Londonist

Londonist Behind The Lens: Che-burashka

Lindsey — 2009-11-07T12:36:06+00:00

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A series celebrating the talent of our friends over in the Londonist Flickr pool. Here, they introduce themselves and share their favourite London shots. This week, Che-burashka...

I moved to London from Russia almost 9 years ago with my job. Initially, I really hated everything about it - expensive rent, cold houses, crowded tube and a strange pub culture where you drink before you have a meal. Everything was alien to me and I was not sure what I was doing here. Fortunately I was travelling a lot on business so I did not have proper time to do anything about it. Travelling was the initial reason why I picked up my first compact camera, a passion which developed slowly but with irreversible strength as I got to know the place better and better. I like the vibrancy, cosmopolitan nature, architecture and variety which London has. Also, I think it is the one of the most tolerant and opened minded cities ever. That is why it so thrilling and enjoyable to photograph this city and its people. There's a wide variety of subject areas.

My passion is street photography and something which I called "urban lyric": get up, have morning coffee, commute to work by foot or more often by train or tube; later, go down for lunch from the offices, walk along busy streets with a lot of strangers looking similar to us... we do not pay attention to the moments when beauty sparkles from this mundane environment and often we are part of it. A long shadow cast by a high building and a passer by, the light trail of a speeding train, light in the night cafes reflected on wet pavement, or people's faces merged into a constant river of movement. All this can be unforgettably touching and very poetic. That is what I want to reflect in my images.

I like to shoot in East London, especially the East End, Shoreditch and more recently Hackney. I've started to go for photo walks in Deptford - the Laban Centre on Creekside by Herzog de Meuron is the one of my favourite buildings in the capital. For photography I like places where there is a lot of human interaction such as the Southbank, markets or the Tube. I am also very much fascinated by urban waterways. I secretly dream of making a book about the Regent's Canal...

Che-burashka's photography website is in development but you can also check out her Flickrstream for more

PAYG On Trains From Balham

RachelH — 2009-11-07T11:40:39+00:00

Despite PAYG on mainline trains having the world's most flexible deadline (summer 2009? end of 2010? January 2010?), the ability to swipe that Oyster is starting to creep in. From tomorrow, you can pay as you go on Southern trains between Balham and Victoria - confusingly, this route covers Clapham Junction, where you can't use PAYG on South West Trains to Waterloo. More and more Oyster machines are being deposited in stations around the London suburbs, like black neoprene-clad rectangular ninjas awaiting the order to strike, so hopefully this is the first move of the endgame in this eternal battle between TfL and the train operating companies. (Image / tezzer57)

Review: Super K Sonic Booooum @ Shunt

RuthL — 2009-11-07T11:00:14+00:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, please keep your hands and feet inside the ride and remain seated until the lecture has come to a complete standstill, for a little piece of Japan’s Super-Kamiokande has landed in the Shunt Vaults to tantalise your senses in their final week. Curator Nelly Ben Hayoun and an incredibly patient “Doctor Ryan” are offering a whistlestop boat tour of their Kubrick-esque installation which tells you Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Particle Physics (But Were Afraid to Ask). You might think it’s the scandalously cheap wine, but that really is a visual version of a sonic boom rippling across a subterranean lake, as navigators from Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College London try and unravel the secrets of the universe.

And don’t forget your passport for this subatomic adventure. No, seriously.

At Shunt Lounge, 4-7th and 11-14th November, SHUNT Lounge. £5 (Wed/Thurs) and £10 (Fri/Sat)

Presented By:

2009-11-07T11:00:14+00:00

Saturday Cinema Summary

RachelH — 2009-11-07T10:00:12+00:00

George Clooney and Ewan McGregor, possibly looking for goats / image courtesy of Momentum Pictures

Our weekly round-up of cinema reviews

Based on Jon Ronson's investigative book of the same name, The Men Who Stare At Goats is a fictionalised account of the American military's attempts to develop psychic ability as a weapon. Note: 'fictionalised' is the key word here. Ewan McGregor plays a naive journalist who stumbles onto one of these American "Jedi warriors" (George Clooney) in Iraq and "follows him on a shamanic journey across the world... Ronson's original book, naturally, wouldn't countenance any of this poppycock, and is written in a decidedly more aghast tone" says the Times (4 stars), but so long as you don't expect serious journalism, you should be OK with this "scattershot but often hilarious military farce" (Empire, 4 stars). Then again... "Peter Straughan's screenplay doesn't shape the material into a story" complains the Independent (1 star), and the Telegraph has similar thoughts. "Charlie Kaufman might have spun the subject of military ESP training... into some kind of lunatic masterpiece. Grant Heslov's dishevelled farce is very much not that film" (1 star). Hmm.

Jane Campion's film of John Keats's romance with Fanny Brawne, Bright Star, is "genuinely poetic. Anybody who thinks "poetic" should mean limp, airy, or flouncy is either not reading enough good poetry or is reading good poetry badly" says the Evening Standard (4 stars). "It is a deeply felt and intelligent film... Very few films allow you to listen to the sounds of silence, or near-silence, between the lines of dialogue: the sounds of birdsong, or the rustle of clothing, or footfalls in a country lane" swoons the Guardian (5 stars). "When you consider the pitfalls of making a film about a poet... there are no thousand-yard stares as the verses boom in voiceover, no clunky lines à la, "You'll be the greatest poet of the 19th century, Keats!", and no silly links of poem to image" concurs the Independent (4 stars). But you can't please all the people all the time, and the Times rages that Keats, "a vital aesthetic touchstone for all debates about transient life versus immortal art, is reduced to a whimpering scribbler with a bad cough" (1 star).

If you want to know what the fuss about this year's Oxford Street lights is about, head to the cinema to see the Disney animated A Christmas Carol. You know the plot: the old tale of a miser being taught the spirit of Christmas via the medium (heh) of three ghosts. But "there is something very wrong here. Stories from the pen of Dickens should chug along comfortably like a steam train, not hurtle headlong at the speed of a supersonic jet on test manoeuvres" frets the Times (2 stars). Robert Zemeckis directs and has gone down his Polar Express / Beowulf stylistic route of motion capturing the actors, and then he's made it all 3D. It's "a holiday season novelty" says Empire (3 stars), perhaps not quite enough to wipe the many other versions from our minds, but with Jim Carrey playing Scrooge and the ghosts "flinging his voice up and down registers with hammy verve" (Telegraph, 3 stars), there are still "many wonders and a series of weathered and withered faces of which Dickens himself would have been proud" (Evening Standard, 3 stars).

You may have heard that Jennifer's Body has been the subject of an enormous backlash against writer Diablo Cody after her phenomenal success with Juno. But the reviews we've seen happily focus on the film, about a high school bitch (Megan Fox) turned into a literal man-eater. "The movie wants the scariness to imbibe the all-too-real horror of being a teenager, and convey a Carrie's-time-of-the-month blast of fear" (Guardian, 3 stars), but "director Karyn Kusama resolutely fails to deliver any tension" (Empire, 3 stars). "There's the occasional spiky moment... But after the quick-fire wit of Juno, this is disappointing" concludes the Independent (2 stars).

Of Paper Heart, the Evening Standard believes "either you will find this cheaply made American independent docudrama charming or faintly irritating" (2 stars). Comedian Charlyne Yi decides she doesn't really believe in love and gathers her celebrity mates (including boyfriend Michael Cera) to muse on its nature, as well as interviewing bikers, judges and other definite 'types'. The Times damns it for being "whimsical, solipsistic and self-indulgent" (2 stars), while the Independent agrees it "wobbles briefly on a tightrope between sincerity and cuteness before plunging headlong to a death-by-whimsy" (2 stars).

A hip-hop gang musical set in Birmingham? Why not. Dealer Flash was supposed to be taking care of a stash of money while Angel was in prison - but instead, he's been spending it, which is a problem when Angel is released and wants it back. 1 Day is "by turns gloomy, frenzied, downbeat and violently melodramatic" (Guardian, 3 stars) and "impressively non-moralistic, just showing us how it is. That may be why Birmingham's cinemas have refused to show it" (Evening Standard, 3 stars). But while the "scenarios feel authentic, lacklustre musical numbers and humdrum dialogue mean this is far less characterful than [director Penny] Woolcock's other work" says Empire (2 stars).

In 1964, French director Henri-Georges Clouzot started work on L'Enfer, "a wildly experimental work, a Hitchcockian, proto-Kubrickian extravaganza which led him into a creative menopausal breakdown" (Guardian, 4 stars). The film was never made, but now we have Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno, a documentary that is "up there with Lost in La Mancha as a glorious chronicle of film-making folly" (Times, 4 stars). The film not only looks at what went wrong - "the director, having alienated cast and crew with his obsessive behaviour, then suffered a heart-attack - but it also unearths footage of camera tests and experiments in kinetic art and colouration that suggest how very remarkable the film might have been" (Independent, 3 stars).

Bilal is a Kurdish teenager stuck in Calais, dreaming of a Welcome in Britain and of playing in the Premier League. He's so determined, he's going to try and swim the Channel. While the subject may not be entirely new, "this is compassionate and humane film-making" (Times, 3 stars), and "realistic in tone, if a little melodramatic in material" (Empire, 3 stars). "What keeps it afloat are the sharp performances, together with a pungent, docu-style portrait of the dockyards where the bundled, shivering immigrants stand waiting" says the Guardian (3 stars).

Next week: expect the end of the fricking world in 2012, Michael Caine on vigilante form in Harry Brown and festival tales in Taking Woodstock.

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London Uncorked: Negozio Classica

Caroline — 2009-11-06T19:00:00+00:00

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It's no secret, we love wine and hope you do too. Here's the second installment of our wine-related series.

Lately we've felt a bit melancholy, or overcome by 'le spleen' as Baudelaire might put it. The sun sets by 4:30, it's consistently grey, and the Christmas lights have been switched on already. As much as we'd like to, we just can't get ourselves in the mood to transform that dusty bottle of Tesco's finest merlot into some hot, mulled wine. Perhaps you'd say we're in denial about the changing seasons, but we know there's nothing wrong with not yet being ready to fully accept the taste of Holiday Cheer, which rather closely resembles the scent of potpourri.

Our solution: a trip to Portobello Road's Negozio Classica, a sweet little shop that declares itself to be the 'Italian embassy of taste'. Cheesy? Yes, but you won't hear us whining about it (ouch). Negozio Classica serves food, coffee, spirits, and of course, wine. Customers can either choose to sip a glass or two at the bar or find the right bottle to take home. The staff is friendly and happy to let you taste a few of their favourite wines in your specified price range. Prices start around £6.99 and can soar well above £100. We sampled a couple from the lower end and were pleased to find some unfamiliar (at least to us), yet delicious wines that fell right within our budget.

The bar also offers tasting menus and is available for private events, such as their theme dinners, in which up to 10 people can learn about the food and wine of a specific Italian region.

Check out our previous installment of 'London Uncorked'.

Negozio Classica is located at 283 Westbourne Grove W11 2QA and is open 7 days a week. Check their website for opening times and further information.

Winner Of X Factor: International Biggest Fan

Hazel — 2009-11-06T18:30:44+00:00

Image by futureshape from the Londonist Flickr pool

It's nearly the weekend! Which means hours and hours of competition format talent shows and quality sofa time! And who could be looking forward to it more than Fu Ying, Chinese ambassador to London, the TV shows' biggest international fan? No one! Except her daughter, who has asked if she can come over from China to join the shrieking crowds outside the house where the contestants are sequestered. That's a long way to come, to stand in the cold and shriek for hours at a time.

Neighbouring Chinese embassy staff have complained about the noise of the starstruck crowd. With true diplomatic strategy, Fu Ying has commented to the media that despite the noise of the fans, she enjoys the programme and has her favourites that she roots for. The Chinese people are not to be regarded as an X Factor hating community; she makes clear that there are similar talent spotting shows in China that attract the same scale of adoration and screaming. They are good for the current generation who can hope to have their talents recognised and aim high (as long as those ambitions are to have the shiniest clothes and highest hair and repeat bookings for shampoo adverts)

And she will not disclose who are her favourites, another sign of diplomacy in Fu Ying, which is wise considering the storm of hormones and fervour outside the X Factor house. The Chinese embassy coming across as spoilsports shutting down the fans outside the motherlode of their desires would be bad. The Chinese ambassador incurring the wrath of Jedward fans by proclaiming Danyl will win would be much, much worse.

Extra, Extra

SallyB — 2009-11-06T18:00:04+00:00

West Ham commuters hear trains rushing into tunnels..
St. Pancras is thriving as a shopping centre We hear they do trains as well.
There was a fatal stabbing in Harlesden last yesterday evening.
Big business, Olympic procurement.
Swine flu is back in London, with serious cases on the rise.
Croydon council is being put under pressure by changes to the asylum system.
Asbestos is still a big problem in the capital.
Car share is proving popular in the East End.
Seems to be tit for tat, or rather pinch for pat, at the Commons, as MPs on both sides are accused of sexual harassment.

End of day, end of week. By Jazz in Black 'n White (et autres choses...) via the Londonist pool.

Preview: The Grand Anarcho-Dandyist Ball

carrot — 2009-11-06T16:11:27+00:00

Remember these fellows? Unless you suffered concussion during the Umbrella Jousting at this summer's Olympiad, you'll probably recall that the people behind The Chap magazine are pretty good at putting on a party. Londonist Towers have thus been filled with a haze of celebratory pipe smoke ever since we learned that this venerable publication is staging what promises to be a spectacular shindig in December, in honour of its tenth anniversary as the bible of all things tweed-related.

The Grand Anarcho-Dandyist Ball, taking place in Conway Hall (home to the Ethical Society) on 5th December, will feature entertainment from such acts as ‘Mr. B the Gentleman Rhymer’, 'Twin and Tonic' and ‘Atters’ Chaporgasmic Terrors’, alongside a suitably spiffing selection of music and the oriental delights of 'Mao Tse-Tsung’s Parlour' - a haven for for fatigued chappettes who need to rest, recover, and perhaps partake of a little hookah.

Tickets are £20 from TicketWeb, and with a dress code that stipulates 'anarcho-dandyists; tweed revolutionaries and immaculately-trousered philanthropists', who could resist?

The Ball takes place from 7.30pm onwards, Saturday 5th December at Conway Hall, WC1.

Live Music Review: Grouper @ The Luminaire

Londonist — 2009-11-06T15:10:54+00:00

Last night saw Oregon based mistress of drone folk Liz Harris aka Grouper hush a teeming Luminaire crowd in Kilburn. Presented by the London based music promoter Upset The Rhythm, Grouper was accompanied by Silk Flowers; an otherworldly darkwave synth-pop Brooklyn trio and self billed athletic rhythm / action unit Thank You hailing from Baltimore.

Silk Flowers kicked things off with a few from their 2009 self-titled album notably the album opener 'Flash of Light', a throbbing echoed backing, driven by the calm sinister baritone voice of singer Aviram Cohen who will undoubtedly be compared to Ian Curtis. For a band peppered with comparisons ranging from Throbbing Gristle to Joy Division and Kraftwerk they produce a distinctive concoction of deep entrancing synth and no-fi muffled haze which is undeniably intriguing and exactly what you would expect of a band that was hand picked by a member of No Age to release an album on his label.

Next up were Thank You who were so full of vigour and expressiveness from the start that you felt transported into a giant speeding hamster wheel filled dustbin lids and a thousand wailing mallards, but between the no-wave chaos were moments of inspiring melodic cohesion and ingenious skittering drum riffs. The set was not without hiccups; during the first song guitarist Michael Bouyoucas’ string broke and after almost every song the sound had to be adjusted but this didn’t kill the buzz of what can only be described as a joyfully exhilarating set.

Then there was Grouper. Unruffled calm engulfed the room as she sat down with her hood mystifyingly covering her eyes and fidgeted with her guitar whilst the static muffled thunderstorm effects from the opener of Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill ran alongside starry imagery on the projector. Her voice is out of this world, a ringing blend of haunting purity, which would turn even the most hyperactive kid introspective. This however was the problem, it is music you don’t want to stand and observe but rather slump into a contented slumber and float off into a place that only your own mind can create.

Rob Young

Museum of the Month: The Grant Museum

M@ — 2009-11-06T14:42:23+00:00

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Yes, it's a penis bone. A walrus' penis bone, no less. The very largest in the animal kingdom. We knew from the moment we stepped into the room that this just had to be Museum of the Month.

As museums go, the Grant is something of a tiddler. Ten paces and you've walked the length of it. Yet there's more zoological stuff on show here than in the Natural History Museum. Every cranny is filled with stuffed, bottled, dessicated or skeletonized creatures, as though Gunther von Hagens had infiltrated Noah's Ark.

"What's your favourite animal?" asks Jack Ashby, head of learning and access at UCL, who maintain the museum. "Pangolin," we quickly retort in our smartass way. Turns out they've got two pangolins. And a dugong. And a thylacine. Even a qugga skeleton. These animals might be too obscure for our spellchecker, but not for the Grant Museum. You name it, they've got it. Or at least its remains.

The Grant Museum brings together the collections of Victorian zoologists Robert Grant and Thomas Henry Huxley, along with more recent specimens. You won't find any gaudy interactive displays here. Some of the exhibits are even housed in a cabinet from the 1851 Great Exhibition. This is proper old-school stuff, and all the more charming for it.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing some of the treasures of the museum. You should also check out their events calendar and get along to an evening event, where you can often browse the curiosities over a glass of wine.

The Grant Museum is open every week day between 1pm and 5pm. You can find it on UCL's main campus, with an entrance on Malet Place.

Oxjam Mad Hatters' Tea Party Next Week

Lindsey — 2009-11-06T13:30:33+00:00

armadillo444 via cc licence

Oxjam's month of music may have come to a close but the fun and fundraising continues next week with a Mad Hatters Tea Party in Clapham. If you didn't fully indulge your dressing up fancy for Halloween then start stitching that Cheshire Cat smile to your face and get a 'mad hat'. The Tea Party is next Saturday, 14th November at the Circle Bar, Clapham from 8pm-2am and just £5 entry, all proceeds going to Oxfam's groovy Oxjam initiative. Book now: £5 online. We would love to see your photos of this event!

New Design for London Starbucks Unveiled at Conduit Street Coffeehouse

Chris Osburn — 2009-11-06T13:27:55+00:00

"Brown Siren Starbucks Heritage Logo" photograph by Chris Osburn

Starbucks revealed a new look today at their Conduit Street location. There was less green - even the logo sign out front was sans vert - and more earthy, woody tones. The mood was certainly easier on the eyes than the standard Starbucks that Londoners have grown accustomed to. The furnishing were comfier, as well. And with long tables, “conversation caves” and an overall more open and airy feel, the Conduit Street re-fit promised better sipping and off-site working.

The idea behind the new design was “to inspire the look and feel of new stores and refurbishments throughout the UK and Ireland in the future, meaning no two Starbucks will ever be entirely the same.” With recent plans to scale back their London presence, stepping up with more individual coffeehouses might prove fruitful.

For fans of this global “third place”, interiors featuring locally sourced materials and the incorporation of reused and recycled materials should provide a more pleasant Starbucks experience while those folks who cringe at the thought of ordering their java in tall, venti or grande form, the coffee's still gonna taste the same anyway.

To take a gander at the new “loft-like” Starbucks, visit their location at 2/3 Conduit Street off of Regent Street.

The Following Summer Shower Is Brought To You By...

DeanN — 2009-11-06T13:15:37+00:00

Image / Martin Deutsch

Those soothsayers of the squall at the Met Office have been named as the "official weather supplier" for the 2012 Olympics. According to a press release, the Office will "[provide] expertise, forecasts and data" leading up to and during the Games, and their knowhow will be used to plan out the staging of weather-affected sports like tennis and rowing. This will be the same Met Office who triumphantly announced a barbecue summer in April of this year, then backtracked in July after a spell of heavy rain, before a strech of glorious weather in September and October that the weather wizards and barometric brainiacs failed to predict. Our own forecast: sales of sou'westers will be at record levels come summer 2012.

Preview: This House Believes We Have Lost Sight Of The Future

M@ — 2009-11-06T12:30:34+00:00

Image / BFI Mediatheque

If your mouth watered at the prospect of next week's debate about science and the cinema, ~~you should probably get your autonomic nervous system checked out~~ then here's another date for your diaries. On 17 November, RIBA Building Futures will assemble a diverse panel to discuss the connections between architecture and film. According to the blurb:

Architects once aligned themselves with the future, fusing their visions to political ideals and ambitions for a bolder tomorrow, but where is our contemporary vision coming from? Who is imagining tomorrow and what will be the drivers?

Dunno. Does the Death Star count as architecture? Sure, it's not going to win any Stirling Prizes, and we're not convinced English Heritage would approve (blocking traditional and much cherished views of the moon....blah, blah) but what a vision. So good they made it twice.

As you can probably guess from the last paragraph, we're not on the panel. But some impressive and important people are. Wired Editor Ben Hammersley adopts the Dimbleby postition, with panellists including architects François Penz and Eric Parry, Sean Griffiths, Director and Co-Founder of Fashion Architecture Taste Ltd and Emily Campbell, Head of Design at RSA.

This House Believes We Have Lost Sight Of The Future takes place at the BFI on 17 November, starting at 6.30. Tickets can be bought here for just £5.

Photo of the Day: Caption Required #27

NatalieU — 2009-11-06T12:30:18+00:00

Something's not quite right in The Library on Upper Street in Islington. Caption's in the comments please.

Photo by rion via the Londonist Flickrpool.

Captions from last week's PoTD: Caption Required #26

Open Studios @ Chocolate Factory - Feast Your Senses

Suke — 2009-11-06T12:00:41+00:00

Situated within two iconic chocolate factories, in the heart of the 'cultural quarter' in Wood Green, Chocolate Factory is a hub of cutting-edge design, product development and creativity. Its innovative concept has been so successful that it is now being replicated in other European cities and, in one of the largest events of its kind in London, the Factory flings open its doors inviting us to explore and discover the artists within.

This eclectic and interactive event, with over 100 artists taking part, offers an amazing array of contemporary art and design from leading practitioners in their fields and features internationally acclaimed painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, film-makers and designer-makers.

Opportunities aplenty present themselves to discover and purchase affordable art and contemporary design, commission a piece or get your portrait painted and, though the chocolate may be long gone, indulging the senses in this annual feast of creativity will happily divert any cravings brought on by the mere mention of the word. Oh, and it's free.

Open Studios this weekend, Sat 14th and Sun 15th November from noon to 6pm Clarendon Rd, Wood Green N22 6XJ 0208 365 7500.

Image by Roni Sarraf

Those Salmon Flipping Fare Dodgers

RachelH — 2009-11-06T11:30:16+00:00

Photo by suburbanslice from the Londonist Flickr pool

No, "salmon flipping" isn't what you say when you desperately want to swear but there's children present, it describes a method of fare dodging that we've probably all fallen foul of. The (artful) dodger gets right in front of their mark, or 'fish', at the ticket barrier and pretends to swipe their Oyster card. The fish then assumes the dodger has paid, puts their card on their reader and the gates open - for the dodger only. Researchers looking into fare evasion termed the act "salmon flipping" which, frankly, sounds like they had far too much time on their hands.

Apart from creating ridiculous terminlogy, the survey of 2,004 London transport users revealed 6% of tube and bus users have deliberately not bought tickets at some point since 2004, as well as 9% of mainline train users. (We imagine that's down to the lack of gates at so many suburban - and central - train stations. Watch fare evasion tumble as they barrier up for PAYG.) Not buying a ticket cost LU about £3m in the last year alone, and the survey team estimated that if all those fare dodgers had been caught and stuck with penalty notices, it would have raised at least £18.7m in fines.

Now, we obviously don't condone fare dodging, but with fares on the rise, the recession still with us and places where you can just genuinely forget to pay being squeezed out, we reckon scams will only rise. Especially now we (and every second news outlet) has just told you how to salmon flip. Wouldn't a fairer fare structure be fairer all round?

Chelsea Consider Selling Stadium Naming Rights

DeanN — 2009-11-06T10:55:31+00:00

Image / Chris

Chelsea fans who chuckled at the risible new name for Newcastle's St James Park stadium will be choking on their match-day pies at the news that the league-leading Londoners are thinking of selling the naming rights to Stamford Bridge.

The club's new chief executive, Ron Gourlay, won't have endeared himself to the Blues faithful with this strange explanation:

We are not prepared to... allow our rival clubs to gain a competitive advantage over us in terms of the revenue they can generate through either expanding the capacity of their existing stadia or moving to a new stadium. Those possibilities are not open to Chelsea for the foreseeable future...so that means we have to be creative and look at our sponsorship architecture

"Sponsorship architecture" -- the new euphemism for selling your club's good name down the river in the worship of dear Mammon. As seen at the Emirates, the new Spurs stadium and at aforementioned Newcastle, whose newly-named home of sportsdirect.com@St James Park has confirmed them as the country's joke club.

Said Gourlay: "Retaining the heritage of the stadium is paramount to considering such a move". Well, that's great news for Chelsea fans who'll soon be trudging meekly along to watch their heroes at ~~Stam~~ Ford Mondeo Bridge.

Liquor Stores Liquidated

Lindsey — 2009-11-06T10:30:57+00:00

marcusjroberts

Usually a boom day for your local offie with the imminent weekend, today may well see long faces behind the booze counter. The group that owns Threshers, Wine Rack, Bottoms Up, The Local, Haddows and Victoria Wine announces it's closure having been in the hands of administrators for a week. The businesses are up for sale but in the meantime, appropriately named 'liquidation sales' start today at the two thirds of stores slated for closure. Like thirsty vultures thus we shall descend our local offie to offer our condolences and stock up on spirits. Our local Threshers has a saucer on the counter, inviting you to help yourself to spare change. We'll be leaving something behind today instead.

Duck House On The Thames

Lindsey — 2009-11-06T09:15:22+00:00

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A 10ft duck house was floated past the Houses of Parliament yesterday afternoon by Vote for a Change.

With Westminster still grappling with the fallout from the expenses crisis and MPs griping about Sir Christopher Kelly's expenses recommendations, the attention grabbing plan was for grand conflagration outside the Commons' waterside terrace both as an alternative Bonfire Night tribute and a vivid reminder of the absurd abuses so publicly aired in the press this summer. We assume the health and safety bots put paid to the 'bonfire of the vanities' but sent photographer Daniel Lewis along for the float to get these great shots of the 'you can't duck change' protest.

The ‘Vote for a Change’ campaign is leading the call for a referendum on the voting system in the wake of the expenses crisis.

Photography by Daniel Lewis

Presented By:

2009-11-06T09:15:22+00:00

Extra, Extra

SallyB — 2009-11-05T20:00:11+00:00

Internet dating can be very very dangerous, as this rape case shows.
Electric car? Now you can charge yourself up at some London branches of Sainsburys.
The post strikes have been called off. For now.
The Feltham Young Offenders Institution has got a new, proactive wing.
Manhattan superchef Daniel Boulud is heading to London.

Running red, by Che-burashka via the Londonist pool.

Comedy Preview: Colin Hoult's Carnival of Monsters

RuthL — 2009-11-05T19:30:35+00:00

If you weren't part of the mass exodus to Scotland over the summer, then you're in luck this month as the Edinburgh Festival transplants itself to London.

Along with other highlights of this year's Fringe around the city, the wonderful Colin Hoult has brought his hugely successful Carnival of Monsters to the Soho theatre until 7th November. Unsettling your expectations of reality from the outset, you'll be treated to a darkly unnerving, Vaudevillian cacophony of social outcasts. With the assistance of a mere handful of performers, Hoult will introduce you to a dazzlingly rich array of comic characters and bring a whole new meaning to audience participation. You'll leave screaming, but whether that's with laughter or with terror depends on your disposition. Friend? Friend...?

Carnival of Monsters runs from 5th-7th November at the Soho Theatre. Tickets £12 (£10 concessions)

Bus Stop Aggression In Orpington

Hazel — 2009-11-05T16:30:00+00:00

Seven teenagers between 16 and 19 have been arrested at a bus stop on Orpington High Street, for violent disorder and assault. No knives, no mugging, no robbing, sexual assault or demands for "respect" were involved; this was the scene of a bus being simply too full with passengers to allow any more to board on Tuesday afternoon.

About 40 teenagers were left behind when the no. 51 bus tried to pull away, with a 25 year old PCSO aboard to stop the surging crowd holding up the bus. The PCSO had to call for police and suffered a cut to his face when the bus was attacked by the angry crowd who kicked front and back doors and pulled open the emergency exit. Later, when finally arriving home very late for their teas many of them also received major nagging and harrassment about homework. Cases of witheld pocket money have not been confirmed.

Buses are not Tardis-lilke vehicles that are bigger on the inside than they look on the outside - if the bus is full, it is full. Some people succumb to the belief that there is room for just one more person, and that person is them. But when there's 40 people all making that same assumption, that's basically a formula for "NO ONE is getting on this bus and EVERYBODY must suffer." Not a helpful result, as this unpleasant bus stop scene proves.

Live Review: Camera Obscura @ Shepherd's Bush Empire

Londonist Music — 2009-11-05T16:20:26+00:00

A typically chilly Tuesday evening in Shepherds Bush, saw hoards of hand holding couples trudge across the common in support of twee pop Glaswegians Camera Obscura; a band adored by the late John Peel and who during this exquisite time of year seem at their most fitting.

First up was Yorkshire born singer songwriter Nick Garrie; a rare treat as he’s enjoyed most of his success on the
continent with the highly acclaimed album ‘The Nightmare Of J.B Stanislas’. Despite this he had the attentive crowd tightly gathered as he sat close to the edge of the stage. His sentimental lyrics resonated around the room and will most certainly have gained him a new following.

Next to the stage was Magic Arm, a dazzlingly curious Beck style maverick who loops folk strings, sparkling laptop effects and grimy buzzing bass punches, fashioning a totally unique sound. The set concluded with placid cover of LCD Soundsystem ‘Daft Punk is Playing at my House’ - an apt way of defining his taste. He had the subtle comic delivery of Martin Freeman to boot - this fellow will go far.

When Camera Obscura finally waltzed out for the last show on their UK tour the crowd had doubled in size. With such pristine effortlessness and cohesion they played songs from their new album ‘My Maudlin Career’ a poignant blend of quaint romanticism, floating ballroom and sophisticated charm. The singer Tracyanne Campbell has the most graceful presence on stage and an enchanting voice, enough to make any Belle and Sebastian fan weak at the knees. ‘French Navy’ was the pick of the bunch with its buoyant chorus complementary backing vocals from guitarist Kenny McKeeve, beautifully echoing drums and backing violin ensemble. It didn’t take long before people were clapping along in time. They are clearly a band with a loyal following having done around twenty shows in London now. After the set finished they strolled out and played a glowing Bruce Springstein cover, a perfect note to end a very civilised evening. Think silken swans on a misty lily padded lake in a far away whimsy wonderland, except in Shepherds Bush.

Rob Young

Theatre Review: Bedbound @ Lion & Unicorn

Lindsey — 2009-11-05T16:00:38+00:00

A claustrophobic drama is being played out in Kentish Town. Upstairs at the Lion and Unicorn a girl lays scrunched up in a small bed, in a space littered with furniture, amongst which you are invited to find your vantage point. Enda Walsh's tight and incredibly word filled play about a young woman and her father confined in the space of the smallest bedroom in Cork unravels with a terrible intensity.

Daughter has polio and Dad is despairing, both wracked with unbearable emotions and unable to communicate with each other. Dad is wrapped up in memories of his youthful ambition and rise from furniture storeroom boy to silver tongued, insinuating salesman. Daughter plays all the bit parts to Dad's bombastic former self, singleminded and brutal about making money and making his name. When his energy collapses temporarily, we hear from daughter herself and she gradually reveals how she contracted the disease that binds her to bed. Hand in hand we learn a little about the much missed mother, building up to an awful revelation about the tiny, walled in bedroom and the mutually antagonising dynamic between parent and child.

Walsh's script is poetic, by turns, lyrical then ear lashing and delivered beautifully with superb performances from JD Kelleher and Susan Stanley. This is a powerful, compact production, blackly funny, frantic and moving. By the time silence descends at the end of a non-stop 55 minute show you might find you've been holding your breath.

Bedbound is showing at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre, 44 Gaisford Road, Kentish Town until 22 November. Show starts 7.30pm. £12/10.

Last Minute Listing: The Candle Thieves @ 93 Feet East

Talia — 2009-11-05T15:25:28+00:00

With most of the good bonfire night celebrations left till the weekend, why not head down to 93 Feet East to catch The Candle Thieves opening up for The Complete Short Stories and Bruised Beauties .

The duo originally hailing from Peterborough, will be bringing the warmest blend of sunshine pop, from a box of instruments literally straight out of Toytown, to London. Their bittersweet pop songs, are composed with a wide range of instruments including the glockenspiel, a percussion favourite, that will leave you reminiscing about childhood music classes.

Drawing upon the influences of the Eels and Sufjan Stevens, The Candle Thieves’ own brand of endearing, ramshackle casio-led pop, that is sure to guarantee a good night out. The band has been generating a lot of interest in the past few months with the release of their debut The Sunshine EP. Their music which has been described as a ‘delicious blend of music that’s quirky without being up its arse’, is a lot of fun and a great way to chase away the November blues.

Tonight: 93 Feet East from 7:30, with tickets available on the Door for £5 with flyer or from www.ticketwerk.co.uk

Laura Scott

London On The Cheap: 5-11 November

Lindsey — 2009-11-05T15:00:31+00:00

By Buckaroo Kid

Bonfires, what Mark McGowan did next, fireworks, jazz, sparklers, skeptics, explosions, jumble, the Berlin Wall and photography: all available very cheap this week.

Tonight: Bonfire Night! Get your gunpowder, treason and plot entirely free at Roundwood Park, Harlesden Road (fireworks 8pm), Brockwell Park, Clapham Common and Streatham Common (fireworks 7.30pm) and at Southwark Park (fireworks 7pm).

And Mark McGowan is back to entertain us with "Nick Griffin Dancing In Cable Street" between 4:30-6pm. He'll dance from Cable Street in East London to the Charlie Smith Gallery in Old Street wearing a Nick Griffin mask and dressed with a black shirt.

Friday: Get 3 pals together and it's just £5 each to get into the London Transport Museum Late, Sounds of the Suburbs tonight. £7 each if you don't have that many friends. 6.45-10pm.

Saturday: Another big night for bonfires tonight with the major Ally Pally show and beer festival (fireworks 7.30pm), Blackheath Common (fireworks 8pm) and Victoria Park (fireworks 7.30pm) - admission free to all.

Or stay cosy with a poetry and jazz evening at Salisbury House, Edmonton as jazz singer Angela J. Elliott steps up to the mic, supported by bass player Louis Cennamo and Cuban percussionist Magnus Mehta, to perform a medley of jazz poetry and songs from 7.30pm, £3.50.

Bargain hunters rejoice: it's Jumble day at the Amersham Arms, New Cross and "Let's Get Ready to Jumble" at The Monarch, Chalk Farm Road 12-5pm, free admission.

Sunday: Catch the British Library's first major photographic exhibition - Points of View - open between 11am-5pm today, free.

Monday: Check out the Ice Wall installation commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall outside the German Embassy in Belgrave Square until 8pm tonight.

Tuesday: Fab sounding free public lecture at Goldsmiths from 6pm: 'Something Wicked This Way Comes: Sleep Paralysis' by Professor Chris French, Editor of The Skeptic magazine.

Wednesday Armistice Day. Swap your spare change for a poppy.

We can't be everywhere - what have we missed in your patch? Please let us know of events and happenings for cash strapped culture vultures, party goers and trouble makers. Thanks!

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Interview: Annie Mac

Talia — 2009-11-05T14:33:10+00:00

If you want to hear a mixture of the freshest sounds in clubland, then Annie Mac's Friday night Radio 1 show is unmissable. In the last twelve months, she's been taking her tastemakers skills out into her audience with specially curated shows 'Annie Mac Presents'. The latest edition hits Koko next Saturday 14th November and we've got a pair of tickets to give away. Email londonist@gmail.com with your details and Annie in the subject line and we'll randomly pick a winner next Wednesday. We caught up with the lady herself for her take on London's club culture.

Annie Mac hello! We're looking forward to a night out with you next week. What's going on?
I'm returning to Koko for my 3rd Annie Mac Presents of the year. The last two have been brilliant nights and this time round I'm joined by Miike Snow, Young Father, Kid Sister, Boy 8-Bit and Doorly.

Why've you picked Koko as the venue?
It's a great space... because its got about 5 different levels. The sound works well and the atmosphere is great because everyone's on top of each other. I kind of like having all this grimy club music in such a pretty old venue as well.

Can you talk us through the talent you've chosen as performers?
Miike Snow are a Swedish band that make beautiful electronic pop music and their album is one of my favourites from 2009.

Young Fathers: up and coming talent from Edinburgh - electro hip hop with amazing synchronised dance moves.

Boy 8-Bit: very talented producer from South London. His work is subtle and beautifully crafted; great DJ as well, playing at Fabric quite a bit.

Kid Sister: brand new rapper from Chicago. She has a great debut album ready to drop and is a really fun performer.

When you're not running your own, what's your favourite clubnight? 
YoYo at Notting Hill Arts Club is my regular spot. I go there as much as I can. I never tire of it... they always put on really good up and coming bands before the club starts which is good too.

Where's home?
I moved to Queens Park a year ago after living in Brixton and Streatham and Battersea for years and years. I chose to live there because I had loads of friends there and I think it's really important to be near friends in London.

What's great and what's rubbish about it?
It's very different. Very quiet, very civilised and full of expensive gastropubs and delis. It's quite village-y which I like. The park is sweet as well and it's only 20 mins from work on my bike!

What's the one thing we must do next time we go there?
Go to Jacks Place on Salusbury Road for a fry up.

And finally what's your London secret?
My fave pub is the Blue Posts in Soho. It's right in the heard of town but still is like being in your Gran’s house…I love it.

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Freedom Pass Funding Farrago Hits Councils

RachelH — 2009-11-05T14:00:12+00:00

Image by *version-3-point-1 from the Londonist Flickr pool

Councils are going to be hit hard by a government plan to halve Freedom Pass funding. An agreement made in 2008 was supposed to guarantee £58m for London's pensioner travel in 2010/11, but Transport Minister Sadiq Khan is "re-opening consultation" on withdrawing £29m of it. The reasoning? Money is now allocated not by numbers of pass holders but by journeys made, and London's grey-haired ones aren't making enough of them. The government wants to spread the cash around the country instead.

It's a blow for the Councils, who earlier this year agreed to finance the scheme for five years in return for persuading Boris to drop the TfL 'reserve scheme', which would impose funding levels if the councils couldn't agree. If London loses the government funding, we could see either a rise in council taxes or a cut in services. That's another blow for councils eager to trumpet low, frozen or even cut tax rates - in the run-up to next year's local elections, naturally. We can expect an average fall of 0.28% across the capital, but what will have to give to pay for it?

In other transport pass news: the Mayor's new Veterans Pass scheme has been taken up by 3,500 armed forces vets, about 900 more than was expected. The concessions cost TfL about £700k a year but, at a time when soldiers can't even get into Tiger, Tiger after risking life and limb, it's probably the least we can do.

Art Review: David Ward, Rink @ P3

Londonist — 2009-11-05T13:30:53+00:00

Artist David Ward isn't much of a figure skater. He tried once as a boy, but things didn't go so well. "The ice had all these little bumps in it," he told us, "Nobody warned me of that."

Although no one who has ever sported a bruised coccyx (or ego) from a frozen pond would blame Ward had his fascination with skating stopped there, we're happy to say that his new installation, Rink, is far from bumpy and graceless. Inspired by a postcard he received in 1972 featuring Henry Raeburn's well-loved painting The Reverend Robert Walker on Skating on Duddingston Loch, Ward has transformed the floor of P3 into a massive, stunningly animated light drawing - many of which trace the paths of figure skaters.

The 22-minute loop of images, produced by Sam Collins, is seamed together from three different projectors on the ceiling. Ward, who has worked extensively with choreographers and architects in the past, created Rink to explore the concepts of light, motion, time and space through the traces left by an invisible skater rather than through an actual performer. The result is an enchanting journey into the curious realm of present versus remnant, of seen versus unseen.

Still, Ward insists his work is a space for viewers rather than for a performance. Both whimsical and evocative, Rink questions the boundaries between viewer and installation by not only inviting us into the space, but requiring us to fill its human void.

So do yourself a favour and step in. Jump over the sweeping horizontal lines of light or play chicken with the illuminated arch speeding directly towards you (we did; it won). Let the dancing images lift your spirits and spark your imagination - or at least make you feel like you're in Star Wars. As Ward says, the beauty of Rink is that it "tests you out a bit"

Best of all, there's no entrance fee. Bring your own triple axle.

By Tara Sloane

Rink is at P3 gallery, Marylebone Road until 22 November 2009. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday. Admission is free.

Circle Line Extension Set For December 13th

DeanN — 2009-11-05T12:50:38+00:00

The uncircling of the Circle line will go ahead on December 13th, according to posters and leaflets being distributed on the network, and TfL's own website

The plan, you'll recall, is to have trains start at Hammersmith, nip up through to Edgware Road, then perform a complete loop of the existing Circle line track before terminating at Edgware Road, then unwinding back through the line and ending at Hammersmith. TfL say this will mean increased service between Hammersmith and Royal Oak, and a better service overall for the Circle line, allowing easier recovery of defective trains and no more nerve-shredding 20 minute waits for the next service. Another benefit is that trains from particular destinations will now stop at the same platform at Edgware Road, meaning an end to the current guessing game of trying to work out where to wait.

On the down side, Circle line trains travelling from the main loop up toward Edgware Road will now terminate there: anybody hoping to get from, for example, High Street Kensington to Farringdon will be forced to change. There are also concerns about the ability of Edgware Road to handle its increased responsibility. Earlier in the year Diamond Geezer went along for a trial run of the new system, and reported that staff described it as a "nightmare"; anyone familiar with Edgware Road will know that it's not really built to handle mass inter-platform movement, and the new arrangements will dramatically increase the number of passengers dwelling there.

The new line, as shown in full in this PDF, has lost its former vaguely bottle-shaped layout (appropriate for those pub crawls) and now looks more like a... hmm. A teacup. Or maybe a petrol pump. Definitely not a Circle, though (not that it ever really was of course). The most inaccurately named line on the Tube network surely deserves a better title.

Photo of the Day: Different Day, Different Shades

NatalieU — 2009-11-05T12:30:33+00:00

Photo by HowAboutNo! via the Londonist Flickrpool.

Buskers Find TfL's Bite Worse Than Bach

Beth Torr — 2009-11-05T11:44:24+00:00

London's tube buskers are finding little symphony from TfL for their concerns over new rules.

Despite the Great Tube Busk-Off back in the summer which was intended to promote new busking talent, other performers say the changes will put people off and accuse TfL of being (tone) deaf to their worries, which include introduction of a higher rate phone number for booking pitches and a ban on selling CDs.

We can't help thinking that preventing musicians promoting themselves strikes something of a discordant note with TfL's attempts to find a new sponsor for busking pitches after their deals with Carling and the now-defunct thelondonpaper ran out. Matching sponsors and songs could be entertaining: how about BT and 'Hangin' on the Telephone'?

Photo by Clav

Kings Cross Ticket Hall To Open Late November

DeanN — 2009-11-05T10:22:16+00:00

Image / rlopezbcn - MrCarax

Via London Reconnections: the new ticket hall at Kings Cross station will open on November 29th, according to First Capital Connect. While it won't be the end of works on the site, it will mean a significant reduction in walking times between Kings Cross mainline and Underground platforms, and St Pancras: for instance, shleppers from St P's Thameslink platform to the Piccadilly line can make the journey in just under six minutes, a reduction from the current eight-minute long haul. Step-free access work will continue on the site into the new year. For those interested, London Reconnections has a map of the area's warren of tube platforms and tunnels, while a walkthrough of the new ticket hall is on the FCC website.

Ticket Alert: Babyshambles @ Proud Camden

John M — 2009-11-05T00:21:39+00:00

Libertines fans and others curious as to what Pete... sorry, Peter Doherty is up to these days should get over to Proud Camden on Thursday. Babyshambles - the four-piece Doherty formed in 2003 - have been announced as not-so-secret guests at the venue's regular Smash & Grab night.

Don't let the tabloid stories and previous ragged performances put you off. If it all comes together (and assuming Doherty is over his recent medical episode), Babyshambles are more than capable of electrifying the small venue. You might even forget about all the firework displays you'll be missing out on.

Tickets are available online now, but we doubt they'll stay that way for long. (Picture: Dale Harvey under a Creative Commons Attribution licence)

ZZ Top Rocker Takes The Tube

Hazel — 2009-11-04T19:10:25+00:00

image author's own

If you're preparing to head home on the tube, be vigilant for the famous grizzled beard of Billy Gibbons, guitarist of the honourable rock band ZZ Top. He favours the tube over a fancy limo as demonstrated when he played Wembley last week, and took the Metropolitan line there, unaccompanied. Gibbons wanted a taste of the Londoner's everyday public transport... and his wish came true, as the Circle Line broke down the instant he got his ticket.

A bus to Baker Street got him on his way, along with ZZ Top fans coincidentally heading to Wembley for the concert too - and he beat his bandmates by a satisfying 45 minutes. The carriage must have been packed with folks too afraid to sit next to him in case he a) asked for 10p for a cup of tea, or b) was actually Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

Being a god of rock means further forays on public transport are unlikely, but Gibbons won the Marshall 11 award at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour awards this week, and he can frankly do whatever he likes. Except get the Circle Line when it decides not to work or inexplicably turns into a Hammersmith and City Line train at Euston Square. Not even 40 years in ZZ Top can change that.

Tube Passenger #1: Well, that was exciting wasn't it! Rock and roll! On the tube!
Tube Passenger #2: You know... that wasn't him. That's not the guy from ZZ Top
Tube Passenger #1: But... the beard. The beanie hat. It was him, wasn't it?
Tube Passenger #2: No, it was Derelict Messiah. He always gets the tube when it rains.
Tube Passenger #1: But... he signed my paperback. Look, that's his signature.
Tube Passenger #2: That's not his signature, it says "Feck yer arse-face gibbon monkey." And he licked the spine when you were looking for a pen.
Tube Passenger #1: Oh. Oh my god. Oh my god, what do I do with it now?
Tube Passenger #2: Sell it on eBay. Or burn it.
Tube Passenger #1: Ah. Yeah. I'll think about it. Hmm, sticky...

Presented By:

2009-11-04T19:10:25+00:00

Extra, Extra

SallyB — 2009-11-04T17:35:39+00:00

40 teenagers attack bus, injure PCSO.
The US embassy has fallen to the Qataris.
The police are ~~dreading~~ getting ready for Guy Fawkes.
A man was attacked and set alight near Mile End Park yesterday.
Prick Up Your Ears is to close with its tail between its legs.
Jimmy Mizen's murderer has himself been stabbed in prison. WTF?

Vertigo, by Stuart-Lee via the Londonist pool.

Review: Points Of View @ The British Library

DeanN — 2009-11-04T16:40:18+00:00

Workers tunnelling the Central line in 1898. Gelatin silver print

The British Library's rarely seen photographic collection, including hundreds of examples from the 19th century, gets a 21st century workout in this new show, Points Of View. In our image-saturated society, where even the humblest phone contains a device that can capture photographs effortlessly, this trip through the medium's technological history gives a reminder of just how revolutionary an invention it was.

Any history of photography begins with William Henry Fox Talbot and Louis Daguerre, though the exhibition's focus on the former can probably be attributed to the weight of material available rather than Anglo one-upmanship. A hopeless painter, Talbot was keen to realise a device that could capture an image for posterity; he was familiar with the camera lucida, but his invention of the calotype process enabled him to fix the image for posterity using paper coated with silver iodide. The exhibition does well in mapping out why this process won out over the Daguerrotype, which despite it's silver nitrate brilliance and clarity of focus, had a fundamental flaw: each print was unique, and impossible to reproduce. By 1850, the quiddity of photography -- its mechanical representation of reality and potential for unlimited reproduction -- were well established.

The exhibition moves from the early experiments to the revolution it offered to science and industry, and the dubious boost it provided to new pursuits and disciplines such as anthropology and travel: Thomas Cook launched his first excursion in 1841, and there are plenty of photographs showing far-off lands and their inhabitants, the latter often posed, with the keen colonialist eye, to exaggerate their alien nature. The effect of this new and potentially troublesome invention on contemporary wits is profound: Baudelaire exalted its potential for science while bemoaning it as a "refuge for failed painters", while portraits of an uncomfortable-looking Charles Dickens are accompanied by his remarks in 1858 that he saw the "detestable lens pointing at me in the street [or] lurking in the bye-lanes". 150 years later, the likes of Amy Winehouse still make similar complaints.

The curators also make great use of the Library's collection of photographic technology through the decades, from an early camera lucida through to a portable processing tent that looks like a Bedouin lair full of potions and elixirs. Fox Talbot's description of photography was the 'Pen of Nature' seems ill-judged when faced with all this industrial expertise.

For the Londoner, the exhibition is particularly worthwhile for the images it shows of the city's 19th life: great projects of the Victorian age, like the building of Crystal Palace and Nelson's Column, and the tunnelling of the Central Line, are set against more mundane documentary fare, like the immobile hippo at London Zoo in 1984: a perfect subject for photography, as his lack of movement allowed the long exposure time necessary for a good image.

Points Of View, at the British Library, until March 7th 2010. Entry is free

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Competition: Win '24 Hours London' Guide Book

M@ — 2009-11-04T16:06:19+00:00

We reviewed 24 Hours London, a neat liitle guide to round-the-clock London, a couple of days ago. The premise is simple but effective: things to do in the capital broken down by the best hour to do them at.

Prospera, the book's publishers, have offered us five copies of the book to give away. To stand a chance of winning, you need to answer the following question, posed by the book's author Marsha Moore:

Located in East London, with links to Big Ben, this is the oldest manufacturing company in Britain. What is it?

Send your answer to Londonist - at - gmail.com by 5pm tomorrow (Thursday 5 November) to stand a chance of winning. Please use the email subject line 24 Hour London Comp. The competition is open to international readers, thanks to the munificence of Prospera's distribution people.

Lancaster London Hotel Installs Beehives on its Roof

Chris Osburn — 2009-11-04T15:17:34+00:00

Honeydrippin' photography by Chris Osburn

Back in July, half a million honey bees checked in at the Lancaster London, making it the first central London hotel to install beehives on its roof. Yesterday, the hotel's “Bee Team” invited us round to have a taste of their golden yield alongside a few jars of honey from other hives around London and Surrey.

Londonist was truly amazed by the variation in flavour of the different honeys. The Lancaster's sweet stuff was particularly complex and flowery in character, no doubt due to the hotel's proximity to Hyde Park. Other honeys were more robust and waxy. Indeed, a taste of Wandsworth Floral Honey (available at the Hive Honey Shop on Northcote Road, SW11) had us reminiscing about the first time we'd chewed on a bit of honeycomb. Other honeys were more herby and vegetal. All were delicious.

Not available to guests quite yet, the hotel plans to serve their honey straight from the comb at breakfast in their restaurant, Island, and as part of their afternoon teas. Pots of honey will also be offered to VIPs and honeymooning guests, while the wax from the hives will be used to create candles for gifts.

With its Bronze Award from Green Tourism for London and the distinction of being the only hotel to win an Award for Sustainable Tourism at the Visit London Awards 2008, Lancaster London continues to demonstrate a commendably yummy dedication to responsible hospitality. With bee populations on the decline, this is news that should have honey lovers all abuzz.

For more details, visit the Lancaster London's Bee Blog.