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I am Editorial Producer at www.visitlondon.com. I love London for its amazing theatre and music scenes, its history, and for the view from Waterloo Bridge (I never get tired of it). I have a particular passion for indie music, but am willing to give pretty much any genre a go. Favourite places in London: when its good weather, anywhere you can see ducks (St James's Park is top of the list); if it's cold, Gordon's Wine Bar for a warming glass of port!

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12 Nov

Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding Opens City Bar

Posted by Jenny in Clubs, Pubs & Bars 3 Comments

kanaloa_bar

Club Tropicana drinks are free – and so were the cocktails at the launch of Polynesian-themed bar Kanaloa last night!

Admittedly, you will have to pay on a regular night, but with cocktails starting from £8, it’s certainly not the most expensive drinking hole in the The City.

Just like its sister bar Mahiki, Kanaloa is all bamboo, palm trees and low level lighting. The music favours 80s cheese with a few modern pop and 60s hits thrown into the mix.

There’s ample seating and a reasonably sized dance floor, with a net full of brightly coloured balls above it.

If you’re here to impress, order The Dead Man’s Chest, a £100 cocktail brought to you in a parade of sparklers, lanterns and cheering from the bar staff. (It’s a voodoo funeral procession apparently.) The cocktail is mixed before your very eyes in a treasure chest, which is then filled with straws for your drinking pleasure.

Will Kanaloa tempt the Royals into The City? It already has a fair celebrity quota, as it counts Sarah Harding and DJ Tom Crane among its investors. Plus JLS, Sugababes and Cilla Black were all spotted at the opening. We’ll keep you posted…

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6 Nov

Coming Up at London’s Small Galleries: Michelangelo, Cezanne and Paul Nash

Posted by Jenny in Arts 1 Comment

Antonio Montauti, Diana, c.1720-40Yesterday, three of London’s smaller galleries, The Wallace Collection, The Courtauld Gallery and Dulwich Picture Gallery announced their exhibition programmes for 2010.

Less well-known than many of London’s bigger galleries, these galleries have their work cut out attracting visitors in the difficult economic climate. Happily, they’ve responded to the challenge with gusto, and these exciting exhibitions should attract plenty of attention and visitors:

The Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection has been busy refurbishing, creating new galleries, and generally having a bit of a refresh. It’s holding four contemporary exhibitions next year:

  • Beauty and Power: Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Collection of Peter Marino, 29 Apr-25 Jul 2010
    Exploring the powerful world of bronze sculpture, through the collection of distinguished New York architect Peter Marino
  • Poussin to Seurat: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Scotland, 23 Sep-19 Dec 2010
    Magnificent examples of French drawings including many of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists
  • Shhh, it’s a Secret, 4 Feb-28 Mar
    Curated by twelve local school children, an interactive exhibition, unlocking the secrets behind some of the pieces from the permanent collection
  • Delaroche Paintings, 24 Feb-23 May
    A special display of Paul Delaroche paintings to complement the new major exhibition at the National Gallery, Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey.

The Courtauld Gallery
The Courtauld Gallery also have some big names in their upcoming exhibitions:

  • Michelangelo’s Dream, 18 Feb-16 May 2010
    Examining Michelangelo’s celebrated drawing, The Dream of Human Life, this exhibition also looks at closely related drawings by Michelangelo, as well as letters and poems by the artist
  • The Courtauld Collects: 20 Years of Acquisitions, 17 Jun-19 Sep 2010
    A celebration of the rich selection of works acquired by The Courtauld over the last 20 years
  • Cézanne’s Card Players, 21 Oct-16 Jan 2010
    The first exhibition to bring together the majority of Cézanne’s beautiful paintings of peasants playing cards. It also explores closely related paintings by Cézanne

Dulwich Picture Gallery
Paul Nash, Landscape from a Dream, 1936-8, Oil on canvas, 67.9 x 101.6cm, Tate, London. © Tate, London, 2009.jpgSituated in leafy Dulwich, take the chance to get out of Central London and visit this historic building. It’s only 12 minutes from Victoria by train!

  • Paul Nash, the Elements, 10 Feb-9 May 2010
    Examining Paul Nash’s work by theme, including landscapes as well as classic images of both World Wars
  • The Wyeths: Three Generations of American Art, 9 Jun-22 Aug
    Andrew Wyeth was loved by the American public, but less well received by the critics. See his work, alongside that of his father, son and sister in this exhibition
  • Salvator Rosa: Bandits, Wilderness and Magic, 15 Sep-28 Nov
    Brooding, dark and expressive paintings by rebellious artist and poet Salvator Rosa

Dulwich Picture Gallery is celebrating its bicentenary next year – so watch this space for news of how they’ll be marking the occasion.

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4 Nov

Love Bites at The Calder Bookshop Theatre

Posted by Jenny in Theatre No Comments

Love Bites posterLast night I was happy to discover a fringe theatre in London I’d never visited before. Positioned on The Cut, opposite the Young Vic, I must have walked past The Calder Bookshop Theatre many times, but never noticed it.

What makes this theatre unique is that, as its name suggests, it’s in a bookshop. I don’t mean in a room above a bookshop, but literally in the shop. We squeezed into the small shop, between walls of books, to see a series of short plays.

Love Bites is a showcase for new writing and currently features six shorts by various writers. All the plays are centred around the same bar and loosely based on the theme of love (with the emphasis on loosely).

The stories are really comedy sketches, apart from the third and most affecting play, Late One Evening, a conversation between a man who has been stood up and an intriguing older lady.

I was thoroughly entertained for two hours and, at just £10 a ticket, I’d highly recommend the show.

Love Bites is on at The Calder Bookshop Theatre until 13 November.

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30 Oct

Photo of the Week: Rock and Roll Afternoon Tea at The Gore

Posted by Jenny in Eating Out 1 Comment

Cakes at The Gore hotel

This week’s pic shows what happens when afternoon tea goes rock ‘n’ roll – it is put on a Union Jack plate and served at The Gore hotel!

The Gore was the setting for the 1968 launch party of  The Rolling Stones’  Beggars Banquet album, and favoured hangout of such musicians as Annie Lennox, Paul Weller, and er, Spandau Ballet.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Afternoon Tea includes the best cheese and ham sandwiches I’ve ever tasted (how did they make a simple sandwich so good?) and delicious chocolate éclairs (which tasted suspiciously boozy.)

Do you have any brilliant London images to share? (They don’t have to be cakes, although we do rather like them!) Join the Visit London Flickr pool and your snaps could end up here on the VL Blog.

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30 Oct

Halloween Clubs: Party Like A Zombie

Posted by Jenny in London No Comments

Halloween fun

You may have noticed that the VL Blog has gone all spooky of late. We’ve been to the Hammer Horror Festival, drooled over the Met Bar’s Scream Tea, and donned our fishnets for Sing-a-long Rocky Horror.

So it won’t surprise you to know we’re getting excited about Halloween, especially as it sparks some of the best club nights of the year. Fancy dress, evil laughs and the Ghostbusters theme tune should all feature. Take a look at our favourites:

  • Oh My God! I Miss You Presents…I Love Lucifer 
    No-one loves dressing up more than the crowd at OMGIMY, so we can’t wait to see what they’ll do with the instruction to “dress to decompose.” Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club will be turned into a ghost train and guests will be entertained with a magic show, a Secret SINema, Gore Gore Girls and lots more unsettling goings on.
  • I Spit On Your Rave Spectacular
    The Big Chill venues have a bit of a thing for zombies, having managed to break the world record for a gathering of them at The Big Chill Festival this year. Head to either of their London locations for more undead action, including grisly cocktails, DJs and face painting (with proceeds going to The Big Issue.)
  • It’s A Party
    If pointy hats and broomsticks don’t do it for you, head to The Peacock Bar’s Halloween special, as the venue has suggested a more glamorous “vamped-up” dress theme for the evening. The usual mix of cabaret, comedy and cheese will all feature, albeit with a special ghoulish twist.
  • Halloween Zombie Ball
    Prepare to see a real ghost or two at  The Old Queen’s Head, which claims to be one of the most haunted pubs in London. Sip a Zombie Iced Tea, chomp on pumpkin chips and take advantage of free face painting from Brighton-based tattoo artist Viv La Hen (we hope it washes off!)
  • The Playground’s Halloween Mash-Up
    Scare yourself silly at 93 Feet East who will be projecting a mix of silent and modern horror films across the dance floor, plus live music and DJ sets until 6am.

Do you know of any freakishly frightening Halloween parties? Tell us your Halloween plans.

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14 Oct

Ed Ruscha Exhibition Opens Today

Posted by Jenny in Arts 2 Comments

Standard Station, Ed Ruscha

The Hayward Gallery’s new exhibition, Ed Ruscha: 50 Years of Painting opens today.

The exhibition celebrates the American artist’s 50 year career with a retrospective of his work.

On display are 78 striking paintings, from bold images with playful words, to haunting black and white silhouettes.

Ed Ruscha was at yesterday morning’s press view and explained how he paints ideas rather than scenes. He also said there are a few more of his works “in the refrigerator,” which have never yet been exhibited.

The Hayward Gallery’s director, Ralph Rugoff also talked about Ruscha’s amazing contribution to the art world – how he introduced language into painting by painting words, how his work continued to evolve in each decade, and how he has influenced countless modern artists.

Ruscha is like an old friend of The Hayward Gallery, as his work was exhibited in a pop art show during the gallery’s first year, back in 1969.

The gallery will be closing from February to May 2010, and we know we’re going to miss it! So make sure you see Ed Ruscha: 50 Years of Painting before then.

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9 Oct

JD Set Gig Gives Jack a Birthday To Remember

Posted by Jenny in Music No Comments

Jon McClure, Brett Anderson and Carl Barat on stage

Last night, I attended the 159th birthday party of whiskey-legend Jack Daniels. Sadly, the man himself couldn’t be there, but 400 competition winners turned out to celebrate and down whiskey cocktails in his honour.

Plus, there were performances from Carl Barat, Brett Anderson and Jon McClure.Brett Anderson

A particular treat was the specially assembled Silver Cornet Band, featuring Nashville greats David Hood, Wayne Carson and Billy Block. It’s not often you get the chance to hear Elvis’s hit, Always on My Mind, sung by the guy who actually wrote it (Wayne Carson).

Jon McClure (of Reverend and The Makers) sized up to the crowd and got  them going with his hit, Heavyweight Champion of The World. Then Brett Anderson took us back to the 90s with Suede hits Everything Will Flow, Trash and, of course, that floppy fringe! Definitely my favourite part of the night.

All three musicians performed a combination of their own hits and covers. Carl Barat sang unashamedly from a lyric sheet when it was his turn, but drew the biggest cheer from the crowd when he sang Libertines classic, What Katie Did.

The JD Set prides itself on the unique collaborations it puts together for its gigs, and so Jon McClure, Brett Anderson and Carl Barat dutifully took to the stage for a group rendition of Venus in Furs by Velvet Underground. It was certainly a strange line-up – Jon and Brett looked slightly bemused and Carl Barat was a little worse for wear – but they pulled it off!

See the grand finale yourself in the video below.

Were you at the Birthday JD Set? Tell us what you thought of it.

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25 Sep

Michael Jackson Exhibition Tickets On Sale Now

Posted by Jenny in Attractions, Music No Comments

Michael Jackson: The Official Exhibition

Micheal Jackson: The Official Exhibition tickets went on sale this morning.

The exhibition opens in October, and showcases an extensive collection of memorabilia from the King of Pop’s extraordinary career, including his famous sequinned glove, and an original Jackson 5 contract.

Michael Jackson: The Official Exhibition chronicles Michael Jackson’s rise to fame, and his superstar career, and ends with the shows he had planned at The O2 before his untimely death.

Demand for tickets is expected to be high – so make sure you book your tickets now.

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24 Sep

Photo of the Week: Camden Lock

Posted by Jenny in London No Comments

Camden Lock

We can’t get enough of the lovely September sun in London, and here’s a great example of Camden Lock in the sunshine. Don’t you just wish you were sitting outside enjoying it…?

How have you been making the most of our wonderful Indian summer? Add your pics to the Visit London Flickr Pool and you might just see one on here.

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11 Sep

Autumn at Kew Gardens in London

Posted by Jenny in Attractions, Open Spaces 2 Comments

I tend to think of Kew Gardens as a place best visited in spring when hundreds of daffodils and crocuses fill the lawns.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I visited on a distinctly autumnal day – windy, a little on the cold side, and cloudy skies (though the sun did manage to break through a few times).

Although many of the flowers aren’t in bloom at this time of year, there’s still plenty of colour on the trees, as their leaves turn red, gold and orange. The ground was littered with acorns and it seemed the resident squirrels couldn’t believe their luck as they scampered about collecting them.

There was no shortage of wildlife as we saw several flocks of Canadian Geese wandering around the park, plus swans and their signets on the lake, and a few ducks too.

Up on the impressive Xstrasa Treetop Walkway, we came close to some pretty decent looking conkers – the kind that I could never quite reach as a child. In all honesty, I was still too short to get them, but a taller person might just manage!

Check out our Tips for Autumn

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