AM & Shawn Lee - Dark Into Light
Here’s another beautifully warm pop song from AM & Shawn Lee‘s highly accomplished collaborative album, “Celestial Electric”. Catch a rare live outing at Rough Trade East on Feb 6th.
20 Jan 2012
London agenda for Friday 20 January
1. Watch masked wrestlers wrestle Mexican-style in Bethnal Green at Lucha Britannia [Le Cool]
2. Listen to some ‘beautiful chamber pop’ by Catherine AD [Run Riot]
3. Visit the Saatchi gallery’s new screening room for Christopher Baker’s ‘Hello World’ [Flavorpill]
4. Hear everything from vintage pop, hip hop, electro, house at the Old Queen’s Head for January Detox [Don’t Panic]
5. See Chips for the Poor, Chapter 24, and Diaphram Failure at the The Wilmington Arms [London Gigs]
6. Count the stars in the sky [Ian Visits]
7. Admire Dover House [Tired of London]
20 Jan 2012
Crossing the road in an embarrassing shuffle run may soon be a thing of the past
Tfl are planning more pedestrian crossing countdowns, after a succesful trial. These countdowns tell you how many seconds are left before that dreadful angry red man forbids you to start crossing the road. The idea is that with this extra knowledge, you’ll make a better decision.
So say goodbye to the half-run/half-walk that everyone does when they’re not sure if there’s quite enough time to cross, even though they know it looks stupid and it’s barely quicker than a normal walk anyway. I for one will miss it, for watching it has often brightened my day.
Progress is sad sometimes.
Tfl – Pedestrian Countdown technology to be rolled out across London from summer 2012
20 Jan 2012
You As You Were by Shearwater
A blooming gorgeous new track from Shearwater, taken from Animal Joy, their first album for Sub Pop (released February 27th). Catch them at the Scala, April 3rd.
19 Jan 2012
Why Boris Johnson has slipped behind Ken Livingstone
Today’s news that Ken Livingstone has edged ahead of Boris Johnson in the Mayoral race has surprised a lot of commentators, but it shouldn’t.
Ken, despite his years, has been out walking the streets, pushing issues that Londoners most care about. Namely transport, crime and the cost of living.
Boris on the other hand, has campaigned like he’s governed: complacently.
The view in Team Boris is that the Mayor will “walk it” because of his natural charisma.
No need to worry about ever rising bus fares. Just set up a photo shoot with Boris hanging off the back of an expensive new bus.
No need to worry about the riots. Just wander back a few days later with a broom and some cameras.
In fact why worry about a new manifesto at all? Just promise the same set of fantasy airports and road improvements you promised last time and hope nobody can remember.
And even when it comes to his image, Boris has become complacent.
So as Londoners struggled back to work on overcrowded trains with even more expensive season tickets, Boris allowed himself to be pictured skiing in the Italian Alps.
He was perfectly within his rights to do that of course, but these aren’t the actions of a man who realises he’s got a fight on his hands.
In 2008, Ken lost because he appeared complacent and out of touch, whilst Boris campaigned on the issues that Londoners cared about.
So whilst Ken banged on about climate change, Boris banged on about knife crime.
Four years later and the opposite is now true.
Whilst Ken talks about fares, Boris talks about the 50p tax rate. Whilst Boris talks about helping bankers, Ken talks about helping commuters.
The election is still very much Boris’s to lose, but if he carries on like this then he will lose it.
19 Jan 2012
Occupy Justice to hold a 'people's tribunal' on the Iraq War at the former Old Street Magistrates
What happens if you throw a war and you can’t get anyone in authority to prosecute? You hold your own hearings. Anti-war campaigner Chris Coverdale (above) explains what will be occurring at the four-person panel today. Click here for more information.
19 Jan 2012
Westminster parking fiasco - the view that's not being heard
Followers of the Evening Standard’s increasingly surreal take on London life can’t have failed to have noticed it has a slight problem with the current leader of Westminster Council.
But for simply deciding that the council could raise a few pounds to help serve its residents by charging motorists more to park in streets that are served by the capital’s best public transport network, Colin Barrow has paid a heavy political price.
After the Standard led a hysterical campaign against any threat to Mayfair drivers’ freedom to clog up our roads, Cllr Barrow ended up having to backtrack and resign.
According to the Standard, being charged to park in the West End on a Saturday night was a “nightlife tax”, while adding double yellow lines to crowded city streets was beyond the pale.
But, a reasonable observer might ask, who was making the case for charging car drivers and promoting the use of the bus and the Tube?
Ken Livingstone, who introduced the congestion charge in 2003, branded the charges a parking rip-off.
Even Green candidate Jenny Jones attacked the charges, calling them “an exercise in increasing council revenues”. Heaven forbid!
So it was down to local blog Fitzrovia News to argue the point.
“All sorts of excuses have been used by those defending the right of motorists to have free parking in central London. But the motoring lobby are the real “something for nothing” group. In real terms the cost of motoring has gone down. While public transport costs have gone up, car drivers have enjoyed a relative holiday.
“Despite the media furore about Westminster City Council’s parking changes they are at least actually doing something to address the problem of pollution and congestion. Unlike all the candidates for Mayor of London, none of whom have any real proposals to tackle the problem. And it is the Mayor’s and Transport for London’s job to sort out any inadequacies in public transport, not Westminster City Council.”
Read more. Because Fitzrovia News seems to be the only voice defending central London against increased congestion at the moment. They don’t fancy standing for mayor, do they?
19 Jan 2012
London agenda for Thursday 19 January
1. Watch the new A Tribe Called Quest documentary, Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of ATCQ [Le Cool]
2. Celebrate the life of Gil Scott-Heron with Kate Tempest, Ben Mellor, Jamie XX and Gilles Peterson the Wilton’s Music Hall Bookslam [Run Riot]
3. Listen to David Rowan, the UK editor of Wired Magazine tell stories at Campfire [Don’t Panic]
4. Hear Sandy Gall tell why it all went wrong in Afghanistan at Asia House [Ian Visits]
5. Browse the bookshop at Morden Hall Park [Tired of London]
19 Jan 2012
The one-room hotel on top of Queen Elizabeth Hall
Today’s Video LDN is the one-room hotel created by artist Fiona Banner, located on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
18 Jan 2012
Sorry by Victoria Hume
Landing, the second album from Victoria Hume, has caused something of a stir here at Snipe HQ. Three years in the making, it’s a masterclass in pocket-sized, minimal drama-folk. We’re rapidly developing a mini musical crush on the London-based songstress. Download opening track Sorry below. The album is available in its entirety here.
18 Jan 2012
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- Number of people using Thames cable car plunges
- London has chosen its mayor, but why can’t it choose its own media?
- Only 16 commuters touch in to Emirates Air Line, figures reveal
- The five best places in London to have an epiphany
- Diary of the shy Londoner
- Punk brewery just as sexist and homophobic as the industry they rail against
- Nice Interactive timeline lets you follow Londoners' historic fight against racism
- Silencing the Brick Lane curry touts could be fatal for the city's self-esteem
- 9 poems about London: one for each of your moods
- Summer Camp: Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days
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