Weekend roundup for 1 May
Includes the Mafia, fart energy, Mad Max and Dolly Parton
đ A quick update on the Crossrail stuff we wrote about at the start of the week: It looks like the Standard was way off. According to Construction News (do you see the lengths weâll go to to bring you accurate news!) âtrial running has not yet begun as testing work has not been completed.â There is some good news though: âThe project has moved forward to the point where it operates under national regulations considering it to be a railway rather than a construction site.â Pop those champagne corks!
đ The âEveryone Inâ scheme was launched during the first lockdown in March last year to ensure âall homeless people were off the streetsâ by providing emergency accommodation in hotels. It worked, but it didnât continue through subsequent lockdowns. Thankfully there is now a cross-Whitehall group that is looking into "using some of the elements of the scheme and incorporating them into the governmentâs long-term strategy to deal with homelessness.
This matters because, according to the Combined Homelessness And Information Network, more than 3,000 people were sleeping rough in London during the third lockdown. And more than half of those were sleeping rough for the first time.Â
đˇ Italyâs largest mafia trial in three decades is under way in Calabria, and London is getting an awful lot of mentions, because âin the last decade, hundreds of investigations have asserted how the âNdrangheta has laundered billions of euros in the City.â (âNdrangheta is the mafia-style crime syndicate based in Calbria - hereâs how to pronounce it).
đď¸ It looks likely that the flagship House of Fraser store on Victoria Street is going to be demolished next Summer and replaced with a ÂŁ750million â16-storey, 630,000 sq ft scheme with up to 20 shop units as well as restaurantsâ.
đ¨ 2,000 homes and 4 million square foot of office space in Kingâs Cross will soon be powered exclusively on green gas. What is green gas? Itâs the gas produced by âanaerobic digestionâ, that is: the breaking down of animal or food waste to create âa methane-rich gasâ. So we think weâre right in saying that Kingâs Cross now runs on farts.
đŞ ITV has a report about how Londonâs local playgrounds are at risk thanks to the effect the pandemic has had on their finances (we had no idea that so many of these playgrounds arenât council run, but are actually run by volunteers).
đď¸ Brixton Buzz has photos of the strange âMad Max-esque vehicleâ thatâs been spotted around Coldharbour Lane recently. Apparently itâs for capturing âa 360 view that can then be underlaid behind footage of actors inside a carâ.Â
đŻ Sohoâs Windmill Theatre was famous in the 30s and 40s as the home of the ânude statueâ Windmill Girls. More recently it was a lapdancing club, but itâs been closed since 2018 after having its licence revoked âover a breach of a âno touchingâ ruleâ. Now thereâs a plan to spend ÂŁ7million to transform it into âa first class performance venue and cabaretâ that will offer âa multi sensory experienceâ.
đŚ For some reason the Atlantic magazine has decided to run a photo essay on the parakeets of London. Great photos though. P.S. If, like us, you love Londonâs parakeets, then we can highly recommend this book.
đ Good to see Piers Corbynâs âbattle busâ is about as impressive as he is:
(Bank Holiday) Bits to see and do
đ Take a tour of Kingâs Cross with Russell Tovey. The actor and art podcaster has produced a 45 minute audio tour that âexplores the art, culture and history of Kingâs Cross.â You can access the tour here.
đ¨ Go on a Print Tour across the whole of London. London Original Print Week starts today. Itâs normally held at the Royal Academy but this year itâs being held across dozens of galleries and studios to create âa wonderful Print Tour across London.â The website has full details and some suggested routes.
đ¨âđžď¸ Dine in Godâs Garden. Chameleon is a new âmulti-experiential spaceâ thatâs just opened at the Grade I listed One Marylebone (the former church designed by Sir John Soane). Coming later this year are immersive cinema nights, wellness sessions and a flower market. But right now you can make a reservation for al fresco dining in âGodâs Gardenâ.
đ¤ Say hello to postmodern Dolly Parton. American artist and pop culture obsessive Sam McKinniss has a new show on called âCountry Westernâ at the Almine Rech gallery in Mayfair. Thereâs a healthy sprinkling of Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and Tammy Wynette all rendered in McKinnissâs lush, almost kitsch style.
đźď¸ Take in some large scale portraits on the Regentâs Canal. Wednesdayâs âWhere Do You Goâ interviewee, Jenny Lewis, has taken some of the portraits from her latest project, blown them up to 7 x 3 metres high, and installed them on the wall of a building on Regentâs Canal near the entrance to Victoria Park. Definitely worth a look if youâre around that way. (And thereâs still time to win a copy of Jennyâs new book.)
đ Get some street food down by the river. The Southbank Centre Food Market (behind the Royal Festival Hall) just reopened yesterday and itâs open all through the bank holiday weekend.
đ¸ See how Londonâs homeless documented the city during lockdown. For their âOut of Homeâ project, Dan Barker and Lucy Wood paid several homeless people to take photographs during lockdown, using disposable cameras. An exhibition of some of the photographs they created are on display at St Martin-in-the-Fields, next to Trafalgar Square.
Food and drink bits
đ˝ď¸ If you know a âdeserving pandemic heroâ you can nominate them for one of twenty five Tables For Heroes being offered by Michel Roux Jrâs Le Gavroche restaurant. If theyâre selected theyâll get free lunch or dinner for two people.
đ§ If you a have a bit of spare cash, and youâre a fan of cheese and meat, then you could invest in Philly cheesesteak specialists Passyunkâs new Waterloo location, which theyâre claiming is going to be London's biggest American dive bar.
đ First bit of chicken news this week: Nandoâs are throwing parties now. Their Nandoâs Yard Unlocked events will see five restaurants (including one in London) turned into gig venues. The London night will be headlined by grime artist, Novelist; and if you have one of Nandoâs mini bottles of sauce thatâs also a keychain, that will serve as a VIP pass. We are not making any of this up.
đđ Second bit of chicken news: Roast chicken with veggies is a âconceptâ now. Sidechick is a âroast chicken concept restaurantâ that is opening its first central London location on James Street in Marylebone next month.
đľ Russell Norman stepped down from his role as director of the Polpo group last year, but now heâs coming back with Brutto, a Smithfield restaurant serving âhearty, rustic Tuscanâ grub, thatâs due to open later this year.
đť Camden Town Brewery are opening a Bavarian-style Beer Hall right next door to their brewery in NW5, offering âexclusive small-batch beers thatâll be only be on tap for a monthâ alongside, erm⌠âBavarian beer hall-style grubâ (sausages weâre guessing).
đ Rolls-Royce just opened its new flagship London showroom in Mayfair. Why is this food and drink news? Well, thereâs a bar in there. So, presumably, if you can convince them that you are genuinely interested in purchasing a brand new Roller then you might be able to enjoy a drink inside! Could turn into an expensive pint though.
đ Eater London has a brilliant article on how Chinatown is planning to come out of lockdown, and the racism, abuse and vandalism business owners there have had to endure over the past year.
đą In related news: Food blogger Kitchen Pan has created this awesome t-shirt, with 100% of profits going to the London Chinese Community Centre. Looks like the first run has sold out but click on the post to see how you can get in line for the next batch (or thereâs links on other ways to support and help):
Long read of the week
14-year-old Jaden Moodie was murdered in East London in January of 2019. Many of the articles about his killing led with âreplica weapons, incriminating Snapchats⌠and ââgang-affiliatedâ conjecture,â but this article from The Face goes beyond that to paint a picture of a young boy, failed by the âdizzying mess of bureaucracyâ around him.
Tweet of the week
That guy who decided he was going to park in every spot in Bromley Sainsburyâs car parkâŚ
P.S. No newsletter on Monday because of the Bank Holiday, so weâll see you on Wednesday. Have a good one!