NW8

I LOVE this.

E1

"I was playing a private game with myself and my London A to Z. But the best thing about these walks was that they took you down streets, up alleys, across back gardens, over ditches that you would never normally have visited. You would discover things: shops, cafés, old saucepans, skips full of discarded treasure ... and secret signs. The secret signs were always the best." - Bill Drummond

E1

This is apparently what the London skyline sounds like. Nothing like I imagined.

If I’d composed the London skyline it whould sound completely different.

It’s a fun thing though.

Listen here

E1

So I'm not trying to do my own list of the 100 best London songs, like Time Out, it seems like a life long project. However, I did say that I'd try to make my own top 10, here it is:

10: David Jones - Maybe It's Because I Am A Londoner

9: Jamie Scott & The Town - London Town

8: Frida Hyvönen - London!

7: Lily Allen - LDN

6: The Smiths - London

5: Ralph McTell - Streets Of London

4: Coldplay - Cemeteries Of London

3: Stephen Duffy - London Girls

2: She & Hem - London

1: The Clash - London Calling

I have to admit I felt a bit like Rob in Nick Hornby’s novel High Fidelity when making this. Just like when Rob is changing the albums on his “top 5 best albums of all time”-list a million times, this took me a number of reorganizations and changes. At some point you just have to decide that you’re done. 

Feel free to make your own version, it’s fun! Here's some inspiration.

E1

When Albums Ruled the World

NW1 / SE10

There are two sides to every story:

“It’s really bad that people know that One Direction is recording here in Camden. I don’t want all their fans to destroy this place”

“They don’t have any One Direction here (at the British Music Experience). It’s terrible! Let’s go complain”

W1

a way of thinking about identity

E1

There's a lot of songs about London, enough songs for Time Out London to make a list of the 100 best London songs. Here's the ten best songs about London, perfect for accompanying the everyday life of a Londoner. 

10: Adele - Hometown Glory

9: Blur - For Tomorrow

8: Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street

7: John Martyn & Beverley Martyn - Primrose Hill

6: The Small Faces - Itchycoo Park

5: Ralph McTell - Streets of London

4: Lily Allen - LDN

3: Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

2: The Clash - London Calling

1: The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset

I'm saving my own top ten for tomorrow.

NW1

Yesterday I saw (heard) this band called The King's Parade perform their music in on a street in Camden. This was the third time I accidentally stumbled across them in the last month. A bit odd, I thought, and did some research: 

Camden is the only borough in London where you don't need a license to perform on the streets, which makes the street music scene in the area different from other London boroughs. You don't get a lot of experienced "professional a-la Covent Garden"-performers in Camden, what you get is ambitious young musicians, much like the guys in The King's Parade, who want to reach out to a larger audience with their music. Because on London streets, being the home of about 8 million people and a never ending stream of tourist, you're not just presenting your music to Londoners, you're reaching out to the world.

The King's Parade - Vagabond

SE1

I was on the piccadilly line earlier, t was post/pre rush hour chaos, pretty quiet and not a lot of people in my carriage. A few rows from me was a guy, sitting down with closed eyes and headphones on. Out of the blue he suddenly started to dance and sing (more like humming maybe, but still), still sitting down with his eyes closed. After a few seconds he fell back in to his own world again, still and quiet. People around me were laughing, I was just wondering what he was listening to.