London agenda for Thursday 8 December
1. View the amazing inner-city estates of Berlin-based artist Evol at A Sight For Sore Eyes [Le Cool]
2. Walk the lost rivers of London from the safety of an Islington pub [Run Riot]
3. Discuss the life of Aung San Suu Kyi at the Ritzy’s ‘Lady of No Fear [Don’t Panic]
4. Discover why dismissing art and design leads to bad science [Ian Visits]
5. See the Clerk’s Well [Tired of London]
London Agenda is Snipe’s daily compilation of what to do in London as suggested by everyone else. Send additions to listings@snipelondon.com
08 Dec 2011
AM & Shawn Lee - City Boy
Here’s a beautifully produced hazy pop earworm for you from American duo AM & Shawn Lee. They have a collaborative album coming up soon entitled “Celestial Electric”, and it’s loaded with dreamy anthems like this one – recommended.
07 Dec 2011
Watch out East London - the tentacles are coming
Eric Van Der Kleij, CEO of Tech City, paints a terrifying picture of East London’s future, in which super-fast broadband cables ensnare innocent hipsters in a terrifying death grip.
It’s from a typo-strewn but well reported write up of yesterday’s Economy, Culture and Sport Committee at City Hall. Sounds boring, but isn’t. This stuff could change the face of the city over the next decade, so pay attention.
Gabriella Griffith at Londonlovesbusiness – The debate: Is Tech City working?
07 Dec 2011
Tory Assembly Members walk out before debate on cyclist deaths
Conservative London Assembly Members today prevented a debate about the recent spate of cyclist deaths on London’s roads after they staged a walkout at City Hall.
Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones had proposed a motion calling on AMs to express their condolences to the relatives of those who died and asking the Mayor to investigate whether their deaths could have been avoided through better road designs.
The motion follows a number of recent cyclist deaths including two in the space of three weeks at Bow roundabout.
The walkout meant that the Chair had to close the meeting.
This is the second time that Conservative AMs have prevented a debate on cyclist safety.
Earlier this year, they walked out before a motion could be heard on reducing the speed limit on Blackfriars Bridge to 20mph
Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Mike Tuffrey said that today’s walkout was an “insult” to London cyclists:
“Today’s childish actions by Conservative Assembly Members have thwarted a key debate on cycle safety taking place. Their actions are an insult to every cyclist in London as well as the democratic process.”
Jenny Jones said after the meeting:
“The Tory walkout before we could take the cycling motion was perhaps partly based on embarrassment at the Mayor’s poor safety record. He has consistently ignored cycling campaigners’ advice on how to make junctions safe, leaving cyclists vulnerable to the faster traffic. This is playing with people’s lives, not delivering good government for London.”
Conservative London Assembly leader James Cleverly wrote afterwards that he had walked out in protest over not being given chairmanship of any Assembly committees.
07 Dec 2011
Beware the votes of cyclists
An exhaustive, excellent post at Cyclists in the City synthesises a lot of recent developments. It’s worth reading in full. The conclusion is ominous for Mayor Johnson.
There are upwards of 500,000 cycle journeys in London every day, according to TfL. That’s an awful lot of us when it comes to the Mayoral election. I think it’s time everyone who cycles thinks carefully about how they exercise their vote at the election next year.
As a keen classicist the Mayor will no doubt appreciate the tragic patterning at work here. The encouragement he gave people to take to their bikes has helped create an army of cycling voters. So his own public support for cycling, coupled with the hubris he has displayed in office when it comes to dealing with cyclists’ concerns, may ultimately lead to his electoral downfall.
It makes you think.
Context: Sixteen people have been killed while cycling in London this year.
Cycling in the City – Transport for London letter last week rejects safer Blackfriars scheme, claims killer roundabout at Bow is not a risk for cycling & walking. Mayor now completely out of step with most other cities?
07 Dec 2011
London agenda for Wednesday 7 December
1. Listen to an exclusive vinyl-only in-store set by DJ Shadow at Rough Trade East [Le Cool]
2. Wear an ugly Christmas jumper for a live alt-folk music, contemporary dance, spoken word, mulled wine and open fire party [Run Riot]
3. Watch a live performance of the Canterbury Tales [Flavorpill]
4. See an amazing variation on the usual set with Caribou’s Vibration Ensemble [Don’t Panic]
5. What this is who knows. Frisky and Mannish [Time Out]
6. Ensure table dominance after attending the Science of the Christmas Dinner
7. Learn magick at Wicca Moon [Tired of London]
07 Dec 2011
Who gets chosen to switch on the Christmas lights says a lot about a place
Those playing to their own stereotype
Hampstead – Michael McIntyre
Camden Square – Mitch Winehouse
Tottenham – Chipmunk
Those with no imagination and lots of money
Westfield West – Justin Bieber
Westfield East – Justin Bieber
Oxford St – The Saturdays
Those with no imagination and not much money
Bluewater shopping centre – X Factor finalist Kitty Brucknell
Fulham – X Factor finalist Sami Brookes
Harrow – X Factor finalist Johnny Robinson
Those with no imagination and no money
Bromley – Cast of the pantomime Snow White
Greenwich – Cast of the pantomime Aladdin
Victoria – Cast of the musical Wicked
Those that didn’t even try
Dagenham – Mayor of Barking and Dagenham, Cllr Milton McKenzie
Archway – Mayor of Islington, Cllr Phil Kelly
Those that hired Larry Lamb
Angel – Larry Lamb
Croydon – Larry Lamb
06 Dec 2011
London agenda for Tuesday 6 December
1. Have a holly, jolly, schmaltzy Christmas at Hyde Park [Le Cool]
2. Listen to some jokes at Mitch Benn and The Distractions [Run Riot]
3. Mix the future past at Non-classical at Troy Bar [Don’t Panic]
4. Go somewhere and watch something unknown at Secret Cinema [Time Out]
5. Look at photos by Red Saunders in which he recreates the ‘hidden’ neglected scenes of working class history [Ian Visits]
6. Buy books at Daunt Books, Hampstead [Tired of London]
06 Dec 2011
Droplet Affection (Stripped) by Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor ‘Droplet Affection’ from Ursa Minor (Little Bear) on Vimeo.
Droplet Affection is the debut single from Yoshee, Alex, Evee
and Little Bear, otherwise known as Ursa Minor. Both band and song represent perfectly formed little nuggets of house revivalism, with an elegant, operatic pop twist, perfect for those nights/mornings when going to bed first seems like the most hideous of cardinal sins. Download a stripped back version of the single, out now on Invader Music, below.
05 Dec 2011
The Thames is terrifying. Don't fall in
Sally Adee fell in the Thames and went to hospital.
I revealed that I’d taken a dip in the Thames. Then, even hardened nurses blanched and rushed off to confer with other medical professionals. As the morning wore on and I kept seeing those expressions of pure horror every time I pointed at my leg and said the word “Thames,” I started to get pretty well creeped out.
Read her piece for more. It’s interesting.
Sally Adee at The Last Word on Nothing – Pro Tip: Don’t Fall in the Thames
05 Dec 2011
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- Only 16 commuters touch in to Emirates Air Line, figures reveal
- Nice map of London's fruit trees shows you where to pick free food
- Margaret Thatcher statue rejected by public
- London has chosen its mayor, but why can’t it choose its own media?
- Silencing the Brick Lane curry touts could be fatal for the city's self-esteem
- Hope and despair in Woolwich town centre
- Number of people using Thames cable car plunges
- Nice Interactive timeline lets you follow Londoners' historic fight against racism
- The five spookiest abandoned London hospitals
- Could red kites be London's next big nature success story?
© 2009-2026 Snipe London.