The blog for hip + arty urban adventurers. Uncovering things to do and places to go in London and beyond. Visit the main site at a www.theculturalexpose.co.uk and click here to join the mailing list...
Live in the capital a good number of years and the hustle and bustle is bound to takes its toll - but new bars like the “Polynesian paradise” Kona Kai could just be what the doctor ordered. This Tiki-inspired newcomer offers an alternative night out in Chelsea, and is the place to go if you’re after chilled vibes, good tunes and some seriously gorgeous cocktails. Favourites on the menu include the Mango Bango ( a sweet treat where the vodka is tamed by vanilla gomme)…
The Lazy Afternoon (a fruity concoction with a refreshing splash of coconut)…
While you can also expect a pretty mean rum punch.
Foodwise, there’s a few seafood options in line with the Kona Kai theme - and where the Islander’s seafood salad is a delicious entree, there’s also the obvious options of burgers, steaks and chips, while if you’re after the dessert, the ginger-laced triple chocolate brownie will exceed your expectations.
So with the food and drink ticked off and the friendly bar staff dressed for holiday, all we need now is an invite to the luau! (Words: Matilda Egere-Cooper)
We’re just days away from honouring Her Majesty’s 60 year reign, and with that, there’s a host of festivities and celebrations kicking off that’ll no doubt be fit for a Queen. But our personal pick is a boisterous street bash taking place on the East side this coming Sunday, because if anyone remembers the party The Book Club threw last year for Will and Kate last year, they would have already swiped the last of the priority entry wristbands as it’s guaranteed to be another roadblock.
But never fear - if you haven’t got a band, you can still head down and enjoy the brass bands, bunting and good brew - not to mention worthy tunes from the pop-loving Guilty Pleasure DJs, old-schoolers Amp & Deck, and performances from the retro Underbling and Vow and alt-folkster Gorgeous George who’s get us revved up as we enjoy a screening of the Jubilee Procession. Then there’s the food, glorious food, which includes lovely cakes courtesy of Lilli Vanilli, Burgers by way of Bukowski, Hurly Burly veggie delights and the nation’s fave - chicken tikka masala. So get your glad rags ready folks because Sunday, June 3rd is gonna be another brilliant - and British! - day and night to remember.
The Forgiveness of Blood is about revenge, tradition, pride and blood feuds- yes, actual blood feuds- and contrary to what you’re probably thinking, no it isn’t set in the middle ages, but rather in present day Albania. The story follows Nik and Rudina, a brother and sister whose lives are transformed by an escalating land dispute between their father and a neighbour.
When their father is accused of murder, Nik’s life becomes forfeit under the rules of the Kanun, a centuries old code which in modern-day, northern Albania is considered above the law. Nik is forced to live under a kind of house arrest and risks being shot in revenge for his father’s crime if he wanders outside. Meanwhile, Rudina has to leave school and take over her father’s business to support the family; a task which she flourishes at.
Director Joshua Marston excels at conveying Nik’s frustration and you’re left to wonder what he will risk in order to take his life back from the hands of the stubborn, proud men who took it from him - and it’s that sort of drama that makes this worth watching. (Words: Beth Downey)
Living in London, it’s rare that you feel you’re missing out. Occasionally, you may just wish you were somewhere else, like when your favourite band is on a tour that forgot to include the capital, or when there’s a world-class exhibition happening on the other side of the Atlantic which has no intention of transferring. Thankfully, that feeling is rare; indeed the mountain comes to Mohammed quite a lot.
That’s especially true with theatre: case in point – The Suit. After receiving rave reviews for its run in Paris’s Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, acclaimed theatre director Peter Brooks is bringing his highly anticipated musical version of Can Themba’s short story to be performed at Young Vic as part of the World Stages season.
Set against the backdrop of apartheid in 1950s South Africa, The Suit revolves around the story of a young man who finds his wife in bed with her lover. The lover flees, leaving behind only his suit but instead of inflicting a normal punishment, the husband decides upon an unusual course of revenge; the suit must be treated as if it were an honoured guest - taken for walks, fed at the dinner table, entertained. Its presence serves as a daily reminder of the wife’s betrayal and shame, but the outcome of this treatment is one that will have the audience questioning sacred notions of cruelty and oppression. Definitely one to watch. (Words: Jane Duru)
The life of a former alcoholic street thief turned chess champ (and eventually author) is the subject of this fly-on-the-wall documentary, shedding light onto John Healy’s tumultuous early years in the ‘60s. Paul Duane, director-storyteller of this feature film seeks to depict an eccentric by picking up excerpts from Healy’s autobiography The Grass Arena (1988) as well as recent footage of the man who has led an extraordinary life.
Born to working class Irish immigrant parents, Healy was sublet to the underbellies of London society as a wino fighting his day with a rugged insolence and his nights with drunkenness. Being brought up in an England recovering from the cusp of the war - and facing the rise in prosperity of the working-class as well as immigration, there were hidden tensions surrounding class, privilege and education that cut deep into Healy’s shell. Our protagonist gives a vivid first-person narrative of his Dickensian adventures throughout and one is put in a full view of the obscenities and violence of his life.
To those whom the man is wildly memorable (given his brief but captivating limelight in the early ‘90s), it may be surprising to see Healy significantly aged at 69. It has been more than 15 years since he was last heard of or seen. In and out of scenes cut of Healy and Duane’s interviewees, the best of Healy’s belligerent mannerisms combined with the truth of heartfelt warmth are felt and understood.
Make no mistake though, Healy does not believe in forgiveness or the weakness of regrets. He holds the audience in far view as little does he panders to any sense of pride or shame. An epitome of authenticity and raw gut feeling, Healy is a star rightfully restored to our presence, someone who has been through it all - death, fame, love and hell. Despite feelings that our actor is a reluctant hero perceiving little sense in fate or future, Duane’s depiction of this prototypical tragic figure transcends to give this man a mythical status. (Words: Li Yin Soh)
Providing a refreshing alternative to the overcrowded walkway of Broadway market and the hustle and bustle of Brick Lane, the food market was set up by a local resident back in February in order to promote local traders and businesses and bring the community together through some edible yummies from across the continent. It seems to be working out pretty well so farâ¦
Accurately reflecting the diversity of its residents, the cuisine and produce on offer ranges from homemade cheeses, sausages and artisan breads through to wild game, duck eggs, katsu curry, burritos with an Indian twist and sweet cupcake treats from Hackneyâs âLush Mushâ. Also featuring is a pop-up teashop from Haggerston Tearooms, where you can sit down and âchillaxâ after youâve been a little greedy guts, bought up all the homemade guacamole and chutney and stopped salivating for at least five minutes.
On the flip side of the coin, if youâre a foodie local whose been seriously contemplating peddling your own delectable delicacies, the organisers have tried to make the market as accessible as possible, running market trader training days and offering free stalls to local charities. So what are you waiting for: get involved!
Unlike the current economic state of affairs, this feels like a genuine win win situation for all. And those - as we know - are the very best kind. (Words: Aoife Moriarty)
One of the very first restaurants I wrote about when I started the TwelvePointFive blog was The Cinnamon Club, chef Vivek Singh’s magnificent haute Indian in Westminster. Since then I’ve eaten out countless times and that meal still stands out in my mind as being one of the best.
Expectations were understandably high then when I went along to try out Cinnamon Soho, the second, newly-opened casual offshoot of the SW1 original (the first, which I’ve not been to, is Cinnamon Kitchen in the City). As he’d been my date for that first memorable meal at The Cinnamon Club, best friend Anders was the obvious and only choice to come with me.
Located in a somewhat dark, fairly bland but inoffensive two-floor site on Kingly Street, home to both the estimable Wright Bros and execrable Fornata among others, Cinnamon Soho isn’t without competition for the stomachs and wallets of the price- and quality-conscious diners it’s aiming to attract. Based on what we ate, Vivek Singh isn’t taking the competition lightly, because there’s some seriously brilliant food coming out of the kitchen…
To read the rest, click here to visit Hugh Wright’s blog twelvepointfivepercent.com
Seeing as we like the weird and the wonderful things that crop up in town, it took little convincing to spread the word about Etnometric Museum, a unique, immersive experience at Battersea Arts Centre where science meets theatre.  Hailed at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, the performance sees attendees introduced to a peculiar collection of “ethometric” devices  - known for the impact they can have on your physical and psychological state - before the eccentric  ”Professor” Ray Lee (the composer and sound artist behind it all) demonstrates them all to intriguing effect.  So if you’re after an entertaining - albeit peculiar-  break from the norm, the Museum’s at BAC on May 25th and 26th and definitely worth the visit.
If you ever thought about hitting the slopes in Europe one day, but might have a slight aversion to the cold (raises hands), you might want to get your head around the idea of skiing - on wheels. Rollersking is the cross-country equivalent of the sport minus the snow, and goes back as far as the 1950’s, when competitors needed an alternative way to train in the summer. Nowadays, you’ll find plenty of urbanites in Hyde Park skating pole to pole, having fun with one of the most unique hobbies worth taking up his summer.
I joined the Rollerski company on a Thursday evening for a beginners lesson - and soon found out it’s a lot harder than it looks. Once I was fitted with boots, a helmet, elbow and knee pads (which would later be my saving grace), and given a pair of poles and skis, our instructor led the small group through a series of drills and exercises - like the forward-leaning “zombie run” - just to understand how we would need to move when we put on the skis.
The rollerskis themselves felt a bit awkward and on the tarmac, it was a little tricky moving along, as well as learning how to stop and turn (unsurprisingly, I fell down five times). Also, it was important that we took our time with the entire process, as it was tempting to just take to the skis and dash off, with little concept of different techniques like double poling, which would later be my favourite.
Yet after two hours of skating along in different ways - one skate on, no poles, both poles, skating around in a circle, three strides and a roll - the entire group was starting to get it. Of course, we’d need a few more lessons to really get the hang of rollersking, but we definitely proved you can have with with skiing - right on our doorstep. (Words: Matilda Egere-Cooper)
As we know, London is not famed for being the most economical city to live in or visit, making it inevitable to be caught in the catch 22 of seeing the sites and trying not to go bankrupt. So what’s the secret to enjoying the capital on the cheap? We’re all for saving money and exploring the city on a different kilt here at TCé, so you might want to incorporate some of these tips for getting round all the sights without breaking the bank.
Walk it: This is a city that pre dates the automobile and so exploring by foot is the best way around. Just remember to take your map! Have a go at some of Badaude’s London walks this Spring and Summer.
Bike it: Boris remains in the London Mayor seat and it’s no surprise after he brought us the Boris Bikes! You may have seen them dotted around the city – they are everywhere and a great way to see the sites on the cheap. Priced at around a single pound an hour, it’s definitely cheaper than the gym.
Bus it: Not keen on braving the English rain on the bike? Then there is always the archetypal red bus. The old Route Masters run a heritage route that passes some of the famous sites such as the Albert Hall.
Save it: If you fancy getting a bit closer to the action how does a lovely discount on the best attractions sound? A lot more palatable? How about a 20% London Dungeon discount via SmartSave? Well, this voucher company offers money off nearly all the attractions in the capital including the slightly scary but hilarious trip into the immersive London Dungeon experience (and you can get your SmartSave vouchers for London Dungeon just here ). You would be crazy to explore London without it.
