Spoonfed editors select the biggest and best events taking place in London this October.
The spookiest month of the year sees legendary symphonic band The Polyphonic Spree celebrate Halloween in style, performing their only UK gig this year with a Rocky Horror twist. There's also some epic birthday bashes in club land, a sharp new comedy play about privacy in the media, an exhibition where you get to play god and a rather extraordinary non-dining restaurant...
Live Music
Nas @ Various venues – Widely regarded as one of the best MC’s of his generation, Nas kicks off October with three highly intimate shows around London.
Black Dice @ Birthdays – An experimental noise outfit from Brooklyn who sound like Dirty Projectors meeting Lightning Bolt, Black Dice play their first UK in a good long while at Birthdays this month.
John Cale @ The Royal Festival Hall – His first UK show in absolutely ages, ex-Velvet Underground bassist and all round musical visionary John Cale plays the South Bank Centre as part of the Ether festival.
Nail the Cross @ The Shacklewell Arms – Confusingly moved from New Cross to Dalston, Nail The Cross is going for a 2-day mini-festival sort of vibe this year, but it still boasts one of the best indie line-ups of 2012.
Polyphonic Spree @ The Forum – The best looking Halloween gig out there, psychedelic choral types the Polyphonic Spree present the Rocky Horror Picture Show in all its camped up, cult glory.
Clubbing
Side x Side @ secret location - Get ready for the biggest disco event of the year as London’s Horse Meat Disco go head to head with NY legend Danny Krivit in a warehouse. This will be awesome.
Fabric's 13th Birthday @ Fabric - London’s finest club celebrate turning the ripe old age of 13 with another of their infamous weekend-long marathon sessions, featuring Jooris Voorn, Visionquest, DJ Sneak and more.
Double Trouble Vision @ Corsica Studios - Fellow birthday boys Trouble Vision celebrate their fourth anniversary with two parties over consecutive weekends with the likes of David Rodigan, Lil Louis and Nick Hoppner joining the party.
RBMA presents DJ Harvey @ Oval Space - Making his first UK appearance in 10 years, the quintessential DJ’s DJ runs the show at Oval Space on the 19th.
The Hydra: Innervisions & Permanent Vacation @ secret location - The Hydra call in two mighty German house labels for a showdown featuring Dixon, Tensnake and more.
Theatre
The Woyzeck @ New Diorama Theatre - Sebastian Rex's take on this classic play about pressure, murder and the endless struggle to make a living.
Blue Sky @ Hampstead Theatre - This political drama about journalism and government operations looks covert cover-ups in the countryside.
The Good Neighbour at BAC - A meal and a theatrical journey through Battersea. I would have raised an eyebrow had BAC not convinced me about the brilliance of food and interactive theatre.
NSFW @ Royal Court Theatre - Amazingly, there are still tickets left for this! From the incredibly talented writer Lucy Kirkwood, NSFW looks at media politics and the things we sometimes share which are Not Safe For Work.
Blackta @ The Young Vic - Racial politics in the theatre. This sharp, funny satire looks at the competition between ethnic actors.
Exhibitions
Rain Room @ The Barbican – Digital arts specialists’ rAndom International take over the Curve Gallery for an installation that allows visitors to literally play god and control the rain.
Rothko/Sugimoto @ Pace Gallery – London’s brand new Pace Gallery kicks off in style in an inaugural exhibition that juxtaposes Mark Rothko’s late black and grey paintings with Hiroshi Sugimoto’s photographs of water.
Cotman in Normandy @ Dulwich Picture House – Once regarded in more esteem than Turner, British watercolourist John Sell Cotman gets his first exhibition in 30 years at the Dulwich Picture House this month.
William Klein + David Moriyama @ Tate Modern – Drawing a line between the denizens of New York and Tokyo, Tate Modern looks at the work of two groundbreaking street photographers; William Klein and David Moriyama.
Frieze London @ Regent’s Park – Showcasing everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, Frieze returns to the West End to stir up more controversy than John Terry riding a horse naked through the streets of Coventry.
Comedy
Comedy Banquet hosted by Arthur Smith @ King's Place – The legendary comedy veteran presides over a jam-packed evening of sketch, character and innovative comedy featuring Colin Hoult, Holly Burn, Thom Tuck and more.
Tony Law: Maximum Nonsense @ Soho Theatre – One of the best-reviewed comedy shows of the Fringe, Tony Law presents his 2012 Eddie nominated show, a whirlwind of absurdity and subversion, featuring Mayan priests, pirates and a 1908 Olympian.
Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel @ Leicester Square Theatre – An improvised comedy play in the style of Jane Austen, based entirely on audience suggestions. Another Fringe highlight.
La Concepta @ secret Soho location – Simon Munnery’s exclusive non-dining restaurant comes to Soho, offering eight non-diners at a time, all the rigmarole of haute cuisine without the shame of eating.
Dara O'Briain @ HMV Hammersmith Apollo – The charismatic Irishman brings his new tour show to the Apollo, delivering typically smart and funny thoughts on TV psychics, astrology and school nativity plays.
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