Russell Brand spotted at London fetish club opening

LONDON - Brit comedian Russell Brand was spotted attending the opening of a fetish club in East London called Porn Dwarf.

The dress code for the event on November 21 was leather, and it featured petite pole dancers, with a steamy X-rated video montage playing throughout the venue.

Brand, 34, was reportedly seen looking nervous as he kept dashing out to his car every 15 minutes to call his girlfriend of eight weeks, Katy Perry, 25, to update her on what was going on.

“Russ agreed to go to the club opening as it was being launched by a few of his mates. Everyone was wearing leather - it’s billed as a decadent fetish night, so Russell got into the spirit of things,” the Mirror quoted a source as saying.


“Dwarfs were working behind the bar and at one point Russell was seen having a deep and meaningful chat with a midget bouncer, gushing about the love of his life.


“Despite all the porn being played around him at the club, Russell didn’t seem that interested. In fact, he wasn’t drinking and was exceedingly well behaved.


“Not even the alluring pole dancing female dwarf caught his attention. There was even a rumour that Katy was going to show up too, but apparently she got wind of the nature of the club and pulled out at the last minute.

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“Instead, Russell had to keep darting to his car to chat to her on the phone. So despite all the temptations, Russell was only thinking of Katy.

Clarkson Rants and a Mention of Hackney

The enclosed article by Jeremy Clarkson was in this week's Sunday Times but has since been 'pulled' - probably by the subject of the article, Peter Mandelson. So much for free speech. But poor old manglebum fails to appreciate how the blogsphere works and in no time the article finds itself going viral round the world. Wonderful. Enjoy it - and feel free to pass it on if you did..... 

Jeremy Clarkson - Sunday Times 8/11/09 

I've given the matter a great deal of thought all week, and I'm afraid I've decided that it's no good putting Peter Mandelson in a prison. I'm afraid he will have to be tied to the front of a van and driven round the country until he isn't alive any more.
He announced last week that middle-class children will simply not be allowed into the country's top universities even if they have 4,000 A-levels, because all the places will be taken by Albanians and guillemots and whatever other stupid bandwagon the conniving idiot has leapt

I hate Peter Mandelson. I hate his fondness for extremely pale blue jeans and I hate that preposterous moustache he used to sport in the days when he didn't bother trying to cover up his left-wing fanaticism. I hate the way he quite literally lords it over us even though he's resigned in disgrace twice, and now holds an important decision-making job for which he was not elected. Mostly, though, I hate him because his one-man war on the bright and the witty and the successful means that half my friends now seem to be taking leave of their senses.

There's talk of emigration in the air. It's everywhere I go. Parties. Work. In the supermarket. My daughter is working herself half to death to get good grades at GSCE and can't see the point because she won't be going to university, because she doesn't have a beak or flippers or a qualification in washing windscreens at the lights. She wonders, often, why we don't live in America .

Then you have the chaps and chapesses who can't stand the constant raids on their wallets and their privacy. They can't understand why they are taxed at 50% on their income and then taxed again for driving into the nation's capital. They can't understand what happened to the hunt for the weapons of mass destruction. They can't understand anything. They see the Highway Wombles in those brand new 4x4s that they paid for, and they see the M4 bus lane and they see the speed cameras and the community support officers and they see the Albanians stealing their wheelbarrows and nothing can be done because it's racist.

And they see Alistair Darling handing over £4,350 of their money to not sort out the banking crisis that he doesn't understand because he's a small-town solicitor, and they see the stupid war on drugs and the war on drink and the war on smoking and the war on hunting and the war on fun and the war on scientists and the obsession with the climate and the price of train fares soaring past £1,000 and the Guardian power-brokers getting uppity about one shot baboon and not uppity at all about all the dead soldiers in Afghanistan, and how they got rid of Blair only to find the lying twerp is now going to come back even more powerful than ever, and they think, "I've had enough of this. I'm off."

It's a lovely idea, to get out of this stupid, Fairtrade, Brown-stained, Mandelson-skewed, equal-opportunities, multicultural, carbon-neutral, trendily left, regionally assembled, big-government, trilingual, mosque-drenched, all-the-pigs-are-equal, property-is-theft hellhole and set up shop somewhere else. But where?

You can't go to France because you need to complete 17 forms in triplicate every time you want to build a greenhouse, and you can't go to Switzerland because you will be reported to your neighbours by the police and subsequently shot in the head if you don't sweep your lawn properly, and you can't go to Italy because you'll soon tire of waking up in the morning to find a horse's head in your bed because you forgot to give a man called Don a bundle of used notes for "organising" a plumber.

You can't go to Australia because it's full of things that will eat you, you can't go to New Zealand because they don't accept anyone who is more than 40 and you can't go to Monte Carlo because they don't accept anyone who has less than 40 mill. And you can't go to Spain because you're not called Del and you weren't involved in the Walthamstow blag. And you can't go to Germany ... because you just can't.

The Caribbean sounds tempting, but there is no work, which means that one day, whether you like it or not, you'll end up like all the other expats, with a nose like a burst beetroot, wondering if it's okay to have a small sharpener at 10 in the morning. And, as I keep explaining to my daughter, we can't go to America because if you catch a cold over there, the health system is designed in such a way that you end up without a house. Or dead.

Canada 's full of people pretending to be French, South Africa 's too risky, Russia 's worse and everywhere else is too full of snow, too full of flies or too full of people who want to cut your head off on the internet. So you can dream all you like about upping sticks and moving to a country that doesn't help itself to half of everything you earn and then spend the money it gets on bus lanes and advertisements about the dangers of salt. But wherever you go you'll wind up an alcoholic or dead or bored or in a cellar, in an orange jumpsuit, gently wetting yourself on the web. All of these things are worse than being persecuted for eating a sandwich at the wheel.

I see no reason to be miserable. Yes, Britain now is worse than it's been for decades, but the lunatics who've made it so ghastly are on their way out. Soon, they will be back in Hackney with their South African nuclear-free peace polenta. And instead the show will be run by a bloke whose dad has a wallpaper shop and possibly, terrifyingly, a twerp in Belgium whose fruitless game of hunt-the-WMD has netted him £15m on the lecture circuit.

So actually I do see a reason to be miserable. Which is why I think it's a good idea to tie Peter Mandelson to a van. Such an act would be cruel and barbaric and inhuman. But it would at least cheer everyone up a bit. onto in the meantime.

Towards a Fluid State

Over the past couple of years Angella has been putting together great events bringing people together for fine drink and food. Called The Tasting Sessions they’ve taken place in some of London’s more interesting spaces. This year culminates in the big event. Towards A Fluid State.
Full details below. It's fully recommend if you want to have a great time…..

On Saturday 05 December an edgy food and drink festival is launching in a secret warehouse location in Dalston.

Called “Towards a Fluid State” this festival will be the first of its kind. An immersive and informative food and drink experience profiling flights of Cognac, Whisky, Gin, Sake and Natural & Biodynamic wine matched with delicious morsels of food. Also a platform for some of the UK’s hottest emerging contemporary artists, musicians, set and fashion designers this will be a truly unique experience.

It’s not a farmers market nor is it anything like Taste of London. We are working with a fantastic range of independent producers, distributors and brands to deliver unusual and compelling experiences around what you eat and drink.

The festival will run from 3-11pm with timed entry on the hour. Each session will last approximately 2 hours. The exact location will be revealed a few days before the event.
Tickets start at £16.50 and are available here: http://www.wegottickets.com/af/127/location/3570.

For the full Tasting Sessions experience, we recommend you Liberate the State. For more information check out www.towardsafluidstate.com

Possible new Banksy piece from Homerton - London

THE elusive street artist, Banksy, seems to have come back to the borough despite Hackney Council's determination to scrub out his iconic graffiti.

A new image has appeared on a brick wall in Homerton High Street, showing a little boy crying because his toy car has been clamped by traffic cops.

The artwork, set between two unusually-placed red phone boxes, uses the stencil technique and ironic political humour for which the Bristol-based guerrilla graffiti artist, whose distinctive paintings sell for as much as £250,000, is famed.

Banksy seems to be giving the council, which considers his work an illegal eyesore, the finger with his new creation adorning Hackney's walls even though the town hall has ordered other pieces of his to be erased in Dalston and Stoke Newington.

The council's decision to black out a much-loved Banksy mural on the side of a block of flats in Stoke Newington Church Street in August divided the community, with many residents accusing officers of vandalism.

Hackney music promoter and artist, Phillip Hall, said he was convinced the new artwork had been created by the notoriously mysterious Banksy, but that it should not suffer the same fate.

Number 38 Bendy Bus changes to Double Decker on Saturday

Transport for London have announced that from Saturday, the number 38 bendy bus from Victoria to Clapton Pond will change to a double deck bus with more frequent services.

 

 

On Saturday 14 November 2009, the night bus, the N38 from Victoria to Walthamstow will also be increased in frequency to run every 12 minutes, every night.

Passengers must board through the front door only and touch Oyster cards in on the yellow reader.
Both bus services run through Dalston and the changes have been made as part of Mayor Boris Johnson's plan to scrap bendy buses.

He said earlier this year: "These writhing whales of the road have swung their hefty rear ends round our corners for the final time. Pedestrians that leapt, cyclists that skidded and drivers that dodged ... will breathe easier.

"Bendy buses on other routes are on borrowed time."

For anymore information, see the TfL leaflet.

Soho versus Shoreditch

For anyone who has spent a fair amount of time in London, Soho and Shoreditch are household names synonymous with nightlife and the cultured young. Ask anyone where is good to go out and these two names will pop up. But these two areas and the people who inhabit them are as far from each other as the West to the East – and this isn’t just in terms of geography.

Soho makes me think of fake-tanned girls in miniscule dresses and killer heels. Also gay clubs.

Some of the bars have semi naked oiled men dancing about, or failing that slideshows of hot models on their large television screens.

Shoreditch on the other hand is a whole different world. Here the people are cooler than cool itself. When friends come and visit I always insist on taking them to the infamous Shoreditch - it’s an experience in itself. I used to give them one piece of advine - wear something checkered. Check shirts were so last year, yet when I take my check detector to Shoreditch it still goes off the Richter scale (my check detector is merely me saying, “check” every time I see something checkered). A typical walk down Shoreditch High Street sounds something like this: “Check, check, check, check.”

I find it amusing that such cool, individualistic, trend setting folk are in such a habit of dressing like each other. All the guys are rather skinny, with sleek side parted hair, black skinny jeans and Pimsoles. For girls it is all about looking vintage. A lot of black, dainty shoes, some fur, a bow here and there and a sultry expression.

Ahh, but you see, Shoreditch is becoming so passé. Dalston, Dalston is the new Shoreditch. Dalston is where the real alternative trendsetters head to these days. I can’t help but smile to myself; I lived in Dalston for over 3 years. Does this make me Dalston cool? I’m not convinced, but I’m going to try claim it anyway.

So you see I am a victim of my own mockery. As much as I dislike the cool kids down by Shoreditch Church, there is something about the East Side which keeps drawing me back.

There is something so dynamic, and well, cool about East London. No one takes tubes - it has nothing to do with the reason that tubes in East London virtually don’t exist. The borough of Hackney is best served by buses, or even cooler – bikes.

Failing that just walk, the street life is huge. There is such an eclectic mix of fruit and vege stalls, markets and general bric’n’brack.


Bricklane is a favourite. On weekends it is always full of trendy people, overflowing from the cafés, markets or roaming the streets eating from the huge range of culinary options.

So you see,  I am a Londoner, and my heart lies in the East side. I even have the I Heart Hackney badge to prove it!

Leona Lewis Makes Live Debut in Hackney

Leona Lewis played her first ever full concert on home turf in Hackney, East London, as she launched her new album.

The U.K. singer, who became a worldwide star after winning "The X Factor" in 2006, grew up in Hackney and chose the borough's famous Hackney Empire theatre as the location for her live debut last night (Nov. 2).

"I first performed here when I was 13," she told the audience, "So it seemed fitting to come back and do my first live show here."

Despite her lack of live experience -- and heavy security at the gig after Lewis was recently attacked at a London book signing - Lewis showed few signs of nerves during the gig, even when technical problems dogged her guitar player during "Better in Time."

Beginning with "Brave" from sophomore album "Echo," due Nov. 16 in the United Kingdom on Syco/Sony Music, and a day later in the United States on J, Lewis sang nine songs in total, including three other songs from the new record. "I Got You" and lead single "Happy" -- currently No. 98 on Billboard's Hot 100 -- were trademark Lewis ballads, but "Outta My Head" marked a change in direction with its high energy dance sound.

A troupe of semi-clad male dancers featured on several songs, while at one stage Lewis performed behind a giant hologram projection of herself.

Lewis also performed "Whatever It Takes" and her worldwide No. 1 "Bleeding Love" from her debut "Spirit" album. Lewis paid tribute to "the power" of the latter song, noting "because of that song I've been able to travel and do so many amazing things." She also played her cover of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" before ending the set with her version of Snow Patrol's "Run," a U.K. No. 1 for her in Dec. 2008.

Lewis is expected to tour next year, although no dates have yet been announced.

Passing Clouds - THE HALLOWEEN MARCH

Start Time:	Saturday, 31 October 2009 at 18:30
End Time:	Sunday, 01 November 2009 at 03:00
Location:	Abney Park Cemetery - Kingsland Road - Passing Clouds For the fourth year running Passing Clouds presents the Halloween March and Afterparty. The fabulous Strangeworks Collective are off to represent the March in Birmingham this year, but it will continue in their absence nevertheless! Don't fear - they will be back next year. Once again we will be meeting at Abney Park Cemetery at 6.30, then taking over the the streets of Stoke Newington and Dalston with a spect-acular parade of crazed spirits and ghoulish phantoms. Featuring live marching music from THE VAMP - gypsy swing band with a vampish twist. THE SMOKEY TAPS - seven piece swing band headed up by mistro EWAN BLEACH, featuring LOUISA JONES playing spooky old classics. KWAME OWUSU AND BAND - afro drumming and acrobatic masters! Let your soul awake in celebration of the dead! Dress in Black and White and come join us! Saturday 31st October 6.30: Meet at the entrance to Abney Park Cemetery 7.00: Procession down the one way system down the Kingsland Road 7.30: Procession finishes at Debeauvoir Square Tea and soup available courtesy of the TREEHOUSE CAFE 7.30: Party commences at Passing Clouds, 1 Richmond Road

Pavegen taps pedestrians for power in East London

When we were kids, we assumed that in the future everything would be powered by tiny nuclear fusion reactors: automobiles, toothbrushes, time machines (apparently we read a lot of sci-fi from the 1950s). The truth, as usual, is more mundane than all that: some of the more promising advances we've seen in green energy has been kinetic, taking the movement of automobiles or the tides and converting it into electricity. Pavegen, for example, can be set in public walkways to generate as much as 2.1 watts of electricity per hour from the footsteps of grizzled pedestrians. Using marine grade stainless steel and recycled materials, just five of these bad boys distributed over a well-worn sidewalk should be able to generate enough energy to keep a bus stop going all night. If not put into nearby lighting, the units are equipped with lithium polymer batteries for storage. Currently being tested in East London, look for them throughout the UK in 2010. 

 

Land of Kings on Diesel:U:Music radio

Tune in at 6pm tonight

When it comes to festivals in the Big Smoke, revellers are completely spoilt for choice. So with all that tough competition, organisers need to think outside the box a little bit in order to pull in the crowds. And members of the Land of Kings collective have done just that. Tapping into a unique resource--the long and winding Kingsland Road--they can offer you a rare festival experience where your frantic city schlep is swapped for a more civilised stroll down this popular east London promenade.

Click To View the Fullsize Image/s

The brainchild of three friends and Dalston residents, Land of Kings gives festival goers the chance to delve deep into the filthy underbelly of D-Town. “It’s a festival that celebrates all of Dalston’s many musical and artistic talents,” says Laura Martin, a member of The Land of Kings collective. “We wanted to show people that there are loads of amazing little hidden venues all around Dalston that you would not necessarily know about otherwise.”

This two-day Dalston party launched just last year and a right good time was had by all. “My highlight had to be seeing Disco 3000/Erol Alkan in the Stone Cave," says Laura. "He loved the idea of doing a set in a Turkish Restaurant. It was such an amazing night, hundreds of people just raving in this cave.”
And indeed the founders of Land of Kings--Piers, Nick and Connie--have left no stone unturned. Indulge your senses in the sleazy decadence of basement club Dreams or head down to a real Dalston institution, the Vortex Jazz Club. Brimming with insalubrious night-time joints a plenty, Land of Kings have got everywhere covered.

And the music’s not bad either. “We choose artists from totally across the board, from Italo disco, to electro, to acoustic indie,” says Laura. And indeed, last year's line up saw a stellar selection of talent, from electropop whizz kids A.Human to glorious indie popsters Sportsday Megaphone, and those ear-splitting beat masters, Drums of Death. And with DJ sets from Fuck Buttons and Faze Action, amongst others, the Land of Kings collective have clearly got their fingers firmly on the pulse of new music. So if last year's line up is anything to go by, we can expect great things.....
Can’t wait ‘til April? Well the Land of Kings have organised a pre-festival warm up, in the form of a Dungeon Disco this Friday. Taking place in Dalston’s very own Stone Cave, surely there’s no better way to spend All Hallows’ Eve….

Tickets are free, just email info@landofkings.co.uk and tell them the scariest band/DJ you've ever seen or heard.

Land of Kings festival takes place next April 2010, for more info go HERE

And Laura will be on Diesel:U:Music radio tonight, tune in HEREfrom 6pm

Thousands flock to Banksy Pub

The Library pub got a creative makeover by art group Crazy Fools

A PREVIOUSLY unseen work by graffiti artist Banksy was the star attraction as an urban art collective took over a pub for the weekend.

Around 2,000 people flocked to see Banksy's Portrait of an Artist as part of an exhibition by cutting edge Bristol-based collective Crazy Fools in The Library, in Upper Street, Islington, on Saturday and Sunday.

The Banksy on show at the pub

The "pop-up" show saw Bristol's best urban artists transform the pub with live art installations in the garden and large inflatable tentacles billowing from the windows.

Paul Villalba, 36, of Crazy Fools, said: "We thought it would be the perfect place because where do people like to go? They like to go to the pub.

"I'm happy with the way it looks. It's not all white walls like a normal art gallery and it's been an absolute success. I'm over the moon."

Mr Villalba acknowledged the significance of using Banksy's work, but said he wants his online gallery to stand on its own two feet without the celebrity name.

"People do come in for the Banksy piece but they actually spend more time seeing other stuff," he said.

"We used the Banksy name on the flier to establish ourselves but I think we've made enough of an impression to do it next time without."

DNT, 34, one of the artists whose work was exhibited at the show, said the pub location allowed more people to appreciate the accessibility of urban art.

"Banksy's opened up urban art and made it more acceptable," he said.

"He's almost legitimised it. People now look at our style in a new way and give it more respect."

Susie Ponter, 45, a visitor to the show, said: "I saw the blow up things outside and thought I'd come and see what was going on.

"I'd heard of Banksy before but I like some of the other works. They're very interesting."

The Library's manager Giulio Cassini, 35, said: "It's amazing, something very different. Everyone thinks it's great."

Three art installations created on Saturday will remain in the pub's garden until Crazy Fools return for another exhibition on December 12.

Restaurant in Your Home in Dalston

Some people are born for telly, others have telly thrust upon them. Mike Pemberton is both. He's great – a cantankerous, grumpy old man, who pauses only from having fantastically furious domestics with his missus to bitching about his protegees.

Restaurant In Your Home (BBC 2, 8.30pm) was, appropriately enough, deliciously tart.

For anyone who loves to watch people rowing – and I'm guessing that I'm not alone here – it was glorious.

Mike and wife Tina run a seafood restaurant from their home in Norfolk and are mentors guiding wannabes on the path to success.

It is, apparently, the latest money-making venture – spruce up your house and charge people for eating there.

The fun starts when they meet hard-to-like Hackney pair Matt and Marie, who are keen to transform their flat into a bijou diner.

Their front room has barely enough space to swing a roast chicken.

After a trial run, Matt gets the hump when they criticise his food. "I think they have misunderstood," he sniffs.

With revenge in their hearts, Matt and Marie go to Mike and Tina's award-winning home restaurant.

You can see them itching to find fault. Tina and Mike are, as usual, indulging in stagey bickering.

He's the harassed, put-upon hubby: "I haven't TOUCHED your bloody SPOONS!" he shouts. Marie can barely disguise her glee when Mike forgets to put their asparagus on the plate.

Tina, in the kitchen, remarks acidly: "Is she vocal? Or have they just had three bottles of wine too many?" Mee-ow.

Round three sees Tina "advise" Matt on his menu for opening night.

They fall out over his starters, his vegetables, his refusal to clear any space for people to sit. He is a bit up himself, this bloke. He describes salmon as "the hero" of the dish.

Removal men arrive. "Could you start with him, please?," says Tina, pointing at Matt.

"We won't get a bloody atom of thanks for this," spits Michael.

On opening night, Tina and Mike are there, lending support and constructive criticism.

"I don't think you need both asparagus AND samphire on the plate," says Marie, knowing full well that's what they served up. Mike's face, in the background, is a picture.

By the end, they've made a profit of £345. Mike is impressed: "I hated them to begin with," he confesses. You couldn't tell.

What's the secret to making money? The World's Greatest Moneymaker (BBC 2, 9pm) found the answer – not spending any.

Evan Davis's engaging profile of eccentric Warren Buffett found the 86-year-old may be one the world's richest men but he's a firm "short arms, deep pockets" kind of chap.

His daughter does deals on hail-damaged vehicles if she's shopping for a car. "He likes deals," she said.

Jack White's record label for pop-up shop in London

White's Third Man Records And Novelties store to hit Shoreditch next week



Jack White's record label Third Man Records is bringing a shop to London next weekend.

Arriving on October 30, the pop-up shop will be located in Shoreditch Church in east London.

Selling a range of records, t-shirts and merchandise from The Dead Weather, The White Stripes, and The Raconteurs, the shop will also be selling some exclusive merchandise made specifically for this London location.

In London to play Brixton Academy and The Forum with his band The Dead Weather, the pop-up store has also travelled to New York and Los Angeles, but this will be its first appearance outside of the US.

Jack White's Third Man Records And Novelties shop will be open on the following dates:

October 30 - 11 am to 6 pm
October 31 - 11 am to 9pm

Listen out for an exclusive announcement on NME Radio about the London shop on Thursday (October 29) at 4pm.

Buyers eyeing Dalston, E8 may find house prices high

Move to this part of London and you’re likely to stay — especially now the Tube link is on its way

Prospective buyers eyeing Dalston in East London may think of E8 as “the next big thing” — central, cheap and, with the East London line extension due next year, a good long-term investment. But, as our East London special last week showed, sprawling Hackney is an unpredictable borough, with huge price rises in some parts, while areas near by lag behind. E8 — Dalston and London Fields — is so far one of the former, with prices up 18 per cent between October 2006 and October 2008, according to the Land Registry. So, is it too late to bag a bargain and are there further large price rises to come?

Where is popular?

Leading the way is a grid of tree-lined streets between London Fields to the east and Queensbridge Road to the west, including roads such as Albion Drive and Richmond Road. Here, a three-bedroom house with a garden is likely to cost upwards of £700,000 — less than in Islington, but not quite as cheap as Clapton, farther north, where pretty three-bed terraces can be found for £400,000.

Why now?

Anne Currell, head of Currell estate agency and an E8 resident, said that a mix of good schools, green spaces and lovely Victorian houses has made the area popular, but a limited number of homes has pushed prices up. Throw in the Tube link and Olympic works, cafés, shops and Broadway Market, and it is no wonder that “families who move here tend to stay”.

How badly have prices fallen?

In May, the annual average house price fall across Hackney was 23.4 per cent. But while prices in E1 (Shoreditch) fell 4.7 per cent in the past six months, according to Hometrack, they dropped just 2 per cent in neighbouring E8. Some agents say this is due to its proximity to the City, and also to prices that were less inflated than trendy E1.

Will bonuses boost demand?

Probably not. “The bankers still want to live in North and West London: it’s the lawyers and the doctors, the next pay bracket down, who want to live in E8,” Currell said.

And the new transport links?

Commentators disagree as to how much effect the overland extension of the East London line will have. Gary Patrick, sales director for Barratt East London, said that Barratt’s Dalston Square has already sold 166 of its 181 phase-one flats since its launch in March 2008, in anticipation of the new station. Currell expects to see further price rises, on top of any natural recovery, when the station is completed next year.

Isn’t Hackney dangerous?

The area has struggled to shake off its reputation as crime-ridden and grubby. Patrick said that most of the Dalston Square flats were sold to people already living locally, which suggests that buyers from elsewhere are yet to be persuaded.

Can you still make a pound or two?

For the first-time buyer or investor, Dalston is still a bit cheaper than some neighbouring areas. One-bedroom flats in period properties start at about £230,000, while Dalston Square has flats available for £280,000. Phase two, due to be launched next year, may have even cheaper properties. Queensbridge Quarter, a United House development bordering Richmond Road, has one-bedroom flats from £350,000.

Let's move to Dalston, east London

It's come a long way since the 90s, baby

Dalston: Nowhere near as grim as its reputation suggests. Photograph: Felix Clay

What's going for it? Is it gone? Is it over? Has it become an unbearable place of braying skinny-jeaned trustafarian hipsters hanging in underground bars discussing their latest cult night? In part. Dalston has come a long way since the 90s, when Patrick Wright wrote A Journey Through Ruins, his magnificent history of postwar Britain seen through the dusty arse-end of London – aka Dalston. It is now, says some style mag or other, London's new Notting Hill(!) and loft-style apartments at £400k a pop have invaded, the early symptoms of extreme gentrificationitis. But the old stomping ground of my Jewish grandma is vibrant enough to keep the new 'uns in their place. The Turks still have their social clubs and magnificent grocers, the Caribbeans their fish shops, there's tiptop culture (Vortex jazz club, Rio cinema, Arcola Theatre), and Ridley Road market still has the best bagels in town.

The case against Too cool for school. Move here and you'll be as instantly pigeonholed as if you'd moved to Clapham or Hoxton. Blinking expensive. The real risk that, yet again, gentrification will bleach the place of all diversity. A right old mess in parts, and crime is still a problem. Bring earplugs.

Well connected? Buses trawl north-south from Tottenham to Liverpool Street, or east-west from Hackney to Islington, King's Cross and Euston. Rail: the North London Line goes east-west (a gem – every 15 mins) from Stratford to Richmond via Islington, Hampstead and Willesden; come June, south to Shoreditch, Whitechapel, New Cross and Crystal Palace.

Schools Good – recent rapid improvements. Primaries: Holy Trinity CofE, Our Lady and St Joseph RC, St Matthias CofE and Colvestone all "good", Shacklewell and Queensbridge "good" with "outstanding" aspects. The new Petchey Academy is "good" with "outstanding" features; Mossbourne Academy "outstanding".

Hang out at… The latest bleeding edge bar (Dalston Superstore et al), probably. Give me the sizzling Turkish grills (Mangal, Istanbul Iskembecisi, etc) any day.

Where to buy Still marginally cheaper than Stoke Newington, Islington and De Beauvoir. Dalston was posh in parts before, and you'll see the traces in its grander parts, like around St Marks.

Market values Flats, £160,000-£400,000. Terraces, £300,000-£650,000. Detached four-bed Victorians, from £750,000.

Bargain of the week Three double-bedroom town house with garden, £290,000-330,000, with Douglas Allen (020-7923 1919).

• Live in Dalston? Join the debate at guardian.co.uk/letsmoveto

See latest plans for Victoria Park - Saturday 24 October

Tower Hamlets residents can see how their ideas have helped shape multi-million pound improvement plans for Victoria Park at a special event on Saturday 24 October.

Taking place in Victoria Park (Grove Road entrance) between 10am and 6pm, visitors will be able to see the latest park plans, while children can enjoy free face painting and donkey rides.

Tower Hamlets Council’s Parks and Open Spaces Team collected the views of more than 1,000 visitors during August and September. The information gained through surveys, footfall counts, consultation meetings and public events has all been used to further develop park plans.

Help shape the future of Vicky Park

Residents can still give their views on multi-million plans to restore Victoria Park.

• View the Masterplan proposed for Victoria Park
• Let us have your views. Complete the on-line survey

The information from special events and through additional surveys will be used to fine-tune the plans developed last year in consultation with local people.

Councillor Abdal Ullah, Lead Member for Cleaner, Safer, Greener at Tower Hamlets Council, said: “Last year we talked to local people to find out what they wanted to see in their park. We developed plans based on their views, which included an urban beach, improved play facilities, better sports pitches, a skatepark, restored heritage, additional café, along with more planting and landscaping.

“These plans helped the council pass stage one of a £5 million Heritage Lottery Fund / Big Lottery Fund bid, and now we need your help to develop the proposals to the final application stage. By telling us what you think of the draft plans and highlighting ideas you have, you’ll help us finalise the plans and make sure that we get them right.”

Tower Hamlets Council is planning to completely restore the park before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Detailed plans will be submitted to the Parks for People scheme, a £90 million joint project between the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The funding bid, coupled with an investment from the council, would total £12 million.

This will represent the single biggest investment in Victoria Park since its creation in the 1840s.

Latest news

Young Mayor tells younger generation to get involved: Tower Hamlets Young Mayor is encouraging the borough’s younger generation to have their say on multi-million pound plans to improve Victoria Park.

So far more than 1,000 people have given their views on the improvement plans, however Young Mayor, Uma Akther, along with Tower Hamlets Council, is calling on more young people to get involved.

Uma, from Bow is a regular visitor to the park, she wants young people to go online and fill out the short survey on the park’s plans. Read more from the press release.

Be Counted: Visitors to Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, will be counted by volunteers from the Bow Community Centre over the coming months, as part of the council’s multi-million pound plans to improve the park. Read more from the news story.

Memories of Vicky Park: Londoners are being asked to come forward and share their memories of the capital’s first people’s park – Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets. Whether they remember splashing around in the outdoor art-deco Lido, seeing German prisoners of war housed there during World War II, or enjoying a day of world-class entertainment at one of the park’s fantastic music festivals, Tower Hamlets Council wants to hear from them.

Memories will be used to create an audio history of Victoria Park, that will be available to download, so that visitors can walk around the park and explore its past. As well as interviewing local people, the recording will also include contributions from writers and historians.

To share memories of Victoria Park, contact Barker Langham, who in conjunction with MemoryScape, are
working on behalf of the council to produce the audio walks. Contact Toby Goaman-Dodson on 020 7278
7847 or email toby@barkerlangham.co.uk

View the Masterplan proposed for Victoria Park.

Click on the image and download a PDF (1.8Mb) of the Masterplan.

To get involved come along to some of the special events planned. You can help to plan play provision, look at the design for the new skate park or input into the future list of activities for visitors to the park. Fill in a survey and you’ll be entered into a draw for a meal at a local restaurant of your choice (up to £100 in value).

Special events

Saturday 24 October: Marquee in Victoria Park 10am - 6pm
Saturday 14 November: Project tour around the boroughs

On-line survey

Fill out the on-line survey with your views on the Victoria Park Masterplan.

Fill in the survey and you’ll be entered into a draw for a meal at a local restaurant of your choice (up to £100 in value).

Dalston Junction to Broad Street - A train drivers journey from the 70's!

So anyone wanting to know what the view of the journey from new overground line would be like from Dalston Juntion to the City can watch a similar recorded journey from 1970's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrf61Iz8Bhk&feature=related

Wind Turbine For Hackney Marshes

Hackney already experimented with wind power this past summer, and the council is now contemplating a bigger project: a public consultation is underway asking residents their opinion on a 120-metre high wind turbine for Hackney Marshes.

The proposal comes via the Olympic Delivery Authority, who envision a Hackney turbine as a quick route to their stated aim of generating local renewable energy for the 2012 legacy. One turbine is already going ahead on nearby Eton Manor, part of Waltham Forest, and the pair of them could one day power all of the Hackney's street lamps. The consultation runs until 14th December, and locals can have their say on the proposal or complete a survey. The council have also produced a lengthy FAQ page.

Wind farms have their advocates and detractors, and the siting of a turbine on the contested East Marsh, which amidst much local rancour is being concreted over for an Olympic-worthy disabled car park before reverting to sports pitches after the Games end, will be controversial.

It'll also give cause to a lyrically re-jigged version of Gus Elen's famous number, to be sung by Winehouse or Leona or whichever London crooner fancies a crack:

"'...Wiv a ladder and some glasses,
You could see to Hackney Marshes,
If it wasn't for the turbine in between."

ARTIST BANKSY SET TO REVEAL SELF-PORTRAIT

Son of Man by the artist Levi C. The piece will be among those exhibited at The Library bar
‘£250,000’ piece by cult graffiti painter on show at bar exhibition

CLUES to the identity of elusive guerilla graffiti artist Banksy are set to be revealed when a never-before-seen self-portrait of the artist goes on show in an Upper Street bar.

The exclusive Banksy original – worth £250,000 – and entitled A Portrait of An Artist, has until now been hanging in a private home in Bristol.

But next weekend (October 24 and 25), The Library bar will celebrate a major coup with a pop-up exhibition featuring Banksy originals, along with work by musician 3D, founder of the band Massive Attack, Secret Wars urban artist Inkie and a selection of Bristol’s finest.

A security guard will protect the Banksy pieces, which will be displayed in a private room above The Library’s bar. Alarms and cameras will also keep a watchful eye over them.
The show will feature original Banksy sculpture Watchtower and painting Heavy Weaponry, a collection of signed and unsigned prints, and a mystery installation.

The work, which is all for sale, with the exception of the self-portrait and the installation, will range from £100 to £25,000.

The show, featuring exhibits from 3Dom, Blu Bradley, DNT, Filthy Luker, FLX, Ghost Boy, Levi C, Lucy McLaughlin, Mick Hockney and Paul Insect, is to celebrate the launch of Bristol’s Crazy Fools online gallery.

Leon Thompson, of Crazy Fools, said: “It’s nice to do it in The Library because it’s not your normal four white walls space.

“We’ve got some really good urban art as well as some non-urban art including digital prints from Sarah Warren and really striking work from Anton of Shepherds Bush. We’ve got furniture, statues, and a giant glass moth table which I think we’re going to hang up.”

Mr Thompson said that the Banksy installation is a “really vibrant street Banksy”.

But all he could reveal about the self-portrait was: “The whole thing is quite secretive. It’s called a Portrait of an Artist. It’s him drawing himself.”

Crazy Fools’ Paul Villalba said: “We’ve never done anything on this scale before. We’re completely taking over The Library, with art happening everywhere possible.

“There’s going to be stuff bursting out of the windows, performance artists outside, live installations, exclusive works.”

MP Emily Thornberry, whose office is a short distance around the corner from The Library, said: “The most important thing is it’s the sort of art that young people are interested in. It’s fantastic news.”

The pop-up show runs from October 24 to 25, at The Library, 235 Upper Street. Children admitted from 2pm to 5pm. Exhibitors include 3Dom, Blu Bradley, DNT, Filthy Luker, FLX, Ghost Boy, Levi C, Lucy McLaughlin, Mick Hockney and Paul Insect. The gallery is open 2pm-10pm, free entry. www.crazyfools.net.

Arnold Schwarzenegger may be back to East London gym

Arnold Schwarzenegger could return to the gym he trained at in East London in the 1960s during the 2012 Olympics.

The former movie star, 62, worked out at Wag Bennett's Gym in Forest Gate in his bodybuilding days. The California governor was officially invited by local mayor Sir Robin Wales. He wrote: "I feel your presence at the games would be a catalyst to further inspire the thousands of young people from this part of London."

But Arnie's protocol chief wrote back to say she could not confirm the date because his diary had "not yet been determined".

Party's over as Shoreditch club announces closure

Clubbers are in mourning after one of Shoreditch's most celebrated dance music venues announced its closure.

Herbal, in Kingsland Road, said on its website it is closing "due to unfortunate circumstances."

The club's licence was set to be reviewed by Hackney Council's licensing committee in the coming weeks.

The police had requested the club's licence come under scrutiny on the grounds of crime and disorder.

However, dance music enthusiasts have argued the club had one of the best reputations in the business.

Ben Child is a promoter of the Supatronix club night, which attracted packed audiences on the last Friday of every month.

He said: "I think it's very sad because Herbal has been a really well run club for about ten years. It was one of the best run clubs I have ever worked with.

"You have seen the number of illegal venues in Dalston recently. These places are not licensed, they go on all night and the police don't have the resources to shut them down.

"If venues like Herbal close, then there will be more places which are completely illegal with no health and safety.

"You will be getting back to the early days of the dance scene music scene where people hold illegal raves where they shouldn't be."

Herbal was a major player in the Shoreditch and Hoxton club scene, hosting major acts including Mylo and Groove Armada.

During the years, the venue hosted many different club nights including hip hop, funk, soul and drum 'n' bass.

DJ Spin Doctor, who played the hugely successful Doctor's Orders on the first Friday of every month, said: "Everyone played their part in building a party better than we could have ever hoped for with incredible memories and performances that I personally will cherish forever.

"There are relationships forged at the nights that I know will last for the rest of my life and am certain this is true of many of our regulars. I

"While I am sad to see the end of this era I believe that as one door closes another one opens and look forward to the experiences, relationships and memories sure to come when we relaunch The Doctor's Orders at a new home.

A different kind of midnight munchies

Keeping punters sweet: Kat Butterfield, left, and her Butterfingers business partner, Nadja Awad

In the corner of one of east London's coolest clubs everybody is queuing up to get a slice of the most popular girl there.

But she's neither dancing like a dervish nor wearing a low-cut top.

Instead, she's standing behind a floral tablecloth and a blur of bunting, dishing out garishly coloured cupcakes on chintzy china plates.

To onlookers, it may seem as if Chris Morris's Nineties "cake" spoof has been brought to life. But the clubbers aren't wolfing down the calorific confectionery because it contains secret narcotic ingredients.

It's just that these dainty-looking cakes offer a tastier, more interesting alternative to the glutinous splodge of mayo-slathered doner 'n' chips that may greet them on the way home.

Butterfingers, the company behind the village fête stall, is the brainchild of Kat Butterfield, a 28-year-old from Dalston.

By day she's a physiotherapist. Come twilight, she's packing her home-baked cakes into Tupperware, to sell them in trendy East End clubs for £2 a go.

And she's not the only one. Across the capital, entrepreneurs are capitalising on a neglected area of the dining scene.

From club-caterers to glitzy diners, late-night eating in the capital is being transformed: worse-for-wear night owls are as likely to go home with brownies in their stomachs as a dodgy hot-dog.

Described by Kat as "the WI for a new generation", Butterfingers began 18 months ago.

After a spell manning an "unlicensed guerrilla market stall" in London Fields, Kat began hawking cakes at evening jumble sales at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club and club nights such as Loose and Butterfly Nights.

But do people really fancy saccharine foodstuffs after pumping their bellies full of booze?

"Alcohol and cake is a great combination," says Kat. "The sponge is good for soaking up your hangover, while the icing gives you the best sugar rush."

Furthering this Battenberg bacchanalia are west London tea merchants, Betty Blythe. Over the past year, they've augmented the brand to bring "pop-up chill-out tea rooms" to clubs, festivals and private parties.

"We set tables up and play music from a bygone era while women dressed in Twenties outfits serve you cakes and scones," says 30-year-old founder Lulu Gwynne.

Betty Blythe is currently offering Midnight Feasts (think finger sandwiches, scones etc) at its Brook Green shop (www.bettyblythe.co.uk) for £15.50 a head.

So far, so twee. But there are times when only stodgy comfort food will do. Enter Bob Bob Ricard (www.bobbobricard.com), a deluxe diner in Soho (1-3 Upper James Street).

Launched last December, the eatery has intrigued customers with a Belle Epoque railway car interior and champagne buzzers at every table.

But more noteworthy than that is BBR's eclectic all-day menu, served from 7am until 1am, ranging from Chateaubriand (£29.50) and caviar (£25) to Frosties cornflakes (£3.25) and Ritz crackers with Dairylea triangles (£5.50).

The paucity of restaurants open in London beyond 11pm was responsible for BBR's creation.

"In Moscow or New York you can get whatever food you want at whatever time of day," says the diner's Russian co-owner, Leonid Shutov. "It seemed bizarre that in such a major metropolis you couldn't do that."

Of course, lavish round-the-clock dining is nothing new - Vingt Quatre (formerly Up All Night) on Fulham Road has been dishing up champagne breakfasts 24/7 for years. But gradually, places are cropping up to accommodate discerning post-pub stragglers.

The Bermondsey Square Hotel (www.bermondsey squarehotel.co.uk) recently launched its Alfie's With Chips, offering combos such as £14 lobster-with-chips in the witching hour.

Street food has also had to up its game. Earlier this year, Freggo, an Argentinian ice-cream parlour, opened on Swallow Street (www.freggo.co.uk) serving Malbec milkshakes (£6.95) and empanadas (£2.50) until 2am.

And if a hankering for hot-dogs must be sated, head for Clerkenwell's Kurz & Lang (www.kurzandlang.com, Fri 11am-Sun 7am non-stop), where bratwurst is £3.90 a throw.

Late-night food in London isn't perfect yet but the tide is turning.

As Kat says: "It's not just about kebabs any more - people genuinely do want something different to eat late at night. It's all about finding that niche."

kat@butterfingerscakes.com

MIDNIGHT MASTERS — LATE-SUPPER LEGENDS

Bar Italia
22 Frith Street, W1, www.baritaliasoho.co.uk, open 24 hours daily
Formica-fitted coffee bar immortalised in 1995 Pulp track and celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Brick Lane Beigel Bake
159 Brick Lane, E1, open 24 hours daily
Cabbies, exotically attired clubbers and, in 2001, Mariah Carey, all line up for warm bagels and salt beef sandwiches at this venerable East End trouper.

Maison Touareg
23-24 Greek Street, W1, www.maisontouareg.co.uk, open until 3am
Vibrant subterranean Moroccan hideaway, with North African fare, belly dancing and hookah pipes.

Marathon Kebab Shop
87 Chalk Farm Road, NW1, 020 7485 3814, open until 2am Mon-Thurs, 3am Fri and Sat
The paper bag-cloaked beer cans and impromptu jazz sets give the place an illicit, speakeasy ambience but it still attracts celebs from Winehouse to the White Stripes.

Old Compton Street
Soho, W1
Take your pick from perma-busy establishments such as Balans (www.balans.co.uk, open until 5am Mon-Thurs, 6am Fri-Sat, 2am Sun) or Café Bohème (www.cafeboheme.co.uk, food served until 2.45am Mon-Sat).

Ranoush
43 Edgware Road, W2, www.maroush.com, open until 3am
Reliable Edgware Road outpost dishes up mezze and shawarma until postmen start their shifts. No alcohol but there's a juice bar at the back.

Tinseltown
44-46 St John Street, EC1, www.tinseltown.co.uk, open until 5am
Mon-Thurs, 4am Fri-Sat and 3am Sun
Hollywood-themed diner and milkshake bar which acts as a refuge for insomniacs, emergency service workers and bleary-eyed clubbers waiting for the first Tube home.

First train runs on East London Railway

5 Oct. 2009: A Class 378 unit has run at slow speed along the East London Railway, which is to join the Transport for London Overground network next year. The train made its first test run today from the new depot at New Cross Gate to Dalston Junction station.

Bombardier-built unit 378.004 kept to just 10mph (16km/h), but Transport for London said further tests would now be arranged at increasing speeds in preparation for the opening of the route, which is expected by June next year.

East London Railway trains will continue south beyond New Cross Gate over Network Rail infrastructure to Crystal Palace and West Croydon. The management of local stations on this section was transferred to Transport for London with the start of the new Southern franchise on 20 September. ELR trains will also continue north from Dalston Junction over the North London Railway as far as Highbury & Islington when renewal of the western curve connecting the two routes is completed later in 2010 or 2011.

The first part of the former East London Line between New Cross and New Cross Gate as far as Whitechapel (and Shoreditch in peak hours) opened to trains in 1869 between Wapping and Shadwell, having been converted from a pedestrian tunnel under the Thames built by Marc Brunel. Trains were extended over the rest of the route seven years later, and for many years it was used by main line trains. The last of these ran in 1913, when the line became part of the Metropolitan Railway.

After the creation of London Transport in 1933 it was treated as an outpost of the Metropolitan Line, but around 1980 it was given the separate title of East London Line. It closed for modernisation in 2007.

Dalston Superstore Pub Quiz

The ancient activity of the pub quiz is not to be taken lightly. That is unless you're at one of the Spam and Beans quizzes held across London. Dalston Superstore's café-cum-bar atmosphere, helps it transform into the perfect pub quiz location when the sun goes down.

Spam Fritturz and Lizzy Beans (real names Sam Curtis and Elizabeth Bassham) have been impressing "tens and tens" (their words) of people with their "world famous" pub quizzes for the past three years. Their quizzes are a little more interactive than your usual high brow quiz, featuring cheesetastic camp dancing by the hosts themselves as an evening starter.

First up is the "Name The David" picture round which we dutifully complete before the real round of questions start. Given the sheer noise of the packed out venue (a good thing), it's best not to take the questions too seriously. Of course it doesn't matter too much when the round one opening is "Who wears better suits? Elton John or K.D Lang?" (Elton John of course). The questions focus mostly on popular culture which fits in well with the contestants - twenty-something students and creatives, a mish mash of the east end cool kids.

Audience participation rounds demand a little embarrassment from each team's contestants, with a duke-it-out style competition that involves pulling modeling poses and seeing who can eat half a Ryvita the quickest (we won). The prizes are cheap, but so is the entry, so there's no point getting too upset upon winning a kid's hair braider, a giant pen and a water-balloon catapult. And that's just for the Ryvita round...

For £1 a person, the Spam and Beans quiz is an easy-going way to start and end your Wednesday night. The crowd is relaxed, the bar staff friendly, and the prizes poptastically pound worthy. You may even win a bottle of fizz...

Town halls ready to ban booze in all public parks

ALCOHOL could soon be banned by law in public parks as local authorities prepare to use tough new Government legislation to 'reclaim' public places from yobs and binge drinkers.

Town halls are planning to use the legislation to introduce discretionary bans.

Local authorities in East London are already tackling drunks in the park with temporary exclusion zones outlawing alcohol in public in many neighbourhoods.

Tower Hamlets has been running temporary 'zero tolerance' zones with the Met Police from time to time in areas including Whitechapel and Spitalfields, while Hackney has been operating a ban in Dalston.

The new legislation allows bylaws to be passed without needing approval by a Government Cabinet minister.

Paul Todd, from the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, said: "Alcohol abuse can deter people from going to parks. But it is important park managers are given discretion to use bans to target anti-social behaviour."

The legislation is designed to stamp out binge drinking, but not affect things like open air concerts, events or family picnics.

Photomonth '09 - The East London Photography Festival

The largest photography festival in the UK with more than 150 exhibitions and events hits over 80 East End venues throughout October, providing more than a flash of inspiration to anyone who appreciates a bit of shutterbug action.

This year, co-produced by Alternative Arts and our friends at Shoot Experience among others, the festival celebrates photography in all it's variety but focuses on the art form and its role as a powerful tool of contemporary communication. The month starts with an opening and evocative exhibition of an East End childhood by Paul Trevor at the Museum of Childhood.

Watch out for Photofair transforming Spitalfields' traders market into a photographers' paradise with stalls, galleries, prints and games as well as a Shoot Spitalfields Shoot Experience.

Other highlights include Photo-open at the Old Truman Brewery, portfolio reviews and the Photomonth lecture given by Mark Neville (Port Glasgow Book Project) at the Whitechapel Gallery, talks and debates at Amnesty International UK and a whole series of workshops and seminars at London Metropolitan University. There are also exhibitions from major artists and the debut of the Youth Photography Award.

Focus on photography this October and don't forget to share your Photomonth with us in the Londonist Flickrpool.

Photomonth runs 1 October - 30 November 2009. Visit the website for more info: www.photomonth.org

Walking in a Wintle wonderland through Dalston

Scott Schuman, an American blogger whose website, The Sartorialist, features pictures of people he's spotted on the street that he believes dress well, accompanied by a few anodyne comments, was in Liberty this week signing copies of a book he has put together.

Not a huge crowd-pleaser, you might think, yet on Monday a queue of fancifully dressed male fans snaked around the store waiting for his autograph.

The capital's streets are acting as a playground for a new generation of young dandies happy to experiment with the way they dress: head up Kingsland Road from Shoreditch to Dalston, and you will see everything on show from the ironic, and now ubiquitous, butch combo of jeans, checked shirt and waxed Barbour worn with full moustache, to the more effete ensemble of skinny suit with ankle-skimming trousers and tiny bowtie.

More pictures: The Jsen Wintle men's wear show

This resurgence of style-conscious male dressing has earned men their own day of shows on the London Fashion Week calendar. Yesterday saw everything from metallic camouflage pants to fox fur capes on the catwalks at Somerset House for next spring/summer.

The two big presentations were from the Man show, curated by Topman and Fashion East, and British-based designer Jsen Wintle's eponymous collection.

At the Man show there were striking offerings from Katie Eary and JW Anderson. Eary's models looked like Bodyworlds cadavers sporting bruised leather jackets, gold bone and pearl ribcages and brass sandals. Anderson's collection had a big emphasis on bomber jackets, with a selection in towelling, silk crepe and nylon.

Topman's own collection also featured bomber jackets but these were less successful — the unstructured, Nineties shapes seemed lacklustre. More tempting was the label's tailoring: fitted silk jackets and slim-cut trousers looked modern, deceptively expensive and perfect for office or club.

In contrast to most of the show yesterday, Wintle, who also designs a covetable men's range for M&S, sent out a collection for fashion-forward grown-ups. Here were clothes for the man whose social media might be LinkedIn rather than Facebook.

The beautifully cut jackets, elegant trousers and voluminous shorts — nearly all in pastels and creams — were presented with such lightness of touch they practically floated down the catwalk.

Although the energy and talent of the new generation of designers is to be applauded, it is always a relief to see something put together with the skill of an experienced designer who, until this week, has shown in Paris.

Wintle, who had David Walliams, Richard James, Evgeny Lebedev and Joely Richardson in his front row, is a name to watch. If we can persuade him to continue showing this side of the Channel, Wintle might be a label of which London could become increasingly proud.

Hackney's buildings throw open their doors for Open House weekend

Mapledene Road

By Peter Sherlock

SOME of the borough's most striking buildings opened their doors to residents for free at the weekend.

Open House Weekend, a London-wide celebration of building design, takes place every October.

Among those taking part was the cultural workspace, Village Underground, in Holywell Lane, Shoreditch.

The restored Victorian warehouse boasts two former London Underground carriages.

The four carriages have been hoisted above the Shoreditch skyline by crane and converted into artists' studios.

Also opening its doors was a Victorian terrace house in Mapledene Road, Dalston, a former drug den that has been converted by architectural firm Platform 5 into a family home.

The architects have allowed light to run through the building via a glass-covered sun wall and moveable glass roof above the kitchen.

A spokesman for Open House Weekend said: "The event was a great success. Hundreds of people joined in for what has been an incredible celebration of London's architecture.

Historic Hackney

Explore one of London's older inner suburbs with a hot trot around historic Hackney. Led by a local, track Hackney's development over 600 years from medieval country village, to country retreat and Victorian working class suburb. Uncover a building with 13th century origins, a Tudor mansion built by one of Henry VIII's leading courtiers, immaculate Georgian terraces, a non-conformist chapel beloved of Betjeman, and an Edwardian variety theatre – amongst other unexpected treasures.
In partnership with City Highlights

Thu 22 Oct, 11am – 1pm
Book in advance £8
Explore one of London's older inner suburbs with a hot trot around historic Hackney. Led by a local, track Hackney's development over 600 years from medieval country village, to country retreat and Victorian working class suburb. Uncover a building with 13th century origins, a Tudor mansion built by one of Henry VIII's leading courtiers, immaculate Georgian terraces, a non-conformist chapel beloved of Betjeman, and an Edwardian variety theatre – amongst other unexpected treasures.

In partnership with City Highlights

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Events/FeaturedEvents/Walks.htm

Green Day Launch London Art Exhibition in Shoreditch

Green Day have commissioned 21 original pieces of art inspired by their most recent album release, '21st Century Breakdown'.

The paintings will be shown exclusively at the StolenSpace Gallery in Shoreditch, East London from October 22nd until November 1st to coincide with Green Day’s sold out UK concert tour.

It will open the day before the band’s two sold-out performances at the O2 Arena in London.

Speaking of the exhibition lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong said, "We‘re really excited to be associated with this incredible show. Seeing the pieces that our new album has inspired is very exciting.

We feel a strong connection to that type of creative expression; we think the fans coming out will love it."

Each of the collaborating artists (Including painter Ron English and French stencil artist C215) were each sent the album's lyrics and asked to produce a piece of art that reflected that song.

One of Britain's longest running and best loved rock acts split up today after Dave announced his retirement from Chas & Dave

The cockney duo had been playing together since 1972 and were responsible for classic tunes such as Rabbit, The Sideboard Song, Aint No Pleasing You and Snooker Loopy.

Now, just weeks after Oasis split, bassist Dave Peacock, 64, has announced his decision to retire from the music industry following the death of his wife Sue from lung cancer.

Although Chas & Dave went together like apples and pears, lead singer and pianist Chas Hodges today vowed to continue playing their hits under the new name of Chas And His Band.

Chas and Dave first started knocking out tunes in the Cat and Mutton on London Fields where Chas' aunt use to run the pub.

Chas, 65, today said: "Obviously it's sad. It's the end of an era but the start of another one - the show goes on.

"I still see Dave every week and he's coping but I don't think he wanted to do the gigging any more.

"He has horses and he loves driving them round his grounds and painting gypsy wagons which he's very good at so I don't think he'll miss the gigging.

"Chas & Dave is a legendary name but I shall be taking over the gigs. I'll be doing the old songs as well as new ones and talking about Dave during the show."

The band's agent, Barry Collings, added: "Sadly Dave's beloved wife Sue passed away in July this year after over 30 years of blissful marriage.

"Understandably Dave has taken his loss very badly and he hasn't the heart to continue gigging and with regret he has decided to retire from the music business."

The duo, who pioneered the musical genre 'Rockney', had undergone a renaissance in recent years with bands such as The Libertines citing them as an influence.

Indeed, Chas & Dave supported the band during their London shows in 2003 and 2004 with Pete Doherty and Carl Barat joining them on stage for a few songs.

The band also played to a packed out tent at the Glastonbury festival in 2005.

Darren Juniper, the son of a school friend of Chas who introduced him to Dave years ago, is now standing in on bass. They have resisted the temptation to call themselves Chas and Daz.

The line up, completed by longtime drummer Mick Burt, will be continuing to fulfil all outstanding Chas & Dave engagements.

Chas will be performing all the Chas & Dave hits in the second half of the show including Margate, Gertcha and London Girls, along with some tracks from Chas's new solo album.

The first half of the show will now feature Chas's tribute to Rock 'n' Roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis and end with Rabbit to 'give the audience a taste of what's to come in the second half'.

Chas & Dave's debut album 'One Fing 'n' Anuvver' was released in 1975 earning critical acclaim from the likes of Radio One legend John Peel.

Featuring songs such as 'Ponders End Allotments Club' it had a strong North London angle and was acclaimed as the first example of cockney rock 'n' roll.

Their proudly cockney vocals led them to title their 1978 EMI album 'Rockney'.

Critics described the musical style of 'rockney', as 'pub singalong, music-hall humour, boogie-woogie piano and pre-Beatles rock 'n' roll'.

Gertcha was the first of their eight Top 40 hits in 1979 while Aint No Pleasing You reached number two in the singles chart in 1982.

Famously, the pair collaborated with Tottenham Hotspur FC on their legendary FA Cup Final songs in 1981, 1982 and 1987.

Their magnificent 'Ossie's Dream (Spurs Are On Their Way To Wembley)' b/w 'Glory Glory, Tottenham Hotspur' rose to number five in the charts in May 1981.

Chas & Dave are revered at Spurs and when Oasis singer Liam Gallagher was spotted at White Hart Lane for his club Manchester City's defeat last season, playful fans chanted: "You're just a shit Chas & Dave."

The band also contributed theme tunes for TV shows such as 'Crackerjack' and 'In Sickness & In Health'.

Contrary to urban myth, they did not do the Only Fools and Horses theme, turning the opportunity down because they were too busy.

Fan Justin Walker, 45, said: "It's a very sad day. Chas & Dave have been a British institution for 30 odd years and it's a great shame Dave will not be up on stage anymore.

"Of course the songs will always live on."

Sue Peacock died of lung cancer aged 63 on July 4 this year, despite never having smoked.

A tribute on the band's website: "Sue was quite simply a remarkable human being. Loved by anyone who was lucky enough to know her, she never had a negative point of view on anyone or anything.

"Sue and Chas' wife Joan were inseparable best friends, and she and Dave were godparents to Chas and Joan's children.

"Sue was instrumental behind the scenes for Chas and Dave, working tirelessly on the side of the business that musicians just aren't good at.

"It's accurate to say that without Sue and Joan, there wouldn't have been Chas and Dave."

Illegal workers found at Dalston sweatshop making clothes for chain store Jane Norman

COPS swooped on a Dalston sweatshop and discovered fourteen illegal workers making clothes for popular high street chain Jane Norman.

Workers, 12 women and two men, from China, Turkey and Vietnam were taken away by the UK Borders Agency last Wednesday (September 16).

Some 24 UKBA and police officers raided Dila Ltd in Frederick Terrace just after noon, where they found 35 workers behind sewing machines, cutting patterns and attaching buttons.

The sweatshop's owner now faces a fine of up to £140,000.

Mabs Uddin, a UK Border Agency Inspector, said: "These arrests show our commitment to operations targeting businesses which employ illegal workers. It is a crime that not only undercuts local business, but also has a serious impact on local communities - taking jobs from those who are genuinely allowed to work.

"We will act on any information received and if appropriate visit the place concerned to make arrests. We will not tolerate illegal working in East London."

UKBA said there was no suggestion that Jane Norman were involved in the employment of these individuals.