London For Students - Spoonfed's London Student Guide

LONDON FOR STUDENTS

All the best free things to do and events in London for students

London's Students

London is without doubt a student city, one that pulsates with the young, the educated and those looking for fun in the big city. With over 50 universities and colleges strewn across its urban landscape, London's student population is far from being ignored. London offers every London student a wealth of activities and entertainment, from student club nights to discounted entry at most venues across the capital. But whilst London is a student city, its prices don't always reflect the average student budget, and given that Spoonfed specialise in all things London, we're here to help.

We aim to bring you cash-strapped bright young things all the best entertainment in London, minus the hefty price tag. From free things to do in London, student events and nights out, to localised student activities close to your digs or campus, we've pretty much got it all covered. What's more we won't insult your intelligence by herding you into some rubbish club-night; we want you at the best gigs, comedy and exhibitions that this fine city has to offer. We're nice like that.

Student Activities in Central London

If your student digs, college campus, or university union are located in central London or you simply find yourself up in that part of town, Spoonfed has sent the student entertainment search hyper-loc...

Student Activities in East London

If your student digs, college campus, or university union are located in east London or you simply find yourself up in that part of town, Spoonf...

Student Activities in South London

Well, odds are that with so many universities and colleges based in south London, there are bound to be a number of raggedy students runni...

Student Activities in North London

If your student digs, college campus, or university union are located in north London or you simply find yourself up in that part of town, Spoonf...

Student Activities in West London

If your student digs, college campus, or university union are located in West London or you simply find yourself up in that part of town, Spoonf...

Free Things to do in London for Students

London students are probably the UK's most hard-up students financially given our capital's expensive modus vivendi. London is also probab...

Weekend Guides: Partying in Kingston

Kingston is a place that exists in this weird limbo. Whilst technically being part of London, it's a bit too far out to enjoy all the crazed...

Cheap London

With sky-rocketing rental prices, a full-to-bursting job market and all that pesky inflation business, London isn’t an easy place to live...

Best Free Comedy Nights in London

There's no doubt that everyone loves a laugh, but to your average cash-strapped Londoner, a free laugh is a darn sight better than one you ha...

25 Brook Street – Interview

It's 250 years since George Frideric Handel's death, but his reputation as one of the finest composers ever to have been adopted by England is...

Beat the Winter Blues

The coats are on, the leaves have fallen, the days are short and it is bloody cold. Yes, Jack Frost has drawn the curtains on summer, turning...

Ring Round The Moon

As names for plays go, 'Ring Round the Moon' is suitably grand. I can't help but think that 'Wired to the Moon' would have been more to the point...

Le Gun at Rochelle School

This review comes courtesy of Spoonfed's new culture pal, Art Sleuth. The brilliant art collective 'Le Gun' has opened up their world for on...

Hammer and Tongue at Green Note

'I like my woman like I like my furniture, worn out with a blanket thrown over her.'Simon Munnery at the Hammer and Tongue Slam, Green Note....

Scottish Ceilidh Club at Cecil Sharp House

It's not often, not ever even, that Friday night meets ceilidh, meets my mates, meets a town hall in North London. But apparently we're the last...

Atmosphere: Interview

Spoonfed scores an invite to listen to the new Atmosphere album (it's sensational, their most mature and complex yet) and chat with the duo behind...

Frank Turner

Our intrepid Rock Editor joins up with Frank Turner in South London to find out how the former front man of Million Dead is doing now he's gone...

Kanye West

The O2 Arena is a great venue with shops, bars, escalators and staff that actually seem to know what's going on. It is not, however, somewhere...

A Midsummer Night's Panto at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern

Nathan Evans, the writer, director, and leading fairy of this show at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, has ingeniously adapted Shakespeare’s...

Tori Amos at Hammersmith Palais

In a world where everything is getting more expensive and massive acts are harder and harder to see there are a few artists left who will never...

Alternative Miss World

As I walk into Andrew Logan's studio, I'm greeted by a camera crew (filming for a documentary about Andrew's life and Alternative Miss World)...

Blowing Whistles at Leicester Sqaure Theatre

Despite the wishes of his devoted loving boyfriend, Nigel (Stuart Laing) lives for the weekend. He loves Vauxhall's clubs, drugs, and most of...

Bingo Pub Night at The Royal Vauxhall Tavern

Living the gay life in London isn’t just about clubs, bars, or saunas. What about gay orchestra, gay yoga, or gay bingo!The drag queen ...

Burlesque Taster at myHotel Bloomsbury

The old-fashioned seductive glamour of burlesque is back - and Polestars are here to show that anyone can give it a go. The ultra-glamorous and...

Corset and Diamonds Burlesque Party

With publicity full of images of incredibly feminine, flawless, and fun looking women (and a few men) and a door policy of 'respect, glamour...

Eurobeat at the Novello Theatre

Even for those who don't like Eurovision, or musicals, there is something intriguing about Eurobeat. This top-selling show got rave reviews at...

Polestars Can-can Taster Session

Already one of the UK's most successful pole dancing schools, Polestars now offer burlesque classes, and most recently, can-can classes. T...

Revolving With The Times - Revolver at Scala

Matinee Group are behind countless parties across Europe, with their winning combination of the hottest go-go dancers, cutting edge music policy...

Polestars Pole Dance Taster

Once only seen in seedy strip and lap dance clubs, pole dancing is now a practice enjoyed in gyms, dance studios and at home.  Probab...

Secret Shows: Soulwax at Electrowerkz

I was slightly worried as I casually strolled to Electrowerkz, that I'd find a long queue of emo scenesters that I'd have to join. It was a MySpace...

SuperMartXe 'Kaos City' at the Coronet Theatre

Spain's hottest export Matinee has a new contender - SuperMartXe. Across Barcelona, Madrid, and Ibiza, SuperMartXe is hosted in huge venues like...

Desi.Licious at Ministry of Sound

Having beeen at university for 4 weeks without a single night out clubbing (shocking for a first year), Desi.licious at Ministry of Sound has...

Sangre Flamenca at Sadler's Wells

A show with a small cast and no glamorous outfits, Sangre Flamenca at Sadler's Wells goes beyond the superficial aspects of dance, instead bringing...

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

Based on the atypical novel by Toby Young, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People crudely attempts to bridge the gap between American upper...

Twilight Premiere: Red Carpet Report

The world has officially gone Twilight crazy. Based on the best selling novel by Stephenie Meyer, the new fantasy movie has captured the imagination...

Spoonfed Competitions

  Win a Pair of Tickets to CONNECTED @ CableWin a pair of tickets with queue jump for CONNECTED with Waifs and Strays at Ca...

Win a pair of tickets to Bale de Rua

Bale de Rua is a pulsating dance fusion of hip hop, samba and capoeira from the streets of Brazil, this spectacular show features 15 male dancers...

Win a pair of tickets to Camille O'Sullivan

Camille O'Sullivan at the Soho Theatre Having enthralled audiences all over the world, sexy Irish/French chanteuse Camille O'Sullivan comes t...

Win a pair of tickets to The Seagull

Factory Theatre are the most innovative, daring team producing regularly in London and this show takes their free-spirited ethos one step further...

Win a pair of tickets to Turning Point Festival at the Roundhouse

Spoonfed has teamed up with the Roundhouse’s first ever Turning Point festival, to offer 5 lucky winners the chance to win a pair of weekend...

Raekwon and Ghostface Live at Koko

‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’ is about as essential as hip-hop albums get, serving up some of the most vivid stories from the criminal...

Mad Professor's Dub Show at Jazz Cafe

Mad Professor has a track record in reggae/dub production longer than Damien Marley’s dreadlocks and a legacy equalled only by King Tubby...

Baby Pigeons?

"Why do you never see a baby pigeon?" I was sitting outside a café with a friend last week when she asked me. I had no answer for h...

Cost of Living in London

I grew up in Derbyshire, in the rural East Midlands. At the age of 19 I decided to move to London to seek my fortune. This elicited two main...

Any Which Way at Only Connect Theatre

The audience were positioning themselves carefully. They had to. The lads bowling through the crowd moved close to the bone. The man next to...

The Trouble with Skinny Jeans

Our student social blogger delves into his hatred (or love?) of skinny jeans. Warning: Utterly worthless ramblings I read a short while ago,...

What Would Avril Do?

Anarchy is a lonely old game. It’s very rare that you get to sit down with like minded people and discuss the impact that government proposals...

Faust

Faust at London Bridge is a promenade performance by Punchdrunk, taking place in a massive warehouse in the docks round the corner from Wapping...

Shah 'Abbas: The Remaking of Iran at the British Museum

Through half a dozen rooms at the British Museum are displayed a series of pictures, sculptures and artefects illustrating the taste and culture...

Black Lips at Heaven

It's always the shows that you weren't going to go to that turn out to be the best ones, and I so nearly missed Black Lips at Heaven last night...

Cornelius at the Shepherds Bush Empire

My life has been a beard-fest recently, what with a new housemate in love with Battles and recent tangles with Sigur Rós and Red Sparrowes...

Creeping Nobodies at The Old Blue Last

If you’ve never heard of Chaos Vs Cosmos, then you've been missing out. Whilst everyone are sitting around at home listening to their new...

Crystal Antlers at the Borderline

I know this is an unconventional way to start a review, but if you're reading this in sunny Southern California, I'd just like to let you know...

Fucked Up at the Monto Water Rats

Have you ever been really, really excited about something and then when the time comes it doesn’t live up to expectation? I have. It use...

Holidays in The Sun

The problem with turning 25 is that you become hopelessly attached to your creature comforts. My shower broke recently and even after a few days...

Japanther at Bardens Boudoir

Remember when punk was fun? No didn't think so. But way, way back, before everybody wanted to resurrect Sunny Day Real Estate and Bauhaus, kids...

Indian Jewelry at Barden's Boudoir

When I was a kid there was this cartoon called Dungeons and Dragons, and every episode started with a bunch of normal looking kids getting on...

Jay Reatard at the Lexington

The problem with punk rock nowadays is that most of the people playing it aren't really punk rock. Sure, No Age might play a few Urinals covers...

July: Do it Yourself

Finding myself uncharacteristically bored recently, I watched The Refused are Fucking Dead, which, if you don't know is a 40-minute documentary...

Keeping It DIY

There has been an outbreak of keeping things DIY recently. In almost every pub you come across some bunch of kids are sticking up flyers and...

Oxford Collapse

Cynicism is the greatest excuse for laziness ever. Whilst the rest of the world are watching Jerry Dammers, The Good Bad The Queen, Hard Fi, ...

Liquid Liquid at the Barbican

Old punk bands reforming seem to have become a bit of theme of recent. I managed to see Gang of Four, Wire and The Buzzcocks this summer without...

Les Savy Fav

What’s happened to punk shows lately? Everybody’s got so drearily cool. When once a hardcore show was all about throwing down with...

Release The Bats

It's not really a case of 'Release The Bats' at the Forum this Halloween eve, more 'Let's do the Time Warp again'. What with the likes of Shellac...

Parts and Labor at Corsica Studios

It's been all change in Parts and Labor town recently. Hailing from Brooklyn, the band has not only lost their drummer Christopher R. Weingarte...

Seasick Steve at The Astoria

No man is an island, so they say, but go to the Astoria on your own and you'll feel like the Moon rather than a hunk of rock floating off another...

Sebastien Graingier and the Mountains

If there is something we here in the media are guilty of, then it's making people famous for one thing and one thing only. I mean did you know...

The Mae Shi

LA is going through a funny period right now. It seems that every kid who picks up a guitar or a pair of drum sticks has suddenly become a musical...

This Is Music

Sunday is without a doubt the crappiest day of the week. Yeah, OK, you don’t have to work or anything, but you have the whole feeling of...

Times New Viking at Beyond Retro

Matador really can't do anything wrong at the moment; they've picked up Fucked Up after their bust up with Vice – a band who have had the...

Where to Drink in London When You're Dead

Living in England is all about getting shit faced, always has been,always will be. The only problem with the whole drinking thing is it gets...

What We Do Is A Secret

I don't know what's with these fascists who just stick to one type of music when they go out; it’s like going to one of those all-you-can...

Breakin The Ice at Favela Chic

Tired of singing into your hairbrush whilst staring at the mirror? Desperate to showcase your vocal talent but too cool for the traditional cheesy...

Shit Magazine

'SHIT MAGAZINE NO ONE ELSE WANTS. It's crap but I need the money'.As far as pitches go, this one isn't bad, beating 'I bet you a pound you don't ...

Pole Dancing Taster

For all of those who think that they can give a better show around the pole than Britney Spears (Yep, I'm one of 'em), this taster course run...

Theme Bar

My favourite bar in Soho uses some kind of yogic Dr Gillian McKeith approach to getting wasted. You go in and choose some liquor, but rather...

My Favourite Shop

I fell into London with a sigh as if into a warm bath. Among the gothic council estates and the abattoirs I found my way and I lost it too. I...

Look See Proof Interview

Camden Town: London St Patrick's Day, 10pm. I'm standing in a phone box, trying to ignore the kerfuffle caused by the passing drunken revellers...

Mixmag Christmas Party at Egg

It's the self proclaimed 'worlds biggest dance music and clubbing magazine' so when Mixmag decide to throw a Christmas party you can expect a...

Guy Barker at Ronnie Scott's

Guy Barker, an obscure figure unless you're in the jazz-know, is a trumpet player and composer from Chiswick. Since taking up the instrument...

Rogues Interview at KOKO

The fast-paced world of media is intrinsically unpredictable, so it's hardly surprising that I only discover I'm to interview Rogues just hours...

Pacha's 7th Birthday

By Filth and Splendour It's 9pm on a cold, frosty, frozen London Saturday night and our usually traffic-filled drive into town takes half th...

Worldservice Project at Ryan's Bar

With a subtle nod towards the BBC, the Worldservice Project are an experimental London jazz fusion quintet. Music graduates from the University...

Chairlift at 229 The Venue

The originally named 229 The Venue (situated at, you guessed it, number 229 Great Portland Street) has been touting itself as 'the venue' for...

Picking Teams - an Aussie Guide

After his last trip to London, I asked an Australian friend who'd spent some time over here if he'd followed the soccer. "Of course, you ha...

Delays at Koko

Kicking things off with a decibel level that could make your ears bleed and a slightly cringy faux-psychedelic backdrop, I could have been forgiven...

Land of Talk/Tapes n Tapes at ULU

Another day, another fine opportunity for London Transport to prove how much it actually sucks balls. Big, hairy balls riddled with cancerous...

Eileen Rose and the Holy Wreck at The Borderline

The last time I was at the Borderline was literally years ago. Although related memories are a touch blurry, I seem to recall 'dancing' around...

The Brute Chorus at the Rhythm Factory

Whether it be it's rather manky location, an erstwhile association with the Libertines, the dj's ear-bleeding choice of decibel level, or the...

Sunny Day Sets Fire at Luminaire

It's Monday, it's cold and Kilburn High Road is looking even dodgier than usual. Scarfed and gloved I trudge to the Luminaire to check out what...

X-Box MyGig at Koko

I’ll be brutally honest. Corporate sponsored gigs don't sit well with me. Whilst the premise of this one (competition winner gets to choose...

Ladyhawke and Black Kids at The Astoria

So I am rather looking forward to this evening. Two acts that over the past twelve months have risen from mere buzzwords via toilet circuits...

Mirth Control at The George

For ten years, Mirth Control Comedy has been a major player in bringing live comedy to over 90 venues across the UK. If a club, pub, hotel (or...

Acoustic Ladyland at Vortex

For reasons too boring to elaborate I was almost paralytically drunk by the time Acoustic Ladyland began their set at The Vortex. As a result...

Alex at Leicester Square Theatre

After a successful run last Christmas and a four month worldwide tour Alex, the play based on the popular cartoon strip of the same name, has...

Carrie's War

Following on from last year's successful production of Little Women, Novel Theatre team Loudon and Reeves' latest adaptation goes one step better...

Brutal Symbolism

'I am talking like theeese becoz I am Freenchhh, n'est ce pas?' The Living Unknown Soldier at the Arcola has one of the worst openings of any...

King Lear at the Young Vic

So far as I can tell from Kenneth Tynan's diaries and collected reviews he never saw a performance of King Lear he actually enjoyed. Even Olivier...

Dickens Unplugged at the Comedy Theatre

This review was going to begin with one of those awful wonk-speak clichés, 'In spite of my misgiving this was quite enjoyable...' an...

Performance Poetry in Islington and Camden

My last poetry reading before moving to the bright lights was at a Working Men's Club in Preston. It was Sunday morning and my brother and I...

Tiger Lillies at the New Player Theatre

My internet date canceled at five in the evening. She had just realised the theatre was on Embankment and the terms of her restraining order...

The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival: Best Foreign Films

As usual many of the best and strangest foreign picks have made it over the Channel to this year's BFI film festival. In fact so many films from...

Arcade Fire

Sunday night, a wet and windy walk up to the Alexandra Palace to see the most anticipated gig of the year. Arcade Fire, saying goodbye at the...

Ani Difranco at The Forum

After a really crappy day at the office I'm cheered by the prospect of Ani Difranco at The Forum. My favourite right-on ex-lesbian folk rock...

Zorro the Musical

The Legend of Zorro: The Musical! has been receiving rapturous plaudits ever since it opened in July. It's not a difficult show to like: the...

Carmen at the Royal Albert Hall

Barging aboard the number 9 bus expertly in the post-show melee outside Carmen at the Royal Albert Hall, there's a lot for myself and my wife...

Atmosphere at Koko

To the pleasure domes of Koko for a gig by Atmosphere, possibly the most intelligent hip hop outfit available in the English language, and certainly...

Burnt By The Sun at the National Theatre

I didn't think anything could possibly make me more miserable than the tuna melt served to me by the National Theatre's so-called café...

Dealer's Choice

To the Menier last Friday for a couple of hours of laughter, tension and heartbreak at the hands of Patrick Marber's poker play, Dealer's Choice...

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour at the National Theatre

If it's Friday night, I must be drinking mineral water in the lobby of the National Theatre and preparing to enjoy a one hour multimedia performance...

Contains Violence at Lyric Hammersmith

Grabbing a cup of coffee to boost warmth and throwing on a couple more layers, we take our seats on the outdoor terrace at the Lyric Hammersmith...

Fallujah

A warehouse on Brick Lane is the staging post for an ambitious and largely successful anti-war play based on real testimony and footage. Twenty...

God of Carnage

Opening straight into the action in a crisp Parisian apartment which degenerates into a filth, rum and flower-strewn mess by the time the lights...

London Theatre: Review of the Year

It's that time of year when hacks scratch around for an original way to frame up the last year's goings on and the prospects for 2009. Here at...

London Theatre: 2009

London has the best theatre scene in the world – eclipsing even Broadway for exciting new shows and Hollywood stars treading the boards...

London Theatre: September

Theatre is the oldest form of pop culture. But it never stands still. London is at the forefront of theatrical evolution as directors and companies...

London Theatre: Two New Musicals

This month sees the arrival of two daring new musicals on the London stage. It's about time somebody bucked the trend for candyfloss Hollywoo...

Micky Flanagan at Soho Theatre

At the Soho Theatre Micky Flanagan has the audience in stitches for well over the promised hour with a potted history of his rise from Billingsgate...

London Theatre

London Opera: Down with the kids? August is quiet in Theatreland but London does see a number of fringe festivals and events designed to entertain...

Stovepipe at the Bush Theatre

Usually, at the end of an interactive, theatre-in-the-round performance, the cast melts away and the audience are cast out blinking into the...

Paperweight at the Camden People's Theatre

After the show, I get into a debate about nakedness. Paperweight at the Camden People's Theatre is a completely authentic fringe theatre experience...

Riflemind at the Trafalgar Studios

Pissing in the fridge is pretty rock'n'roll behaviour. But not if you're a forty-something yoga obsessive hammered after a few spritzers and...

The Alternative Press Fair

London exhibitions Are you a fan of comics or zines? Do you like outsider art or literature? Ever wanted to produce a comic, a magazine or...

The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival: Talks and Workshops

A fantastic element in this festival is the classes and lectures organised by BFI and featuring some of the biggest talents in the film-making...

The Water's Edge at Arcola Theatre

An excellent night of chilling new drama at the Arcola begins badly when I'm stood up and forced by the exigencies of my work to dine on a cold...

Valentine Special 2008

Last year on February 13 I got in a drunken row with the love of my life and said something very, very rude indeed about Valentine's Day. If...

Yomundo at Bar Rhumba

I catch Yomundo's second ever gig at Bar Rumba in Piccadilly, and I'm very pleasantly surprised. Apparently they contain members of previously...

The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival: Independents and Documentaries

It's not just about Quantum of Solace and Che, and the other gala screenings. The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival is also showing the efforts...

Awards for World Music

Radio 3's 6th Annual World Music Poll Winners' Concert took place over four and a half hours at The Barbican this Bank Holiday, with Verity Sharp...

Hang On at the Lyric Hammersmith

I've been a dedicated stalker—wait, wait, supporter—of Ockham's Razor since I first saw them perform Every Action at Circus Future...

Best Fringe Theatres in London

Outside the somnolent inner-city circle of theatres — little more than terminals where one may observe a performance of The Sound of Music...

Mimefest 2007

Here are some things which characterise physical performance: non-narrative work; interdisciplinary approaches; good music with lyrics in other...

Ilona Jäntti Triple Bill at Jackson's Lane

Ilona Jäntti is a tremendous aerialist. She's been in circus a long time and has the consequent deep well of physical resources, but it's...

Mimefest 2008

  Brace yourself, the 30th annual London International Mime Festival has begun. As always the choices are rich. You can go to the show wher...

The Anti-Verruca Immersion Footbath

I am busy ramming and screwing the base of my hand into my reopened eye, which is tender and itching. I'm not supposed to scratch, so instea...

Favours For Sailors - Furious Sons

Love at first listen is something of the emperors new clothes in the music industry. What hits you initially with a sugar high, pupil dilating...

Cluster at Throwback

Entering Rich Mix to see German electro-psychsters Cluster is an adventure in itself. The event is held on the fourth floor so we are ushered...

My Toys Like Me at The Macbeth

Another month has flown by and it's time to head north of Hoxton Square again to The Macbeth for the mighty Twisted Licks monthly residency. ...

Shield Your Eyes, Pneu, Silent Front at The Old Blue Last

“Alllllllllllllllleeeeeeeezzz!”  The top floor of The Old Blue Last is creaking. A circle has formed, a natural amphitheatre...

Twised Licks Preview: Crystal Fighters

Crystal Fighters believe in bringing something different to the table. The quintet lives together in London and creates music that brings together...

We Fell To Earth at ICA

It’s commented on that the ICA is a strange choice of venue for We Fell To Earth, that they might be too much of a connoisseur’s...

Sparrow & The Workshop at The Fly

Deep in the bowels of The Fly there is something special taking place. Ridiculously early on a Friday evening three figures are on stage, laughing...

Hooked on Music at The Big Chill Bar

London Live Music Hooked on Music is a night stationed at the Big Chill House up in King's Cross, a lovely bar with some very well hidden toilet...

thecocknbullkid at ICA

It's a big night for thecocknbullkid, for tonight she headlines the ICA in her biggest show to date. 2008 ended on a high with thecocknbullkid...

Joan as Police Woman at The Shepherd's Bush Empire

Gigs are like people. Seriously. That's the first thing that comes to my mind the moment Joan Wesser (Joan As Police Woman) walks on stage, looking...

The Roots at The Forum

It's The Roots, live at The Forum, and excuse me if I'm froth level excited. Ahem. An hour and a half of nostalgia bangers from live hip hop...

OneTaste at The Bedford

There's a reason you probably haven't been to a OneTaste night before; it's in Balham. That's right – another spoken word/music event happening...

Little Dragon at the Jazz Cafe

It's 7pm, and I'm spotting some subtle and not so subtle contradictions at the Jazz Café: firstly, it's a sold-out event where I actually...

Wildbirds and Peacedrums

So, I'm at The Social on Little Portland Street. Narrow is the prevailing thought; it's like someone took two fairly small corridors, dressed...

Adam Latham at Take Courage Gallery

Being a West London girl, Deptford is a little far out of my comfort zone. However with the news that über culture tsar Jefferson Hack was...

Amy Garner at Flaxon Ptootch

The lure of the garret lifestyle is a quintessentially modern fairytale for torturously creative, nostalgia-seduced desk monkeys; especially...

Alan Brooks at MOT International

Alan Brooks has taken rubbings of figurative and written graffiti from toilet stalls he frequents and rendered them in oil and copper and watercolo...

Alice Anderson at Artprojx Space

London exhibitions Despite their reputation as beloved childhood toys, dolls are notoriously creepy objects. Whether it's the fixed, placid smile...

Art Below Zero

Art Below Zero at Westbourne Studios, is a monthly showcase for artists who have attended the country's brightest art schools. Group shows like...

Best Galleries in West London

West London's art scene varies from super wealthy Knightsbridge and Chelsea to hip Kentish Town, offering a diverse selection of fine, mode...

Christian Holstad at Victoria Miro

With the coming of pop-president saviour Obama and the rotten core of the most powerful nation in the world more exposed than Miley Cyrus' spine...

Brit Art of the Sixties at Mark Barrow Fine Art

The art of the Sixties can polarize opinions. The aesthetics are often brash and bold, they scream and project through the canvas in a throbbin...

CAT HOLIC at Subway Gallery

I blame myself really - my romanticised socialist notions (of the holding hands under rainbows in a dinky kibbutz kind) mean that I love the...

Civilisation at Ferreira Projects

Lynn Wray's first solo show Civilisation at Ferreira Projects is a petite and delicate homage to grandiose ideas and spectacular downfalls. Th...

Cold War Aesthetics

The bright and airy Louise T Blouin Institute is cashing in on the sizzling hot trend of exhibiting contemporary Chinese art by showing Wang...

Derek Boshier: Chemical Culture at Flowers Central

In an industry where bright new things are arriving and departing like paint splattered mayflies, and the ability to outrage has dissipated in...

Eleanor Wright: Brownfield

Perhaps London in the dead of winter, seized by snow and pelted with rain, is not quite the best timing for an elaborate outdoor installation...

Gosha Ostretsov and Jean-Charles de Castlebajac at Paradise Row

A chair is fingered by a mechanical arm, gas-masked figures lurk in industrial tubes, and old masters are vandalised with brash logos. Is this...

Graduate Summer Show at SaLon Gallery

It was a pleasant surprise to be invited back to Samir Ceric's funky SaLon Gallery for their 'Graduate Summer Show' private view. The last show...

House of Pain at Vegas Gallery

Tits, trash and pulp sum up Pascal Rousson's show House of Pain at Vegas Gallery. Whether or not a reference to Irish-themed hip-hop (and wit...

Harry Pye at Sartorial Contemporary Art

I have to admit it. When I first saw Harry Pye's wilfully child-like drawings, I wasn't a fan. The reaction I had upon viewing the ex-Face writer's...

Herakut at Camp Barbossa Gallery

German design duo, Herakut, have a blink and you'll miss it new show at Covent Garden's Camp Barbossa Gallery this month. It's a dirgy, poetic...

Interview with Samir Ceric, SaLon Gallery

Kate Weir: Could you first please tell us a little bit about your background? Samir Ceric: I officially 'arrived' to the art world 3 years ago...

It's Art...Bitch!

You're a hip new gallery, your graduate show went well and you're cruising nicely along, but now you need to show it wasn't a fluke and wow your...

James R Ford at Ferreira Projects

Traditionally, playing Guitar Hero for three hours is considered at best, unproductive, if not a total waste of time. But after my recent visit...

Liz Neal -Some Product

Sigh, I'm so in love with Sartorial Contemporary Art and its increasingly awesome shows that it could be bordering on Objectum Sexuality. The...

Mondongo at Maddox Arts

Argentinian art collective Mondongo consists of Agustina Picasso, Manuel Mendanha, and Juliana Laffitte, and is named after a traditional Latin...

Not Waving but Drowning

Obsessive compulsive is the name of the game at Alastair Mackie's new show, Not Waving but Drowning at David Roberts Art Foundation. Mackie has...

Pretty Vacant at Transition Gallery

Sometimes modern life is so terribly dull, isn't it? Thank goodness we have artists to remind us of this fact, and thank goodness there's a Se...

Rachel Unthank and the Winterset at The Union Chapel

The Union Chapel is a very Christmassy venue, filled with trees, lights and brimming with gothic Victorian charm,  It's lucky then that...

Roman Klonek at Kemistry Gallery

What is it about those foreign cartoons from your childhood that came on at erratic times in the afternoon on ye olde Channel 4? From Sylvain...

The Alpine Club

The Alpine Club is held in cosy little gastro pub, The Magdala, with an intimate space upstairs that lends itself well to comedy. Unfortunatly...

The Dot Farm

The Invisible Dot is tucked away amongst the tie-dyed blankets and spiky neon trousers of Camden market. Although the venue is in one of the...

The Good, The Bad, The Belle

Alice Hawkins has had her work in some of the most hip and prestigious magazines in the world and has been mentored by Vogue mainstay Nick Knight...

They Paved Paradise at Beverley Knowles Fine Art

The Joni Mitchell referencing They Paved Paradise exhibit at Beverley Knowles Fine Art examines 'the desire to protect and the point at which...

Tierney Gearon at Phillips de Pury

London exhibitions Double exposure photography, once the mainstay of ghostly hoaxes, seems to be getting a lot of press recently. Perhaps it'...

The Smirking Sequin

With its red curtains and neon stage lighting, the Smirking Sequin at The Phoenix is reminiscent of comedy clubs in their 80s heyday. However...

Tonico Lemos Auad

Conceptual art is a funny old thing. It's the most radical and modern method of expression and simultaneously the most divisive medium in the...

Tillman Kaiser at Wilkinson

Is it possible that Tillman Kaiser has a Superman complex? The paintings and sculptures in his new show Hallucination Engine, at Wilkinson, all...

Twee as Fuck at The Buffalo Bar

On the second Friday of each month, when the moon is full; pale, winsome creatures, flit to Highbury and Islington and take sanctuary below The...

Yanna Soares at Beverley Knowles Fine Art

London Exhibitions South America is the perfect cauldron for great art: a legacy of colour; a fiery, passionate spirit and a turbulent past giv...

Frantic @ Koko, 24 August 2008

Decadence, debauchery and disco dancing are the order of the day as hard house institution Frantic takes over Camden's luxurious Koko for its...

Insekt

Filthy tunes, an amazing venue and a downright rude soundsystem mean that the lucky thousand clubbers who entered Insekt's cocoon last Saturday...

DJ Yoda at Fabriclive

I was a late starter where DJ Yoda is concerned. In fact, I didn’t see him live until January 2006 , when he was played alongside Prototyp...

Kate Nash at Hammersmith Apollo

There was a time when the only lyrics heard from the mouths of young female songstresses were those of love, devotion and despair, 'My Heart...

Spruce Up Your Sunday

It wasn't too long ago that Sundays were the day to be seen. When every respectable self-titled party person would be out busting a groove to...

Madame Zingara's Theatre of Dreams

The Theatre of Dreams is contained in the glittering surroundings of a Spiegel Tent constructed out of wood, mirrors and stained glass and situated...

The Tiger Lillies at the New Player's Theatre

The Tiger Lillies are masters of the 3 minute curiosity and they are performing a selection of their finest and weirdest songs every night for...

Best UK and Irish Festivals Part II

Bloom FestivalSeven Springs, Cheltenham, GloucestershireFriday 8th – Sunday 10th AugustWeekend Tickets: Adults £85.00 / Kids £30...

Victory at the Arcola Theatre

Victory, Howard Barker's surreal Restoration masterpiece revived at the Arcola, weighs the importance of personal victories against wider public...

Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre

Honestly now, all girls love Dirty Dancing. If you know one who claims not to, she's clearly lying. What's not to love? Kooky, curly 'Baby' on...

Bestival 2008

Peering out through the small, grey porthole on the ferry from Portsmouth and resonant chords of regret are striking deep in my heart beneath...

Don't Techno Sh!t at Bar 54

I must confess to having slight misgivings about attending a night called Don't Techno Sh!t. Idiotically, it takes me a while to get the joke...

Festival Feature 2008

Three cheers for festival season! We are teetering on the brink of another rip-roaring summer of fancy dressed frolicking to insanely good tunes...

Eastern Electrics: May We Feel The Bass?

The Eastern Electrics parties have risen to become some of the most reputed in London underground rave terms. Monster line-ups decorate the sparse...

G20 Summit

Unless you've been hiding in a bunker for the last month, you'll know that the G20 Summit occurs this week at the EXCEL Centre in London. The...

Go...Underground In Hackney

This week's itinerary is an irreverent up-yours to the perpetually sickening bastions of authority who claim to represent our interests. The...

Footsbarn A Midsummer Night's Dream

The fact that we are nestled deep inside a mulled wine scented big top in Victoria Park invests even more magic into the experience of attending...

Half Man Half Biscuit at The Forum

Half Man Half Biscuit (HMHB) have achieved almost legendary status for their comedy, classically British lyrics. And looking around the audience...

Last One In's A Rotten Egg

Last One In's A Rotten Egg is a muscular tour de force that delivers a heavy slice of electro-soused debauchery - housed each month in the perfect...

Last Ever Twisted Disco

    Friday night's 'Last Ever' Twisted Disco at The Cross was another in the lengthy queue of 'last ever' events populating the ...

London Clubs: October

Doom, gloom and Apocalypse! The end of the summer is nigh. Due to Government cutbacks, the light at the end of the tunnel has been extinguished...

London Clubs

When London's lights go out and all the little children are tucked up in bed, something happens in the city streets. In industrial warehouses...

Lot49 at East Village

Lot49 promoter and resident DJ Kid Blue is pretty nervous when I meet him at the label's new Shoreditch home East Village before their first...

Lucky Seven Club

There's something great about putting on clothes that are older than you are and stepping out into a bygone era to listen to golden classics...

Meat Katie and Kid Blue Interview

I'm betting that anyone with more than a vague interest in dance music has heard of Meat Katie. Back in the late '90s, when the breaks explosion...

Low Christmas Show at Koko

Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker: husband and wife vocal duo, the founding members of Low and both standing before me on the Koko stage. The immense...

PPP at Cargo

Platinum Pied Pipers – the live R 'n' B, soul fusion outfit from Detroit and Brooklyn super bigged up by all and sundry for their debut...

New Year's Eve Clubbing

Ah, New Year's Eve - the night traditionally shrouded in that nebulous cloud of expectation, extreme inebriation, overspending, sexual tensi...

Mulletover 5th Birthday Easter Special

Techno-sceptic that I am, I must confess to being a bit reluctant to believe the hype about mulletover. And the hype surrounding Geddes' underground...

Richard Dinsdale Interview

Richard Dinsdale - pioneer of delivering driving underground sounds to clubs across the planet - has stepped up to the plate early in 2009 to...

Secret Garden Party 2008

The Secret Garden Party was probably one of the most anticipated events of the year. Since the festival doors closed on the resplendently green...

Shake Shake Launch at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes

Occasionally, vintage nights can take themselves a bit too seriously.  London is awash with nights such as these. If your threads aren't...

The Factory: Hamlet at Riverside Studios

Our first glimpse of Hamlet is an awkward backward glance, necks craned as he sits directly behind us, cocksure and grinning in his skinny jeans...

The Prangsta Experience

If you've been to a boutique UK festival in the last three or four years, chances are you've clapped eyes on one of Prangsta's creations. Mythical...

Valentine's Day Sucks

Valentine's Day morning is one of those bitter-sweet moments which you hate yourself for anticipating, but get excited anyway – despit...

dEUS at Koko

dEUS – the experimental rockers who made their name as Belgium’s most avant-garde rock band – have come a long, long way since...

Traces at The Peacock Theatre

The idea behind Traces, the new show at the Peacock Theatre, can be concisely summarised in two words; urban circus. On the surface, this concept...

Brand New

It is oh so easy to dismiss a band like Brand New based solely on the number of side-swept fringes that conceal the many Kohl-lined eyes in attendance...

Comedy Review

Dead Rock Stars was the theme for the latest OK Club comedy night at the Boogaloo pub in Highgate. Organised and hosted by if.comeddie best newcomer...

Crochet Taster

So, your flirtation with meditation came to an unceremonious end when you were chucked out of class for falling asleep… and snoring&hellip...

Dance Club at Sadler's Wells

It is events like the Dance Club down at Sadler's Wells that make London one of the best cities in the world.  Where else can you rock up...

Fusion Funk

Get ready to be challenged, bedazzled and prepare to sweat! But most of all expect to enjoy yourself and to be welcomed by teacher and studen...

Assembly Now

Assembly Now at the Monto Water Rats 15/05/2007. The last time Assembly Now graced the stage at the Monto was over a year ago, having only played...

Best Indie Venues in London

Barden’s Boudoir One of our all time favourite hang-outs, Barden’s is a place that shouldn’t really work, but somehow re...

Kill All Hippies

A night of electro disco frenzy at the Angel Centre Theoretical Girl/These New Puritans/Calvin Harris With the crowd unquestionably attract...

London Live Music: October

'I read the news today, oh boy,' sang John Lennon once. You do wonder what Johnny might make of the state of things today as he perused the doom...

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

The iTunes mini festival draws to a close tonight, and having showcased contemporary acts and stars of the future for the past 10 days, it is...

London Live Music in August

Having spent successive weeks slating The Pigeon Detectives and The Ting Tings in the singles review section of this site, you would be forgiven...

Okkervil River @ Scala

Its official, the balance of indie power has shifted from our shores. After years of self-congratulation brought on by The Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin...

Pete and the Pirates at Club NME, Koko

I have a confession to make – I love Club NME at Koko. Despite going against any number of my musical principles (aka snobbery), and never...

Stephanie Dosen at Bush Hall

The majority of Shepherds Bush is overtaken tonight by skinny-jeaned oiks barely in their teens, off to the Empire to worship at the altar of...

Album Review: Ad Infinitum - Infinite Scale

Ambient records are tough to review. It takes a special mood to listen to an entire long-play ambient record, usually at the end of an energetic...

New Releases – 16th March

*Single of the Week* King Khan and the BBQ Show – Animal Party In The Red Yeah! 'Open the door, come on in. Let the animal party begin...

New Releases – 26th January

*Single of the Week* Mike Bones – What I Have Left Vice Mike Bones has been fizzling away beneath the surface of Brooklyn's music sc...

New Releases – 9th March

*Single of the Week* Kap Bambino – Red Sign Because Music What do you get if you take that Sex Pistols song about abortions and stuff a...

New Releases – 20th April

*Single of the Week* Slayer – Psychopathy Red Columbia Ever since the mid-nineties Slayer have done away with the thrashing aspects of...

New Releases - 10 Nov

*Single of the Week* Kelli Ali – What To Do/One Day At A Time One Little Indian What a pleasant surprise – a lovely double A sid...

New Releases - 1 Sept

*Single of the Week*Spiritualized – You Lie You CheatUniversalWhatever happened to writing, like, a pretty decent rock 'n' roll song, b...

New Releases - 12th January

*Single of the week* The Hundred In The Hands – Dressed in Dresden/Undressed In Dresden  Pure Groove Records With a name like th...

New Releases - 13 Oct

*Single of the Week*Ra Ra Riot – Ghost Under RocksV2Listen to this song on its own merit and you'll hear a rather nice slice of melodic in...

New Releases - 16th February

*Single of the Week* Years of Rice and Salt – Service Bell Free download Alright, so it's not a single, it's an epic EP conveying the story...

New Releases - 19th Jan

*Single of the Week* Squarepusher  – Zounds Perspex Warp Tom Jenkinson. What a legend. This is the first track from his new EP 'Num...

New Releases - 22 Sept

*Single of the Week*Saint Etienne – Burnt Out CarUniversalBack in 1996 when I had just got a new bike and even Nick Thomas was jealous, h...

New Releases - 18th May

Ian M Hale – Loss Unsigned The lilting, easy chords of 'Loss' take you to a stormy porch, a dark sky on a windy, American day. A Ch...

New Releases - 27th April

*Single of the Week* The XX – Crystalised Young Turks 'Hype' and 'buzz' bring out my worst qualities and make me think of talentless drongos...

New Releases - 27 Oct

*Single of the Week*Roots Manuva – Let The Spirit Big Dada There can be something very direct about Rodney Smith. He reminds you of those ...

New Releases - 25th Aug: Dance Special

* Single of the Week* Grace Jones - Corporate Cannibal  Wall of Sound  Her first single for two decades, Corporate Cannibal is a pretty...

New Releases - 2nd February

Teengirl Fantasy – PortofinoMerokAn immediate swirling ghostscape of atmosphere set on a planet far, far away, this track begins wonderfully, ...

New Releases - 3 Nov

*Single of the Week* The Decemberists – Days of Elaine Capitol Records You have to love The Decemberists, they are like a combination...

New Releases - 2nd March: Pop Special

*Single of the Week*  Ladyhawke – Paris Is Burning Polydor Ladyhawke is to Lady Gaga what Kylie Minogue is to Danii. She's prettie...

New Releases - 4 Aug

*Single of the Week*Styrofoam – Bright Red HelmetNettwerkHaha, best song title, ever. Apart from that, this is a great big slice of ...

New Releases - 30 June

*Single of the Week*Dizzee Rascal – Dance Wiv MeXLIt’s hard not to like Dizzee Rascal. He’s got this 'butter wouldn’t ...

New Releases - 30th March

*Single Of The Week* Tim Exile – Galaxy Tree Warp Records You're walking blind through a moonlit field, a disjointed male voice echoin...

New Releases - 9th February

*Single of the Week* Telepathe – So Fine IAMSOUND  The latest release from Telepathe's debut album, 'So Fine' is an outstanding trac...

New Releases - 6 Oct

*Single of the Week*White Denim – Shake Shake ShakeFull Time HobbyWhite Denim have definitely been one of the bands of the year for me...

New Releases - Christmas Special

John Cage – 4:33 Wall of Sound John Cage's seminal '4:33' is a work of genius. An aural response to Robert Rauschenberg's 'blank' paintings...

The Porthole Comedy Club

It was a dark and stormy night. No, this isn't the start to some shaggy dog story involving a hitchhiker and a machete, on the evening of the...

New Releases-24 Nov

*Single of the week* Gentle Friendly – Night Tapes EP No Pain in Pop I was talking with some industry types the other night, and they reckone...

Burlesque Taster

Well, as far as dance lessons go, this is the most radical I've tried out. When I checked the website beforehand, it had mentioned comfy clothes...

Vicarious Bliss Interview

Vicarious Bliss (Andy Gardiner) is a French electro artist signed to Ed Banger Records owned by Pedro Winters (Busy P). Known primarily for his...

Madame Tussauds

This review was originally written for Spoonfed by one of our editors after too much coffee and, well, too many reviews. Mania had set in but...

Best Dance Classes In London

When most of us think of dance classes, we conjure up images of decrepit seniors prancing around a polished dance floor to the songs of yesteryear...

Jive Nation at Tiger Tiger

Having a twirl with twenty different men in one evening is contrary to how it sounds; all in the best possible taste. From city singletons to...

Over The Hill? Bedrock at Heaven

Bedrock. Let's party like it's approximately ten years ago, and Digweed is a genuine pioneer rather than a slightly rotund, uber-competent and...

Speed Hating at the Albion

Speed Hating;{noun} an organized gathering of singles at which the participants meet and discuss their dislikes and gripes with a number of potential...

Quiz Dating

As a concept speed dating is a daunting event at the best of times.Original Quiz Dating sells itself as the 'the perfect icebreaker' and it ...

Brit Insurance Designs of the Year

It's cold as ice and it's raining (not men) so why not spend a happy hour or so at the Design Museum, basking in some of the hottest designs...

GSK Contemporary

BAR INSTALLATION VIDEO THEATRE SCULPTURE MUSIC SOUND PAINTING PERFORMANCE LIVE FILM RESTAURANT. Angular, neon text announces the Royal Academy...

Louise Nevelson at Louise T Blouin Institute

Some years ago, Time Out ran a comprehensive feature listing The Worst Things About Living In London. Amid this list, cruelly succinct: 'West...

Mark Wallinger curates: The Russian Linesman

Part of a series of exhibitions that put artists at their centre, The Russian Linesman at the Hayward Gallery is rather like a tour of Mark Wallinger's...

Robin Rhode: 'Who Saw Who' at the Hayward Gallery

On my way to the Hayward Gallery to see Robin Rhode's first UK exhibition, Who Saw Who, it occurred to me that Robin Rhode could be described...

The Rain Emperor

Drawn away from bright lights and Shoreditch streets, we walk a tree-lined path, lit with projected musical scores, and proceed towards the entrance...

WITH at Rokeby

Is it a painting? Is it a photograph? Is it a sculpture? No! It's a multimedia presentation of the Life Enhancement SolutionsTM created for Rokeby...

Are These Potatoes Runway Ready?

Her shriek was horrendous, somewhere between Janet Leigh in the shower and a train grinding to a halt for the daily suicide. It did nothing to...

Addictive TV: National Gallery

A visual beat for the city? A thing of rareness this summer, a lovely warm weekend, graced the capital a few weeks back and there was plent...

The Pro's and Con's of the Fancy Dress Do

I'm a stubborn, anti-social party-goer at heart. Oh I love to party - who doesn't. But I want to party MY way. I'm the guy who won't go to a...

Isle of Wight Festival (pt1)

Download sensations Koopa kicked off the main stage while most of the crowd were queuing up trying to get in, they sounded good, but that's as...

Isle of Wight Festival (pt2)

The final day, and yet more ticket problems and frustration for those who tried to get down and see pre-pubescent 14 and 15 year olds Sinez. ...

Annie Mac Presents at Koko

Koko has always been one of my favourite venues. I'm not sure why. The sound's average, it gets hotter than the sun and travelling from one f...

Down the Rabbit Hole, Once Again...

One glance at the programme of Pentameter's production of Alice is daunting. The cast are a melting pot of artists, musicians, photographe...

Fightstar Interview

Fightstar may be famous for one reason. When a certain member of your band was in one of the biggest pop acts in England of the new Millenn...

In Case of Fire Interview

In Case of Fire are Steven and Colin Robinson and Mark Williamson from Northern Ireland. The three of them have been together since 2005 (ex...

The Star of Bethnal Green's Rak Queen...

The Star of Bethnal Green is a scary looking place. Black, gothic and surrounded by a haze of smoke, it definitely isn't somewhere you'd expe...

Black Milk and Elzhi at Cargo

'Elzhi will not be performing tonight. We apologise for any inconvenience. Full refunds will be given at the box office.' Can’t say fairer...

DJ Vadim at Old Queen's Head

There are few things more depressing (Pauline Fowler and poverty aside) than seeing a world class DJ like Vadim being reduced to playing crowd...

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble at Cargo

Thursday night at Cargo saw the return of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and the bar being raised in terms of live music performance and what you should...

Go...Look At All The Little Girls

The internet: it's not all about youth culture you know. Sad balding men have just as much right to lie about their identity in chatrooms as...

Lucha Brittania at SE1

A Valentines Day Massacre is without question the only way to alleviate the feeling of utter nausea brought on by a London overrun with putrid...

Go...Monopoly

If you have a penchant for drinking games then you would have attempted the Monopoly board pub crawl at one time or another. The board game version...

Go...Underground In Hackney

By Lowri Clarke This week's itinerary is an irreverent up-yours to the perpetually sickening bastions of authority who claim to represent ou...

Top Ten Unusual Dance Classes

African DanceEvery Tuesday at 8pm and Saturday at 3.30pmA class which mixes traditional styles and culture with a full aerobic workout.Best Fo...

The Month In Clubs: July

Unless you've been living under a giant glitter-ball, you're probably aware that disco is now a basic nightlife staple, like hotdogs, fake cocaine...

London Holborn

Things to do in Holborn About Holborn Tucked in beside the London shopping Meccas of Oxford Circus and Covent Garden where the upbeat atmospher...

London Kensington

Things to do in Kensington About KensingtonKensington, located in West London, is renowned for its wealthy neighbourhoods and cultural offerings...

London Camden

Things to do in Camden About Camden Camden, the informal name for the district Camden Town, is central both physically and culturally in Londo...

London Piccadilly

Things to do in Piccadilly About PiccadillyPiccadilly, located in the heart of London is the perfect place to begin any city adventure. Standing...

London Kings Cross

Things to do in Kings Cross About Kings Cross Kings Cross has not always been considered a desirable area to visit but with the recent renovatio...

London Oxford Street

Things to do in Oxford Street About Oxford StreetIf London shopping is your favourite past time then Oxford Street is the place for you. Runnin...

Bang Face Weekender

When: 13th-15th May 2011Where: Camber Sands, East Sussex How much: Four person chalet £600Set up in 2003 by Saint Acid (probably not o...

London Westminster

Things to do in Westminster About WestminsterHome to the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, Westminster encompasses all th...

Beach Break Live

Where: Pembrey Country Park When: 16th - 20th June 2011How Much: £99 plus booking feeBeach Break Live is a student festival and, according t...

Beautiful Days

When: 19th-21st August 2011Where: Ottery St MaryHow much: Adult Weekend Camping Ticket - £110. 10-16's Weekend Camping Ticket - £...

Bestival

When: 8 - 11th September 2012Where: Robin Hill Countryside Adventure park, Nr Newport, Isle of Wight.How much: £170 adult weekend ticket...

Big Day Out

Whittington Park, London N19, 5th July 2009Part of the 20-day Holloway Arts Festival, the Big Day out in Whittington Park on July 5th is an ...

Camp Bestival

Where: Lulworth Castle, DorsetWhen: 28th-31st July 2011How much: £170From the team behind Rob da Bank's Bestival comes Camp Bestival,...

Bloom Festival

Seven Springs, Cheltenham, 14th-16th August, 2009 Bloom started out as a disaster, but a brilliant and memorable one. That year in 2006 they...

Chagstock

When: 22nd-24th JulyWhere: Just outside Oakhampton, DevonHow Much: Weekend Tickets £90Chagford, Devon, 16th - 17th July Now into it's f...

Chelsea Flower Show

Where: Royal Hospital, Chelsea When: 24 - 28 May 2011 How much: £15- £47 Held each year in giant specially erected marquees at t...

City Showcase

When: 4-8 May 2011 Where: Various London venues How much: free! Launched in 2003, City Showcase is a free music festival held over three da...

Concrete and Glass

Various Venues – May 2011Launched in 2008 to celebrate East London in all its ostensibly gritty glory, Concrete and Glass is a 16 da...

Creamfields

When: 27 - 28 August 2011Where: Daresbury Estate, Halton, CheshireHow much: weekend tickets £115, hospitality camping £190 Th...

Download

When: 10-12 June 2011Where: Donnington Park, How much: £150 for a full adult ticketThe grand daddy of all rock festivals, Download is a...

Ealing Comedy Festival

Where: Walpole Park, LondonWhen: 15th-16th July and 20th-22nd July, 2011How much: TBA. Tickets will go on sale from 1st May 2011.Throughout ...

Edinburgh Fringe

Where: Edinburgh, ScotlandWhen: 4 - 29th August 2011How much: various, box office opens in June As the biggest arts festival in the world, th...

Electric Proms

The Roundhouse, October 2009Organised by the BBC, The Electric Proms has one of the most diverse and exciting festival line ups in London. Last ...

Escape into the Park

Where: Singleton Park, SwanseaWhen: Saturday 11th June, 2011How much: £41.50Founded in 2005, Escape into the Park is a one-day festival ...

Farmfest

When: 29th - 30th July 2011Where: Gilcombe Farm, SomersetHow much: £30 adult weekend, £18 child weekendHeading into its fifth ...

Field Day

  When: 2nd June 2012Where: Victoria Park, LondonHow much: £39.50 + booking fee The East End's coolest festival is back f...

Glade

When: 14 - 17 June 2012Where: Houghton Hall, NorfolkHow much: £135 for a full adult ticket Glade returns this year to their beautifu...

Glastonbury

When: 22-26 June 2011Where: Worthy Farm, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, SomersetHow much: £195 for a full adult ticket What can be said about ...

Green Man

Glanusk Park Estate, 19th-21st August 2011The Green Man Festival is situated in the beautiful valleys of South Wales, in the heart of the Brecon ...

Greenwich and Docklands International Festival

When: 24th June - 2nd July, 2011Where: Greenwich and Docklands   The Greenwich and Docklands International Festival returns this yea...

Hard Rock Calling

Hyde Park June 24th - 26th 2011Seriously massive festival which has just kept getting bigger...and better. Although Hard Rock Calling is no...

Indietracks

Indietracks, Derbyshire, 29th-31st July, 2011 Occupying a unique place in the festival lineup, Indietracks essentially combines twinkly indiepop...

Innocent Village Fete

Regent's Park, August 2010 Despite being a commercial venture by top-dog smoothie experts, the Innocent Village Fete is a rather lovely affai...

Isle Of Wight Festival

When: 10- 12 June 2011Where: Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of WightHow much: £150 adult weekend no camping, £75 for a child ticket...

Land of Kings

When: 28th -29th AprilWhere: Various Venues around DalstonHow Much: £16  for a 2 day wristband.Dalston's rival to Shoreditch's St...

Larmer Tree Festival

  When: July 13-17, 2011Where: Larmer Tree Gardens (between Salisbury and Blandford) How much: Adult 5-day ticket £197. Youth/Chi...

Leeds/ Reading Festival

Leeds Festival When:  26- 28th August 2011Where: Bramham Park, West YorkshireHow much: £192.50 weekend ticket, £82.50 day...

London Burlesque Festival

Various venues, 26th-30th April 2011 London’s biggest burlesque event takes place over five nights, sandwiched by magnificently glamorous...

London International Animation Fest

Various cinemas and screens, 30th August-5th September, 2010Organised by animators with a passion for new, underground cartoons and short animated ...

London Design Festival 2009

London sure is a hotbed of creativity this time of the year. Just as the clotheshorses at London Fashion Week are packing their monogrammed bags...

Latitude

When: 14 - 17 July 2011Where: Henham Park, Southwold, Sunrise Coast, SuffolkHow much: £170 weekend ticket, £70 day ticket The thinking...

London Jazz Festival

Venues across London, 11th – 20th November, 2011Every autumn since before we can remember (sometime aroud 1975) the best jazz musician...

Mutiny

Bridlington Spa, East Yorkshire, 16th May 2009 Mutiny festival is an independent punk rock event organised by two dedicated newcomers to the...

Lovebox Festival

Where: Victoria Park, East LondonWhen:  15th - 17th July 2011How much: Day tickets £28.50, two days £65, three days £9...

Notting Hill Carnival

When: 28-29 August 2011 (August Bank Holiday Weekend) Where: Notting Hill to Kensal Rise How much: free! Info | Past Performers | Guide ...

Oxegen

When: 7-10th July 2011Where: Punchestown (Naas, County Kildare)How much: 4 Day Camping- €244.50       ...

Puravida

  When: April 29th - May 2nd / Jul 21st - 24th / Oct 27th - 30thWhere:  Osho Leela in DorsetHow much: £139 dorm / £...

Paradise Gardens

Victoria Park, 18th and 19th June 2011Paradise Gardens is a two-day festival that, as the name suggests, turns East London’s Victoria ...

Pride

When: Pride Parade, 2nd July. Festival Fortnight of Pride events, 17 June - 3 JulyWhere: SohoHow much: Parade is free, other events may vary...

Queer Up North

Manchester, May 18th - 31st<\/strong> 2010<\/strong> 2010 marks Queer Up North’s 18th Birthday. They're taking this opportun...

Rockness

When: 8th -10th June 2012Where: Loch Ness, Dores, nr InvernessHow much: £159 for 3 days with campingScotland's leading festival, Rockness,...

Rise

Donate a £1 to Raise Rise Festival Rise is asking for the 100,000 atendees of 2008 to donate just £1 so that the anti-racism festi...

Sci-Fi London

Various Venues, April 23rd - 2nd May 2011 The London International Festival Of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film is the UK's leading sci-f...

Secret Garden Party

When: 19th - 22nd July 2012Where: A Beautiful Secret Garden, Nr Huntington, Cambridgeshire, PE28 2PHHow much: £137 - £165 adult...

Shambala

When: 25th - 28th August 2011Where: Northamptonshire, location disclosed when purchasing ticket.How much: £119 adult weekend ticket Ooh t...

Shoreditch Festival

When: 15-24 July 2011Where: Shoreditch ParkHow much: Free! The Shoreditch Festival is organised by the Shoreditch Trust as a family-friendl...

Spitalfields Festival

Where: Spitalfields MarketWhen: 10th - 25th June 2011How Much: VariousSpitalfields Market has had a real makeover in the last few years. Gone ar...

Stag and Dagger

When: 19th MayWhere: Various venues about Shoreditch, East LondonHow much: £12.50 Shoreditch’s favourite wreck up Stag and Dagge...

Sunrise Celebration

When:  2nd - 5th June, 2011Where: South SomersetHow much: £108 adult in advance, £130 on the gate Sunrise are back for another y...

The Proms

When: 15 July - 10 September 2011Where: Royal Albert hall, Cadogan Hall, Royal College of Music, Hyde ParkHow much: £7 - £90 per...

T in The Park

When: 8-10 July 2011 Where: Balado, Scotland How much: SOLD OUT! One of the UK's better-known festivals, T In The Park is an a-typical ind...

Wychwood Music Festival

When: 3-5 June 2011 Where: Cheltenham RacecourseHow much: From £5-£115Described as a 'bijou Glastonbury' by The Independent, Wychwood...

Truck Festival

Steventon, Oxfordshire, 25th-26th July, 2009Having got its rather unusual name as a result of the main stage originally consisting of two trucks...

Y-Not Festival

Peak District National Park, July 31st - August 2nd 2009A cheap, cheerful festival with a fantastic location in the Peak District National Park,...

Christmas Plays

This Christmas there are some great choices of theatre for those of you with kids (or wish you were kids) but can't bear the thought of redundantly...

Christmas Songs

'Tis the season to be jolly, listen to the traditional Christmas songs, eat copious amounts of mince-pies, the whole shebang. But for some reason...

January Sales

They might be called the January Sales but as every self respecting shopper knows they actually begin in earnest on Boxing Day, and the buying...

London April Fools

April Fools' Day in London and the rest of the UK has a history of some pretty impressive and funny pranks. Some of the best April Fools' jok...

London Boxing Day

When laden down with gifts and Christmas pudding, Boxing Day seems like a complete afterthought.  What Boxing Day really offers is a chan...

London Christmas

A London Christmas offers a stunning range of events to consider when making holiday plans. As if it weren’t enough to think about buyi...

London Bonfire Night

London Bonfire Night this year marks the 406th anniversary of Guy Fawkes’ historic attempt to blow up Parliament. While we highly discoura...

London Easter

After a long, dark and glacial winter I think it’s fair to say that everyone is really looking forward to Spring this year, so let&rsquo...

London Christmas Markets

London Christmas markets offer a welcome alternative to the big department stores and high street shops for all of your Christmas shopping nee...

London Thanksgiving

What does one do about Thankgiving in London? There is something quintessentially American about a holiday that requires absolutely no presen...

London New Years

Love it or hate it, New Year's Eve is the biggest night of the clubbing year. The one night of the year where it seems like the whole world has...

London Pantomime

We can feel Christmas creeping into the Spoonfed offices. Mince pies and mulled wine are imminent. Till they arrive we'll busy ourselves in an...

St George's Day

St George’s Day is officially on Friday 23rd April, but that’s no good because everyone’s at work, so a concert in the sty...

Oxford Street Christmas Lights

The world-famous Oxford Street Christmas lights bring the spirit of the Christmas season to central London with a stunning array of outdoor Christmas...

May Day Bank Holiday

Now that May Day weekend has cruelly passed us by, us Brits have no choice but return to our daily routine; i.e. complaining about our jobs a...

7 Things to do During Earth Hour

7 Things to do During Earth Hour (that don’t involve sitting in a dark room)Since its inception in 2005, Earth Hour has become an annual ...

Hercules and Love Affair at Matter

Photographer Alex Simmons popped along to Matter this weekend to check out Hercules and Love Affair.As per usual, the New York retro/future ...

Abbey Road

Abbey Road, most famous for its Abbey Road recording studios where the likes of The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Oasis have made music history, ...

April: London

April – the month of fools, April showers and Easter. Nights are getting shorter and the weather is flirting with improving. Londone...

April: London Clubbing

8th April Trouble Vision @ Corsica StudiosOh. Yes. Trouble Vision know what a good line-up looks like. Persistently mixing the fresh with th...

April: London Comedy

Friday 1st AprilThe Fix presents The Return of Boothby Graffoe @ Bull and GateBoothby Graffoe's London gigs are so scarce that it’s har...

April: London Live Music

5th AprilDum Dum Girls @ DingwallsA whirlwind of snarling post-punk basslines, choppy guitars and vocal melodies reminiscent of big-haired...

April: London Exhibitions

From 1st April The Pedestrians @ South London Gallery Weird. A fusion of live art, installation, sculpture, video and music all jumbled up togeth...

Best Halloween Parties

 London Halloween Parties 2009 'Tis the time of year again to don your goriest, most terrifying halloween costume, and search out the bes...

Best of August: Clubbing

Club Azuli9th August The Azuli label comes to Pacha, with Raw Club helping out. This one's a bit less like there are 'angels' everywhere dancing...

Best of August: Live Gigs

The Dickies7th AugustThe clown princes of punk bring their snotty; internationally offensive humour to some London gigs at ULU. Seriously, th...

Best of August: Theatre

Grimeborn 4th - 23rd August For the second successive year the Arcola hosts a season of brand new opera for a media savvy, youthful crowd, wit...

Best of August: Out and About

Stella Artois AirshipUntil 21st AugustOnce in a lifetime flight with 11 other guests above London for up to an hour. Best For: Those with the c...

Best of July: Theatre

Hangover SquareFrom 9th - 16th JulyA dramatisation of Patrick Hamilton's brilliant novel about a lovelorn loser.Best For: Closet misogynistsThe...

Best of November: London Art

GSK Contemporary From 1 Nov A massive programme of exhibitions, film screenings, performances and other live events at the Royal Academy, plus...

Best of July: Exhibitions

Perplexed in Public at various venuesUntil 20th JulyWacky interventions and peculiar goings-on across a slightly bemused capital.Best For: L...

Best of November: London Comedy

Robin Ince’s School for Gifted Children 6 Nov The December 'Godless' show by The School (and special guest Richard Dawkins) has now completely...

Best of November: London Clubbing

Kings of Disco 8 Nov For the latest in BBE's 'Kings of…' compilation series, Joey Negro and Dmitri from Paris put together a set of their...

Best of November: London Live Music

Nevereverland 15 Nov Nevereverland jumps continents and it lands at South London's Coronet theatre for a Modular extravaganza before returning...

Best of October: London Leisure

Sci-fi London 3rd-4th of OctoberThe first international festival in London for geeks – filled with free or exclusive film screenings of ...

Best of October: London Art

Turner Prize 2008From 31st SeptemberThis year the Turner Prize has quietened down a wee bit. Less shouting means there's more thought taking p...

Best of November: London Theatre

Imagine This From 5 Nov A daring new venture attempting to lure crowds to a full scale, big budget musical romance set in the Warsaw ghetto as...

Best of October: London Live Music

Friendly Fires 7th OctoberThe best dance-punk band ever to come out of St Albans (and they definitely pip Enter Shikari as the town's best musical ...

Best of October: London Theatre

  PaperweightFrom 7th OctoberWe've heard nothing but good things about this Fringe masterpiece charting the descent into madness of two ...

Best of September: London Live Music

The Beat4th – 5th SeptemberThe Brummie ska legends of ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’ fame play a pair of dates in Camden with Specials m...

Best of September: London Clubbing

Dam Funk and Rustie 4th SeptemberSoundcrash do it AGAIN with this simply incredible line-up. A handful of the most exciting and innovative act...

Best of September: London Comedy

Tim Minchin Ready For This?6th September Tim Minchin brings his new Edinburgh show to the Bloomsbury packed full of whimsical songs and stand ...

Borough Market

There is a commonly held belief that England is a land of three things: bad teeth, bad food and bad weather. While on any given day in Lond...

Best of September: London Theatre

Twelfth Night1st – 24th SeptemberThe Filter bring their jam-session free-form version of Twelfth Night to the Tricycle after an acclaimed r...

Camden Market

As much a London institution as bendy buses or overcrowding, Camden Market has survived everything from threats of commercial redevelopment to...

December: London Clubbing

Dreadbass10th DecemberJunglist legend Congo Natty has a big ol' party going on at the CLF Art Cafe in the Bussey Building. Set in two massive w...

December: London Comedy

Wednesday 1st-Wednesday 15th December John Shuttleworth: A Man With No More Rolls @ Ambassadors Theatre Sheffiled's finest, the keyboard-both...

December: London Theatre

  From 1st DecemberGet Santa! @ Royal CourtThis tops our Christmas list. Of all the shows we want to see, this is the one with the mos...

Emirates Stadium

One of the icons of North London, Emirates has been the home of Arsenal football club since it opened in July 2006. A mammoth complex, Emirates...

December London

Ah, December. Not a difficult month to explain – there's Christmas, and New Year's Eve. In other words, an excuse for overeating in fro...

February: London Comedy

Saturday 5th February Live at the Chapel featuring Stephen Merchant @ Union ChapelIt's another top Live At The Chapel line-up this month, h...

February: London Exhibitions

From 1st February Susan Hiller @ Tate Britain Susan Hiller read anthropology at university before becoming disillusioned and becoming an artis...

February: London Live Music

Junip1st FebruaryThe solo project of one Mr José González, Junip's influences range from Neu! all the way to John Martyn. Not ...

February: London Theatre

From 5th February Frankenstein @ National Theatre Danny Boyle, he of Slumdog and 127 Hours fame directs Frankenstein at National Theatre. His...

Free London theatre tickets

While there may be no such thing as a free lunch, there is the very real possibility of free – or at least very cheap – tickets f...

Hot Chip announced as headline act for Moshi Moshi 10th Anniversary Party

Hot Chip has been unveiled as the 'secret' London gig headliners for Moshi Moshi's massive 10th Anniversary Party, being held at new London ven...

January: London Clubbing

Urban Nerds v.s ATG New Years Day PartyTwo of our favourite promoters will still be going on New Year's Day because they're hardcore. If you...

Jack the Ripper

Probably the most famous serial killer of all time, Jack the Ripper is an unidentified 19th Century figure, who is thought to have murdered at...

January: London Comedy

Tuesday 11th-Saturday 22nd JanJonny Sweet @ Soho Theatre One of the best shows at the Fringe this year and almost certainly the best show a...

January: London Live Music

ShellacSaturday 1st JanuaryStart 2011 as you mean to go on with Steve Albini’s legendary minimal rock act Shellac. Easily one of the b...

Lily Allen Secret Gig and Fancy Dress Party

Fancy a fancy dress party with Lily Allen herself followed by secret London gigs by the pop star? Well MySpace and Lily Allen have teamed up...

London Attractions

London has many attractions for tourists to experience and enjoy, as well as plenty of things to do that all London locals should try at least...

London Activities

There is a seemingly endless choice of London activities but there are some activities without which no trip to London would be complete. From...

London Bars

  London is one of the world's most vibrant cities and our night-life easily rivals that of Paris, New York or Madrid. Whether you w...

London Breaks

London breaks are very popular with residents within the UK and from all over the world. Some people visit for the culture or to improve their...

London Comedy

London comedy is home to the greatest in British comedy talent; with a legacy for heavy use of irony and funny walks, comedy in London remains...

London DJs

Like a good dessert or post-dinner cigarette, the after-party is regarded as an essential part of London clubbing – sometimes eclipsin...

London Fairs

Whether you’re looking for a fair, faire, fete or festival, once the weather turns pleasant city-dwellers turn out en mass to create the...

London Live

London has a legendary reputation for live music and some of the greatest bands in the world have started their careers with London gigs. Over...

London Olympics

The London Olympics 2012 will mark the third time the UK has hosted the Olympic Games and Great Britain’s invigorated performance in the...

London Music

OK, you might think that Spoonfed is the place to find a decent pub quiz or bashment night in Knightsbridge, but we sometimes like to be educational...

London Parks

With grace, certainty and a decidedly large amount of foliage, London casts aside the traditional city nickname of concrete jungle with a hu...

London Thames

There is perhaps no natural landmark in all of Britain that is as recognisable as the River Thames. Though associated most with the city of Lond...

March: London

March is a month that marks the beginning of spring. Sure, it can snow, but the days are getting longer and there's beautiful daylight eith...

London for Kids

Taking the kids out can be a harrowing experience. Short attention spans and cries of 'are we there yet' can render any frazzled parent knackered...

March: London Comedy

Thursday 10th-Saturday 12th MarchGolden Lizard @ Soho Theatre A delightfully bonkers action-adventure story, loosely based on a mission to ...

May: London

May – the start of summer and one of the loveliest times in London. From outdoor theatre and art, to the start of the festival season a...

March: London Theatre

From 10th March The Knot of the Heart @ Almeida Theatre When you're battling drug addiction, you don't expect the support of your family to com...

March: London Live Music

5th of MarchFu Manchu @ The O2 Academy IslingtonOne of the most recognisable bands of the stoner-rock era, Fu Manchu play heavy as hell, fuzzed o...

May: London Comedy

1st-2nd MayCamden Crawl Comedy @ Abbey Tavern, Camden Head and Bar Fifty Five The Camden Crawl has more comedy on than ever this year, spre...

May: London Exhibitions

From Monday 16th May Planting Paradise @ Garden Museum We frickin' love a good garden here at Spoonfed, and Tom Stuart-Smith has been responsib...

May: London Clubbing

secretsundaze Opening Party @ secret location 1st May secretsundaze are back - and not a moment too soon. Smith and Priestley's summer ins...

May: London Theatre

From 3rd MayI am the Wind @ The Young VicYes, it's one of those titles but I am the Wind is an intense play about human connection. Two friends r...

May: London Live Music

Monday 9th MayFriendly Fires @ HeavenYou remember these guys right? They made that song 'Paris' that you still dance around KOKO too every F...

MySpace Secret Gig: Soulwax in London

When: Fri 22 AugWhere: Shhh... it's a Secret!Artists: Soulwax Soulwax to Play at MySpace Secret GigAt Spoonfed we love exclusive events, free...

Billy Elliot

As I sit comfortably in my seat about halfway through the first act of Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre, I get the sense that despite...

New to London

If you’re new to London and want to get into the British spirit of things then there are a few things that you should know. Spoonfed has...

Cut&Paste

Cut&Paste is an international, multicity digital design comeptition.  For information on upcoming city events and how to watch the events...

Evocative Foods Presents Feed Your Imagination

The city of London is full of vibrancy. Vibrancy in its nightlife, its art scene, its entertainment and, as Evocative Foods, with chef Nuno Mendes...

Chessboxing at Boxing London

It's noon on a Saturday and all I can think about is hitting someone. I'm ready to go three brutal minutes in the ring and at the end of those...

International Buddhist Film Festival Opening Gala

There is a belief amongst some sects of Buddhism that one can improve one’s karma not only through that challenging task of being good...

Googleworld at the ICA

Tonight, it seems, I'll be present for the foretelling of the end of society as we know it. I'm learning of our descent into an Orwellian future...

La Cage aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre

Without having seen La Cage Aux Folles, it is difficult to imagine how an over-the-top portrayal of men in drag can be, as it claims in the program...

Line ‘em Up, Cowboy: Line Dancing Mondays at the Bedford

Even a country fan like me has to accept that for many, country might not be the music style of choice. But regardless of the songs, many girls...

London Help

Finding help in London can be a daunting task whether you’re a tourist, newly arrived in the city, or even a long-time local.  But...

Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

When most students plan their gap years, preparations usually call for copious spending of their parents money, boozy nights in exotic countries...

The Best Homemade Halloween Costumes (and parties to wear them to)

Old people are always whining on about Halloween. “Waaaah!” they scream. “These young whippersnappers are always egging our...

The Factory Theatre presents The Seagull at the Pleasance Theatre

The members of the Factory Theatre group face the audience as if facing a firing squad and I wonder what they know that I don't. Apparently not...

The Waifs at Shepherd Bush Empire

Watching The Waifs play at Shepherd Bush Empire, I realise that the airline industry could learn a thing or two from their performance. Someh...

The US Presidential Election in London

The entire world seems to have come down with US election fever and London certainly hasn’t been spared. You’re now just as like...

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week is a bi-annual display of the newest and up-and-coming trends. It's one of the best places to discover what clothes, shoes...

London Weekends: Budget in Battersea

We're taking it back to the old school this week with our itinerary. No skydiving, no dead body gimmicks and definitely nothing that costs more...

London Weekends: Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon is one of the twentieth century's most important artists. And when, earlier this year, Roman Abramovich paid £44 million...

London Weekends: Cold War

You may not know this, but August 9th sees the anniversary of the dropping of ‘Fat Man’. Although never eulogised in song like its...

Weekend Guides: Alternative Glastonbury

Glastonbury is upon us once again, and when I say us, what I really mean is them. I'm not going and for all you other sad sods who aren't going...

Weekend Guides: Lea River and environs (Clapton, Hackney, Bethnal Green)

Did you know that in the Spoonfed office we have people from all over the place, even Wimbledon, Chiswick and so on? It that kind of workplace...

Weekend Guides: London Skyline

The city of London is rapidly advancing upwards and soon we will have Europe's tallest building - the Tower Bridge 'Shard of Glass' dominati...

Weekend Guides: Partying in Kingston

Kingston is a place that exists in this weird limbo. Whilst technically being part of London, it's a bit too far out to enjoy all the crazed...

Weekend Guides: Portobello Road

"Portobello road, Portobello road, street where the riches of ages are stowed/Anything and everything a chap can unload is sold off the barr...

Weekend Guides: Sacrifice in the City

As tonight is the summer solstice, we've decided that this weekend's itinerary should have a pagan theme to it. The only problem is that Lond...

Weekend Guides: Underground in Hackney

This week's itinerary is an irreverent up-yours to the perpetually sickening bastions of authority who claim to represent our interests. The...

Weekend Guides: Vintage in Shoreditch

It's Saturday morning and the weekend stretches gloriously ahead. Silence the gentle lapping of impending doom, distance the idling of the economy...

Weekend Guides: Voyeur's Delight

The internet: it's not all about youth culture you know. Sad balding men have just as much right to lie about their identity in chatrooms as...

Weekend Guides: West End with Bernie

  Rich as the 1980s were in movies exhibiting the kind of glossy fun that characterises knockabout brat-pack classics, few from that er...

Best Hip Hop In London

The best hip hop nights are the ones that surprise you, throwing in some original flavour between commercial biggies – the kind of set...

Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws at Barfly

After establishing with my dumb-ass girlfriend who it was we were actually going to see, “the one from Nouvelle Vague”, “oh...

Z-Trip At Cargo

The night begins at eight, with Mr Thing as the hot-pick warm-up DJ. But really it’s clear that Cargo is going crazy for Z-Trip. He's known...

Affordable Art Fair

Am I just totally incompetent? I waited around for ages in the wrong queue at Frieze, walked into the wrong bit of the Royal Academy in sear...

Art Monitor: Little Black Dress at the Fashion & Textile Museum

Good old Bermondsey, with its nice gastro pubs and those odd little shops run by the kooky wives of merchant bankers. And, of course, Zandra...

Artist Profile: Pete Nawara

American artist Pete Nawara is fascinated by one thing: beauty. It's possible that he finds other stuff interesting too, but basically, for him...

August: Osage County

There's always a danger that accompanies critical acclaim. And when the acclaim is as universal as that which has been lavished upon August: ...

August in the Arts: Hackney Wicked

August in Art World is not a very exciting month. Most galleries are hosting group shows of assorted work by the artists they represent. Either...

Beverley Knowles

Notting Hill: Saturday, 4.30. I'm meeting art gallery owner Beverley Knowles and I'm running rather late. And I haven't slept in 36 hours and...

Byzantium at the Royal Academy

I have to confess I wasn't looking forward to this. Byzantium is the Royal Academy's big new exhibition exploring the wonders of the Byzantine...

Cut&Paste

London Exhibitions When I first heard about Cut&Paste digital design tournament, I thought to myself, 'Good lord, this sounds quite brillian...

December in the Arts: murmurART

The internet huh? Pretty awesome I reckon. You can search for the best events going on in London, learn more about your favourite bands and artists...

Francis Bacon at Tate Britain

When I was about sixteen, Francis Bacon was my favourite artist and Thomas Hardy my favourite novelist. I recently returned to Hardy to find...

Henry VIII: Man & Monarch at the British Library

I'm pretty certain I'm not alone in picturing Henry VIII as a colossally fat and lecherous beast, upholstered in opulent materials, bejewelled...

Hussein Chalayan at the Design Museum

Major. That is the word fashion folk like to bandy around. That is the word that applies to the Hussein Chalayan exhibition at the Design Muse...

Ian Davenport at Alan Cristea

How does one write about an artist such as Ian Davenport? After seeing a major new series of his work at Alan Cristea, this is the question I...

International Buddhist Film Festival 2009

Buddhism has always seemed one of the most fascinating belief systems. Characterised by wisdom, decency and consideration, it seems a far cry...

Jotta

London Exhibitions So January's nearly over. It's now that time of year when you begin to realise that your New Year's resolutions have rathe...

July in the Arts: After Dark

As an important cultural tastemaker I get invited to a lot of cool stuff. And a lot of shit stuff too. My favourite thing recently was Katie...

Justice at the Astoria

Ahh Valentine's Day: roses and hosiery, tantrums and tablecloths, w(h)ining, dining, candles, spangles... poor old martyred Saint Valentine barely...

Kiss Me Quick

Andy Warhol once said that two people kissing always look like fish. But he said a lot of things, most of which were nonsense. Photographer and...

Kounter Kulture / The Future Can Wait 2008

Click here to read Tom's guide to 2009's London Art Fairs. London's 'Art Week' finally has lift-off tonight with a buzz of activity throughou...

Laughing In a Foreign Language

Fat people, falling over - it's funny, obviously, but is it art? Well, yes. Thanks to the Hayward Gallery, it is now. If you ever get irked trailing...

Lecture: John Onians at Louise T Blouin Institute

The rift between the arts and the sciences is possibly one of the most divisive in modern academia, and only the arts folk seem interested in...

Lecture: Luce Irigaray at the ICA

Although Luce Irigaray is one of the big guns of contemporary gender theory, I have to confess that I have never read any of her books. Judith...

London Arts

London Art 2008: The London Art Scene in Review Well, what a year it's been. 2008 is now drawing to a close and I'm doing a little round-u...

Madness & Modernity at the Wellcome Collection

From Thomas Hoccleve to Amy Winehouse via William Blake and Vincent van Gogh, the history of the arts is littered with those whose personalities...

Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art

It seems of late that the Barbican has gone more than a wee bit nuts. The recent 'Do Something Different Weekend' saw a whole host of bizarre...

Miroslaw Balka at White Cube / Carey Young: Mutual Release

I've often thought that, when a character in a novel has fought in World War I or lost relatives in the Holocaust or something, it's simply a...

OOXXOO Launch

Are the Red Bull London headquarters an odd place to host the launch of a new magazine about synaesthesia? Well they say 'Red Bull gives you...

October in the Arts: Art Fairs

The economy eh? I just don't have a clue what's going on. My response to all the talk about credit crunches was to ignore it. If you don't understa...

One Alfred Place

Learn more about this area: London Westminster One Alfred Place is a London private members' club that professes to be 'uniquely designed...

Peter Doig at Tate Britain

Peter Doig is one of those artists about whom it is always hard to know what to say. His work is not obviously politicised or fashionably conceptual...

On the Edge at ROLLO Contemporary Art

Fertile creative spaces can be tough to locate these days. The ability to be wholly original has perhaps always been illusory, but today at least...

Raul Ortega Ayala - An Ethnography of Gardening

Gardening is one of the great barometers of civilisation. It was in the garden, not the field nor the forest, that Adam and Eve first entered...

Private View & Protest at the Orange Tree Theatre

Right now it's Vaclav Havel season at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond. That means they're showing five plays by the prolific playwright who...

Sean Snyder: Index

What to discuss about Sean Snyder's exhibition Index at the ICA? Of the work on show, what to select to write about here? And what to omit? This...

Sparks at The Carling Academy, Islington

Sparks are probably literally like my favourite still-doing-stuff band. Why? Because the Smiths is dead, and Morrissey's not a band, stupid. ...

The Dark Show at FormContent

White walls. Wood floors. Light, bright, airy and silent. This is the gallery we know. The Foxtons wet-dream. Surely, its time is drawing to...

The Whitechapel Gallery Reopens

So after two years and £13.5 million, The Whitechapel Art Gallery finally reopens. Unfortunately for me, they've scheduled the Press View...

Turner Prize 2008

Controversy, outrage, ego, ennui: yes, the shortlist for this year's Turner Prize has been announced amid the usual salvo of yawns and scorn...

Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East

London Exhibitions Good old Charles Saatchi: he certainly knows what he likes. And what he likes is, generally, big. After the inaugural exhibitio...

Working Space at The Arts Gallery

Whenever I'm wandering round a gallery that's full to the gunwales with complicated conceptual things that I don't really understand, I usually...

YES WAY

Barbour: check. Brogues: check. Checks: check. No it's not a weekend on the farm; it's a trip to South London. Golly, I feel intrepid as I boa...

Zoo Art Fair 2008

Click here to read Tom's guide to 2009's London Art Fairs. OK, it's Friday night and I'm at Zoo Art Fair. It's my last art fair this week, an...

The Mighty Underdogs at The Jazz Café

Four men take to the stage at Jazz Café wearing scary dog masks. Once the masks are off it turns out to be the Bay Area supergroup that...

Frankenstein at Cochrane Theatre

Last night I found myself sitting in the upstairs bar of the Cochrane Theatre in Holborn, a University of the Arts London showcase theatre for...

Random at the Royal Court

When it comes to Random, less is more. The less you know about it the more likely you're going to go. Ask too many questions or read too many...

Wine of the Week I

Hello, and welcome to Wine of the Week, the first installment of Spoonfed’s new feature that pits the cream of contemporary music against...

BLOC

Where: London Pleasure GardensWhen: 6th and 7th July 2012How Much: £99 for both nights, £125 'express tickets'. BLOC is the unparalleled ...

Wine of the Week IV

Hello, and welcome to the fourth installment of Wine of the Week, the Spoonfed feature that pits the cream of contemporary music against the...

Cindy Sherman at Spruth Magers

For her latest batch of new works Cindy Sherman has presented us with quite a dramatic departure from the framed print, almost in a way so distin...

Capoeira Angola

The Brazilian martial art Capoeira really lives up to its name: difficult, but so beautiful. Come into the class with an open mind and be pleasantly...

Foosball at Cafe Kick

If you're in the mood to show off your wrist twisting University-learnt foosball* skills, Café Kick is the place to be. This lively bu...

Maggie's End at the Shaw Theatre

'It's a terrible thing to lose one's memory.' So laments Leon Thomas (Mark Wingett) upon discussing his mother's losing battle with dementia...

Love and Understanding at the Courtyard Theatre

Rachel (Natalie Lessing) Neal (Joseph Wilkins) and Richie (Dan Coffey) share an awkward drink. You wake up. Brush your teeth, take a shower an...

Joanna Newsom at Somerset House

If ever a venue could upstage an act, Somerset House on a summer evening has to be up there with the best of them. Nu-folk heroine Joanna Newsom...

London Burlesque Festival Glitterati Gala

Returning for its third year, promoter Chaz Royale exposes Londoners and burlesque connoisseurs from around the globe to over 100 of the world's...

Nocturnal at The Gate Theatre

Shrouded in darkness at the claustrophobic Gate Theatre, there is an overwhelming sense of the surreal as I await the opening curtain call of...

Videocrash At Koko

For those partial to 'audio-visual' performance with the emphasis on 'visual', this line-up is something to get wet over - Hexstatic are the...

Diary of a thirty-something Art Dealer

This article comes courtesy of London-based art dealer and consultant Beverley Knowles. Gorgeous Ellie the Intern from Sweden and Minnesota i...

Radiohead at Victoria Park

It's almost impossible for a band as obsessed-over as Radiohead to live up to the anticipation. You imagine it for so long that when they finally...

Diary of a thirty-something Art Dealer

This article comes courtesy of West London gallery-owner Beverley Knowles. However many times I mop the floor I seem only to succeed in redistributing...

Diary of a thirty-something Art Dealer

This article comes courtesy of West London gallery-owner Beverley Knowles. I heard David Beckham interviewed the other day for the launch o...

Matt Small - Youngstarrs

The artwork on display is fantastic and the atmosphere is electric; I am at Black Rat Press, just off Great Eastern Street for Youngstarrs, the...

Diary of a thirty-something Art Dealer - Altermodern

This article comes courtesy of West London gallery-owner Beverley Knowles. Altermodern: aka the Fourth Tate Triennial. It's new alright. Bu...

Jenny Weiner - You Are Here

London Exhibitions This is my first visit to bearspace, on Deptford High Street and I'm here for the opening night of the new Jenny Weiner exhibitio...

Regent Street Festival

So what exactly does put the Great into Great Britain? As this year's dismal summer makes its weary transition into the autumn months there doesn't...

Matthew Collings at Parasol Unit

I am at Parasol Unit to see an exhibition of work by American minimalist artist, Robert Mangold. I time my visit to coincide with a talk by art...

Diwali on the Square

Arriving in Trafalgar Square just in time to witness Boris Johnson extolling the virtues of Wikipedia in his quest to derive the true meaning...

At The Oscars

Finally there are some good films about at the moment, after an autumn of bad comedy (Tropic Thunder, Four Christmases), bad Bond (Quantum of...

Moths to / from a Flame; The Day Nobody Died

What seems at first to be a resolute disregard for the restricted space of T1+2 Gallery – and thus an anti-curatorial presentation by Makiko...

Frank Benson at Sadie Coles

With two disappointing and frustrating chocolate fountains, two furling gym mats and one photograph of a manipulated readymade, Frank Benson's...

Best London Comedy

It's no secret that London is the comedy capital of the world. There are hundreds of pubs, clubs and theatres here which give regular spots ...

Best European Festivals pt II

ExitPetrovaradin Fortess, SerbiaThur July 10 -Sun July 13Weekend Ticket: £72 / €91Following all the hubbub about Bjork being dropped fro...

Brendon Burns: Comedy Good Yeah Silly Side C**t

"I'm not a bigot in a racist, sexist way; just in a pre-judging way". Indeed Brendon Burns is not a bigot but the man certainly says what he...

Brendon Burns at the Soho Theatre

As this is the very last run of Brendon Burns' if.comedy award-winning show from last year, he starts off by explaining that most of the jokes...

Brou Ha Ha at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern

The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a pub specifically designed for entertainment - the room is a circular shape and all the tables and chairs face...

Bill Bailey: Tinselworm

The callback is a powerful tool in comedy and somehow this simple device of referencing an earlier joke at a later stage in the set makes us...

Camden Fringe

Robin Ince: Bleeding Heart Liberal Small hot stuffy rooms are not the best venues to be performing in when you put as much energy and words int...

Ed Byrne: Different Class

The compere for Ed Byrne's gig at Riverside Studios is himself. "I'm warming up for the warm-up", he explains. This improvisational part of any...

Camden Fringe: The Intimate Strangers

I get a feeling of foreboding during the Intimate Stranger's opening scene as we are introduced to a rather tried and tested 'posh city boy'...

House of Windsor in 'The Meeting'

It must be difficult coming up with an original and fresh show for the Fringe. The old 'here is a list of people and things that annoy me fro...

Jason Byrne at artsdepot

Artsdepot is a surprising haven in the armpit that is North Finchley. Having practically reached the end of the Northern line and walked passe...

James Zabiela at White House

It can often seem like a bit of a mission heading south to Clapham but there are some great dance nights down there put on by the likes of Inigo...

Jason Manford Interview

Currently on a huge tour encompassing most of the UK, Mancunian comic Jason Manford comes to London next Friday, performing at the Bloomsbury...

John Gordillo and Michael Fabbri at The Alpine Club

We are slap bang in the middle of Edinburgh preview season here at the moment and you'd be crackers not to go and see some. Tickets are a lot...

Journey to... Best of 07 Awards

Journey to... Best of 07 Awards was a round-up of the best performers to appear at the Journey to... Comedy Clubs (The Poetry Cafe and Inn on...

Josie Long Interview

The Battersea Arts Centre really lives up to its name this month, as their annual N20 comedy season kicks off in style.  There will be political...

Mark Watson at the Bloomsbury Theatre

As the audience begins to settle down and take their coats off in the Bloomsbury auditorium, a man lurking at the back of the theatre suddenly...

Knock2Bag

The first comedian that comes on tonight, Wil Hodgson, is a classic Knock2Bag diverse act.  It's not just the fact he is a pink-haired ex...

London Comedy: October

The Kransky Sisters The Big Joke Festival is now in full swing at the Leicester Square Theatre and has already seen some huge comics fly over...

Sabotage at the Andaz Hotel

Sabotage has to have landed itself one of the coolest comedy venues in London. Held in a Masonic temple located in the five-star Andaz Hotel...

Save Ginglik

Poor old Ginglik!  Who'd have thought with all this re-development and money pouring into Shepherd's Bush at the moment that it would lead...

News Revue at the Canal Cafe Theatre

There can’t be a more pleasant way to spend a sunny Friday evening than in Little Venice. Whether it’s a stroll past all the Regency...

Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters

Walking into the Hammersmith Apollo, I have mixed feelings of apprehension, excitement and curiosity about Steve Coogan's new tour show. ...

The Comedian's Comedian of 2008

London's comedy scene is positively thriving at the moment with over 100 different clubs a week, not counting solo shows.  The recession...

The Golden Record: Sounds Of The Earth at the BAC

If you were trying to save the planet from alien destruction what case would you make for it?  What images or sounds would you present to...

The Invisible Dot Club at the Proud Gallery

The Invisible Dot is a new concept comedy club that pops up sporadically in random venues and festivals with different themes each time. ...

The Kransky Sisters at the Big Joke Festival

The award-winning Kransky Sisters may have a cult following but if you have no idea what to expect the experience is all the more surreal. ...

The Penny Dreadfuls Interview

2008 was a particularly good year for sketch trio The Penny Dreadfuls after their debut play, Aeneas Faversham Forever, was a sell-out success...

secretsundaze featuring Rhadoo

On receiving an e-mail saying: “Due to bad weather secretsundaze has had to move inside the Ministry of Sound”, I almost considered...

Death Threat at the Bull and Gate

As I'm thinking of nice things to say about Death Threat whilst they rip up the Bull and Gate tonight, I can't help but notice their influences...

Late Of The Pier at ULU

It's no secret that art is in a constant state of rebirth, and nowhere is this made more apparent than in the quantum jigsaw of modern music...

Like A Thief at The Borderline

Sometimes there is more truth to the figurative than to the literal. And sometimes there isn't. This dualistic celebration of the art of flabbergastery...

Mano de Dios at Power's Acoustic Room

OK get this... it's indie, but it's not retro. Okay, flamenco's pretty old, but it has never "stopped happening" so to speak, unlike the influences...

Olympus Mons at 93 Feet East

Support act Guardians Of The Ancient Wisdom are interesting. It makes you wonder: Why do you not see many rappers with guitars? Is it because...

O Fracas at The Buffalo Bar

"We've been trying to get along but there's too much talking and not enough song" Normally I like to make an indignant point about the problem...

The Rrrs at The Fly

Met Sharzilla Moog at the entrance. She's quite the whirling dervish of organisational steam, that one. At any one time she can be seen in several...

Yeti at The Old Blue Last

For decades our vigilant capital has been searching for the Holy Grail that is the 'Cockney Beatles', and Yeti are one of the many contenders...

Confederacy of Dunces at the Betsey Trotwood

First impressions can mean everything or nothing at all. If the compere stand-up bill were a footballer they would be the 'water-carrier', the...

Old Rope at The Phoenix

Ever been on a holiday that you initially never wanted to end but ended up counting down the days to the departure lounge crush? Ever had a perfectly...

The Funny Side of Covent Garden

As a rule of thumb a night of stand-up is rarely a surefire hit. Besides the acts themselves, the venue, the audience and the tenderness of the...

The Laughing Horse Soho

The Laughing Horse Soho is a cosy affair in an upstairs room of the Coach and Horses pub where Great Marlborough Street intersects Poland Street...

Stockholm at the Hampstead Theatre

Reputedly dark-humoured playwright Bryony Lavery squeezes every drop of symbolic sap out of the title of her latest play, Stockholm at the Hampstead...

Dananananayckryod at White Heat

Hype is a dangerous weapon for a band these days as, unless they have an extreme amount of talent to justify having it, it is most likely to...

Deerhoof at ULU

2008 has been a bit of a vintage year as far as experimental pop is concerned. Apart from the whole No Age / Mae Shi / Abe Vigoda thing that...

Nail The Cross

It's that magical time of year again, when the students of the country are riding high on a new injection of what feels like free money, the...

Shred Yer Face Tour at Electric Ballroom

The 'Shred Yr Face' tour is a total misnomer tonight for a bill featuring three acts, none of which are among the most face shredding that the...

The Maccabees at Matter

Two buses, half the circumference of the 02 Arena, one metal detector and a search that stops just short of your various cavities and you're...

Amadou & Mariam at Pure Groove

During the last three years Malian husband-and-wife team Amadou & Mariam have really been pushing out from beneath the controversial &lsquo...

Black Dice at the Dome

Some sort of hand signal from Eric Copeland and they dim the lights and cast us in shadow just as a terrific blaze of searing noise signals the...

Doctor Atomic at The Coliseum

I’d say that Doctor Atomic crept up on us pretty sudden. We barely had time to shift in our seats before the lights started to dim and...

Sebastien Grainger at The Lexington

Sometimes it's nice to go to a gig with only the faintest idea of what to expect. It's a thrill when a band you hope to like kicks up music that...

Still Flyin' at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

Hands down, Still Flyin' are the happiest band around. All summer and honey and we-live-on-the-beach-year-round clangy goodness, you get the...

We Have Fun at 333

Even to me, We Have Fun at 333 was a bit of a surprising choice. For a start, neither I, nor the friend I went with, are exactly well-seasoned...

Buraka Som Sistema Interview

One of the positive effects of globalisation has been the increase in cultural exchange and the rising interest in arts and music from outside...

Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts at Minimal Hospital

You could question the wisdom of naming a night after a subgenre which is in the process of eroding its own boundaries, expanding beyond its...

Peaches at Circus

The lurid glamour of Jodie Harsh's legendary Circus night can make it a daunting experience for the more conventionally inclined clubber. The...

We Fear Silence - A Bunch Of Cuts

I arrive at south London's cavernous Arches club - now home to a gaggle of the The End's past promotions, including this one - justifiably hyped...

Booka Shade at Matter

Trekking to the outskirts of London at 1am? You're either disposing of a body or going to London's largest nightclub, Matter. This weekend you've...

DMZ at Mass

However holy the converted church now called Mass may have been in the past, the sheer number of stairs you have to climb to reach the main room...

Kingsize at Tommy Flynn's, Camden

Finally an entire day of sunshine. Camden's streets are full of rockers and hipsters, nutters, crackheads, dealers, evangelists, tourists, goths...

Christmas Exhibitions

Spoonfed proposes a spectacular cultural shift, and one that's to start this year. Forget the Church, leave the sofa and head to our Cathedrals...

Rebuild Rave

Antique computer hardware is a reality. Most shun it for what it is: entirely redundant and a possible fire risk. The techno world, however...

The Good, The Bad, and The Queen

A private jet circles above London. On board are the latest in super group technology, The Good, The Bad, and The Queen. Their pilot &ndash...

The Masque of the Red Death

It is by no means easy writing a comprehensive piece on Punchdrunk Theatre's latest and greatest production, The Masque of the Red Death. I...

Cleo Laine and John Dankworth

Husband and wife team Cleo Laine and John Dankworth bring their special magic to the Barbican, marking their 80th birthdays with a gala concer...

Ladyfest London

Oh no! The Zen Pussy Workshop is cancelled! This is my startling realisation upon opening the Ladyfest programme, but browsing through it seems...

Malcolm Middleton at Union Chapel

With songs like 'We’re All Gonna Die', 'A Moaning Shite' and 'Loneliness Shines' you wouldn't be blamed for thinking that an evening in...

Supergrass at the Astoria

I must say it's been a while since I've rocked out to them, but me and Supergrass go way back. It was 1995, the height of Britpop, and I was...

Beside The Seaside

Over what sort of landscape does your mind's eye roam when you think of festivals? There are tents, fields and thousands and thousands of other...

Best Dubstep, Grime and Bassline in London

Over the last few years a disturbing addiction has emerged in the new generation of Britian's ravers – artists such as Skream, Benga, Caspa...

Best London Festivals Part I

Ladyfest The UnderworldFri 9 May – Sun 11 MayFri and Sat £20; Sun £15; weekend £40Celebrating female creativity in al...

Best London Festivals Part II

O2 Wireless Hyde ParkThu 3 July – Sun 6 JulyThu £40; all other days £45Now in its fourth year, O2 Wireless boasts the pull of...

Earth and Sir Richard Bishop at Camden Underworld

Dylan Carlson formed influential band Earth in 1990, and pretty soon Sub Pop agreed to release their first record on the strength of a show. ...

Faust @ Cargo, 2 September 2008

If you're not familiar with Faust, the basic things to know are that they're German and they're almost universally revered for their contributi...

London Clubs: September

Using the term 'fidget house' always feels a bit ridiculous – especially since Jesse Rose, one of the style's originators, claims it was...

Neurotic at the ICA

As a young man, artist Fiddian Warman tells us, his thing was punk. What with a name straight out of Waugh (or maybe Star Wars), put hand i...

Metamorphosis at the Lyric Hammersmith

Someone who hasn't seen the Lyric Hammersmith's Metamorphosis, originally a 2006 production but revived this month, might ask: how do you adapt...

Normski and Eddie vs The Kids

The Wildstyles exhibition of hip-hop photography launched at the PYMCA gallery last year, featuring images of rappers like Kool Keith comin...

The Bug's 'London Zoo' Launch Party @ Third Base, 2 August 2008

There's a transatlantic relationship that for a long time has seen musical ideas bounce between Jamaica and the UK. Kevin Martin's music as The...

The Month In Clubs: July

Unless you've been living under a giant glitter-ball, you're probably aware that disco is now a basic nightlife staple, like hotdogs, fake cocai...

Trouble Vision at Corsica Studios, 19 September 2008

Trouble Vision: the first one ever, about one o'clock, and it's pretty hot and rammed. Not so that you can't get a drink before your soul dies...

Underage

From the perspective of a London boy or girl under 18, clubbing seems to be changing. Maybe the sort of leisure activities demanded by young...

Field Day

Sitting in an east London café filling up on fried food and caffeine, all talk is of the impending afternoon in Victoria Park, put together...

August: Travelling on a Thames River Cruise

Seen in the opening credits of EastEnders, Bond’s boat chase in The World is Not Enough and home to Britain’s external spy agency...

Adventures In Sound

Just like No Music Day on the 21st of November, the London Jazz Festival passed by with, well... silence. Devoted Jazz enthusiasts flocked to...

Best Beer Festivals

There's a 'warm' war raging in London. In run-down boozers and traditional Victorian pubs, 'soldiers' for real ale sit grumbling about the commercialization...

Black Ghosts Interview at Glastonbury

Having both been in chart-bothering British electronica bands at the turn of the century, perhaps The Black Ghosts were born for big things. ...

Best Quizzes In London

Ah! The humble pub quiz. As Londoners, we like nothing better than winning a bottle of vino or a few bob on a weeknight or a Sunday.Quizzes ...

Best Days Out for June

If the thought of lining up in long queues just to get to the bathroom is a little daunting and you're sick of having to pre-register and sit...

July: Hitting the Streets

All summer 'Best of...' features seem to start with a soliloquy on how fine the weather has been lately and how we should get out from behi...

Dean Haglund: X-Files Improv

Descending the stairs at the Arts Theatre we feel like gate-crashers at an AA meeting, herded into an 'intimate' space below the main theatre...

Free Things to Do in London

Of late, we at Spoonfed have been knocking around an idea for a new sit-com. It’s going to be called Shut That Bloody Door (accompanyi...

London Ice Skating

It’s time to put down that pint, dust off those ice skates and make the best of the cold season. Yes, exercise can be a bore, but wh...

London Re-Freshers Festival at Fabric

At the best of times, Fabric resembles a children's amusement park. Full of passages, 'play' areas and nooks and crannies perfect for an adults...

London Jazz Festival

Duke Ellington said "By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with", but over the...

Movie Comic Media Expo at ExCel

You're dressed to the nines in a mini-skirted version of a blue and white sailor uniform, complimented by a neon blue wig and knee high white...

Salsa at Bar Salsa

If salsa is the food of love then the beginners dance classes at Salsa in Leicester Square are a broken marriage. You’d think the format...

The Paradise Guide to Better Yourself

London really does have something interesting to do every minute of every day. There's never an excuse for staying home on a Monday night, falli...

The End of the World on Brick Lane

What would you do if you knew your last breath would leave your well-worn body in eleven or so hours? Contemplating this while procrastinating...

The Underground Rebel Bingo Club at The Mission Room

Unless you have recently been absconded by a friend and taken to one of the many eclectic nights at The Mission Room, the chances of finding...

Henley Royal Regatta

June 30 – July 4 2010We all know the British summer is very fleeting, so cramming in as many fair weather activities as possible is very ...

Best New Bands

The problem with British bands is that no-one really gives a shit about them. Aside from those mainstream acts such as The Enemy and The Pigeo...

Let's Wrestle

This was not a show, but a party. It was to be held in a secret warehouse location in Whitechapel, but the day before it became apparent that...

Sex Is Disgusting

You might have missed it whilst you were scoffing ice cream cones and shoving 2ps into arcade games but Brighton, thanks to its liberal and diverse...

Line Drawings at the Subway Gallery

The journey to work on the tube is an inevitable, if unpleasant part of daily London life. At best you'll be crammed into a stuffy compartment...

Adam Green at Koko

The boy works fast. Notable in the anti-folk canon, but mostly imbued with the divinity of being adored by post-pubescent girls, Adam Green recently...

Asobi Seksu at ULU

NYC's Asobi Seksu have variously been described as masters of weaving drone with melody; the fuzzy successors of My Bloody Valentine; and sounding...

Cherbourg at The Borderline

'Folk' sounds so bluntly pleasant. But it can end up a nefarious, diluted affair. Recently, there've been waves of those toting shy-heartedness...

Hong Kong in the 60s + Centre of the Universe at The Others

In the interest of brevity, I'll save the epic tale of the onerous voyage to The Others for another time. Suffice to say, it took many miles...

Howlin' Rain at the Luminaire

The timing is perfect for Howlin' Rain's visit to our unexpectedly sunny shores. They play this show at the Lumi within days of our cantankerous...

Kong at The Buffalo Bar

The Buffalo Bar is the kind a subterranean dingebox that is tactically necessary for dirty gigs. The right kind of can-you-beat-a-knife-wielding...

Proud Camden Reopens

The Proud Gallery re-opens in Camden at The Horse Hospital. Its new usage could not be further from the equine cack-reeking infirmary of the...

Songdog at the Roundhouse

Walking into the sparsely populated FREEDM studios in Camden's Roundhouse tonight is like walking into a daytime sound check. Hey, I could've...

Viking Moses at the Luminaire

'The Lumi' as she's affectionately known is London's dim little nest of auteurs, where experimental crusaders and anti-social whackjobs (amongst...

Beginner's Parkour at Westminster Academy

As far as casual workouts go, £5 is a pretty good deal. When you consider that most gyms won't let you in the door for under a ten...

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