AHOY!
It's the LondonNet Newsletter...
20 January 2005, Issue 170
www.londonnet.com / www.londonnet.co.uk
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Contents
What's
Up: London for Free, Offers, Attractions
London Diary: Malcolm Hardee, by David
Clee
Entertainment: Know where to go and
what to do
London Hotels: London and Worldwide
hotel deals
News: Latest news from London
Competition: Get ready for the great
Outdoors
Talkback: Why listings, why?
What's
Up
LONDON FOR FREE >>
Valentine's Day is on its way
Get your date, restaurant and hotels deals and ideas at LondonNet...
Click here!
For Outdoor Adventurers, Only
Fancy an outdoor frolic? Prepare yourself at the 2005 Outdoor Adventure Show - better yet, win the competition and go for free! Details, below...
ACCOMODATION DEALS >>
Valentine's Day Romantic Hotel Deals:
Swisshotel London The Howard
One one of the most luxurious hotels offered throughout LondonNet, the Swisshotel boasts probably the best viewing vantage point of any London hotel. Deal includes breakfast, champagne and chocolates.
The Ritz
Spoil that someone special in your life with a special romantic break at The Ritz! Enjoy a Ritz Champagne Tea and spend the night at the luxurious Ritz, waking up to breakfast in bed.
The Rubens Hotel
Truly pamper your loved one this Valentines with this two night package. A king bedded room will await you after a candlelit dinner for two and an extravagent limo ride around London.
LONDON ATTRACTIONS >>
For the latest information and tickets for a wide range of London's premier attractions, see our regularly updated London Attractions page.London Eye Valentines Champagne Flight:
Take your lover on a gentle tour of London, inside the intimate carriage of the London Eye. Night time flight is 30 minutes, and includes 2 red roses per couple, chocolate and 2 glasses of Laurent Perrier champage.
BOOK AHEAD NOW!
Price: UKP50.00 per couple (UKP25 a person)
Times: Saturday 12 February(Every half hour from 7pm-10pm); Monday 14 February (Every half hour from 6pm-10pm)
Tube: Westminster
Book: Click here for tickets...TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR 2005 LONDON EYE
Medieval Banquet
Ivory House
Booking until 31 March 2005; UKP39.50
Join King Henry VIII for a lavish feast in the vaulted cellars of Ivory House, lined with flickering torches. Minstrels, troupers and strolling players will entertain while you enjoy a four-course meal, unlimited wine and beer, and later, a full-on disco.ATTRACTION TICKETS >>
Top Attraction Sellers
(10 Jan - Feb 3 2005)
1) London Eye
2) Valentines Champagne Flight
3) London Dungeon
Malcolm Hardee, by David Clee
NOT many people get to meet their maker knowing they have changed for the better the cultural life of London, but one such is Malcolm Hardee, whose 55 year-old body was found in the Thames this week.
Hardee was the man behind two south London comedy clubs – The Tunnel Club and Up the Creek – that helped launch the careers of big name comedians like Paul Merton, Jo Brand and Vic Reeves.
His forays into the comedy circuit weren’t the first – Hardee got the stand-up bug from the Comedy Store in the West End – but they were among the first outside of central London.
Nowadays, twenty years or so later, comedy clubs and comedy nights in pubs proliferate all over the capital and offer a slice of live performance previously unavailable outside the West End, barring live music and back-street strippers.
Hardee did a bit of stripping himself, as his act featured naked bodies plus strategically placed balloons. Now it’s his soul that’s laid bare and you can hear evidence of it in the laughter of the comedy crowds every night somewhere in London.
THEATRE
THEATRE PICKS >>
Acorn Antiques
Based on a soap opera from the TV series As Seen on TV, the Acorn Antiques musical chronicles the goings-on in an antiques shop in Manchesterford. Victoria Wood, Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, and Duncan Preston star. - Ashley Brown
Cheap Theatre Tickets - Pick up a bargain with Mayor Livingstone's latest theatre sell-off: Get Into London Theatre 2005, with some ticket prices dropping to even the UKP10 mark... (more)
Offer Includes:
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
London Palladium
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang we love you - the new mantra of cast, kids, critics and theatre producers. The West End has long been wooing a crowd puller to seduce its dwindling audience, and it seems the long awaited new kid on the block has finally arrived.
Blithe Spirit
Savoy Theatre
FRESH from its run as part of the 2004 Peter Hall Season, this new production of Coward's own favourite play follows author Charles Condomine and his second wife Ruth as they hold a seance as part of research for Charles' new novel. Expecting little more than after-dinner entertainment, their lives are turned upside down when eccentric medium Madam Arcati inadvertantly conjures up the ghost of Charles' first wife. Click for full review...
Saturday Night Fever
Apollo Victoria Theatre
Watch the West End go disco with this polyester-loving version of the Travolta-classic. Popstar Kym Marsh and EastEnders' Shaun Williamson (as DJ Monty) help to celebrate the best of the Beegees.
Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Criterion Theatre
The Reduced Shakespeare Company, after reveling in previous successes, widdles the complete works of Shakespeare down to just under two hours, breaking sixteen comedies into a high-speed, jovially entertaining classic of its own right.
THEATRE TICKETS>>
Top Theatre Sellers
(20 Jan - 3 Feb 2005)
1)Mary Poppins
2)The Lion King
3)Phantom of the Opera
4)Chicago
5)The Producers
London Theatre A - Z Guide
London Theatre ReviewsROCK & POP>>
New Gig Highlights:
System of a Down
Carling Academy Brixton
5 June, 2005, 7pm
This politicised hardcore/thrash-metal hybrid hail from Los Angeles by way of Armenia, and pound out a fractured, spastic brand of rock cobbled together from influences as diverse as punk, traditional Middle Eastern music, and their adopted hometown's own early-80s hardcore scene. Erroneously lumped in with Top 40 nu-metal buffoons such as Korn and Papa Roach, System of a Down's eclectic sound places them in a category of their own. - Ashley Brown
48 Hour Party People - Feat. the Farm & Happy Mondays
Brixton Academy
25 & 26 March 2005
The Manchester pop band immortalised in Michael Winterbottom's fictionalised film chronicle of Factory Records as debauched ravers - truly, twenty-four hour party people - return with new songs and conquered addictions. Although the film portrayed the Mondays as a band whose hedonistic pursuits surpass their artistic influence in contemporary musical folklore, the band in fact was seminal in certain circles, creating a compulsively dance-happy fusion of pop, rave and hip-hop that prefigured bands like the Chemical Brothers. Frontman Shaun Ryder, who infamously and unceremoniously ditched the band in 1993, has re-joined for a two-night engagement at Brixton Academy. - Ashley Brown
Elton John
May 26, Reading; June 6 Bolton; June 10, Nottingham; June 11, Coventry; June 25, Edinburgh; June 26, Kilmarnock
It seems, initially, an injustice that Elton John - flamboyant showman, musical genius, and prince of pomp - is now playing a series of engagements as a Caesar's Palace regular in Las Vegas, Nevada, but it's also oddly befitting. John hasn't become any less ostentatiously flashy over the years, and the U.S. capital of sequined, twinkling excess is undoubtedly thrilled to accommodate the pop legend, who's never been one to take himself too seriously. Fortunately, John will leave Caesar's to embark on a worldwide tour performing the sort of safe but affable fare he's made for the last two decades. He may have hung up his Bennie and the Jets alter-ego a long time ago, but he's still more than capable of crafting the perfect melody. -Ashley Brown
Neil Diamond
Earls Court
31 May & 1 June 2005
Known for his large ensemble and tear-jerking wonders, Neil Diamond is it again, with an omnibus UK tour that not only includes London, but Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Bristol.
Rod Stewart
Earls Court
9, 11 & 12 May 2005
Find out if Rod did, indeed, write the book of love as he makes Earls Court swoon not once, not twice, but three times in the month of May. Not only have shows been known to refresh the heartstrings of many women, but rumour is they might also include tight leather trousers.Our Picks:
Whole Lotta Led
Astoria
26 Feb 2005, 7pm
A valid Led Zeppelin tribute? Yours to judge as this highly acclaimed Zeppelin band swings fans back to years where that pretty, ratty hair prevailed. Whole Lotta Led are generally considered to be one of the greatest tributes to Led Zeppelin around. Playing two and a half hour sets and over 100 concerts a year to thousands of people, their enthusiasm on stage is unequalled, with a stage presence full of magnetism and energy that all audiences feel and share. -Geoff Hunt
Graham Coxon
February 18th
NME Awards Show
Hammersmith Palais
Former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has steered away from his erstwhile band's lovable Britpop in his solo career, creating records that remain in the indie rock vein while venturing to less conventional and less sugary, melody-laden musical climes. Coxon's latest and most slickly produced album to date employs rock and blues guitars as well as soaring strings to create a rich, but often rocking opus. - Ashley Brown
The Zombies
Jazz Cafe
Tuesday 8 February
Despite a number-one U.S. hit with She's Not There, the jangly, layered psychedelic guitar pop of the Zombies was lost amidst their like-minded British Invasion kin, regarded by mainstream music history as mere ephemera. Their immaculate pop songs, however, have since made them a cult favorite, treasured by fans of Nuggets-era gems. Capitalising on this newfound recognition, singer Colin Blunstone and keyboardist Rod Argent are embarking on a tour under the Zombies moniker, playing the divine melodies and warped organ solos that made their songs so irresistible. -Ashley Brown
Anastacia
Wembley Pavillion
20 & 21 March 2005
For Your Info:
Royal Trux
24 February 2005
Electrowerkz
£5
When seminal trash-glam acid rock purveyors Royal Trux disbanded after 2000's excellent LP Pound for Pound, guitarist Neil Michael Hagerty quickly moved on to an ever-growing body of solo work. Jennifer Herrema, the other half of Royal Trux and supplier of the nicotine-cured rasp that came to epitomise Trux's sexily trashy sound, was virtually unheard of for the next few years. She finally makes her valiant return with new outfit RTX, for which she recruited guitarist Jaimo Welch and Nadav Eisenmann. On the new album Transmaniacon, named for the Blue Oyster Cult riff-filled song, Herrema's 70s-throwback, swampy rock vision is as lucid as ever, and it's a behemoth of an album, thundering with eviscerating guitar licks, unabashed power chords, and Herrema's signature howl. -Ashley BrownJayne County + The Electric Chairs
March 25
Underworld
As a first-generation New York CBGB rocker, a presumably pre-operative Wayne County challenged Deborah Harry for the title of NYC's punk queen, and once famously tussled with alpha-male Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators. County has since christened herself Jayne and reunited with the Electric Chairs, coupling the tarted-up retro-greaser sleaze with the lyrical irreverence that made her so legendary the first time around. -Ashley BrownGig Tickets:
Top Rock & Pop Sellers
(20 Jan - 3 Feb 2005)
1) System of a Down
2) Graham Coxon
3) The Hives
4) Whole Lotta Led
5) Goldie Lookin' Chain
OPERA, CLASSICAL & DANCE >>
Classical Picks:
Leonard Bernstein's Candide
11 & 12 Feb 2005, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall.
“A cornucopia of goodies...irresistible tunes at every turn.”Don't miss this towering work of comic and philosophical genius. Cast includes Sir Thomas Allen and Kim Criswell.Tickets: £10 - £30.
20% off when you buy online!
La traviata, Royal Opera
Royal Opera House
31 Jan - 15 Feb 2005
Social scandal provides the setting for Verdi's operatic version of La Dame aux camélias, and scandal is what the opera itself provoked when it was first seen in 1853. Under the baton of Maurizio Benini, La traviata returns in Richard Eyre's popular production with Bob Crowley's lavish designs, while a dual cast of singers brings to life a score that rings with some of Verdi's most famous melodies.- Keith Prowse TicketingClassical Tickets:
Top Classical Sellers
(21 Jan - 3 Feb 2005)
1) La traviata, ROH
2) Manon, ROH
3) Matthew Bourne's Highland Fling
FILM OF THE WEEK >>
Ocean's Twelve (12A)
Thriller (2004) 125mins US
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon
Three years after Danny Ocean and card shark Rusty Ryan masterminded the daring heist of $160 million, casino owner Terry Benedict finally catches up with Ocean and demands his money back - with interest - or else. Reluctantly, Danny and Rusty reconvene the troops and head for Europe to steal a small fortune in priceless art and trinkets. Unfortunately, their daredevil scheme hits a number of pitfalls: namely feisty Europol agent Isabel Lahiri; and French master thief The Night Fox.
OTHER NEW FILMS THIS WEEK >>
15 (18)
La Nina Santa (The Holy Girl) (15)
Racing Stripes (U)
Shabd
The Magic Roundabout (U) (Special Preview - check listings!)
The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro) (PG) (Special Preview - check listings!)LISTINGS >>
A to Z of London Cinemas
A to Z of Films showing in London this week
Anthony Robinson's Cunning Night Out
Film and television actor Robinson (Blackadder, the Neverending Story) presents a one-man comedy show that promises laughter, tears and rousing sing-alongs.
The Comedy Store
London's most popular comedy club has been
splitting sides for twenty two years now.
The likes of Paul Merton, Jack Dee and Jo
Brand have all taken to the stage here.
Click here for info...
REVIEW>>
Turks - A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600
Royal Academy of Arts
22 Jan - 12 April 2005
Covering the wide span of a thousand years, the RAA explores the highly spiritual and spirited culture of the Turks.
Click for booking and full review...
CLUB TICKETS >>
To purchase tickets for a selection of leading London Club venues try our online service. You'll have the peace of mind of knowing you've got your tickets and at most venues you'll be able to jump the ticket queue. Venues featured include:
- Fabric
- The End
- Borderline
- The CrossMOST POPULAR CLUB VENUES >>
Based on Page Visits on LondonNet (3 February)
1) The End
2) Fabric
3) The Cross
Click for Club Venues and Listings
Club Tickets
Exclusive Deal >>
The Columbia - (Hyde Park) Overlooking Hyde Park, an affordable and historic hotel ideal for the independent traveller, families and those on business. Great location for sights, food and shopping. Singles from UKP70!
THREE OF THE BEST >>
Royal Garden Hotel*****(Kensington High Street)
A modern hotel of unusually individual character, complete with stunning location and up to the minute facilities.
Single - UKP185 (Inclusive of VAT)
Superior Double - UKP205 (Inclusive of VAT)
Deluxe Double - UKP245 (Inclusive of VAT)
The Rookery****(Farringdon)
Beautifully restored and perfectly poised for the City of London, also within walking distance of the West End. A genteel and welcome entry to the elite band of hotels serving the City. A haven of calm in the heart of Europe's busiest financial centre.
Single - UKP188 (Inclusive of VAT)
Double - UKP205.63 (Inclusive of VAT)
The Willett***(Sloane Square)
A dignified Victorian hotel with the ornate carvings, mosaics and chandeliers to prove it. It has also moved fast enough with the times to have attracted a long list of regulars.
Double - UKP90
Deluxe Double - UKP110LONDON HOTEL CHART >>
Top Sellers
(10 Dec 2004 - 20 Jan 2005)
1) Columbia
2) Commodore
3) La ReserveBest Value Accommodation for 2004:
Hotels
Bed and Breakfasts
Apartments
Budget HostelsWORLDWIDE HOTELS >>
New additions and highlights from our sister site Hotelgenie.Lapa Palace Hotel*****
Lisbon, Portugal
Once the home of a count and decorated in traditional Portuguese style, the Lapa Palace was built in 1870 as a stately home. You can't help but relax beside the pool. Set in the garden overlooking the Tagus River and close to the centre of town, the Lapa lets you explore the cultural and commercial side of Lisbon. Dedicated tourists can pop along to the Embassy buildings. Others may prefer to while away the hours on one of the nearby golf courses. As for bedrooms, from 18th century classical to art deco, the Lapa's architecture spans the decades. Pick a suite with a balcony for a view of the city.
Mandela Speaks at Trafalgar Square
Anti-apartheid hero to call for end to world poverty...
Hotel Standards Plan Goes Countrywide
Scheme raises 'confidence for visitors'...
THE OUTDOOR ADVENTURE SHOW COMPETITION>>
The UK's 'Weekend Warriors' and 'Urban Adventurers' will be thrilled by the re-launch of the Outdoor Adventure Show (London Olympia February 18th-20th 2005). The new look show has expanded its adventure horizons to include more extreme sports and activities, including a national climbing competition.
The show will be divided into different adventure-themed areas, and a giant hanging stalactite will allow visitors to climb to the summit of Olympia. Visitors can also browse the latest equipment and listen to a host of famous guest speakers share their tales of extreme adventure and survival!
One lucky competition entrant will win the most clever of accessories for his or her outdoor escapades: an Aquapac compact camera case (at left), which is completely waterproof, sand and dust proof and guaranteed submersible to 15ft!
Another five lucky adventurers will grab 1 pair of tickets each to the show - hopefully to beat their best stalactite climbing time.
All you need to do? Answer the following question...
Question: How deep can you take an Aquapac camera case (hint: see above)?How to Enter: Send an email with the correct answer to "OutdoorShowCompie@londonnet.co.uk", with the subject header "Outdoor Show Competition".
More Necessary Info: NB Include email, telephone number and postal address (which will only be used for this compie - guaranteed). If you don't include your details we can't send you info about the prize!
Even More Info: First correct answers out of the Editor's hat win the prizes, details will be sent to the winner. The Editor's decision is final.Closing Date: 3pm, Feb 10th, 2005.
Last Ahoy! winners: David Merrigan , Beatrix Schunke, Martin Lovick, Matt Lane, Jasmine C Winter Beatty, Petra Jordan, George Robert Hood, Yurie Budhu, Jan Dixcey and Diane Earhart.
Click here for more information on the Outdoor Adventure Show...
For tickets call: 0870 0600958
Talkback
Readers
say their piece
Send mail to: ahoy-talkback@londonnet.co.uk
TALKBACK NOTES >>
The Editor reserves the right to amend your contributions for reasons of elegance, space, legality and plain sheer bloodymindedness. We welcome your views on any subject, questions about your visit and of course feedback about the newsletter or website.
DEAR LONDONNET:
You can imagine how frustrating it is to try to find out what is on in 3 days' time in order to plan a night out, only to find out that you can't! Keeping out of date information (previous week's finished performances) on your site on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and most of Tuesday seems such a pointless exercise. Surely not many people log on on a Tuesday morning to find out what they missed four and a half days ago! Updating on a Friday would seem far more useful that the following Tuesday. Could you pass this idea on to the powers that be?
Many thanks, MaryDEAR MARY,
Unfortunately that is the way information is provided. Even after Tuesday it is subject to change hence the Thursday update. I am afraid this is the way it has always been. That could explain why Time Out is published on Tuesday, The Evenings Standards listings guide "Hot Tickets" on a Thursday along with most local papers. Although some national newspapers publish guides at the weekend these can be inaccurate. I know this because we all buy the listings information from the same company PA listings. PA advised us that in order to ensure maximum accuracy we publish listings on a Tuesday with an update on a Thursday. If you know of anywhere that publishes accurate cinema listings information weeks in advance I would be every interested to hear of it!
Yours, LondonNet(Please Note: LondonNet Cinema listings are updated every Tuesday evening, so if you're planning a night out, check with us then!)
That's All,Folks...
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UNTIL NEXT TIME >>
Copyright 1996-2005. AHOY! The LondonNet Newsletter is published by LondonNet Limited.All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher. Registered Address: LondonNet, Hoppingwood Farm, Robin Hood Way, London, SW20 0AB