Listen to music at the Scoop

Over at the odd bit of London next to City Hall, the Scoop is a purpose-built amphitheatre which hosts regular events through the summer. Tonight, if the mood takes you, you can hear a blues gig from Pacifico Blues Jam.


We are told to expect guitarist Chris Newland to be joined by blues harpist blues harp Paul Pacifico, for an evening concert which, within the showers, sounds very pleasant. In case of rain, or an interest in talking to nice people you could also consider attending Talking To Strangers at the Devereux off Fleet Street.

For more on the gig, see http://www.morelondon.com/events.asp

Watch opera in Ealing

This evening, Ealing's Opera in the Park brings the Magic Flute to Walpole Park, and whilst your author couldn't manage to sit through it, there will be plenty who will absolutely love the chance to enjoy opera in this setting.


Operated by Regents Opera, Opera in the Park is the brainchild of former Royal Opera House bod Nicholas Heath and aims to put on affordable opera with no direct public subsidy, something we can all get on board with.

For more, see http://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/200247/ealing_summer_festivals/488/ealing_opera_in_the_park

_{^Picture © Mark Hillary used under a Creative Commons license^}

Have a picnic at Arnold Circus

For a small roundabout in the East End of London, Arnold Circus always seem to do very well at organising events, and today the Friends of Arnold Circus have organised an Olympicnic to celebrate the summer season and the upcoming fortnight-of-sports.


It's a bring-your-own sharing picnic, and we are promised fun, games, food & music, including Ping Pong, the Wheelers Cycle Challenge, Infinity Hopscotch, African Drummers, a primary school choir, Asian RnB and a barbecue and bouncy castle at nearby Rochelle School.

For more, see http://foac.org.uk/

_{^Picture © the Friends of Arnold Circus^}

Hear the music of Norman Long

A well-known voice in the 1930s, the music of Sydenham-based Norman Long - a BBC entertainer known for his wit, charm and ability to poke fun at the establishment - has all but disappeared into the ether, but for one South-London-singer who is determined to keep his memory alive.


We are told that Norman Long was the son of a Sydenham bootmaker and lived in a house on Queensthorpe Road. During the First World War, he entertained as part of his service, and despite deciding on a career as an insurance salesman after the war, he found the time to write music which gently mocked the establishment, and became famous after recording songs for various BBC programmes including "A Song, A joke, and a Piano".

South London singer Alexandra Carter has decided to revive his work in a concert that, she believes, may be the first time in around 90 years that anyone has heard Norman Long's songs in concert. For more, see https://sites.google.com/site/alexcartersinger/

Play a Golden Street Piano

Your author remembers fondly the summer of 2009, when some open-to-all-pianos first came to our streets, and late-night singalongs around the piano at Liverpool Street Station brought a sense of community to a sometimes lonely city. Today, free pianos return for a fourth and final year, found at London landmarks and beauty spots across the City for the next three weeks.


It doesn't matter even if your piano skills are lacking, as today from 1pm - 4pm you are invited to sign up for one of free piano lesson on the pianos. We are also told that, for some reason, Spandau Ballet bod Tony Hadley will be performing, accompanied by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra at the piano on the north side of Millennium Bridge from 12.45pm.

For more, see http://streetpianos.com/london2012/

_{^Picture © JJBulley used under a Creative Commons license^}

Attend Speakeasy & Swing at the Half Moon

Tonight we are told to expect the Half Moon in Herne Hill to be transformed with the sounds and tastes of the 1920s, as big band Le Chat Creole entertain us with swing, Dixieland and jazz.


Your author will be there, and not just because a former flatmate is singing, but also because it offers the chance to sip on a Sidecar, feast on fried chicken and pretend that we are back in the 1920s, which were apparently terribly fashionable.

It promises to be a good night and tickets are available at http://www.wegottickets.com/event/168823

Listen to jazz at Hideaway

Some of London's best venues are a little way out of the centre of town, and Hideaway in Streatham seems to be making efforts in the right direction, with a full calendar of music nights and other events, including jam sessions and jazz workshops.


Hideaway also offers decent-looking food and drinks, and often reaches beyond jazz to funk, soul, R&B and other types of music.

To see what's on, see http://www.hideawaylive.co.uk/calendar

Celebrate Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall

Your author hasn't even thought about doing any shopping yet, and if you're also in need of a distraction, the Royal Albert Hall's Christmas festival has begun, with daily afternoon carols in the presence of the London Concert Chorus and the London Concert Orchestra.


Though it's a bit pricier than other carol concerts, it is a stunning venue, and they will probably put on a good show, though if you want something really magical, you may wish to await the Carols by Candlelight sessions at the end of next week.

For more, see http://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/christmas/default.aspx#/page/1/

Listen to folk at Blackheath Folk Club

Occasionally your author gets bouts of Laurie-Lee-style nostalgia for a folk club he used to attend as a child in a Cotswold village. So, it was a real treat to find about about Blackheath Folk Club, a similar event which takes place every Tuesday in South East London.


The club holds its weekly meetings from 8.30pm in a room at the British Oak, at 107 Old Dover Road on the Blackheath/ Kidbrooke borders, and when your author popped in last week there were many fantastic performers, of a quality you would usually expect to pay good money to watch.

One who is especially memorable is Jim Radford, known for his acapella sea shanties and British and Irish folk songs, but as with many folk clubs of this type, the floor is open to performers who just show up and play, so you never know what treats might be in store.

For more, see http://blackheathfolk.com/ (website has live recordings which play automatically, so switch your speakers off at work - unless you work at a folk music record label).

Listen to some Brass on the Grass

Until the end of August, Westminster Abbey is hosting weekly concerts on its College Garden, and the second in the series is today.


Visitors are invited to bring a picnic and a blanket and enjoy free music from some of the best brass bands in the country on Wednesdays from 12.30pm until 2pm.

Today's concert features the Band of the Surrey Yeomanry, and anyone interested is invited to bring a picnic and a blanket for a free concert, with any donations going to band funds. This sort of thing is one of your author's favourites.

For more, see click here

_{^Picture © ms.Tea used under Creative Commons^}

Celebrate St George in Trafalgar Square

If you're an Englishman, and you're feeling suitably patriotic this afternoon but not feeling like the pub, there is good news. Trafalgar Square is hosting a concert to celebrate the day of our patron saint.


The day features World in Motion drummers, opera tenors, West End stars, young musicians playing classical, gospel, big band and pop, and the best of buskers from around London. There are also to be tunes from folk guitarist and former Green Day tribute band member, Newton Faulkner.

It's all free and goes on from 1pm until 6pm. For more information, see http://www.london.gov.uk/stgeorges

_{^Picture © John Pannel used under Creative Commons^}

Catch up with the Cafe Concert Tour

Some readers may remember friends of the blog, Alexandra Carter and Serge Pachnine, who brought their fantastic music to the Tired of London, Tired of Life second birthday party in October. They are back on the road again this week for their “A Proper Cup of Coffee” Cafe Concert Tour, playing coffee-themed shows in cafes around London.


Today they're clocking up three gigs at the Sugahill Cafe in Sydenham, the Pavilion Cafe in Dulwich Park, and at Good Taste Food in Crystal Palace.

The gigs are for UK Coffee Week, and are helping to raise funds for Project Waterfall, the weeks charitable arm, which aims to raise £1 million for water and sanitation projects around the world. If Alex and Serge don't keel over from exhaustion first they will end their thirteen-date tour with three special shows on Saturday for London Coffee Festival.

For more information, see the Alexandra Carter website

Book a ticket to the Troxy

Situated on Commercial Road, in the heart of East London, the Troxy is a former cinema which is now a fantastic venue for a diverse range of events, and some fantastic gigs. It attracts some brilliant bands, and has witnessed some great shows, and if that's not your sort of thing, Gary Numan's on in a couple of weeks.


Between 1933, when the first film shown was "King Kong", and 1960, when it closed with "The Siege of Sidney Street", the cinema had a capacity of over 3,000 people. It subsequently became a venue for Royal Opera House rehearsals, and then a Mecca Bingo, closing in 2005.

Since being acquired by its current agents, it has been converted into, in your author's opinion, one of the better venues in London to watch live music, with restoration of some of the original bits adding a great atmosphere, and sound quality holding up well.

When your author last visited, it was to see a left-wing singer-songwriter who kept banging on about the unions - in between trying to flog teatowels - but when he was singing it was very pleasant. That said, it's not all pop music, and tonight sees - bizarrely - a boxing match between Oxford and Cambridge, so it's probably best to just keep an eye on the what's on section, and see if anything pops up you fancy seeing.

For more on all things Troxy, visit http://www.troxy.co.uk/

_{^Picture © Jim Linwood used under Creative Commons^}

Join a band at Rough Trade East

The 'Drummer Wanted' board at Rough Trade East is a place where East London's musical hipsters come together to scrawl notes about how they need other hipsters to make their dream work, by playing in their band.


London is presumably where hip young things come to try to make it in the music business, and whilst they're not posing in record shops and riding fixed-wheeled bikes, they actually have to do some practice, and find other musicians to play with, so Rough Trade helps them so it all with bike storage, a huge record shop and a noticeboard.

Rough Trade East is on Dray Walk and is open lateish every night. For more on the shop and its opening hours, click here.

Sing carols around the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree

At this time of year, the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree assumes a place in your author's mind - and surely in the minds of many Londoners - as the centre of London's Christmas celebrations, and the ongoing season of Christmas carols around the tree are a key part of this.


The traditional carol-singing season began this year on Tuesday 7th December, and runs until Wednesday 22nd, allowing a range of organisations to lead carols in the evenings from around 5pm to 9pm, and raise funds for voluntary or charitable organisations.

This evening you can see the Mickleham Choral Society from 5pm until 6pm, followed by the Spitalfields Crypt Trust until 7pm, then Global Action Plan until 8pm, and finally the Starry Night Singers, who close the singing at 9pm.

For more, see http://www.london.gov.uk/trafalgarsquare/events/xmas.jsp

Attend a carol concert at St Martin in the Fields

This evening, the Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields give one of their first Advent concerts with the Lord Nelson Brass Quintet in what is being billed as a 'vibrant celebration of Christmas'.


They will be playing seasonal favourites including O Come, All ye Faithful, Joy to the World, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, from about 6pm.

It's a bit steep, with entry costing £18, or £21 with mulled wine and a mince pie, but this is tourist central, and they have a fairly captive audience. For more information on the concert, which lasts around an hour, click here.

_{^Picture © James Cridland used under Creative Commons^}

Watch a band at the Flowerpot

A relative newcomer to North London, the Flowerpot, in Kentish Town, is a music venue and pub which hosts free gigs most nights.


The management promise at least one live act and one guest dj on any night you attend, and unlike many music venues your author could mention, they even pride themselves on selling 'honestly priced alcohol'.

In the past, the Flowerpot has hosted gigs by Laura Marling, Madness and Billy Bragg, as well as the Kooks and Florence and the Machine, but don't let that put you off. Your author popped in a couple of months ago and enjoyed a thoroughly pleasant evening's entertainment for not much money at all.

It is open every day until at least midnight, and 2am on Friday and Saturdays and entry is always free. For more, see http://flowerpotlondon.com/

Wave goodbye to summer at the Thames Festival

The 14th Mayor’s Thames Festival kicks off this afternoon, with events taking place on the riverbanks, bridges and river from noon until 10pm, anywhere between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge.


There are seemingly countless events and stages, with street arts, a bandstand, countless performers, a carnival, films, a chance to tuck into a feast on Southwark Bridge, exhibitions, al fresco jive dancing, river events, a new beach beside the Thames, a river parade, markets, circus, music and dance.

It all culminates in a carnival parade and fireworks on Sunday evening. For more information, see the patchy website at http://www.thamesfestival.org/

_{^Picture by victoriapeckham^}

Live music on Sunday afternoon at the Blue Posts

There are many Blue Posts around Soho, so your author hopes he has the right one. The Blue Posts, at 28 Rupert Street, W1, is a lovely pub, and their live music on Sunday afternoons is very enjoyable.


It's usually a bit of a squeeze to get into their downstairs bar, but its worth it if you can find the space to stand, and you have a taste for a couple more pints to finish off the weekend.

Your author believes the music starts around 4pm, and even if it doesn't, there are much worse places to spend your Sunday afternoons. The clientèle are always very friendly...

See the Stomp musical

Your author cashed in a recent raffle win to see Stomp at the Ambassador's Theatre last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Already in its 8th season in London, the Stomp Musical grew out of Brighton's STOMP, a combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, which was created in Brighton in the summer of 1991.


Following a ten year collaboration between creators Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell, they produced, financed and directed the original STOMP themselves, beginning at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre and at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. The show has since won many awards, and combines percussion, dance and some visual comedy using everything from cigarette lighters, to newspapers, dustbins and barrels in a great show.

Readers of your author's age group will probably remember it from many episodes of Blue Peter, but don't let that put you off, as it's very good. Your author understands from an insider that you're best to avoid the matinees, however, as hangovers can sometimes affect performance. Considering how hard the cast work it is completely understandable.

For more, see http://www.stomplondon.com/

_{^Picture by scragz^}