Arts & Culture
Originally published on Tuesday, 1st November 2016
The Culturist: November
November is here… embrace it! This month, we’ve got a nice mix of partying, eating, drinking and arting. There’s a Chicago themed bar to visit, a big hit Spanish restaurant to welcome, a fashion exhibition to get involved with, and, of course, Nutcracker tickets to buy. And those are just the highlights. Read on for our full hit list. Enjoy!
PARTY I: GILLES PETERSON AT PHONOX
November 13, £5, Phonox, 418 Brixton Road, SW9 7AY
It just started but we’re already fans of Phonox’s Sunday Sessions. Last month, they had Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs on the bill and next weekend, Gilles Peterson will be on the decks all night long. We say, front up between 5pm-7pm, and take advantage of the £15 bottomless Bloody Marys and Prosecco.
DRINK: THE FOX
Now open, 9 Brighton Terrace, SW9 8DJ
The Fox, Soho House’s take on a ‘British boozer’ in Chicago, has transplanted to Brixton, but as a ‘Chicago themed’ bar. This means foosball tournaments and bar snacks, which include chicken nuggets, chicken wings and crinkle cut fries (we’re hoping a deep dish makes the cut). Oh, and martinis and espresso martinis available on tap. Go da bears!
EAT I: STREETXO
Now open, 15 Old Burlington, W1S 2JL
After nearly two years of “is it coming? Isn’t it coming?” StreetXO has finally opened. Although billed as a more accessible younger sibling to DiverXO (Madrid’s only three Michelin Star restaurant), we’re assured this branch will have all the theatrics and gutsy flavours (think Pekinese dumplings with crunchy pig’s ears and strawberry hoi sin; and steamed club sandwiches) of its Madrid counterpart. The best bit? There are bookable tables AND walk ins.
BUY: SAINT LAURENT DISCO SKATES
October 6-9, Ticket prices vary, Regent’s Park & various venues
Our kidulthood dreams have been realised. Roll on, baby!
DO: SKATE CLUB NIGHTS
November 18 – January 17, From £17, Strand, WC2R 1LA
Speaking of skates, Somerset Club Nights are back. Over the next few festive months, clubs, festivals, radio stations and the like will takeover the ice rink with live sets From Rough Trade to Soho Radio and Savage – it’s time to get your sk8te on. Oh, and just a heads up, tickets go quick, so get on it.
PARTY II: MACEO PLEX AT BANKSIDE VAULTS
November 4, £25 No 1 Invicta Plaza South Bank, SE1 9UF
If it’s deep house and techno you’re craving, book tickets to Maceo Plex at Bankside. Tickets are already on third release for this genre-bending rule-breaker (remember his 24-hour sets earlier this year?), so be quick. Playing at the newly refurbished Bankside Vaults, expect a big one and cancel Saturday.
BOOK NOW: THE NUTCRACKER
December 1 – February 8, From £59, Wembley Park, HA9
Nothing signals the onset of winter like the Nutcracker. But, this year, we’re giving the annual Royal Opera House a miss for Wembley Park. Hear us out. The new production by Will Tuckett will be the world’s first immersive take on the classic Christmas tale. Adam Cooper (previously of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake) will play the lead. And it will be set in a 20,000 sq ft temporary structure at Wembley Park with live musicians and more than 40 performers. Epic.
SEE: WHAT I LIKE: MOLLY GODDARD
November 4 – February 19, Free entry, The Gateway Pavilions, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0SQ
London’s fashion darling, Molly Goddard, is set for her first solo, interactive exhibition at Now Gallery. Oversized tulle will be draped from the celling. Dresses will be on pulleys, allowing for raising or lowering to a height at which you can sit and do some DIY embroidery on them, helped by instructions on the wall.
EAT II: QUILOMBERO
Opens November 8 2 Clove Crescent, E14 2BE
We’ve been waiting for news on what duo Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce have been up to since closing Ritas, and here it is: Quilombero, a new Genovese Argentinian canteen in East India Dock’s. We’re told the term quilombero “is from the dialect ‘Lunfardo’ which was created as a result of the Genovese migration from Italy to Argentina in the 1800s” – so we’re expecting a casual mash up of Genoa and Argentina cuisine – think large roasted joints of meats, sharing plates of meat and fish and daily pastas.
