Eye on London - Music, Maestro, Please

London from the inside Monday 5th December - Sunday 11th December 2016

It’s the last month of 2016, let’s make it a good’un. It’s music, maestro, please, this week with a smattering of Christmas (we couldn’t help ourselves!) And we’ve got a lot of ‘who knew?’ facts about Waltham Forest.

MUSIC TO OUR EARS

Bands in town this week include…

• Lissie - Tuesday 6th December, Koko
• Tom Odell - Tuesday 6th December, Camden Assembly
• Shura - Wednesday 7th December, O2 Forum Kentish Town
• Madness - Saturday 10th December, The O2
• Oliver Heldens - Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th December, Electric Brixton
• The Chemical Brothers - Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th December, Eventim Apollo Hammersmith

 

KARAOKE QUEENS

Karaoke - once only acceptable if you were in Japan or had somehow ended up in Phoenix Nights. Now private rooms and posh bars have transformed it into the most fun you can have on a night out. They usually come complete with fancy dress, food and a ‘room service’ drinks button. If you’re in charge of your works Christmas do, then you can’t go wrong in booking one of these bad boys….

• Lucky Voice (Soho and Islington)
• Karaoke Box (Smithfield, Mayfair, Soho)
• Bunga Bunga (Battersea)

 

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

It’s actually December and you’re feeling ready to dip your toe into the mix...

• Ice Skating at Somerset House - there’s even club nights and a Fortnum’s pop up shop
• Covent Garden Market - get a few presents in the bag to make yourself feel a bit more organised
• East Village Christmas Makers Market - it’s a hygge themed affair in Victory Park on Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th December
• The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker - basically Christmas = The Nutcracker

 

...BUT ENOUGH OF THE CHRISTMAS SONGS ALREADY!

Zone out of the office Christmas songs and into some great tunes about your hometown by listening to the 100 best songs about London on Timeout’s Spotify playlist. It features Jamie T, David Bowie, Ed Sheeran and Dire Straits and (we bet) more than a few songs that you didn’t realise were about the big smoke.

 

EYE ON… WALTHAM FOREST

There are 32 capsules on The Coca-Cola London Eye, representing the 32 London boroughs, so each week we explore a different London borough.

Waltham Forest was one of the four host boroughs for the 2012 Olympics and is also home to Leyton Orient F.C. at Brisbane Road. Musicians to come out of the area include East 17 (E17 being Walthamstow), Blazin’ Squad and more recently it’s a hub for grime with Lethal Bizzle, Jammer and More Fire Crew all hailing from the borough. Walthamstow Stadium shut in 2008 but was the inspiration for many artists and songs including:

• Blur’s ‘Parklife’ album artwork
• Simply Red’s ‘Holding Back the Years’ was written about a trainer who worked there
• East 17’s ‘House of Love’ music video
• Blazin’ Squad’s ‘Love on the Line’ music video

And… David Beckham’s first job was as a glass collector at the stadium.

 

ON THIS DAY…6th December 1983

Medical history was made as surgeons successfully completed the first heart and lung transplant operation to be performed in Britain.

 

Number one on this day: The Flying Pickets, Only You

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