Magic Flute Feb 5-Mar 3, Riverside Studios, £22£25 London Musical Arts Orchestra Feb 14, St Martin-In-The-Fields, phone for prices Modigliani Quartet Feb 24, Wigmore Hall, £12, concs £10 inc coffee, sherry or juice Primrose Piano Quartet Mar 17, Conway Hall, £9, NUS £4, under 16s FREE Southbank Sinfonia Feb 16, Cadogan Hall, £8.50, child £5, family £23 The Rest Is Noise: Karim Said Mar 3, Southbank Centre, £10 & £12 Tippett Quartet & Nick Van Bloss Apr 18, St Peter’s Church, £15, concs £10 Trio Jean Paul Feb 13, Wigmore Hall, £15-£30 Vienna Piano Trio Mar 7, LSO St Luke’s, £10, concs £9

10TH FEBRUARY AT 8PM 11TH FEBRUARY AT 11PM 21ST - 23RD FEBRUARY AT 8PM

The Pigeon Detectives May 9, Dingwalls, £15 The Vaccines May 2, The O2, £27 The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself, Jesus Jones Dec 20, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £20 Tim Burgess And Lambchop Jun 23, Barbican Centre, £15-£25 Two Door Cinema Club Apr 27, Alexandra Palace, £20, disabled £10 Wiley, Skepta, JME Apr 20, The Forum, £14.50 Willy Moon Feb 12, XOYO, £10 & May 8, Electric Ballroom, £11

LIVE AT THE HIPPODROME ACCLAIMED AS ‘THE MOST ESSENTIAL MUSIC VENUE’ IN LONDON

BOOK NOW 020 7769 8866 HIPPODROMECASINO.COM Leicester Square, London WC2H 7JH Over 18s only

CLUBBING Monday February 4 Monday Madness at Walkabout, Temple, Temple Station Temple Place, WC2R 2PH Temple £5 after 8pm, 8pm-late. DJs Bruno and Jimmy Jam play pop, dance and carnival classics. Popcorn at Heaven, Charing Cross Arches, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG Charing Cross £8, £4 before 12midnight, 11pm-5.30am. Resident DJs play dance, electro, R’n’B, pop and hip hop.

Tuesday February 5 Glamorous Afterparty at Covert, 65 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TP Vauxhall £7, w/ flyer £6, 5am-11am. Deep house and electro courtesy of DJs Kaos Kid, Marlon K and Francko Harris. 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. Riding High at Vibe Bar, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL Aldgate East FREE, 7.30pm11.30pm. DJ Abi Clarke spins 1980s and 1990s soul, boogie, lover’s rock and dub.

Wednesday February 6 Creamed Corn at Catch, 22 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA Old Street £5, 8pm12midnight. DJs Crewdson, Ju Wilder and Livid play electronica and hip hop. Rinse FM at Vibe Bar, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL Aldgate East FREE, 7.30pm11.30pm. DJs Marcus Nasty, Tom Shorterz, Hannah Wants, Majestic, Lorenzo, Pete Graham and Tomola spin house, UK funky and bass music, plus MCs Limey and Shantie. Volcano Life Arts Management Presents Fire Burst at Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, SW9 6LH Brixton £7, adv £5, 7pm2am. Soul, funk, indie and hip hop courtesy of Jamm Tyme and Cap’jors, comedy from Junior Booker and Darius Davies, plus live bands, poetry, theatre, fashion and visual art.

Thursday February 7

Bad Sex at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH Camden Town £7, £5 guestlist, £5 before 10pm, FREE guestlist, 10.30pm2.30am. Waxdolls (DJ set), Mayton DJs and Fin Munro spin rock, pop and indie, plus a live performance from Downtown City Gardens. Chick Habit at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 9pm-late. DJs Amy B and CeCe spin pop and classics from the 1990s, plus music by girls in the basement. Funk & Ride at Hackney Attic, 270 Mare Street, E8 1HE Hackney Central £5, 8pm-12midnight. Fred Mann, Tony Sylvester, Ronnie King and Juggy Jones spin Northern soul, funk and R&B. Lemtek February Special at The Silver Bullet, 5 Station Place, N4 2DH Finsbury Park FREE, 10pm-3am. Mandidextrous, Choppah, Bush v Gore and Chemical Problem play jungle, drum’n’bass, breaks and techno with all profits going to charity. Porn Idol at Heaven, Charing Cross Arches, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG Charing Cross w/flyer FREE, 11pm4am. Resident DJs spin pop and dance while plucky punters are invited to demonstrate their talents for a shot at a cash prize. Ronnkie Pop’s Razzmatazz at Salvador And Amanda, 8 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JA Leicester Square FREE, 8pm-2am. Tribes, Mystery Jets and Ronnie Joice spin indie, pop and party anthems. Stop, Drop & Roll at The Star Of Bethnal Green, 359 Bethnal Green Road, E2 6LG Bethnal Green phone for prices, 8pm1am. Rock’n’roll, indie and pop courtesy of DJs Nadean D and Christopher F. Vogue Fabrics Presents Icy Gays at ICA, 12 Carlton House Terrace, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH Charing Cross £8, concs £7, mems £5, 8pm. Disco and dance courtesy of Hard Ton and Anal House Meltdown, guitar and bass from 100% Beefcock And The Titsburster and live performances from Rhyannon Styles and Trixie Bellair. Hosted by Jonny Woo.

Friday February 8

Maria Minerva at The Shacklewell Arms, 71 Shacklewell Lane, E8 2EB Dalston Kingsland £8, 8pm12midnight. Bleed presents the Estonian artist with her Eastern European-pop sounds.

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Fortay: The Launch Party (Over 21s) at Relay, 33 Bermondsey Street Tunnel, SE1 3JW London Bridge adv £12.50, early bird £10, 10pm-6am. DJs Hector Couto, Dale Howard, Dan Styles, Real Connoisseur, Face, Jaim and George Peck spin underground house music. . Bedrock at The Borderline, Manette Street, W1D 4JB Tottenham Court Road £7, w/flyer £5 before 12midnight, 11pm4am. DJs Little Chris and George spin indie, electro, rock, retro and pop.

Bingo at Thirst, 53 Greek Street, W1D 3DR Tottenham Court Road £5, FREE before 10pm, 5pm-3am. DJ Yvette spins pop, R&B and dance. Blow Up Presents at The Macbeth, 70 Hoxton Street, N1 6LP Old Street adv £10, 8pm-2am. DJs Paul Tunkin and Ian Jackson spin electronica, pop, rock, ska, garage, soul and classics from the 1960s, plus Stereo Total performs live. Cover Up at Ginglik, Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8PH Shepherd’s Bush £8, £6 before 11pm, mems FREE, 7pm-3am. Samba, funk, boogaloo, hip hop, reggae, soul and Latin sounds from DJ La Salida, plus a live performance from The Fontanas.

Friction Presents at Secret Location, E1 adv £15, 10pm-6am. Drum’n’bass and jungle courtesy of DJs Friction, Goldie, Dub Phizix, Rockwell and Bringa, plus MCs SP:MC, GQ, Strategy and Linguistics.. Electric Jalaba, Awale at Floripa, 91-93 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HZ Old Street £7, 5pm-2am. OneTaste presents the party packed with big bands sounds and exciting DJs including Electric Jalaba, Awale and DJs My Therapist and Zhao. The Gallery Future Heroes at The Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6DP Elephant & Castle £16, mems £14, 10.30pm-6am. House and dance courtesy of Nicky Romero, Danny Howard, Ali Wilson, Pete Gooding, Gavyn Mytchel, Lee Nazari, Lenny Raveney, Spinning Quickly and House2House. Give Them at Nomad, 58 Old Street, EC1V 9AJ Barbican adv £11, adv £9 before 12midnight, early bird £9, £7 before 12midnight, 11pm-5am. Mikail, Freight Train, hOriginal DJs, Mikey Hanson, Tristan Pringle ft. Menna, Mr. Grigio, Sheeb, Plax, Emilio and Pedro Hernandez spin house, techno and disco. I Love Hard Beats Birthday Blowout at Crucifix, 7-9 Crucifix Lane, SE1 3JW London Bridge FREE w/registration, 9pm-6am. DJs Joey Riot, Marc Smith, CLSM And Rik Arkitech, Epyx And Cyrez, Sc@r And Nick 235, A.B And Douglas, Endemic And Solution, Peaks And Pinnacle, Midas And Metrix, Cally Gage, Jon Doe, Joey Riot and K-Complex play hardcore, hard dance, trance and drum’n’bass.

Loud Noise Presents at Cable, 33A Bermondsey Street, SE1 2EG London Bridge queue jump £22, adv £12, NUS/mems £10, 10pm-6am. Garage, dubstep and drum’n’bass courtesy of Zed Bias, Bok Bok, Route 94, New York Transit Authority, Paleman, Chunky, Barely Legal, Jack Swift, Kai Marley, Pineal, Crown Duels, Chubba, Decka Sound, Wiggs and Sepia across two rooms, with MCs Chunky, Prof D and Milo. Movimientos Presents at Hootananny, 95 Effra Road, SW2 1DF Brixton £3, FREE before 11pm, 8pm-3am. Resident DJs play Latin, samba, salsa, hip hop and reggae, plus live performances from Hackney Colliery Band, Colomboloco and Cable Street Collective. The Nextmen at East Village, 89 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HX Old Street £10, adv £7, 9pm-3.30am. Hip hop, house, disco and jungle courtesy of The Nextmen in the basement, while residents Spin Doctor, Mr Thing and Mo Fingaz spin hip hop in the lounge. Olivier Garth at Gigalum, 7 Cavendish Parade, Clapham Common South Side, SW4 9DW Clapham South FREE, 7pm-late. The London-based DJ and producer plays house and techno. Oonst at The Basing House, 25 Kingsland Road, E2 8AA Liverpool Street adv £8, 10pm-6am. DJs Tom Trago, Baunz, ATTS, Oli D.A.B, Ollie Rigg and Robin spin deep house, disco and garage. Pacha Presents at Pacha, Terminus Place, SW1V 1JR Victoria £10, 11pm-late. Frank Roger spins house, techno and disco. Paradise Behaviour With Annie Bea at Paradise By Way Of Kensal Green, 19 Kilburn Lane, W10 4AE Kensal Green £5 after 9pm, 7pm-2am. DJ Will Besant spins rock and pop, plus a live performance from Annie And The Bea Hives. Pineapple Tribe at The Rhythm Factory, 16-18 Whitechapel Road, E1 1EW Whitechapel adv £7.50, 10pm6am. DJs Pyramid, Pineapple Tribe, CasualBreakin, Kidchameleon, Freshold And Retrix, Random Scarves, Axon, Unit 9, J-Rae and Jeff play breaks and dubstep across two rooms. Popstarz at Hidden, 100 Tinworth Street, SE11 5EQ Vauxhall FREE before 11pm, 10pm-late. Indie, pop and R&B courtesy of the resident DJs. 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. Rude Photo at Egg, 200 York Way, N7 9AX King’s Cross St Pancras £15, mems/NUS £13, adv £10, 10pm-7am. Felix Da Housecat spins house, techno and electro. 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. DJs Adam Lightspeed and Sleazy H play alternative rock and metal in the main room, with classic rock and old skool metal in room two. Universal Vibes at Underbelly, 11 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU Old Street FREE, 9pm-3am. Paddy Freeform and PBS play disco and house. We Are Lizards 2nd Birthday at The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH

Old Street £5, 8pm-2am. Ska and reggae DJ set courtesy of Madness, with support from Destruction, Scroobius Pip, Redshift Rebels and Push Music. White Jail Warehouse And Friends at Secret Location, E1 early bird £7, 11pm6am. DJs ThanksMate, Roberto Amo and Lock Eyes play underground house and techno records. Zoo Zoo Club at The Blues Kitchen, 111113 Camden High Street, NW1 7JN Camden Town £3 after 10.30pm, 7pm3am. Rhythm’n’blues, Mod rock, soul and garage courtesy of DJ Rob Bailey.

Saturday February 9

A Night With... A Guy Called Gerald at The Basing House, 25 Kingsland Road, E2 8AA Liverpool Street £10-£16, FREE barcode, 10pm-6am. The Mancunian DJ and producer spins acid house, techno and electronica. Audio Sushi at The Dogstar, 389 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LQ Brixton £5, FREE before 11pm, 7pm-4am. Jeffrey Disastronaut plays reggae, electro, funk jungle, pop, indie and dubstep. Bubblin’ Vibes at Vibe Bar, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL Aldgate East £5, FREE before 8pm, 8pm-1am. Bryan G, Mr Joseph, Inter, DJ Izzy, Tumoil, Leks, Showa 54, Dimensions, Raskal, Andyskopes, M-Set, Denial, Dr Khan and Propulsion spin liquid drum’n’bass, plus MCs Blackeye, Deefa and Cliche. Club De Fromage - The Bodyguard Special at O2 Academy Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS Angel adv £10 & £12 inc film, £10, £8 before 12midnight, 7.30pm-3.30am. Resident DJs play pop, cheese and party hits, plus a screening of The Bodyguard. Daliee’s Jukebox at The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH Old Street £5, 8pm-2am. Raf Daddy, DJ Jawa, Sweetie Irie and Master Level spin hip hop, bass, reggae, house and garage. Defected In The House at The Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6DP Elephant & Castle adv £20, 10pm7am. Nick Curly, Tensnake, Simon Dunmore, Franky, Rizardo, Tuccillo and Sam Divine spin house and dance. Disco 54 at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 42-44 Pollard Row, E2 6NB Bethnal Green £3, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-2am. Disco Stephanie plays disco classics.

Distortion- In The Dam Reunion at The Coronet, 28 New Kent Road, SE1 6TJ Elephant & Castle £20, NUS £17.50, early bird £15, 10pm-7am. Drum’n’bass and jungle across three rooms courtesy of DJs Hype, TC, G Dub, Sigma, Mampi Swift, Grooverider, Modified Motion, Majistrate, Annix, DJ Ollie, Kenny Ken, Serial Killaz, Nicky Blackmarket, Serum, Uncle Dugs, DJ S.O, J Cutter, Zesta, Wizzbee and Substance, plus MCs Skibadee, Eksman, IC3 and Harry Shotta. Duckie at Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £6, 9pm-2am. Resident DJs spin pop and indie hosted by the inimitable Amy Lamé, plus cabaret performances. East Project at Nomad, 58 Old Street, EC1V 9AJ Barbican £10, adv £8, early bird £5, 10pm-5am. Denney, Matt Fear, Clouded Judgement, Gilly, James Clayton, Rich Wills and Detrimental Influence spin house and techno. Fabric at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon adv £24 in cd, £20, adv £19, NUS/mems £14, £10 after 4am, 11pm-8am. DJs Craig Richards, Lil’ Louis, Nathan Coles, Terry Francis, Eddie Richards, Steffi and Virginia spin house and techno across three rooms, plus live performances from Wbeeza and Tigerskin. Heroes at Egg, 200 York Way, N7 9AX King’s Cross St Pancras £20, w/ layalty card adv/mems £15, NUS £13, 10pm-11am. DJs Christian Smith, Macronism and Alixander III play house and techno, plus live performances from Dosem and Saytek. Kinky Malinki Valentine’s Party at Pacha, Terminus Place, SW1V 1JR Victoria £10 & £15, 11pm-6am. Electronic Youth, Ridney, Tristan Ingram and Grant Nalder spin house and electro with resident support. LWE & Desolat Presents SideXSide at Secret Location, E1 5JP adv £15-£20, 10pm-6am. tINI spins techno, funk, hip hop and electro, with a live performance from Guti. Monster at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road £5, mems £3, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-3am. Chart hits, dance and pop classics hosted by DJ Lady Bex or Sandra D on alternate weeks. Need2Soul at Secret Location London, E1 adv £20, 9pm-4am. Resident DJs play house, disco, techno, jazz and soul with special guest Ron Trent. Pinup Peepshow at Proud Cabaret, 1 Mark Fenchurch Street Lane, EC3R 7AH £10, 8.30pm-late. Resident DJs spin swing, jazz and electro, plus live burlesque and cabaret performances including Miss Betsey Rose, Beau Rocks, Slinky Sparkles, Velma Celli and Teddy Boy. Playhouse 025 at The Waiting Room, 175 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 Stoke Newington £5, £4 0LH before 12midnight, 10pm-4am. Piccadilly Boy spins chart, pop, R&B, hip hop, indie, synthpop, UK garage and electro with resident support. Rebel Rebel Launch at Surya, 156 Pentonville Road, N1 9JL Angel £5, 8pm-4am. DJ Ola’s Kool Kitchen from Radio23, Errorfm and Rock XS Radio spin pop, rock and indie with live performances from Pylo, Audiogold, Bordeauxxx and The Willpower.

Reggae Roast Jamdown 5th Birthday at Plan B, 418 Brixton Road, SW9 7AY Brixton adv £10, 10pm-5am. The Heatwave, Chris Goldfinger, Reggae Roast, Adam Prescott, Vibration Lab, Ramon Judah and Clapper Priest play reggae, dancehall, dub and dubstep. Renegade Hardware 18th Birthday at Cable, 33A Bermondsey Street, SE1 2EG London Bridge queue jump £25, £20, NUS £18, adv £15, mems/ early bird £12, 10pm-6am. Drum’n’bass and dance courtesy of Audio, Inside Info, Maztek, Cold Fusion, Chris SU, Mindscape, Neonlight, C4C, Chris Renegade, Memtrix, Cern, Ant TC1, Foreign Concept, Xtrah, Adi J, Disphonia, Stealth, Stylus, Loxy, Amit, Skeptical, Double-O, Mantra, Skitty, Threshold, Ruffhouse, Overlook, Clarity, Kyrist, Jayce, Colin Dale, Chris Intaface, Shinobi and Jessi G across three rooms. The Saturday Shake Up at The Hideaway, 114 Junction Road, N19 5LB Archway FREE, 10pm-2am. Local guest DJs Decadence, Jonny Silcock, Sunshineman, Michael Dodds and Liam Devall spin a mix of pop, hip hop, rock, funk, Motown, club classics and commercial hits. 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. TWH Presents at The Whitehouse, 65 Clapham Park Road, SW4 7EH Clapham Common £15, adv £12, early bird £8, 9pm-5am. Freemasons, So Called

Scumbags, George Jack, Jonas Vogel, Alex Zander, Scot Mochan, Nate Goodman and SoulShain spin dance and house. Use Your Third Ear #1 at Corsica Studios, 4-5 Elephant Road, SE17 1LB Elephant & Castle £15, early bird £10, 10.30pm-6am. DJs Rolando, Morphosis, Miles, El Prevost and Alex Downey play Detroit techno and electronica. Zombie Soundsystem Presents My Bloody Valentine at Fire, Arch, 39-43 Parry Street, corner South Lambeth Road, SW8 1RT Vauxhall £10-£20, 10pm7am. Pig & Dan, Acid Pauli, Einzelkind, Nekes and Shane Watcha spin house.

Sunday February 10 Deelooded Eastside at XOYO, 32-37 Cowper Street, EC2A 4AP Old Street phone for prices, 4pm-1am. Boy George, Hannah Holland, Fat Tony, Tom Stephan and Jodie Harsh spin house and dubstep. Hi-Fi at East Village, 89 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HX Old Street £8, £5 before 11pm, ladies FREE, 9pm-3am. Drum’n’bass and electronica courtesy of Jumping Jack Frost, Bryan Gee, Chris Interface, Jordan V and MC Moose in the basement and Dego, Mark Force, Sophie Callis and Marcia Carr in the Lounge. Orange at Fire, Arch, 39-43 Parry Street, corner South Lambeth Road, SW8 1RT Vauxhall £12, £10, w/flyer £5 before 1am, 10pm-late. 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.

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Shaking up the West End Exciting young director Jamie Lloyd is looking to pull in first-time theatregoers with his new production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, starring James McAvoy. He chats to Caroline Bishop

ou might assume that a respected young theatre director who has worked with composer Stephen Sondheim, late playwright Harold Pinter and stars including Gemma Arterton and James McAvoy might be able to swing a few free tickets for his family to see one of his hit West End shows. Apparently not. “In the West End you really can’t get comps,” Jamie Lloyd tells me. “I’m not from a privileged background and there’s no way that a lot of my family would be able to afford expensive tickets. In fact a lot of my family have never seen a single production I’ve done!” How appropriate then that Lloyd’s latest production inaugurates a season intended to bring new audiences into the theatre. Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which boasts the draw of Scottish film star McAvoy as the murderous king, plays at West End venue Trafalgar Studios as part of a new season entitled Trafalgar Transformed. To entice newcomers, all Monday night tickets are just

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£15, with half of those offered to school groups and first-time theatregoers through an outreach programme, and the rest on public sale on the first day of every month. “I’ve been offered all sorts of productions in the West End, and it’s often been about maximising profit,” says Lloyd. “I just thought there must be a way of doing a venture in the heart of West End commercial theatre that was about something else.” Both he and McAvoy agreed: “There’s no point doing another revival of Macbeth for all those people who have seen it hundreds of times to come along again. I’m hoping there will be an audience, certainly some of the time in the run, who have never been to the theatre before, and therefore never seen a Shakespeare and certainly never seen Macbeth.” It’s an unsurprising move for someone who developed his skills at Covent Garden’s Donmar Warehouse under Michael Grandage, a director with a similar social conscience, whose current

residency at the Noël Coward also offers a cheap ticket scheme to encourage new audiences. After studying acting at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Lloyd caught Grandage’s attention when he assisted Trevor Nunn on a National Theatre production of Anything Goes. Grandage invited him to assist on his Guys and Dolls in the West End, before making him associate director at the Donmar.

Soon, Lloyd was directing his own productions there, making waves with Sondheim musical Passion and Pam Gems’ play Piaf, which transferred to the West End and toured the world. “I wouldn’t have a career without him [Grandage],” says Lloyd simply. Just as Grandage championed Lloyd, so Lloyd is using this new season to further the talents of people he’s previously collaborated with, such as designer Soutra

Directing talent Jamie Lloyd with James McAvoy (left) in rehearsals for Macbeth

WALTER CARVALHO

One of the first kings of Scotland James McAvoy in rehearsals for Macbeth

Gilmour, who will design all four productions in Trafalgar Transformed (the next three are yet to be announced) and will literally transform the auditorium for each. He’s previously worked with McAvoy too; in fact, it was while working together on 2009’s Three Days of Rain that they hatched a plan for McAvoy to play the title role in the Scottish play. “This is a part that James has been obsessing about since he was a kid; it felt like the ideal opportunity to do it,” says Lloyd. “It is the Scottish actor’s dream, I think, to play Macbeth.” He’s a youthful Macbeth by recent standards (the last man to play it in the West End, Patrick Stewart, was in his late 60s), but this makes for an appropriately energetic warrior, feels Lloyd. “You can believe that this man is out there ripping people apart and chopping their heads off. It takes a lot to kill someone on the battlefield in the way Shakespeare described. So it feels like a young man’s job.” McAvoy is joined by a predominantly Scottish cast – Claire Foy, his Lady Macbeth, is “our token English person, but she does a cracking Scottish accent!” – meaning rehearsals have thrown

up some heated debates about Scottish independence. But that’s all positive for Lloyd, who intends his Trafalgar Transformed season to have a political bent. “The theatre is on Whitehall, a few steps away from the centre of British politics, so it felt appropriate to make it as politicised as possible.” As such, Macbeth will be accompanied by a series of discussion events and rehearsed readings of Scottish plays, while the production itself should encourage debate on weighty issues; Lloyd has set the action in a dark apocalyptic future in which today’s big fears – economic downfall and environmental catastrophe – have actually happened. “The world that Macbeth’s regime is born out of is incredibly violent and dark, and before long the stars cease to shine and the Earth shakes and Shakespeare writes very vivid descriptions of an apocalypse,” says Lloyd. One thing’s for sure: first-time theatregoers won’t know what’s hit them. Macbeth, February 9-April 27, Trafalgar Studios, macbethwestend.com

Jamie & James Careers in parallel Jamie Lloyd

James McAvoy

Born, Poole

Born, Port Glasgow

1980

2002

Graduates from LIPA

1979

2000

2005

Graduates from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

2006

Stars in first two series of British TV drama Shameless

Assists Michael Grandage on Guys and Dolls Directs his first major production, Pinter’s The Caretaker, in Sheffield and London

2008

Directs Piaf at the Donmar Warehouse and West End, and The Pride at the Royal Court, which wins an Olivier Award

2004 2006

BAFTA nomination for his role in The Last King of Scotland

2007

Breakthrough film role in Atonement, with Keira Knightley

2009

Nominated for an Olivier Award for his role in Three Days of Rain

2012

Lead role in X-Men: First Class cements Hollywood status

Directs McAvoy in Three Days of Rain Creates Jamie Lloyd Productions with Ambassador Theatre Group

2010 2013

Stars in Danny Boyle’s new film Trance

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PREVIEWS

Romeo & Juliet Upstairs at The Gatehouse February 6-March 2, £16

A Chorus Line London Palladium, February 5-January 18, 2014, £19-£90 This isn’t just any production of A Chorus Line. This is the production of A Chorus Line. The original team behind the first West End staging of the classic show are bringing it back to London for the first time since its triumphant initial run – all the way back in 1976. The wildlyacclaimed show about dancers auditioning for a chorus line is one of the most successful shows in Broadway history, winning nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This production will be helmed by veteran director Bob Avian, who was co-choreographer of the

Playing Cards 1: Spades The Roundhouse, February 7- March 2, £15-£45 Visionary director Robert Lepage is one of international theatre’s most exciting mavericks. Having masterminded enormous shows in every corner of the globe – including productions for Cirque du Soleil and Peter Gabriel – he is now bringing his latest piece to London. Spades is the first of four new plays designed specifically for a network of 13 circular venues around the world, with each instalment themed around a suit from a pack of cards. The opening play features a series of intertwined stories, all set in the desert cities of Las Vegas and Baghdad, on the eve of the 2003 Iraq invasion. Much more than that, we don’t yet know (including when the next three instalments will be staged). But, suffice to say, it’s likely to be one of the year’s most thrilling theatrical spectacles. NW1 8EH

Chalk Farm roundhouse.org.uk

50 Scout London scoutlondon.com

This is the star-crossed lovers done Quadrophenia-style. Hiraeth Artistic Productions has relocated The Bard’s famous tragedy to 1960s Brighton, in the wake of the infamous mods and rockers battle, with Romeo and Juliet’s doomed love affair playing out to a swinging 60s soundtrack.

original London show and director of the 2006 Broadway revival. Featuring classic songs such as One (Singular Sensation), What I Did For Love and I Can Do That, the London revival comes soon after the death of the show’s celebrated composer, Marvin Hamlisch. EastEnders actor John Partridge will star in the lead role, opposite Singin’ in the Rain and Mary Poppins star Scarlett Strallen.

N6 4BD Highgate upstairsatthegatehouse.com

W1F 7TF Oxford Circus achoruslinelondon.com

A live jazz band will provide a soundtrack to this adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s first novel, The Sun Also Rises, alongside dance performances that help bring to life the story of love, violence and bullfighting in the turbulence of 1920s Europe.

Fiesta (The Sun Also Rises) Trafalgar Studios February 5-March 2, £15-£25

SW1A 2DY Charing Cross trafalgar-studios.co.uk

The Agony & The Ecstasy of Steve Jobs Waterloo East Theatre February 5-24, £12 Got an iPhone or iPad? You’ll wish you didn’t after seeing this show. Having caused a flurry of controversy on both sides of the Atlantic last year, Mike Davey’s one-man piece about the conditions faced by the Chinese workers who actually make the various i-gadgets is coming to London (albeit without Davey himself) to shame us all into considering an Apple boycott. SE1 8TN Waterloo waterlooeast.co.uk

The Times Eve Standard Whatsonstage.com A Younger Theatre ‘Vividly performed ... gripping’ Guardian ‘a psychological thriller that grips’ D. Telegraph Counterculture 50 Ovalhouse, until March 2, £6-£10

‘A sharp, thoughtful evening in the West End’s most modestly priced theatre.’ The Times

It might not grab as many headlines as the West End, but fringe theatre is the lifeblood of the British stage, where boundaries are pushed, taboos are broken and the stars of tomorrow cut their teeth. One of London’s oldest fringe theatres, the pioneering Ovalhouse, marks its 50th birthday this year with a season of speciallycommissioned new plays that each celebrate one of its decades at the theatrical coal-face. From its role in the 1960s experimental theatre movement through to the modern day, via its support for gay, lesbian and female writers in the 70s and 80s, and black and Asian writers in the 90s, the new plays pay tribute to Ovalhouse’s instrumental role in the development of the British theatrical landscape. And if you’re wondering which creatives have passed through over the years, they include David Hare, Salman Rushdie, Steven Berkoff, Tim Roth, Pierce Brosnan and Mike Figgis. SE11 5SW

Oval ovalhouse.com

Hamlet The Rose, February 5-March 3, £12 Built in 1587, The Rose is one of the oldest public theatres in London, and was the first built in Bankside – predating the nearby Globe. Not surprisingly, it’s synonymous with the likes of Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare himself. However, by the time Hamlet was written (thought to be 1600-1601), several other theatres had been built nearby, and The Rose had fallen from favour. As such, Shakespeare’s death-strewn sojourn through the darkest corners of the Danish monarchy has never been performed there – until now. Martin Parr will direct what is billed as a “fast-paced production”. And with a running time of just one hour and 40 minutes, it’ll have to be – Hamlet can often stretch to around four hours. “To be or n…” “Oh shut up and get on with it!” SE1 9AS

London Bridge rosetheatre.org.uk

ONLY TILL 9 FEB

LISTINGS

A Chorus Line booking until Jan 25 2014, London Palladium, 8 Argyll Street, W1F 7TF Oxford Circus £19.50-£65, Feb 2-18 previews £10-£55, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm, no mat Feb 6 (press night Feb 19, 7pm). Revival of Michael Bennett’s award-winning musical. The 39 Steps booking until Oct 19, Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, W1J 0TR Piccadilly Circus £15-£55, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Wed 3pm, Sat 4pm, extra mat Feb 21, 3pm. John Buchan’s thriller. American Justice booking until Feb 9, Arts Theatre, 6-7 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB Covent Garden Mon all tickets £17.50, Tue-Sat £22.50, concs £17.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat from Jan 19, Sat 4pm. Political thriller set in the US penal system. The Bastard Children Of Remington Steele Starts Wed, booking until Feb 9, Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square £9, concs £7, Feb 6-9, 7pm. A grown-up, twisted comedy written by performer Sadie Hasler. Billy Elliot - The Musical booking until Dec 21, Victoria Palace, Victoria Street, SW1E 5EA Victoria £19.50-£65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Adaptation of the film about a miner’s son, who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. The Bodyguard booking until Sep 28, Adelphi Theatre, 409-412 Strand, WC2R 0NS Charing Cross £20£67.50, Nov 11-Apr 27, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat Nov 11-Apr 27, Wed, Sat 3pm, Apr 29-Sep 28, Mon-Thu 7.30pm, Fri 5pm & 8.30pm, mat Apr 29-Sep 28, Sat 3pm. The stage adaptation from director Thea Sharrock, of the early 1990s film which starred Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston Dear World booking until Mar 30, Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NL Embankment £15£42.50, From Feb 4, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm (press night Feb 13). A new version of Jerry Herman’s musical fable, written here by David Thompson. Fiesta (The Sun Also Rises) Starts Tue, booking until Mar 2, Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY Charing Cross Feb 5-7 Tue-Thu 7.45pm & 3pm previews £15, Feb 7-28, Mar 1 & 2 Mon-Sat 7.45pm & 3pm £15-£25, From Feb 5, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm (press night Feb 7, 7pm). A musical adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s first novel, The Sun Also Rises, from Alex Helfrecht and Sam Snape.

52 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Jersey Boys booking until Oct 20, 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, Sun 5pm, mats Tue, Sat 3pm. Musical drama about the career of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons. The Judas Kiss booking until Apr 6, The Duke Of York’s, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BG Leicester Square £15-£52.50, Premium Seats £65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Rupert Everett plays Oscar Wilde in David Hare’s drama. Les Miserables booking until Oct 26, Queen’s Theatre, 51 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6BA Piccadilly Circus £20-£85, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Musical based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel. Let It Be booking until Oct 5, Savoy Theatre, Savoy Court, Strand, WC2R 0ET Charing Cross £20-£60, Mon, WedSat 7.30pm, Sun 7pm, mats Sat & Sun 3pm. Marking 50 years since the release of their first single, The Beatles are celebrated in this musical-narrative, created by RAIN Productions. The Lion King booking until Jun 30, Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street, WC2E 7RQ Covent Garden Tue-Thu £25-£62.50, Fri, Sun £27.50-£65, Sat £30-£67.50, Premium Seats £70-£95, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat & Sun 2.30pm, extra mats Feb 21, Apr 4, no perf Apr 14. Musical based on the Disney film about a cub’s journey to pride leader. Macbeth Starts Sat, booking until Apr 27, Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY Charing Cross Mon £15 available online on the first day of each month, Tue-Sat £24.50-£54.50, Premium Seats £65, £10 day seats available in person at the box office from 10am on the day of the performance, From Feb 9, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm, no mats Feb 9, 14 (press night Feb 22, 7pm). James McAvoy and Claire Foy headline Jamie Lloyd’s staging of Shakespeare. Mamma Mia! booking until Apr 13, Novello Theatre, 5 Aldwych, WC2B 4LD Covent Garden Mon-Fri £15-£64, Sat £15-£67.50, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm. Musical comedy based at a family wedding and set to the ABBA songbook. Matilda: The Musical booking until Dec 22, Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street, WC2H 9HU Covent Garden Oct 25 2011-Dec 22 2013 £19-£58.50, disabled £28.75, Tue-Thu under 18s £19-£48.50, 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. Monty Python’s Spamalot booking until Apr 13, Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5DE Charing Cross £15-£85, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Eric Idle and John Du Prez’s musical comedy featuring Stephen Tompkinson as King Arthur. The Mousetrap booking until Dec 21, St Martin’s Theatre, West Street, Cambridge Circus, WC2H 9NZ Leicester Square £16-£42, Premium Seats £61, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Tue 3pm, Sat 4pm. Agatha Christie’s murder mystery.

Old Times booking until Apr 6, The Harold Pinter Theatre, 6 Panton Street, SW1Y 4DN Piccadilly Circus £10-£49.50, £10 front row day seats available at the box office from 10am on day of the performance, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm. Harold Pinter’s sexually charged drama starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Rufus Sewell and Lia Williams. One Man, Two Guvnors booking until Aug 31, 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. Richard Bean’s comic tale, based on Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant Of Two Masters. The Phantom Of The Opera booking until Oct 26, Her Majesty’s Theatre, 57 Haymarket, SW1Y 4QL Piccadilly Circus £22.45-£85, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Gothic musical about a masked man and his dangerous obsession. Privates On Parade booking until Mar 2, Noel Coward Theatre, 85-88 St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4AU Leicester Square £10-£57.50, Premium Seats £85, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, audiodescribed perf Feb 9, 2.30pm, captioned perf Feb 23, 2.30pm. Peter Nichols’s awardwinning comedy set during the Malayan Campaign. Quartermaine’s Terms booking until Apr 13, Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0DA Leicester Square £25-£58.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Rowan Atkinson stars as the teacher St John Quartermaine in Simon Gray’s tragicomic play. Richard III booking until Feb 10, Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ Piccadilly Circus £25-£55, Feb 6, 7.30pm, mats Feb 9, 2pm, Feb 10, 3pm. An all-male production of Shakespeare’s history play is led by Mark Rylance as the monstrous Duke of Gloucester. Rock Of Ages booking until Nov 2, Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0HH Charing Cross £25-£65, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Fri & Sat 3pm, transfer from Shaftesbury Theatre. Chris D’Arienzo’s musical celebrating Los Angeles rock culture. The Royal Ballet: Onegin Ends Feb 8, Royal Opera House, 45 Floral Street, WC2E 9DD Covent Garden £4-£93, Feb 5, 7 & 8, 7.30pm. An adaptation of Pushkin’s novel. Shrek - The Musical booking until Feb 24, 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. Musical based on the computer-animated film. Singin’ In The Rain booking until Sep 1, 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, Oct 1-Aug 31, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat Oct 1-Aug 31, Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Musical based on the MGM film about the end of silent movies. Stomp booking until Dec 22, Ambassadors Theatre, West Street, WC2H 9ND Leicester Square £20-£49.50,

Mon, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 6pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm, no perf Jul 27, Aug 12. Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell’s percussion-based spectacular. Thriller Live booking until Oct 15, Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES Piccadilly Circus £26-£87.50, TueFri, Sun 7.30pm, Sat 8pm, mats Sat 4pm, Sun 3.30pm. A celebration of the music of Michael Jackson. Top Hat - The Musical booking until Apr 27 2014, Aldwych Theatre, 49 Aldwych, WC2B 4DF Covent Garden £20-£65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Irving Berlin’s romantic musical. Twelfth Night booking until Feb 9, Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ Piccadilly Circus £25-£55, Feb 5, 7-9, 7.30pm, mat Feb 6, 2pm. Award-winning actor Mark Rylance plays Olivia in an allmale production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy. Uncle Vanya booking until Feb 16, Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, WC2R 0NH Embankment £25£53.50, Premium Seats £76, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Anton Chekhov’s comic tale on the tribulations of the human condition starring Ken Stott, Samuel West, Anna Friel and Laura Carmichael. Vincent Simone And Flavia Cacace: Midnight Tango booking until Feb 28, Phoenix Theatre, 110 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0JP Leicester Square £20-£55, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm (press night Feb 5, 7pm). The dance professionals present a showcase of tango

Great Expectations booking until Jun 1 2013, Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, WC2R 0NH Embankment Mon-Thu/Sat mats £25-£50, Fri & Sat eves £25-£55, Feb 1-5 previews £25-£45, Premium Seats £75, Mon, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Tue 7pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm (press night Feb 6, 7pm). Jo Clifford’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel. routines. Viva Forever! booking until Jun 1, Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman Street, W1D 7DY Piccadilly Circus £20-£67.50,MonThu, Sat 7.30pm, Fri 5pm & 8.30pm, mats Sat 3pm. Jennifer Saunders’s comedy musical, featuring the songs of the Spice Girls. War Horse booking until Oct 26, New London Theatre, 166 Drury Lane, 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 about a farm horse caught up in the horrors of the First World War.

Simon ANNAND

WEST END

We Will Rock You booking until Mar 23, Dominion Theatre, 268-9 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7AQ Tottenham Court Road Mon-Fri £27.50-£55, Sat £27.50-£60, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, Feb 27, 2.30pm. Futuristic musical set to the hits of Freddie Mercury’s Queen. Wicked booking until Apr 27, 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, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, extra mats Feb 16, Jul 26, Oct 25, Dec 27 & 28, 30, Jan 3, Feb 21, 2.30pm, no perf Jul 27, Dec 25, Dec 26-29, 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Dec 30, 2.30pm. Musical charting the early years of the Wicked Witch Of The West. The Woman In Black booking until Dec 14, Fortune Theatre, Russell Street, WC2B 5HH Covent Garden £16.50£45, Premium Seats £55, Tue-Sat 8pm, mats Tue, Thu 3pm, Sat 4pm. Adaptation of Susan Hill’s ghost story.

OFF WEST END Around The World In Eighty Days Ends Feb 9, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL Dalston Junction £9, child/ concs £7, Feb 4-9, 1pm. An in-house production of Jules Verne’s classic tale of Phileas Fogg and his around the world adventures. The Captain Of Kopenick booking until Apr 4, National Theatre: Olivier, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo Jan 29-31, Feb 1 & 2, 4 previews £12-£30, Feb 5-28, Mar 1-31, Apr 1-4 £12-£47, concs available, Feb 4, 6 & 7, 12-16, Mar 1 & 2, 4-6, 12-14, 21-23, 25, Apr 2-4, 7.30pm, press night Feb 5, 7pm, mats Feb 6, 13, 16, Mar 2, 6, 13, 23, Apr 3, 2pm, Feb 17, Mar 3, 24, 2.30pm. Antony Sher plays the title role in a very funny version, by Ron Hutchinson, of Carl Zuckmayer’s satire. Cirque Du Soleil: Kooza Ends Feb 14, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP South Kensington £20£95, concs £22.50-£76.50, under 12s £17.50-£66.50, Premium Seats £85 & £95, Tue-Sat 8pm, Sun 7.30pm, mats Wed, Fri & Sat 3.30pm, Sun 3pm, no perf Feb 11-13. The Canadian company returns to its circus and clowning roots. Companhia De Danca Deborah Colker: Tatyana booking until Feb 9, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Barbican £16-£30, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mat Feb 9, 3pm. An adaptation of the novel Eugene Onegin, set to both traditional and contemporary music. Cocktail Sticks booking until Mar 30, National Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£32, Feb 9, 12 & 13, 18, 20 & 21, 25 & 26, Mar 16, 18, 28, 30, 6pm, mats Feb 10, Mar 10, 17, 3.30pm. An oratorio without music by Alan Bennett, with Alex Jennings and Janet Dale. Di And Viv And Rose Ends Feb 23, Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, NW3 3EU Swiss Cottage Mon £22, concs £15, Tue-Sat £29, concs £18, Wed, Sat mats OAP £15, Jan 17-22 previews £22, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed 2.30pm, Sat 3pm, captioned perf Feb 5, 7.30pm, audio-described perf Feb 16, 3pm. Amelia Bullmore’s insightful comedy drama, featuring Tamzin Outhwaite, Gina McKee and Anna Maxwell Martin.

The Effect booking until Feb 23, National Theatre: Cottesloe, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£32, Feb 1 & 2, 4-9, 11-16, 18-23, 7.30pm, mats Feb 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 2.30pm (press night Nov 13, 7pm, captioned perf Feb 5, audio described perf). Lucy Prebble’s drama looks at sanity, neurology and the limits of medicine. Feast Ends Feb 23, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ Waterloo Feb 1-23 £10-£30, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. A vibrant musical tale about the Yoruba culture which originated in Nigeria. Gruesome Playground Injuries Ends Feb 16, Gate Theatre, 11 Pembridge Road, W11 3HQ Notting Hill Gate £20, concs £15, Jan 22 & 23 previews £10, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3pm. A passionate, destructive love story takes place over 30 years, in Rajiv Joseph’s drama. I Know How I Feel About Eve Ends Feb 23, Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, NW3 3EU Swiss Cottage £5-£12, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Feb 9, 16, 23, 3.15pm. Lisa Spirling directs Colette Kane’s drama. Journey’s End Starts Sat, ends Feb 17, Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, SE10 8ES Greenwich 7.30pm £15 & £17.50, concs/1pm, 2.30pm, 4pm £12.50, From Feb 9, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sun 4pm, Feb 16, 2.30pm, Wed & Thu 1pm. R. C. Sherriff’s anti-war classic first performed in 1928. Julius Caesar Ends Feb 9, Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LX Covent Garden Nov 29 & 30, Dec 1-3 previews £10-£27.50, Dec 4-31, Jan 1-31, Feb 1-9 £10-£35, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female production of Shakespeare’s Roman tragedy.

The Magic Flute Starts Tue, ends Mar 3, Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, W6 9RL Hammersmith Feb 5 & 6 previews £22.50, concs £22, Feb 7-28, Mar 1-3 £25, concs £22.50, From Feb 5, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 5pm, mats Sat 2.45pm (press night Feb 7). Kit Hesketh-Harvey’s translation of Mozart’s opera. The Magistrate booking until Feb 10, National Theatre: Olivier, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£47, Feb 8 & 9, 7.30pm, mats Feb 9, 2pm, Feb 10, 2.30pm. Victorian farcical comedy written by Arthur Wing Pinero, with John Lithgow in the title role. Mare Rider Ends Feb 16, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL Dalston Junction Jan 22-24 £14, £18, concs £14, mats £16, concs £12, MonSat 8pm, mats Feb 9, 16, 2.30pm, no perf Feb 14. An in-house performance of Leyla Nazli’s drama. Merrily We Roll Along Ends Mar 9, The Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, SE1 1RU London Bridge £35, concs £27.50, £43 inc meal, Premium Seats £37.50, Tue-Sat 8pm, mats Sat & Sun 3.30pm. Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical, based on the 1934 drama by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart. Metamorphosis Ends Feb 16, Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL Hammersmith £12.50-£35, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat Feb 9, 2.30pm. Franz Kafka’s classic tale, a mix of the absurd and pain.

Money: The Game Show Ends Mar 2, The Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ Shepherd’s Bush Feb 4 & 5 preview £15, concs £10, Feb 6-28, Mar 1 & 2 MonSat eves £19.50, concs £12, Sat mats £15, concs £10, Feb 27 mat £15, concs £10, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Feb 6, 7pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, preview perf Feb 4 & 5, captioned eve perf Feb 15, audio described mat perf Feb 16, extra mat Feb 27. Satirical performance exploring the origins of the banking crisis. No Quarter booking until Feb 9, Jerwood Theatre At The Royal Court, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS Sloane Square Mon £10, Tue-Sat £20, Thu, Sat 3.30pm concs £15, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu, Sat 3.30pm. Polly Stenham’s play offers an anarchic twist to the drawing room drama. One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show Ends Feb 9, Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Road, NW6 7JR Kilburn £14-£22, concs £10-£20, Jan 16-18 adv £10, MonSat 8pm, mats Sat 4pm, extra mat perf Feb 6, 2pm. Don Evans’s comedy drama about a black, middle-class family in 1970s Philadelphia. People booking until Apr 2, National Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£47, Mon-Fri under 18s £19 & £23.50, other concs available, Feb 4, 8 & 9, 11-13, 18-21, 25-28, Mar 7-9, 15 & 16, 18-20, 26-28, 30, Apr 1 & 2, 7.45pm, Mar 21, 7pm, mats Feb 9, 13, 20, 27, Mar 9, 27, 30, 2pm. Alan Bennett’s drama about the owner of a British stately home contemplating a sale of the house’s contents.

Playing Cards 1: SPADES Starts Thu, ends Mar 2 2013, Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH Chalk Farm £15-£45, Feb 7-9 previews £15-£40, concs available, From Feb 7, Mon-Sat 7pm, press night Feb 11. The first in a quartet of plays which are each shaped around a suit in a deck of cards, from Robert Lepage. Contains nudity and scenes of a violent nature. Kiss Me Kate booking until Mar 2, Old Vic, 103 The Cut, SE1 8NB Waterloo £11-£60, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. The award-winning, Cole Porter classic musical is directed by Trevor Nunn.

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LISTINGS

Glasgow Girls Starts Fri, ends Mar 2 2013, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Gerry Raffles Square, E15 1BN Stratford MonThu/Sat mats £5-£20, Mon-Thu concs/ Sat mats concs £5-£15, Fri & Sat eves £12-£24, concs £10-£18, Feb 8 & 9 previews £12, From Feb 8, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, no mat Feb 9, extra mat Feb 14 (press night Feb 12). David Grieg and Cora Bissett’s musical based on a true story. Tango Fire: Flames Of Desire Ends Feb 24, Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, WC2A 2HT Holborn £15-£42, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, Sun 4pm. The history of tango told via a series of dance vignettes. The Showstoppers Ends Feb 25, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP South Kensington £18, Mon 7.30pm. Improvised musical comedy from the acclaimed troupe. The Stepmother Starts Wed, ends Mar 9, Orange Tree Theatre, 1 Clarence Street, TW9 2SA Richmond £11.50-£22, child/NUS/OAP £12.50-£18, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, post-show discussions mats Feb 7, 14, 21, 28, 2.30pm, Feb 16, 23, Mar 2, 9, 3pm (audio-described Feb 19, audiodescribed Feb 23). A play from 1924 about the challenges facing a young stepmother.

The Turn Of The Screw Ends Mar 16, Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, N1 1TA Highbury & Islington Jan 18-23 previews £8-£26, concs available, Jan 24-31, Feb 1-28, Mar 1-16 £8-£32, concs available, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, extra mat perf Feb 13, Mar 6, 2.30pm. Henry James’s ghostly novella, adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz.

FRINGE

London Wall Ends Feb 23 2013, Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, SW10 9ED West Brompton Jan 29 & 30 previews £9, Jan 31, Feb 1-10 Wed-Sat £14, concs/Tue £10, Feb 12-23 Wed-Sat £16, concs/Tue £12, no concs Sat, TueSat 7.30pm, mats Sat & Sun 3pm. A look at the life of female office workers in the 1930s, written by John Van Druten. 35MM: A Musical Exhibition Ends Feb 10, Pleasance Theatre, Carpenter’s Mews, North Road, N7 9EF Caledonian Road £10, Tue-Sun 7.45pm. Several tales told through song and accompanying images are presented in this multi-media show, written by Ryan Scott Oliver. Boris & Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure Starts Fri, ends Feb 10, The Little Angel Theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, Cross Street, N1 2DN Angel £12, concs £10, Feb 8-10, 8pm. Balkan puppeteers present a dark and twisted cabaret of improvised plays and sketches. Boy George’s Taboo Ends Mar 31, Brixton Clubhouse, 467 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH Brixton £10, £25, Meal Deal with top price ticket only £32.50, Oct 31 £20, TueSun 7.30pm, mats Sat & Sun 3pm. Boy George’s romantic musical set during the era of the New Romantics The Boy Who Was Woody Allen Starts Wed, ends Feb 9, Pleasance Theatre, Carpenter’s Mews, North Road, N7 9EF Caledonian Road £10-£15, Feb 6-9, 7.30pm. A comedy written by David Simmons and Geoff Morrow about a teenage Catholic lad wanting to become Woody Allen.

Circles Starts Wed, ends Feb 9, LOST Theatre, 208 Wandsworth Road, SW8 2JU Stockwell £8, concs £6, Feb 6-9, 8pm. An energetic fusion of text, movement and sound in this physical work presented by Limb2Limb Theatre. The Dreamer Examines His Pillow Ends Feb 16, Old Red Lion, 418 St John Street, EC1V 4NJ Angel Tue-Sat £15, concs £12, Sun £7, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 3pm. A story set in a dingy apartment in the Bronx, exploring how humans deal with emotions beyond their grasp. Fair Em Ends Feb 9, Union Theatre, 204 Union Street, SE1 0LX Waterloo £18, concs £15, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sun 3pm, extra mat Feb 9, 3pm. Romantic comedy some have argued is part of Shakespeare’s canon. Fiesco Ends Feb 23, The New Diorama Theatre, 15-16 Triton Street, NW1 3BF Great Portland Street £15.50, concs £12.50, All three plays in The Faction Rep Season £40, concs £35, Feb 7, 15, 20, 7.30pm, mats Feb 16, 23, 3pm. Freidrich Schiller’s republican tragedy, adapted by Daniel Millar and Mark Leipacher. Five Kinds Of Silence Ends Feb 17, White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, SE11 4DJ Kennington £12, concs £10, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6pm. Chris Loveless directs Shelagh Stevenson’s family drama. Good Morning, Alamo! Ends Feb 9, Tabard Theatre, 2 Bath Road, W4 1LW Turnham Green £14, concs £12, TueSat 7.30pm. A satirical drama by Mark R. Giesser, set a few years before the Mexican War of Independence in the 1800s. Lean Ends Feb 23, Tristan Bates Theatre, The Actors Centre, 1a Tower Street, WC2H 9NP Leicester Square £13, concs £10, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sun 3.30pm. A revealing drama of a couple’s battle with anorexia, written by Isley Lynn. Macbeth Starts Tue, ends Feb 24, Camden People’s Theatre, 58-60 Hampstead Road, NW1 2PY Euston £10, concs £8, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sun 4.30pm. Shakespeare’s famous play of murder and vengeance. Oh What A Lovely War Ends Mar 15, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Gerry Raffles Square, E15 1BN Stratford Feb 4-6 previews £15, Feb 1-3, 7-28, Mar 1-15 MonSat 7.30pm & 2.30pm £12-£22, concs £8£14.50, Fri-Sun 7.30pm & 3pm £14-£28, concs £9.50-£18.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, Sun 3pm. Satirical musical about world war one, originally adapted by Joan Littlewood, from Charles Chilton’s 1961 radio play.

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One Touch Of Venus Starts Tue, ends Feb 23, Ye Olde Rose And Crown Theatre Pub, 53-55 Hoe Street, E17 4SA Walthamstow Central £15, concs £12.50, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mat Sun 3.30pm. Kurt Weill’s satirical musical with book and lyrics by Ogden Nash. Othello Ends Feb 22, The Bussey Building/ CLF Art Cafe, 133 Rye Lane, SE15 4ST Peckham Rye Mon Theatre For A Fiver Night £5, Tue-Sat £12, concs £10, Mon-Sat 7.30pm. The Othello Peckham Theatre’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy is set in the world of western military security companies. Our Country’s Good Ends Mar 9, St James Theatre, 12 Palace Street, SW1E 5JA Victoria £25-£42.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Timberlake Wertenbaker’s drama, based on The Playmaker by Thomas Keneally, is directed by Max Stafford-Clark. Richard Alston Dance Company:The Devil In The Detail/Buzzing Round The Hunnisuccle/Madcap New Wimbledon Theatre, 93 The Broadway, SW19 1QG Wimbledon £13.50-£23.50, Feb 9, 7.30pm. Two modern dance works choreographed by Richard Alston and one by Martin Lawrance. Stuck: Big Wooden Horse (Over 3s) Half Moon Young People’s Theatre, 43 White Horse Road, E1 0ND Limehouse £6, Feb 9, 11am & 2pm. Adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’s children’s book. Tales From The Shed (Under 7s) Ends Mar 23, Chickenshed, 290 Chase Side, N14 4PE Cockfosters £5.50, child under 6 months FREE, Fri & Sat 11.30am, Sat 10am, Feb 21, 10am & 11.30am, Feb 22, 10am, no perf Mar 8 & 9. Interactive performances for children. Three Sisters Ends Feb 23, The New Diorama Theatre, 15-16 Triton Street, NW1 3BF Great Portland Street £15.50, concs £12.50, All three plays in The Faction Rep Season £40, concs £35, Feb 8 & 9, 16, 19, 23, 7.30pm. The Faction presents Ranjit Bolt’s translation of Anton Chekhov’s play. Twelfth Night Ends Feb 23, The Lion & Unicorn, 42-44 Gaisford Street, NW5 2ED Kentish Town £12-£17.50, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3.30pm. Custom/Practice Theatre presents Shakespeare’s comedy. Why The Lion Danced: Yellow Earth (Over 5s) The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford £6, family £22, SE8 4AG Feb 10, 1pm & 3pm. Children’s show.

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Port booking until Mar 24, National Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo Jan 22-26 previews £12£28, Jan 28-31, Feb 1-28, Mar 1-24 £12£34, concs available, Feb 5-7, 14-16, 22 & 23, Mar 1 & 2, 4-6, 11-14, 22 & 23, 7.45pm, mats Feb 6, 16, Mar 2, 6, 13, 2.15pm, Feb 17, 23, Mar 3, 24, 3pm, Mar 23, 2pm. A young girl despite everything, looks to the future and for something better, in Simon Stephens’s drama. Salad Days Ends Mar 2, Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, W6 9RL Hammersmith £25, concs £20, Premium Seats £30 & £35, Cafe Seats £40, Tue-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm. Julian Slade’s and Dorothy Reynolds’s sunny and romantic musical.

Image: Wellcome Library, London

Open until 14 April 2013 Book tickets at www.museumoflondon.org.uk/dissection or on 020 7001 9844 An online booking fee and timed entry apply. Due to its subject matter, Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men is not recommended for children under 12. Media partner

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‘dreamthinkspeak have been quietly reinventing site-specific theatre for some time’ – The Independent

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