Best of the Top 5s for week ending 19 November
This week Snipe peered into the gloom with London pubs with great ambient lighting. We also wondered if every atom in the universe contained its own worlds with High-achieving drug-fuelled creatives, avoided making a real Top 5 list with Videos to avoid doing whatever you are supposed to be doing right now and lamented that this was the number one post by views this week, X Factor contestants as annoying as Katie Waissel.
19 Nov 2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
The beginning of the end is upon us with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 today. Like an overflowing cauldron of polyjuice potion, it can’t possibly all be consumed in one go, so it has been kindly chopped up into two bite-sized chunks for us meaning all those eager to see what becomes of the magical threesome must fork out twice. Well, if I were Warner Bros, standing on Platform 9 and three-quarters, tearfully waving off the highest grossing film franchise of all time, I’d probably squeeze every last drop of profit out too.
19 Nov 2010
Wrong Again: What to eat when there's nothing left to eat in the house
I see you sitting there. Wondering.
“Amil, am I really going to die alone, face down in a puddle of mysterious ooze that may or may not consist of my own bodily fluids?” Yes. Yup. Of course you are. We all are. Who cares? Your Facebook status is not going to UPDATE ITSELF. And it doesn’t mean you don’t have to go to work tomorrow, so just shut up and listen for once in your life.
I know the only person that will even know you’re dead is the pizza man (or woman), and they stopped taking your calls weeks ago. I get you. Because I am you.
But this column is like the Terminator 2 when Arnold Schwarzenegger is actually the good guy. I’m going to teach you how to “So You Think You Can Single!” What does that mean? What doesn’t it mean!
Let’s pour a whiskey and get into it.
This week is about the basics: What to eat when there’s nothing left to eat in the house and there’s no money in your wallet either and if you go to the bank to get cash to order a pizza then you might as well just go to the grocery store or eat out in public but if that was the kind of person you were you would’ve stopped reading this at “nothing left to eat.”
1.) I like to start with the cupboards because if there are “food” products in there, they probably don’t have an expiration date. And bonus, it’s already in its own bowl so BOOM no dishes. Is that tuna? Maybe? Awesome. Eat it like a cat!
2.) Nothing in the cupboard? Move on to the fridge. If three weeks ago you pretended you were going to turn your life around and bought a bunch of random vegetables then now is the time to cut out the wet parts and fry that shit up.
3.) Condiments only huh? Relax. I got this. I know there’s a starch somewhere in the house (bread, potato, rice, toilet paper, whatever.) You’d be surprised how good a bunch of mustard and soy sauce tastes on a cracker! It’s fusion.
4.) Oh really, nothing? Okay. Have you ever eaten ice? It’s actually quite filling. What about cigarettes?
5.) Oh fuck it. Eating is for the weak. Just distract yourself until you pass out. I hear there’s a really good episode of Bones online.
19 Nov 2010
London agenda for Friday 19 November
1. Blend art, music, fashion and film at In/Human’s exhibition [Le Cool]
2. Listen to an unbeatable line-up with Donae’o unplugged with The Boxettes at Stratford Circus [Run Riot]
3. Hear cinematic left-field pop at Rich Mix with Guess What + Minuscule Hey + La Fáline + Ray Bartok [Spoonfed]
4. Escape the crowds at the Carpenters Arms, Seymour Place [Tired of London]
19 Nov 2010
John & Jehn
We are deeply in love with tres-cule French couple John & Jehn here at Snipe, as any sensibly minded person who’s come across them should be. Their heart-warming schtick is all Lou Reed and Audrey Tatou playing Bonny & Clyde, and they’re so damn beautiful, likeably human and strikingly talented, you just gotta play along. A session version of their live favourite “Fear, Fear, Fear” can be downloaded below, and you can find out all about their new EP and get another free track here.
18 Nov 2010
Picco
When you watch Picco you get the feeling that former-critic and one-time film
student Philip Koch knows his stuff. In his feature debut follow-up to the award-
winning short Lumen, Koch skilfully blends the theory and artful subtlety that
seems to have informed his Nouvelle Vagary from criticism to filmmaking.
18 Nov 2010
London pubs with great ambient lighting
“In the half light, we’re free”, as The Arcade Fire sang. And, presuming they were singing about the lighting levels of British pubs, they were absolutely right. Of all the qualities a great pub must have, the correct level of lighting is surely the most crucial. You can keep your speciality beers, your outdoor space, your well-chosen music – the light’s the thing. Here are five London hostelries which get it just right.
The Dove, Hackney
Candles, so many candles. Yes there are a disturbing number of check-shirted moustaches, yes it can be hard to get a seat, but the effect of the flames flickering against the dark wood interior, the shadows dancing across the golden pints of Juplier…lovely wintery stuff.
Tooting Tram and Social
This place is tucked away off a main road and easy to miss, but well worth seeking out. The entrance is beautifully adorned with floating lightbulbs and the super long bar is decorated with glassy lampshades. The space inside is massive, a great high ceiling, sofas and cosy tables. Really good venue, well worth checking out.
The Ten Bells, Spitalfields
This pub has already been featured in a grisly Top 5, but simply demands inclusion in this one – it’s deliberately kept dim in order to play on the historical resonances of the venue. Lookout lookout, there are murders about. Extra credit for the copious creative graffiti in the downstairs toilets (the men’s anyway), including random snatches of the Jabberwocky.
Royal Inn on the Park, Victoria Park
Great pub, with a fine old fireplace and a striking big mirror. Especially nice in the run up to Christmas when the white lights in the window shimmer prettily. Has a side room with a massive world map adorning an entire wall. This gives it lots of bonus marks for interesting decor, tempered only by the encouragement it offers boring people to witter on about their gap years.
North Star, Ealing
For any of you way out west, this is worth a visit. A pretty odd mock Tudor facade (which makes it the most interesting-looking building in Ealing by some distance) gives way to a well stocked alehouse with a pleasant, gloaming atmosphere. Not fancy, but all you need.
18 Nov 2010
London agenda for Thursday 18 November
1. Watch films by female directors and screenwriters at Underwire Film Festival [Le Cool]
2. Then remember the suffragettes at a vigil [Run Riot]
3. View a painter who paints with a dead hand [Spoonfed]
18 Nov 2010
Sin Fang Bous
Sin Fang Bous is the project of Sindri Már Sigfússon, singer of Icelandic folk-pop band Seabear. His solo album, Clangour, is a brilliantly imaginative construction of trilling pipes, strummed strings and ramshackle arrangements that surprises at every turn. Tjék him out.
Sin Fang Bous – The Jubilee Choruses by brainlove
17 Nov 2010
Andrew O’Neill, English 50 cent, translates 50 Cent's 'In Da Club' into the Queen's English
English 50 Cent – In Da Club from english 50cent on Vimeo.
You can follow Andrew O’Neill at @English50cent
17 Nov 2010
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- Only 16 commuters touch in to Emirates Air Line, figures reveal
- Could red kites be London's next big nature success story?
- Diary of the shy Londoner
- The five best places in London to have an epiphany
- Nice map of London's fruit trees shows you where to pick free food
- 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
- Punk brewery just as sexist and homophobic as the industry they rail against
- Number of people using Thames cable car plunges
- Summer Camp: Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days
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