Top ten at the Southbank this week – 1st September to 6th September

Each week Annie from www.southbanklondon.com picks her top ten things to do on the Southbank.

1. Katrina. Bargehouse. All Week.

Jericho House’s new play uses survivor testimonies and the rich musical tradition of New Orleans to tell the story of the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, this is a promenade performance at the Bargehouse near OXO Tower.

2. Life Drawing Workshop. Topolski Century. Tues 1st. 7-9pm

Improve your drawing skills in the inspiring setting of Topolski Century with Life Drawing classes. Price is £15 per session.

3. Robyn Hitchcock and his Friends. Southbank Centre. Fri 4th.

Robyn Hitchcock and his friends play a selection of his own and other insect-related songs with added sound effects, including clicks, rubbings and hisses. Part of Pestival, a festival celebrating millions of years of insects.

4. Thomas Truax. Southbank Centre. Fri 4th.

A nominee for Britain’s 2008 Indy Music Award for best live act, Truax is making a name for himself by building his own instruments from gramophone horns and pull-string toys. Watch this free performance in the Southbank centre’s front room.

5. Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. BFI Southbank. Sat 5th, 8.45pm

As part of BFI Southbank’s sexploitation season, catch one of three screenings of this classic cult flick. A true battle of the sexes.

6. In the realm of the Sense. BFI Southbank. Thurs 4th. 8.50pm

Probably the most famous erotic film ever made, Nagisa Oshima’s masterpiece yields a fascinating conundrum: it’s sexually explicit, but is finally more about the mind than the body.

7. The Pitman Painters. National Theatre. Wed- Sun.

Winner of Best Play, Evening Standard Awards. A deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics, Lee Hall’s The Pitmen Painter’s returns to the National following sell-out seasons.

8. Pestival Slow Food Market. Southbank Centre Square. 4-5th Sept. 11am-6pm

Pestival brings in the harvest with Slow Food London and celebrates the pollinators who make it possible. Raise a glass for the little creatures and join some of the best producers of food and drink around.

9. The Hellstrom Chronicle. Southbank Centre. Sat 6th. 5pm

A rare screening of the scarily convincing 1971 Oscar-winning cult classic Hellstrom Chronicle. Shocking, beautiful, deadly… and in the end only the insects will survive

10. 3D Films for Families. BFI IMAX. All week. Afternoon showings only.

Featuring Under the Sea, Dinosaurs 3D, Bugs 3D and Harry Potter and more, treat the family to some 3D action!

For more details on any of the above visit www.southbanklondon.com

Top ten at the Southbank this week – 24th August to 30th August

Each week Annie from www.southbanklondon.com picks her top ten things to do on the Southbank.

1. Pop Video Dance Workshop. Southbank Centre. Sat 29th. 2pm

A free dance workshop with a top pop choreographer for ages 14+ giving you the chance to be a music video dancing star.

2. Top Girls. BFI Southbank. Tues 25th. 6.20pm

With Churchill’s Three More Sleepless Nights showing at the National, what better way to celebrate playwriting genius than with the film adaptation of the acclaimed production Top Girls.

3. The Wisechildren Present. Royal festival Hall. Sat 29th. .8pm

The star-studded musician collective come to Southbank Centre, featuring live performances and DJ sets. Expect a groove-based blend of genres from jazz to hip-hop, soul to funk, reggae to afro-beat, and more.

4. Dance Mob. Southbank Centre. Sun 30th. 11am-3pm

Southbank Centre transforms its indoor and outdoor spaces into a stage for Dance Mob. Learn a free, fun, easy routine at public workshops at 11am in time for performances at 3pm. Watch a demo on Southbank Centre’s youtube channel.

5. Rojo. National Theatre. 26-28th Aug. 9pm.

An outdoor performance in the National’s atmospheric Square2 space. Leading Catalan artists Jaume Navarro and Mamen Olías present a delightful blending of theatre and circus.

6. Under the Sea. BFI IMAX. Everyday. 12.30pm.

Under the Sea 3D, a new IMAX 3D adventure, transports you to some of the most exotic and isolated undersea locations on Earth, including Southern Australia, New Guinea and others in the Indo-Pacific region. Explore the beauty and natural wonder of the oceans, come face-to-face with some of the most mysterious and stunning creatures of the sea

7. Champagne Charlie. BFI Southbank. Thurs 26th. 6.10pm

A rousing comedy musical with a loving period recreation of London’s Victorian music halls, with a story centred on the professional rivalry between the two foremost music hall personalities of the day, George Leybourne (Trinder) and The Great Vance (Stanley Holloway

8. Creatures Lost in Time. Hayward Gallery. 24th-25th Aug. 10am-6pm

Creatures Lost in Time reveals the thoughts of two groups of visitors as they venture through the Walking in My Mind exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. Sound artist Duncan Chapman and artist Victoria Turnbull collaborated with members of CoolTan Arts and YoungMinds to record sound pieces inspired by their responses to different artworks in the exhibition.

9. Bloco Fascination. Southbank Centre. Fri 28th . 6pm.

Get ready for the Notting Hill carnival with Bloco Fascination, a truly original and diverse British carnival sound.

10. Annie Shurburne. Oxo Tower. All week.

A fantastic boutique in the oxo tower selling a range of yarn, eco-haberdashery, and gifts including socks, sheepskin mittens, scarves and a range of jewellery made from vintage stones and components.

For more details on any of the above visit www.southbanklondon.com

The strangest questions asked at London Tourist Information centres

1. How can I have tea with the Queen?

2. Could you recommend a good plastic surgeon?

3. Are there guided tours of M15?

4. When do the clowns come on at Piccadilly Circus?

5. What number in Oxford Street is Oxford University?

6. Where can I buy paraffin for my lamp?

7. What time does “evil song” start at St Paul’s Cathedral?

8. Which side of the river is London Bridge on?

9. Where can I hire a banana boat?

10. Is it a long walk to Times Square?

11. Where abouts is the Eiffel Tower?

12. Which way to the beach?

13. When does Tower Bridge move?

14. Where can I see the buildings destroyed in the Second World War?

15. Where do the Spice Girls live?

(via The Times)

Top ten at the Southbank this week – 17th August to 23rd August

Each week Annie from www.southbanklondon.com picks her top ten things to do on the Southbank.

1. Otsoko. National Theatre. 19th  Wed – 22nd Sat. 9.30pm.

Part of Square2, the National’s second outdoor space, the celebrated Bilbao-based physical theatre company present a mature and powerful retelling of the traditional Red Riding Hood tale, taking the darkest aspects of the famous story.

2. Rivers of the World. gallery@oxo. Starts Thurs 20th. 11am – 6pm.

Celebrating The Mayor’s Thames Festival
A free exhibition of vibrant artworks created by over 2000 young people from around the world in celebration of their local rivers. This is a Thames Festival project and will be on display until 12th September.

3. Lord of the Rings all-nighter. BFI IMAX. Sat 22nd. 23.59pm.

Fans of LOTR unite! BFI IMAX is showing all three films back to back in an all night extravaganza of middle earth joy.

4. Appearing Rooms. Southbank Centre Royal Festival Hall Roof. All day

Now the sun’s making an appearance, cool off in Jeppe Hein’s playful interactive water sculpture on the riverside terrace. Watch the jets of water disappear as quickly as they emerge, don’t forget to bring a towel!

5. Mambo Italiano. BFI Southbank. Thurs 20th, 20.40pm.

Sharply written feel-good film about handsome Angelo, his overbearing family and his relationships.

6. Picasso Exhibition. The Dali Universe. All Week.

A permanent exhibition showcasing a fascinating cross-section of the great artist’s career ranging throughout his famous movements.

7. Backstage Tour. The National Theatre. All Week.

Named by Time Out as ‘One of the seven wonders of London’, the National’s backstage tour allows access to all areas of the theatre from rehearsal rooms, costume and props departments through to backstage set storage and set building areas.

8. Les Demoiselles de Rochefort BFI Southbank. Tues 18th. 20.30pm

Jacques Demy’s film, starring Catherine Deneuve and Gene Kelly, is one of the most stylish and joyously exuberant musicals ever made. The perfect summer release…

9. Bollywood Dance Workshop. Clore Ballroom Southbank Centre. Sat 22nd. 14.00pm

A free workshop for all ages giving you the chance to learn the basic steps of Bollywood dance with experts on hand to show you the moves.

10. Gastro Tours. London RIB Voyages. All Week. Various Times.

The Thames Flyer 12-seater luxury speedboat is available for hire for two incredible gastro-tours of the world’s culinary capital; River to Restaurant and Champagne and Canapé tours.

For more details on any of the above visit www.southbanklondon.com

Carbón Club – 2 for 1 tickets

We have got a 2 for 1 offer on ‘Carbon Club’ at the National Theatre Square2 on Saturday (15th Aug). A show about Spanish, bisexual, disco-dancing coalminers with a lot of fire, a bit of bingo and some snazzy pit helmets seems just up our street. More info here.

Offer: 2 tickets for the price of 1 on Saturday 15 August at 9pm. Ticket includes a free drink in the Green Room post show.

Book online by entering the Promotion Code 2167 on the Buy Tickets page before selecting your seats or book by phone on 020 7452 3000 and quote ‘Carbón Club 2 for 1 offer’.

‘Entertainingly unique with flashes of Brokeback Mountain, The Full Monty and various Almodovars. Not understanding something has never been so much fun.’ – The Londonpaper

Guest column: cycling South of the river

This is one of our guest columns from Londoners. Emily is struggling to come to terms with a move South of the river and the new cycling scene

Email us at LDN@LDNinteresting.com if you want to contribute to this site

As I suspected I have been forced to venture out of my new flat. And not, as I anticipated, because food ran out or boredom got the better of me – a darker force is against me – work.
As you may recall one of the many reasons I lamented leaving my wonderful bolthole in Shoreditch was because my commute to work was a mere 5 minute cycle ride from start to finish (including exiting the flat, calling the lift, riding the lift, attaching D-Lock to lamppost, purchasing skinny latte, hiking upstairs to desk) – well that is not the case anymore. I shouldn’t really complain too much as my total journey is now only about 25 minutes (without the luxury of latte buying time) but still – it is the pack of cyclists that I now have to share the road with that I resent the most.

As you can no doubt imagine, cycling in Shoreditch is a fairly leisurely affair. Skinny jeans really inhibit the pace at which you can pump your legs, and dark Raybans don’t particularly go hand in hand with bullet like speeds. So like the Peter Pan of Shoreditch, out of the estate I would go, second art gallery to the right, and then straight on until the Live East Die Young poster (opposite which I would park my wheels) – a wonderful start to any working day.

Cycling from South of the river is an entirely different undertaking. The cool kids on the Kennington-City cycle route proudly sport padded lycra shorts, bullet shaped helmets, coloured Oakleys, high visibility vests (I know neon’s in vogue at the moment, but somehow I don’t think the fashion gods would approve), fingerless gloves, and the crowning element, only for the most hardcore of south-of-the-river-cyclists: headphones. I find this extremely confusing and contradictory. All the other elements of the outfit present an unabashed ode to safety: lovers of the Highway Code who are simultaneously demons of the type of speed that can only be created by their own lycra-clad thighs. But the headphones present an element of danger, a ‘No Fear’ attitude, a two fingers up to any motorists that dare jeopardise their smooth route into town, saying “I don’t need to hear you approaching, my disco beats will protect me from your metal coated, petrol pumping, killing machine”.

The South London cyclists travel in large, impenetrable packs. The strongest members up front, forging a route, intimidating oncoming cars, making sure they keep in their own lane, and not dare spill into the exclusive cycle lanes which the rest of their herd dominate behind them.  The weaker members of the pack, not wanting to be picked off by any hungry bendy-buses, focus on keeping up, jumping any lights that may have inconveniently turned red, consequently separating them from their precious gang.

Having been cycling the Kennington – City route for almost three weeks now, I am not entirely sure which cycle group I best fit in to. Although my bike’s previous owner was a 92 year old man, it definitely could not be described as retro or in any way cool, I generally don’t wear petrol wet leggings and most definitely don’t have an A-Symmetrical haircut, so I don’t think I sit very comfortably in the Shoreditch cyclist crowd. However, I also do not wear lycra, don’t have a bike that anyone would ever consider expending effort in stealing, and far from being a member of the pack, I can let you into a closely guarded secret of mine: the pack actually scares me.

Emily Mathewson is a twenty-something Scottish lass living it up in London. She works in the media and loves eating out, dressing up, small dogs, cycling in the city, Fridays, smelly cheese, mojitos, to name a few. Red and proud. http://twitter.com/emilymathewson

Top ten at the Southbank this week – 10th August to 16th August

Each week Annie from www.southbanklondon.com picks her top ten things to do on the Southbank.

1. Laura Marling and Friends. Royal Festival Hall. Tues 11th. 8pm

The Mercury Music Prize-nominated singer performs songs from her beautiful debut album ‘Alas I cannot Swim’. There are a limited number of restricted view tickets available for the bargain prize of £10.

2. Pimm’s Flight. London Eye. All Week.

Now the sun’s out, however briefly, enjoy a summery trip on the London Eye with a glass of chilled Pimm’s.

3. The Black Album. National Theatre. Mon 10th. 7.30

A witty stage adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s acclaimed novel about a young Asian boy from Kent growing up in 1989, the year of the fatwa.

4. One Hundred Hippies. Topolski Century. Sat 15th.

Topolski Century celebrates the 40th anniversary of Woodstock Festival with the opening of the One Hundred Hippies Mural. Get inspired and try out your own artistic skills in the sun.

5. Ballroom Summer Nights. Clore Ballroom, Southbank Centre. Fri 14th 9.30pm

Celebrating the best of the alternative cabaret scene, The Clore Ballroom will once again be home to some of the most exciting and cutting edge performance artists in London. Compered by Champagne Charlie with Fancy Chance (recently crowned Alternative Miss World 2009) and Le Gateau Chocolat.

6. African Dance Workshop. Clore Ballroom, Southbank Centre, Sat 15th, 2pm

A free summer dance workshop, enjoy the beats of live African drumming and learn some new moves with expert instructors

7. The Taming of the Shrew. BFI Southbank. Thurs 13th. 8.30pm.

Starring Richard Burton this is one of the best Shakespeare adaptations for film, a witty costume romp, light hearted and almost slapstick in its comedy.

8. Ted Della Trio. National Theatre. Wed 12th. 4.50pm.

The National’s free music foyer hosts Ted Della Trio, known for their piano led jazz and soulful Latin.

9. Editing Archive Film Workshop. BFI Southbank. Fri 14th. 12pm.

Free workshop for 15-18’s as part of the BFI’s moon-related summer programme. Learn how to edit with archive material and find out about other free workshops for the family.

10. Shopping at Gabriel’s Wharf. All Week.

Head to Gabriel’s Wharf and enjoy some summer shopping with new lines out at Game of Graces and 30% off at Lauren Shanley plus light lunches available from crepes to smoothies in the sun.

For more details on any of the above visit www.southbanklondon.com

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Top ten at the Southbank this week – 3rd August to 9th August

Guest column: Project Dirt

Project Dirt (www.projectdirt.com) was set up by Mark Shearer and Nick Gardner a little over a year ago in South London. Wanting to green their lifestyles, they quickly realised accessing green information carried a psychological health warning, needed numerous spare hours and entailed copious amounts of confusion.

Enter Project Dirt. A site that brings together “real people doing real green projects.” It’s about accessing and learning from the local green “trailblazers” already doing their own projects. Not the scientists, politicians or experts – but neighbours, down the road, who can give you some practical advice. “It’s pretty straight forward” says Mark. “We realised there was this huge groundswell of green activity. Project Dirt is simply about helping these people/projects collaborate and helping the public learn from them.”

Project Dirt was started in April 2008 with 1 project and 5 people. Now sailing along with over 130 projects and 1,200 people, Project Dirt is now seen as THE green network in south London bringing it all together. The food growers, energy boffs, conservationists, transport groups and numerous others. All this – and there hasn’t been any marketing in sight. It’s grown purely from word of mouth.

There’ve been over 450 events on the site in 18 months, 150 blog posts and lots of activity. That’s what it’s all about; harnessing and bringing together tangible activity in a transparent way. And that’s not all. “It’s about working with good partners.” Says Nick. Timberland (the US boot makers) got in touch to fund green projects on the site. There are also ongoing conversations with Borough Councils to follow suit. Why work with Timberland? “Because, having looked into it, they take green very seriously. Their CEO is on a mission to integrate green into all aspects of their business.” Says Nick. “Having funding available from Timberland seemed the right decision for the site’s members – many of whom have taken advantage of the funding opportunity.” Other conversations are now being had with a number of other green conscious companies looking to follow suit.

Where from here? Good question. A new sight is in the pipeline to build off the success of the existing test site. Project Dirt is steadily expanding across London and will soon be national. Earthwatch (the fantastic charity backed by a number of governments) is shortly to set up a network on Project Dirt and conversations are being had with the likes of the GLA.

Watch this space – Project Dirt seems to be doing something right. Let’s see where it goes from here.