The London Word

The All Star Lanes Chilli-Off

Nick Purves — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:32:08 +0000

It’s the hottest day of the year and I’m at a chilli-off. Ha ha The London Word, very funny.

What’s next? Asking me to cover an Easter egg hunt the next time a blizzard sweeps in?

But all good-natured, fist-shaking aside, this event is quite an entertaining spectacle at which to be present. No less than 20 chillies are competing for the right to be on the menu of Brick Lane’s branch of All Star Lanes. Judging the competition are noted food writers and chefs such as Dominic Midgley and Hereford Road’s Tom Pemberton, amongst others. There is also a People’s Choice Award that is decided by the votes of those punters coming in off the street and snaffling up small samples.

Talking to some of the entrants before the tasting, there is a wide spread of opinion as to what a good chilli should have. I discover that there is a sharp dividing line between those who believe that a chilli should contain beans and those that believe these legumes have no place in a dish such as this. I can’t even get a straight answer from a Texan woman who really should be the definitive voice on the subject.

Moving past this controversial issue, I ask the competitors as to the make-up of their particular entries. There are ingredients consistent to pretty much every entrant, with dried ancho, paprika and salsa being regular fixtures in the recipe. However, there are some leftfield additions too. Some secret ingredients I manage to prise out include avocado, organic chocolate and even Mexican beer fetching up.

The selection is very meat-heavy, with only one vegetarian and one vegan chilli being put forward. However, both are pretty decent offerings with the vegan chilli having a solid mushroom base and a strong finish that most meat-based chillies would do well to emulate. There are a few chillies that don’t make the grade with an attempted Indian-Texan hybrid being particularly unsuccessful.

But overall, the standard of the chillies is very good. My favourite chilli, which has braised steak as its base, is also the choice of the judges and will be resident on the All Star Lanes menus for many years to come. The winner of the Peoples’ Choice is Charlie Nelson who also comes third in the judge’s estimations. It’s been a charming and friendly day, but I’m now off to run my tongue under a cold tap.

All Star Lanes
95 Brick Lane
E1 6QL

www.allstarlanes.co.uk

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Fightstar at the Roundhouse

Nick Purves — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:49:33 +0000

Can rockers wear khaki shorts? They did when Fightstar took to the Roundhouse’s stage as part of the month-long iTunes Festival.

Other acts to appear at the Roundhouse this July include Bat For Lashes, Franz Ferdinand, Oasis and Kasabian, so the group will have to work hard to prove their mettle.

Fortunately, they had an enthusiastic audience on their side that whooped and moshed away as the group fired off song after song from their three studio albums and first EP.

What was immediately apparent about Fightstar was their earnestness. Frontman Charlie Simpson was at pains to thank both the audience for coming and iTunes for putting the group on. Their songs displayed plenty of vigour and aggression but none of the deftness and craft of groups like the Deftones and Fugazi. Songs such as The English Way and Mercury Summer were caught between trying to be experimental whilst sticking to the conventions of the genre.

Another part of the problem was that Simpson is not terribly charismatic as a frontman. He needs to relax and to remember that the audience are there for him and not the other way around.

As for the rest of the group, guitarist Alex Westaway was bending and gyrating like a polio victim struggling with his flies in front of a gaping latrine whilst Dan Haigh repeated the typical bassist tic of banging his head every time he changed note.

When Simpson demanded that the audience form the biggest ring and that everyone ‘lose their fucking heads’, they obeyed. But from up on high, the swirling vortex looked less like a swelling circumference of anger and more like a giant game of Ring a Ring o’ Roses.

There was some change of pace with the introduction of a piano on Flood and a brief hope of some kind of subtlety. But eight bars in and we were back to the turgid thrashing of before.

What’s interesting about Simpson in his present incarnation is that he quit his previous group, Busted, on account of them being too pop and too manufactured. But all through the gig, Simpson made reference to the fact that the concert was available for download and insisted that the audience were to thank the Apple Corporation for putting the series of concerts on. And as he said, ‘we’ve got some really great T-shirts at the back, check ‘em out,’ I was left to wonder if he simply swapped one method of enterprise for another.

iTunes Festival runs until July 31 at:

Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road
NW1 8EH

Tel: 0844 482 8008

Image by Rankin

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Rush Salons – Win a Free Blowdry!

Gemma Hughes — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:38:45 +0000

WARNING: Running around London in 30-odd-degree heat can cause heatstroke, fainting, death and most worryingly of all, a limp, dishevelled hairstyle.

So what’s a style-savvy, sweaty London girl to do? Why, enter The London Word’s fabulous competition, of course, and win yourself a treatment and blow dry at one of multi-award winning salon group Rush’s London salons.

Rush has 40 salons (11 of which are in London), and just to make sure that we aren’t offering you anything other than top-notch goods, I popped down to the brand-spanking-new Moorgate branch earlier this week to test drive the prize. And a thoroughly enjoyable experience it was too.

Aside from nice little treats like really good coffee and a wealth of magazines to choose from, Rush passed the two crucial hairdresser tests: Firstly, I was able to say what I liked, what I didn’t, and was actually listened to. And secondly, when I wanted chat about shoes and hair dye and Marie Claire, there was chat. When I wanted to relax and be quiet, there was quiet. And that in itself was worth the trip alone.

I had the pleasure of being looked after by Emma Sherman, who deserves a mention by name, as she genuinely has given me the best cut I’ve had in years, being, like all Rush employees, trained to the highest standards.

So, fancy a go yourself?

Rush has teamed up with The London Word to offer 50 readers the chance to WIN an exclusive Blow Me Away prize. 50 lucky readers will win a fantastic blow dry with one of Rush’s experienced stylists – the perfect antidote for lack-lustre London locks.

In addition to the fabulous blow dry, you will receive complimentary refreshments, a personal hair consultation and a luxury Kerastase Treatment Ritual, which will be individually prescribed for you to ensure your hair glistens and shines.

Rush has London salons in Baker Street, Camden, Chiswick, Clapham, Covent Garden, Fulham, Kings Cross, Moorgate, Putney, Victoria and Wimbledon.

To be in with a chance of winning please answer the following question:

Q. How many salons does Rush have in total?

Email the answer, along with your preferred salon, to word@thelondonword.com by August 1.

Please title your email BLOW ME AWAY.

Terms and conditions: Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Selected stylists only. Appointment times and restrictions may apply. Prize must be redeemed within one month of being informed you have won. Competition closes 1 August, 2009.

Good Luck!

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Priscilla Ahn’s UK Triumph

Abberline Vaseline — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:29:51 +0000

Fresh from performances at Glastonbury and Hard Rock Calling, Priscilla Ahn’s come a long way from rural Pennsylvania.

An appearance on Later With Jools Holland and a headline show at the Pigalle Club in Piccadilly have seen the American/Korean songstress thrust into the UK spotlight in recent weeks.

Her debut album A Good Day, released last Monday, sees her artfully balance youthful whimsy with grown-up sophistication, and her lilting single Dream even featured on EastEnders. Not bad for a young artist who struggled to success playing coffee shops and open mics.

Her story is the stuff feel-good films are made of: pretty talent packs bags ( ‘two guitars, clothes, and some other junk I really didn’t need to bring ‘) and road trips across the gargantuan landmass of America to Los Angeles’ land of promise. There she meets a bohemian bunch, juggles bad waitressing jobs and lands a record deal with Blue Note.

Joey Waronker produced A Good Day; an album grounded in folk, country and pop, which features dreamy, sunny lyrics from Ahn and subtle undertones from a range of unusual instruments.

How did life change when you moved to LA?

‘I was raised in a small city called Reading, and then at the age of 13 we moved to a very small rural area called Bernville. I loved being surrounded by nature and trees, but I was also drawn to city life.

‘At 19 I was ready for a move. Los Angeles had what I needed, and I felt like it wasn’t too overwhelming. It’s more of a suburban sprawl than a mega metropolis. It was really empowering to make the move on my own, and so far from home to pursue something I loved.’

What motivated you to get gigs in the early years?

‘Mainly to get better at performing my songs on the guitar. I had a lot of experience singing already in front of people, but playing songs I wrote on the guitar was a whole new thing. I found it to be really fun in the end, and just wanted to do it as much as I could.’

What, and who, inspires your music?

‘The things I listen to definitely influence my music: Chet Baker, Feist, Neil Young, Tom Jobim, Andrew Bird, and whatever else I may be listening to at the moment. A lot of what I write about comes from personal experiences.’

Can you tell us about A Good Day and the creative process of making the album?

‘It’s an accumulation of songs I’d written from the age of 17 to 23. In the studio, we tried to keep the recording process as organic as possible. Joey Waronker, my friend Gus Seyffert and I would track the song live first (Joey on drums, Gus on bass, myself on guitar and vocal) and then we’d take turns picking up different instruments in the studio and laying them down on the track. We tried to keep it very simple, and true to the song, allowing the song to be the core of the recording, and my voice to be very up front in the mix.’

How do you find you are received in the UK compared to the US?

‘I think it’s about even. It feels like I’ve been touring in the UK a lot more than in the US though actually, so I sort of forget what it’s like touring in the US. But I have to say, the British audience is so respectful, and loyal, and just real music lovers.’

What do you think of London, and what experiences have you had in London before?

‘London is great! Each time I come back I discover a new area of it. There seem to be so many different parts of it that I feel like I still haven’t seen.

‘My first time in London was with Ray LaMontagne at the Barbican. I was really sick at the time, and ended up having a coughing fit on stage when I was singing really delicate harmonies with Ray…ugh! I was really embarrassed. But my fiancé came to visit me and we walked through Hyde Park and really had a lovely time of it.

‘My next time back was playing The Jools Holland Show which was an incredible experience, and doing my first headlining show at Bush Hall. Oh yeah, and I did a show opening for Jason Mraz at the Hammersmith Apollo. This time over has been my favourite so far. The weather couldn’t be lovelier.’

Priscilla Ahn’s A Good Day is available now in stores and online.

www.priscillaahn.com

This post is from The London Word and should not be republished elsewhere without prior permission. Please check out our site for more great stories and features.

Two Gentlemen of Verona

Nick Purves — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:25:06 +0000

Given the turmoil in the city’s financial district, the distraction of a little lunchtime theatre in the near vicinity should prove welcome.

With a duration of around about 45 minutes, Shakespeare’s comedy fits in nicely to allow a bit of culture before returning to the office. Bridewell Theatre’s Lunchbox Theatre drew a large and mixed crowd for one of the Bard’s earliest works.

Much like Shakespeare’s other comedies, the play revolves around a collection of lovelorn fools who stumble and err due to their romantic fervour. There is Valentine and Proteus, two friends whose relationship is threatened by the presence of Silvia, a woman to whom Valentine is betrothed and with whom Proteus is besotted. Such is Proteus’s newfound ardour that he instantly forgets his ties to Julia, whom he has left behind in Milan.

He even goes so far as to split the Valentine and Silvia up by revealing his friend’s plans to spirit Silvia away by night to her father. Julia comes to Verona in order to find Proteus but must dress up as a boy. All sorts of misunderstandings occur, but I don’t think I’m giving anything away by revealing that all ends well and everything returned to how it was.

The production by C Company is certainly a sprightly one and perfectly suited to the lunchtime audience. It felt slightly under rehearsed although as it continues its run into next week I expect it will become a lot more fluid. The actors need to settle down a little more and not appear so nervous and unsure. They are able to get the laughs but not with the punch one might expect. However, special mention should go to Ed Hulme for his portrayal of Thurio. It’s one of Shakespeare’s best comic parts and his lurid and smarmy interpretation is the highlight of the play. It’s only a shame that his dog could not also make an appearance.

This is an amiable production that will improve greatly as the run goes on. There are one or two weak spots but to concentrate on them would be to miss the point of the spectacle. For those around the City, in desperate need of cheering up, they could do a lot worse than spend 45 minutes learning that they are simply part of life’s wicked comedy.

Two Gentlemen of Verona is at Bridewell Theatre until Friday 10 July.

Bridewell Theatre
Bride Lane
Blackfriars
EC4Y 8EQ

Box office: 020 7353 3331

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Priscilla Ahn at the Pigalle Club

Peter Barrett — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:42:44 +0000

Any set list that contains a Harry Nilsson song, a Willie Nelson song and a song about boobs gets the thumbs up from me.

Emotional depth and artistic integrity will get you so far, but country music and breasts will get you a whole lot further. Amen.

On Monday night California’s Priscilla Ahn played Piccadilly’s Pigalle Club. Still giddy from appearances at Glastonbury and Hyde Park’s Hard Rock Calling, and still sporting the same muddy dress, Ahn is every inch the introverted West Coast folkie-songstress strumming with her heart on her sleeve. Her soft, breathy songs are tailor-made for intimate venues like the Pigalle and the quality of her performance is quite astounding.

Accompanied delicately by bass guitarist and keyboardist/sampler/digital knob-twiddler (what do you call such musicians? I vote for knob-twiddler), Ahn succeeds in sweetly wooing, a la Norah Jones, every first date couple in the room with her collection of unhurried, finger-picked folksongs.

The Pigalle Club is, for those Wordites yet to attend, one of London’s most interesting nightspots. Located approximately 50 feet beneath Piccadilly, it is London’s own 1930s Chicago cabaret-style lounge club and one gets the feeling Jessica Rabbit could take the stage at any moment.

But what really sets the Pigalle apart from so many other live music venues is the quality of its crystal clear soundsystem. Pigalle gigs are, at times, like listening to a CD.

Certainly, the slow tempo of tonight’s songs and Ahn’s hushed vocals ensure the Pigalle’s sound technician is not made to work too strenuously. Nevertheless, too many (unmentioned) small venues in London suffer from having scrimped and saved on their soundsystem. The Pigalle on the other hand is a treat for any audiophile.

Miss Ahn meanwhile is certainly a treat for the coffee-table generation of music lovers. She has, by chance or intent, procured a musical style that is at once both Eva Cassidy-smooth and adolescently quirky.

Some songs do stray too far towards the girly diary-on-tape approach of Kate Nash et al (I can feel my blood beginning to boil) and at times her stage patter is frustratingly dippy.

That said, she manages to charm tonight’s audience into a succession of warm-hearted ooohs and aaahs as she regales us with giggling stories of Californian High School house parties and how there was, ‘you know, this, err, this one time, you know, at band camp…’

But back to country music and boobs. Covers of Willie Nelson’s Opportunity to Cry and Harry Nilsson’s Moonbeam Song are a real highlight and reveal Ahn to have, like this writer, ahem, distinguished taste.

Ahn is a real find. The Pigalle is a real find. And a song about Ahn’s boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend’s breasts, entitled Boobs, is also a real find. Recommended all round.

The Pigalle Club
215-217
Piccadilly
W1 J 9HN

Tel: 020 7734 8142

www.priscillaahn.com

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Best of London’s Parks

Sophie Carville — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:26:00 +0000

With a scorching summer in full swing, hands up who wants to be picnicking somewhere green, with some trees and a lack of traffic?

Of course you do! Maybe with a bottle of wine or a few beers? Well…luckily for all of us, we live in one of the greenest cities in the world. Honestly, we do. When you’re trudging along The Strand, around Bank or somewhere equally urban, it’s easy to forget that London has thousands of acres of parkland for your pleasure and relaxation. So for the sake of expediency, here are the best of the North, South, East, West and Centre, listed for the next time you find yourself crying, ‘I need GREEN! Must have GREEN!’

North - Hampstead Heath
Oh yeah. You thought it would be Regent’s Park? Well, Regent’s Park is cool, what with the zoo and all, but Hampstead Heath is great because it’s so much more wild and forested. It’s also old - pre-Domesday Book stuff - and is one of the highest points in London, which means you can overlook the city and get a good view: 790 acres of beauty and an escape from the urban jungle.

South - Richmond Park
Alright, so it’s more south-west. But Richmond has to be mentioned, because rarely does one enter a park and feel as though one has been transported to another county. Richmond is a whopping 2500 acres of hills, forests and seclusion, and despite the droves of people who come here everyday, you can always find a part of it to have all to yourself. But the best thing about Richmond Park is surely the herds of deer, who aren’t the least bit intimidated by all the people. It’s also great to cycle around, and you can hire bikes there if you haven’t got your own.

East – Victoria Park
Or Vicky Park, as it is chummily known, which was apparently originally intended to be a Regent’s Park for East London, and is now better know for hosting some great music events. It’s fully throwing itself into festival season in July and August, but the rest of the time Victoria Park is peaceful and pretty with pools, ponds and trees.

West - Osterley Park
Grrr, it’s all about the National Trust buying up land and beautiful old houses, and then charging extortionate fees to see them. Osterley is one of them, but it’s mentioned here because access to the park is free! It comprises 350-odd acres, which is pretty sizeable, and it’s full of beautiful and colourful forests. And if you feel like making a day of it then you can cough up to the Nat Trust and see the lovely mansion and pleasure gardens too.

Central - Hyde Park
Of course it has to be Hyde Park. Added to Kensington Gardens, the whole thing is 625 acres - in the middle of London, mind you - and has been open to the public since the 1600s. It’s been at the centre of rallies, protests and concerts, and probably always will be due to its location, but apart from that Hyde Park is perfect for after work chill-out time. It’s huge, it’s central, it’s green, it’s relaxed and it’s open until midnight. What more could you ask?

Image by Gwire courtesy of Flickr

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London: Give Me Some Room

Jonathan Brown — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:45:51 +0000

Holidays only really succeed in highlighting the tedium of my regular existence.

Being separated from London for any amount of time enhances my growing frustration with the city that grates my cheese.

With regard to everything and everyone else absence generally does make my heart grow fonder. But when it comes to the capital, shitty the heart tends to grow colder as if it is a mirror reflecting the city’s personality right back at it.

Whilst on holiday, instead of weaving strategically through a packed Tube platform I sauntered whimsically along a blissful seafront with the spatial awareness of a blind, one-legged, senile pensioner. During which time nobody bumped into me, snarled at me, or made me feel as worthless as Monopoly money in Coutts.

Considering the fact that free range chickens are close to being given expense accounts, motorised scooters and individual penthouses overlooking the Thames, why are we humans, with the power to create our own destiny, choosing daily to be shoehorned into a metal tube with the comfort factor of pins and needles in the Sahara? If I have to go crotch-to-crotch with one more stranger that is so repulsive I wouldn’t even use them to sandbag my house as a flood deterrent then I’m going to have a breakdown.

Most trips characterised by inconvenience tend to have some sort of payout when you reach your destination, like water at the end of the dessert or birds migrating to avoid the winter. But when I reach my destination - being work - I’m encased in a tiny office that resembles a shed that’s storing the sun.

Lets leave it there with the Tube, because frankly it gets far too much press for something increasingly annoying; the Jordan of London’s public transport.

If it was merely London’s transport that robbed us of our personal space then that could be stomached, like eating my mum’s food every six months. But the problem is we’re smashed together in every aspect of London life. Small flats, packed parks, busy streets and more…

Once I’m freed from the sauna, a walk home along the river seems like the perfect tonic, except I once again find myself cheek-to-cheek with other Londoners. Cyclists seem to have adopted the arrogance of businessmen in posh convertibles; coming at you full throttle with your only option being to move or die as they apparently rule both pavement and road.

By the time I get home and close the door to my flat I could happily stay there for a million years or more. So long as I get to be alone.

Image by Dimitry B courtesy of Flickr

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Apostrophe’s Summer Saladerie

Nick Purves — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:27:04 +0000

As a society, we are moving away from the Health Years.

This is a period of time that has been regularly evolving in the past few decades.

These Health Years normally coincide with a period of economic prosperity. When people have more money, they feel better about themselves. Not only can they get the best television, the best car and the best holidays, they can get the best body too. This leads to an increase in gym memberships together with people actually using them. Gradually more and more people become obsessed with things like lats, abs and inguinal lines, and worry that they might not be getting their five-a-day.

Pop, the economic bubble bursts. People start losing their jobs and a £60 a month gym membership suddenly starts to look like a bit of an unnecessary expense. Money’s too tight for vitamin supplements and organic bananas so it’s back to cheap and easy junk food instead of rocket leaves and vegetables.

Which is a shame because a good salad can not only be a healthy option but also a very satisfying meal in itself. A well-prepared salad is not just a complement to a main dish but can be one in its own right. This is the thinking behind the new salad counter that’s opened in the Regent Street branch of Apostrophe, the chain of boulangerie-patisseries.

The salad bar offers a choice between pre-prepared salads or a choose-your-own ingredients option. I went for the pre-prepared Provençal salad with goats cheese, roasted vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes on a baby leaf base with a raspberry vinegar dressing. My companion had the more traditional option of an Alsace sandwich, featuring pastrami, emmental, sauerkraut and mustard.

The salad was unexpectedly substantial and this can be put down to the freshness of the ingredients used. The leaves were juicy and the combination of the dressing along with the roast vegetables and goat’s cheese worked very well. My companion found the sandwich very much to his liking with particular praise for the bread. A well-balanced macaroon and a charming tarte de pomme paysanne finished off what was a very satisfying meal.

The next set of Health Years might be a few years from us but that’s no excuse not to try a little greenery in addition to that pizza.

Apostrophe
16 Regent Street
SW1 4PT

Tel: 0207 930 9922

Opening hours:

Mon-Fri: 7.30am-7pm
Sat: 8.30am -7pm
Sun: 9.30am -6.30pm

This post is from The London Word and should not be republished elsewhere without prior permission. Please check out our site for more great stories and features.

Get Your 40 Winks

Sophie Monks Kaufman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:22:07 +0000

If there’s one accusation you can level at London it’s that meeting people is not easy.

Sure, once introduced you can gently probe Mr X on various mind-numbing subjects, but approach a stranger with your barriers down? That’s just asking for ridicule.

At David Carter’s second ever Bedtime Stories, held on Wednesday 17 June, London’s cliquey social laws were shot into space returning in the altered form of 34 chilled-out pyjama wearers.

For those who have not read my compelling interview, the basic premise is that you rock up, change into your jim-jams, mingle whilst grazing on wine and nibbles and then settle down in a comfy lounge to listen to two bedtime stories.

The stories this time round were a mixed pair. The first was Anton Chekhov’s At Home in which most of the action centres on some over thoughtful member of the bourgeoisie over thinking and, finally, doing something small. Standard Chekhov fayre with the only twist being that no one dies. I hate Chekhov, but the reading by a tall, elegant actor drew many laughs from the audience.

The second story made up for the lags of the previous half . Delivered in a pitch perfect American accent by a sultry Louise Ford, Peter Carey’s A Million Dollars Worth of Amphetamines is about a gangster’s moll who flees the big city after her lover is sent to jail. She ends up in a backwater town in the bed of the slow-paced but comforting Claude. Their love is imperfect but sustained until, provoked, he attempts to bring back the drama and glitz of her old life. This brings their relationship to instant destruction. The subtle moral haunts me still.

In charge of the stories were Spoken Ink, a nine-month old project manned by actors, set designers and assorted creative folk who aspire to put out short audio books that, like music in the i-Tunes world, can be downloaded for 79p.

Rounding off the evening was Tallulah Rendall, a sweet, raw-voiced songstress who strummed out a few bedtime orientated songs on her gee-tar. By the time she had finished, my friends – old and newfound – had hatched a plan to stage an impromptu sleepover so that we could prolong our time together. Although, inevitably, too grateful to carry out an invasion of our benevolent host’s home, email addresses were swapped and pyjamas lingered in until, reluctantly, we changed into our civvies and dripped out into the night.

Waiting for our Tube inside Stepney Green station, my friend and I ran into a lady who we had not spoken to at the event but still recognised. I feared that the magical fairy glue had rubbed off and it was too late to play nice, but even outside of 40 winks the Masonic intimacy of being at Bedtime Stories remained. Which leads to the moral of this story: if you like people, join the club.

The next Bedtime Stories will take place on Wednesday July 22 and 29 at:

40 Winks
109 Mile End Road
Stepney Green
E1 4UJ

Tel: 020 7790 0259

www.40winks.org

This post is from The London Word and should not be republished elsewhere without prior permission. Please check out our site for more great stories and features.

David Carter’s Bedtime Stories