9 - 22 Dec 2005
issue sixty-three

 

londonlostandfound.com
the guide for the misguided

The Selection

 

 

Marble Arch to Streatham

 
 

Londoners have managed to stem the tide of progress for over two decades, but now the end is here. Yes, Friday 9 December is the last day the Routemaster buses will be in operation. The last route to go, the 159, crossing from Marble Arch to Streatham, will say it's final farewell at lunch time, no doubt surrounded by press photographers and transport geeks. And if you can't bear the thought of saying goodbye forever, for a mere 5k you can snap up your own Routemaster. For all your London bus purchases, and random transport facts, visit: www.routemaster.org.uk.

And to distract you from the loss of London's made to measure public transport icon, in this issue of The Selection we bring you dressing up, games from the wild West and a Hundred Reasons to be cheerful.

chris / editor
www.londonlostandfound.com

 

art

cinema

clubs + bars

free

gigs

response

what is it?

 

 

 

art

And/And - Ali Silverstein
Bischoff/Weiss, 95 Rivington Street, EC2 / Old Street tube / Open Weds to Sat, 11am - 6pm / Until 14 Jan / Free

And/And comprises a body of work which is an everyday instance of the terms figurative and abstract as degrees of a continuation, rather than fixed, static objectives. Silverstein has made an impressive quantity of acrylic paintings which she calls “blind” paintings. These are so named because they are made by Silverstein looking at the subject, often a still life, and painting single, descriptive strokes with a large brush, without looking at the canvas. When the mark is dry she adds another one, until an image is built up which has a residual quality which invites deconstruction by some sort of visual archaeology. Furthermore, Silverstein sometimes rotates the canvas to add more layers.

The effect is highly impressive and leaves the viewer in the tantalisingly uncertain nether land between the sense of recognition, and insufficient recognition to see what is represented. In this sense, these works are not merely somewhere “between” figuration and abstraction, but a balance of both. This thoughtfulness is also reflected in the curation, which has some pieces wall-mounted, others floor-mounted, and some concealing doorways.

 

Return of the Native - Suky Best
The Pumphouse Gallery, Battersea Park, SW11 / Battersea Park train station / Open Weds, Thurs and Sun 11am - 5pm, Fri to Sat, 11am - 4pm /
Until 18 Dec / Free

An art gallery in a restored Victorian water pumping station, itself set in an urban park, is a particularly apt location for Return of the Native. Through both video and still photography, Best presents us with a past, and a past that focuses our attention on the future.

Best has taken specimens of endangered and extinct animals and birds from museums, and montaged them back into an environment in which they once lived. In executing this work, Best has been cleverly mindful of the greater poetic power re-presentation has over illusion. These videos and prints are not so ‘realistic’ that we don’t notice that something is awry. And that exactly is their power, which is then focused by way of ‘museum style’ labels, into an awareness that urban and rural development is damaging our environment.

As always seems to be the case with the Pumphouse, this show is very professionally put together and has accompanying workshops, family guides and well presented literature.

Karl Musson graduated in Fine Art from Middlesex University in 1999. Now based in London, he is involved in a range of art projects.

top

 

art

cinema

clubs + bars

free

gigs

response

what is it?

top

 

 

cinema

Screenings, events and must-see movies, with a handful of reviews thrown in. London cinema at its best.

Don't miss...

The Beat that my Heart Skipped
A stylish gangster thriller with a twist from director Jacques Audiard, based on often overlooked 1970s American indie flick Fingers. The central performance by Romain Duris has had films critics drooling. This is intelligent French cinema at its best.

The Constant Gardener
Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles (City of God) breathes life and passion into this adaptation of the John Le Carre conspiracy novel. First rate turns from Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz and Bill Nighy. Quality mainstream product.

Broken Flowers
Indie darling Jim Jarmusch dips his cinematic toe into the mainstream with a sweet comedy of romance and regret. Bill Murray tracks down an impressive cast of ex girlfriends on a mission to find a son he never knew he had.

A History of Violence
David Cronenberg is always good for a laugh isn’t he? This time he brings us a tale of a family thrown into turmoil after the father shoots someone in self defence. Described as brilliant and provocative, the subject matter might be edgy and somewhat disturbing but hidden amongst the trademark Cronenberg gore are some powerful issues. Sometimes we need to put our emotions through the cinematic wringer.

Coming up...

Thu 8 to Sun 11 Dec
Charlie Don’t Surf: A Cinematic Tribute to Joe Strummer / Curzon Soho, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 / Leicester Square tube
Celebrating the acting and composing work of Joe Strummer in his post-Clash days, this season includes the UK premiere of Let’s Rock Again which he made just prior to his death, alongside some of his greatest collaborations. Full details of the packed programme can be found at: www.curzoncinemas.com.

Thu 8 to Sun 11 Dec
Freesports Film Festival / Prince Charles Cinema , Leicester Place, WC2 / Leicester Square tube
Bringing together the best films, photography and athletes from the crazy world of Freesports (that’s BMX and snowboarding type stuff to you and me). The programme includes Murderball and Lords of Dogtown.

Sat 10 Dec @ 9am
MINI-INPUT / Goethe – Institut, 50 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, SW7 / South Kensington tube
The fourth annual MINI-INPUT day offers you a host of screenings and discussions around a selection of international public television productions from the INPUT festival held in San Francisco earlier in the year.

Sun 11 Dec @ 1pm
My Favourite Film – Dermot O’Leary / Curzon Soho, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 / Leicester Square tube
The television charmer Dermot O’Leary introduces Bugsy Malone as his top film. And it is still super. Is the use of food-firing weapons a metaphor for the war and starvation rife around the world today, or just an excuse to throw lots of custard pies? You decide.

Sun 11 Dec @ 9pm
The Sunday Society / Curzon Soho, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 / Leicester Square tube
The monthly showcase of cult and contemporary queer cinema continues with Tod Browning’s The Devil Doll from 1936. It’s all mad scientists, shrinking people and dolls. Followed by George Kuchar’s Sirk-esque Hold Me While I’m Naked.

Wed 14 Dec @ 7pm
DocHouse / Barbican, Silk Street, EC1 / Barbican tube
DocHouse present the award winning Street Fight from director Marshall Curry, looking at poverty, race and democracy in America.

Fri 16 Dec @ 7.30pm
The General / Café Crema, 306 New Cross Road, SE14 / New Cross Gate tube
Fresh Films invite you to a screening of the Buster Keaton classic in the lovely surroundings of Café Crema, with live music afterwards and a hot meal thrown in.

Fri 16 Dec @ 6.40pm
From the Land of Ice / Curzon Soho, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 / Leicester Square tube
A glimpse at the thriving music scene in Iceland with documentary Screaming Masterpiece, followed by a special performance from singer Daniel Agust and a party in the Mezzanine Bar. I wish I lived in Iceland. No, really I do.

Fri 16 to Fri 30 Dec
Psychotronic Cinema / ICA, The Mall, SW1 / Piccadilly Circus tube
Bare with me here a moment while I get my head around this one. This event is described as "a brain-blasting new line up of insane cult movies", and includes such odd gems as Thundercrack! Blaxpoitation film The Mack, Private Parts and Blood for Dracula. So if you like that sort of thing then you’ll be in cult heaven, probably with a zombie and a screaming naked lady for company.

Sun 18 Dec @ 2pm
Complicated Women / Riverside Studios Cinema, Crisp Road, Hammersmith, W6 / Hammersmith tube
This day long celebration of the complexities of the female starts with a double bill of Katherine Hepburn classics, Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story in the afternoon and Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Brief Encounter to round off the evening. That was all said in my best Hepburn voice by the way.

At the NFT in December
The 7th Disability Film Festival runs from 1 to 4 December, showcasing films, docs and animation made by disabled filmmakers.
The Billy Wilder season continues throughout December.
There is also an opportunity to look at the career of silent era American starlet Mary Pickford, whose career spanned around 205 films.
The Face to Face season brings you some classics in 3D, including Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder. 3D was ace!
Speaking of screen pioneers, the Merian C Cooper season showcases the work of the man who brought us King Kong and Fred & Ginger to the screen.
And speaking of large monkey based films, there’s a season of films by Peter Jackson, including Heavenly Creatures and Braindead, and featuring one of his lesser known works: the obscure Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Anna is a working class hero.

top

 

art

cinema

clubs + bars

free

gigs

response

what is it?

top

 

 

clubs + bars

DJ LORD ANT B’S TOP 5 - CHRISTMAS NUMBER 1s

Seasonal greetings to all you top of the poppers! Yule love these five sparkling, scintillating smashers – there's something for everyone.

Soul Inspired Christmas Party @ 10 Room, 10 Air Street, W1 / Fri 9 Dec, 8pm -1am / £10
One Two Records and Smooth FM aka JP and DJ Dodge will be setting the scene for some full on festive flavahs at this somewhat swanky west end joint by sidestepping the normal pop and R'n'B to focus on classic Soul artists such as Diana Ross, Jill Scott and Mr James Brown. He was responsible for one of the classiest Christmas LPs ever! Recorded at the height of Mr Superbad's reign, the high-octane original material/mixed covers set was sure to give Santa Claus a soul transfusion, not to mention putting a little extra kick into that mistletoe kiss x!
“I’m dreaming of a soulful Christmas.”

Logic Presents a Christmas Tale @ Hidden, 100 Tinworth St, SE11 / Fri 9 Dec, 10pm - 6am / £12
This is not just another night of hard dance. This is a night of the best underground hard dance blended with good old fashioned crimbo magic! Three rooms, two bars, and a mezzanine, matched with a rip-roaring, gut churning, solid lighting and sound, creating the effect of your neighbours ‘every square inch covered by Christmas lights house’. These events usually draw a super-friendly, totally up for it crowd. In the most bangin’ of Santa’s Grottos, a DJ back to back battle will take place between Dave Randall, Oberon, Marc Antoine and The Future Sound of Elvis!
“I’m dreaming of a techno-techno Christmas.”

Rock’n’Roll Christmas Bowl @ Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, below Tavistock Hotel, Tavistock Square, WC1 / Sat 10 Dec, 8pm - 3am / £8
The Rock’n’Roll soul posse will be taking over the authentic 1950s retro style diner and horse shoe bar at the 8-laned Bloomsbury Bowl (as featured in the Halloween edition of The Selection) for a ‘striking’ evening of entertainment. Guest DJs on the night will include: Andy Lewis (Blow-up), Danny Decourtelle (Happiness Stan’s) and Nick Brown (Intoxica) who will spin seven golden hours of rock’n’roll interspersed with live entertainment from the garage glamorous girl group The Pipettes as well as a surprise super group covering some old skool Christmas classics. What’s more the bowling will be free all night, and according to bowling speak, three strikes in a row is called a turkey!
“I’m dreaming of a rock’n’roll Christmas.”

Type Christmas Party @ The Cross, Arch 27, Goods Yard, N1 / Sat 10 Dec, 7pm - 1am / £5
Type is Seb Fontaine’s phenomenal club night held at the legendary Cross venue. They recently celebrated four years of entertaining the capital's clubbers after the demise of the super club. It has flourished through it’s intimate vibe, dazzling crowd and incredible DJ line-up which in the past has included the likes of Norman Cook, Timo Maas, Eric Morillo and Jacques Lu Cont (Madonna’s musical right hand man). Saturday's seasonal shindig will feature Danny Howells, Enzo, Jay P, the Savers, Wesley S and Stimppy in a multi-deck mash up!
“I’m dreaming of a house-music-all-night-long Christmas.”

Barrio Latino Christmas Party @ Bar Rumba, 36 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 / Tue 13 Dec, 9pm - 3am / £4
Step out of winter and straight into the South American sun! The venue will be decked out in an authentic South American style, but instead of Christmas trees, there are palm trees! Watch out for those tequila girls with their sneaky shots + yummy rummy cocktails at £2 a throw! On the good foot there will be Salsa class for one and all. DJs Jonny G, Andy El Nino and El Moreno will be mixing up a Salsa Sandstorm. Popping down the chimney will be Cuban McKid Afrika-Claus!
“I’m dreaming of a Latino- style Christmas!”

Lord Ant B’s last minute BIG Ups:
The Winter Electronic Ball @ A secret venue in W1 / Sat 10 Dec, 10pm - v.late / £13 / Call 08700 600 100 for details
Time to get your glitch shoes on again! After the success of their last ball held at the Great Eastern Hotel which saw Val ‘Iceman’ Kilmer dancing to the Ceephax Acid Crew into the small hours, they return to a highly unusual underground kingdom, that has never been used before - a set of labyrinth catacombs buried deep below Regent Street. Electronic legends Mouse on Mars will perform a live set, whilst DJs from Warp and Co will provide the background noise!

Make Mine a Pint of: Christmas Pudding

In the unlikely case of you going hungry around Christmas time, or if you're bitterly cold to the bone after a bracing winter walk then this should do the trick!

Ingredients:
1 part Drambuie
5 parts Guinness Stout
1 part Southern Comfort

Method:
Combine in no particular order. Probably not a good idea to light it in this particular instance as you would traditionally do. Raise your glasses next to a crackling open log fire and declare “Merry Christmas!”

PS This week's club/bar selection is dedicated to the music legend of John Lennon who was assassinated by a fan 25 years ago on this day!

DJ Lord Ant B is a self proclaimed music phenomenon, ahosting'n'atoasting at a variety of club nites across the capital.

top

 

art

cinema

clubs + bars

free

gigs

response

what is it?

top

 

 

 

free

Have you ever wondered how a TV studio works? Or do you just want a free night's entertainment? Many TV and radio shows are recorded in front of a live audience, and you can quite often watch them for nothing. You will need to book, but you can usually do that online through the websites listed below.

BBC TV and Radio
You can find out about future TV and radio shows on the BBC website at www.bbc.co.uk/whatson/tickets. The shows take place at one of five locations in central London, so why not see what's being recorded nearest to you:

BBC Maida Vale studios / Delaware Road, W9 / Warwick Avenue tube
BBC Radio theatre / Broadcasting House, Portland Place, W1 / Oxford Circus tube
BBC Television Centre / Wood Lane, W12 / White City tube
The Drill Hall / 16 Chenies Street, WC1 / Goodge Street tube
The Mermaid / Puddle Dock, Blackfriars, EC4 / Blackfriars tube

Hat Trick Productions TV
Generally you need to book tickets for the popular shows such as Have I Got News for You well in advance, but the tickets are still free. Visit their website at www.hattrick.co.uk for further details.

Standing Room Only
The TV company who produce shows such as Graham Norton and Angus Deayton's new series. Visit www.sroaudiences.com for ticket details.

TV Recordings
You can pick up tickets for programmes such as The 5 O'Clock Show and The Frank Skinner Show. Visit www.tvrecordings.com.

Chris is full of it (she comes from Croydon).

top

 

art

cinema

clubs + bars

free

gigs

response

what is it?

top

 

 

 

gigs

LOWGOLD
Return to good fortune for the radio-friendly British group who have had their fair share of record industry woes. One moment they were being hailed as the next Coldplay, the next they were out on their ear as their label folded. Back with a new drummer and a well-received new album, Lowgold mean business - very pleasant business.
Fri 9 Dec / Barfly, 49 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 / Chalk Farm tube / £6* / Tickets from www.seetickets.com

MARISSA NADLER
Lesser known figure in the recent folk revival, but every bit as enchanting, this New York singer-songwriter gifts her delicately understated tales of love and loss with a voice reminiscent of Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. It'll be a night of quietly haunting beauty, and the perfect way to pass a cold Sunday in December.
Sun 11 Dec / The Social, 5 Little Portland Street, W1 / Oxford Circus tube / £4 OTD

DJ PREMIER and BIG SHUG
Premier, influential hip-hop producer and one half of the sadly defunct rap legends Gangstarr, teams up with Gangstarr Foundation member Big Shug for a night of crisp head-nod beats and funky fun of the hands-in-the-air-like-you-just-don't-care variety. Fun fact: DJ Premier’s real name is Chris Martin.
Mon 12 Dec / Jazz Cafe, Parkway, NW1 / Camden Town tube / £15* / Tickets from www.seetickets.com

HUNDRED REASONS
Somewhat low-key show for these celebrated homegrown rockers, one-time Kerrang! darlings and purveyors of finest melodic post-hardcore. Influenced by mid-90s US bands such as Far, yet bringing their own deft pop touch to proceedings, Hundred Reasons guarantee many a cathartic, fist in the air sing along. And that's reason enough.
Wed 14 Dec / Barfly, 49 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 / Chalk Farm tube / Tickets from www.seetickets.com

DJ FORMAT and ABDOMINAL
Irresistible good time hip-hop in the Jurassic 5/Ugly Duckling vein from Brighton's DJ Format. Motor mouth MC Abdominal provides vicious battle rhymes without actually managing to really insult anybody at all, like a version of 8 Mile where they were all great friends the whole time.
Thu 15 Dec / Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, N1 / Kings Cross tube / £12* / Tickets from 08700 600 100

ORANGE GOBLIN
English stoner rock veterans, capturing the spirit of Kyuss and welding it to a hefty dose of bottom heavy space rock madness. Don't look at me like that, you know exactly what I mean: loads of songs about the moon and crap, liberally sprinkled with fuzzy psychedelic guitar wig-outs. That sort of thing.
Fri 16 Dec / Underworld, 174 Camden High Street, N1 / Camden Town tube / £8.50* / Tickets from www.seetickets.com

CORINNE BAILEY RAE
Leeds-based R&B singer and official Next Big Thing, most often likened to contemporary voices such as Macy Gray and Jill Scott, but recently compared to Billie Holliday by the Guardian. Those are some shoes to fill, but I hear she has really big feet. Metaphorically, of course.
Fri 16 Dec / Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12 / Shepherd's Bush tube / Tickets from www.seetickets.com

THE RED CHORD
Absurdly excessive grind core madness from New England, so stupefyingly loud you'll be lucky if your beer stays in the pint glass. At this stage I was going to crack wise about these guys being the perfect seasonal entertainment but goddammit THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER.
Sun 18 Dec / Underworld, 174 Camden High Street, N1 / Camden Town tube / £6.50* / Tickets from www.seetickets.com

PELICAN
Positively majestic instrumental rock from Chicago's Pelican, taking the dynamic force of Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky and infusing it with the raw power of Isis and High On Fire. I really couldn't get away with jamming any more great bands than that into a single sentence. Believe me, I tried!
Tue 20 Dec / Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, N1 / Kings Cross tube / £9* / Tickets from 08700 600 100

SILENT FRONT, TRENCHER, ART OF BURNING WATER
Bumper Christmas holiday treat in the form of three tremendous homegrown acts, featuring the propulsive up tempo rock of AOBW, insane Casio keyboard riddled grind from new Southern Records signings Trencher, and the Unsane-inspired hardcore of Silent Front. Free mince pies for the first fifty ticket holders, too.
Wed 21 Dec / Spitz, 109 Commercial Street, Spitalfields Market, E1 / Liverpool Street tube / £3 / Tickets from 020 7392 9032

* Ticket prices shown don't include booking fee.

Conor can't stop picking at it metaphorically. Damon wishes Conor would stop picking at it literally.

top

 

art

cinema

clubs + bars

free

gigs

response

what is it?

top

 

 

 

response

Got a question about London? Ask away by emailing - editor@londonlostandfound.com.

Q
Do you know where I can find a pub quiz on a Wednesday night around West London?

A
Pub quizzes on a Wednesday night are pretty hard to come by in any part of London, let alone the worst served West. However, if you're willing to trek a bit further, you may be in luck. There's a pub called The Crane in Wandsworth (more SW than W) which has a quiz night on Wednesdays, starting at 9. It's a short distance from Wandsworth Town train station, or a longer stroll from East Putney tube.
The Crane, 14 Armoury Way, Wandsworth, SW18 / 020 8874 2450

And if any readers have other suggestions for Wednesday night quizzes in the wild West, do let us know. Email: editor@londonlostandfound.com.

Chris is full of it (she comes from Croydon).

top

 

art

cinema

clubs + bars

free

gigs

response

what is it?

top

 

 

 

 

an unspeakable interest

Following the rave reviews of Tropicana, the theatre group Shunt are launching a new happening in the vaults underneath London Bridge. It's called Amato Saltone, and it looks quite as bizarre and unnerving as their earlier project.

The performance is inspired by the writings of forgotten noir master, Cornell Woolrich, a strange author who lived in a hotel room with his mother, and is said to have inspired Hitchcock's Psycho. Shunt describe Amato Saltone as: "games of suspense, mistaken identity and an unspeakable interest in what your neighbours are doing".

Expect dressing up, darkness, and plenty of audience humiliation. Not for the easily embarrassed.

Performances Wednesdays to Saturdays at 7.30pm and 9.30pm / Joiner Street, SE1 / London Bridge tube / Until 29 Jan / Tickets £15 from www.shunt.co.uk

Chris is full of it (she comes from Croydon).

top

 

art

cinema

clubs + bars

free

gigs

response

what is it?

top

 

 

 

 

The Selection

To subscribe or unsubscribe, for more information, or to contribute e-mail editor@londonlostandfound.com

 

 

The boring bit

We take no responsibility for the accuracy of the information on the londonlostandfound.com website or in The Selection magazine. We’ve done our best to get the details right, but if the organiser changes things at the last minute, or got the information wrong, we can’t help it. It’s also not our fault if you don’t like the content of events and websites we feature. That’s not our problem; we’re just telling you things are there, we’re not forcing you to go to them.

Everything on this website belongs to the Editor and her writers. Every word and every picture. If you pinch any of it I’ll come round and wag my finger at you, you cheeky monkey. You remember what this: © stands for don’t you?

You might be a bit concerned about me having your email address. Don’t be. I could sell it to a parasitic e-marketing company who would send you tonnes of spam about rubbish grooming products or not-to-be-missed insurance offers that you’ll never need. I’d make a quick buck and treat myself to a night out at your expense. I could do that, but I won’t. What’s the point? I’ll never make enough to retire on and you’ll never sign up to anything from me again. I’m in it for the long haul and I believe in things like integrity, honesty and fair-dealing. Trust me, I won’t let you down.

Finally, if you want to moan at me, praise me, hang out online or invite me out for a date email me at editor@londonlostandfound.com. Or just ignore me. I’m used to being overlooked, so it won’t make much difference. Whatever. Oh go on, just a little one. It’ll only take a couple of minutes and it’s in a good cause. It could be the start of a beautiful friendship. I’m not a stalker, by the way – unless you’re Clive Owen, in which case I’m not responsible for my actions, so you’d best not get in touch. Oh please. No. Please. No. You fool, Chris, you fool, you gave it away again.

Chris / Editor

top