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.

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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.