Dozens of bars, caf?s, clubs and restaurants are situated in Soho and
Covent Garden; the best way to explore is to cruise around on foot,
although a few venues stand out. Bar Rumba ,
one of the best dance clubs in town, plays host to a series of
excellent one-nighters: Monday has jazz, funk and drum ‘n’ bass;
Tuesday, Latin; it’s deep house on Wednesday; drum ‘n’ bass on
Thursday; New Skool beats on Friday; and garage on Saturday. Each night
is among the best of its type. Equally popular is The Wag , a
stylish club on three floors that similarly plays host to a wide
variety of music. Midweek sees indie-rock nights; Friday, an ’80s retro
session; while ‘Blow Up’ is one of the best parties around on Saturday,
a night that takes its inspiration from ’60s soul and pop, but that
plays all kinds of ‘lounge’ tunes and big beat too.
The Velvet Room ,
on Charing Cross Road, is a luxuriously appointed ‘club bar’ that also
hosts an excellent drum ‘n’ bass Wednesday-nighter (‘Swerve’) and a
great techno and deep house night on Thursdays (‘Ultimate BASE’).
Stylish ‘club’ clothes should normally guarantee admission. Nearby,
opposite the Centrepoint building, is LA2 , home to ‘Carwash’ on
Saturdays, the best disco night in town but one for which you must
dress the part (ie like an extra from Saturday Night Fever).
July 30, 2010
Soho & Covent Garden clubs
May 22, 2010
La Calle Caliente
Born in 1995, after various famous jam sessions involving many different musicians all from different backgrounds, La Calle Caliente (‘The Hot Street’) play a two-night stint in Clamores this week. What unites all of these musicians is their passion for Latin-jazz. All can boast plenty of experience, work with the likes of Irakere, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz stands out on the CV of many. Live they are the kind of combo that blows the roof off with their tight sound and thumping rhythms. A must for Latin-jazz fans.
May 16, 2010
I am a Seagull
This touching documentary film taps into the private, tortured world of Soviet actress Valentina Karavayeva. Badly scarred in a car crash, Karayeva’s star fell in the 1940s and she never regained her former fame. Despite or because of this failure to restart her career she continued to perform at home, alone to her own camera. Director Georgy Paradyanov exposes these performances in what was called Russia’s ‘Sunset Boulevard’ at the Venice Film Festival where the film debuted.
