Beloved online floggers of any old tat ebay are opening a pop-up store in London! Brand agency Push UK have organised a temporary Christmas-themed retail space, which will open its doors on Soho's Dean Street next week (1st - 5th December).
The shop will feature 'buy it now' products only, which customers can purchase by scanning QR codes in-store with their smart phones. The goods will be divided into 'him', 'her' and 'family' sections, with a separate welcome area, where punters can use iPads to shop until they drop. Click here for more info.
You can always rely on Vice to rip seven shades of piss out of... well, just about everyone, really. Here is their delightful faux-reality series Dalston Superstars, which "gives a fresh look at the lives of 5 young creatives from London's coolest hangout, Dalston."
Civil engineers have reported that London's infamous tower of Big Ben is now leaning so much that its tilt can be seen with the naked eye.
Surveyors found that the clock tower's lean is getting worse every year, and that the top of it is now almost 1 and 1/2 feet off the perpendicular. If this was to go on uncorrected, experts say the tower would eventually topple. Best crack on with the some scaffolding, then. More info here.
Well this isn't in the least bit cheery, but the Metropolitan Police have just released a list of every murder case in London for the past 5 years, which The Guardian have handily put together in map form.
It's bad news if you live in Lambeth, and good news if you live in Kensington & Chelsea. But we knew that already. Here's an overview of the map, but click HERE to have a play around and to read a full account for each borough.
If you were anywhere near London this weekend, you might have noticed the sort of weather our best Summers wish they were made of.
The temperatures soared and the skies were clearer than ever, which made for some stunning sunsets & sunrises, captured beautifully by amateur photographers all around the capital.
Here's a selection of our favourites, including shots of Hampstead Heath, St Paul's cathedral, Greenwich Park and Tower Bridge.
Well, this is pretty special. Click HERE for a detailed look at the panoramic night-time view from London's The Shard. Make sure you go full-screen, and use your mouse or keyboard to pan around, as well as zoom in & out.
The shot was captured by photographer Will Pearson from The Shard's 35th floor, whilst the building was still under construction. Head to his site for more panoramic gems.
After more than 30 years on the scene, groundbreaking American artist Greg Miller finally comes to London for his first UK solo show.
London's Scream gallery (34 Bruton St, W1J 6QX) is hosting his latest & most politically-charged show to date, Happy Ending, until the 1st of October - definitely one not to miss. Click here for more info.
The Transition Gallery in London is celebrating paper as a medium in art in all its glory via their new exhibit, Pulp Fictions.
Tied together via a common theme of fantasy and fiction, the paintings, drawings and collages assembled by curator Cathy Lomax come from a carefully-selected set of both undergrads and established artists - something we always like to see.
Check out some samples on display above & below, and catch the show until 25th September at Transition Gallery, Unit 25a Regent Studios, 8 Andrews Road, London W8 4QN.
Feast your eyes on this clever little viral that traces back 100 years of East London style in 100 seconds, courtesy of Westfield Stratford City, which will see its grand opening on 13th September 2011.
The film was directed by Jake Lunt with The Viral Factory and was shot over 4 days in East London locations, with hundreds of costume changes.
Have a ganders at this brilliant collection of pictures of the Oxford Street branch of HMV in London, in the 1960s. What perhaps stands out the most in comparison to today's shops is the vast amount of display space taken up by just a limited amount of stock. Awesome stuff.
A life-size wire sculpture of World-champion English diver Tom Daley, in full diving flow, is currently greeting tourists at London's Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.
It is part of an exhibition which runs until 30th September and celebrates the London 2012 Olympic games. Several British sculptors will go on to create 30 full-scale pieces for the collection, which will be displayed in galleries and public spaces across the country.
So next time you're flying from T5, look out for a wiry 17 year-old diver greeting you as you depart.
We've just stumbled across a fantastic time-lapse video documenting architect & designer Ron Arad's latest construction at London's Roundhouse, which opened on Tuesday (scroll to the bottom of this post to see it).
Entitled Curtain Call, the 360-degree interactive installation will showcase pieces from Arad's invited friends and artists, including Hussein Chalayan, Ori Gersht, Javier Mariscal & many more.
The 18 meter-wide cylinder was built from over 5,600 hanging silicon rods and will be available to see until 29h August. Click here for more info.
If you've been following the media coverage of the UK riots, chances are you have stumbled across this video of a woman berating looting youths on the streets of Hackney. The clip did the rounds on twitter and facebook and quickly gathered thousands of hits.
Her fearless demeanour and no-bullshit approach was applauded by many, and she has now been tracked down! 45 year-old Pauline Pearce, a grandmother, jazz singer and community radio activist had this say about the events: "I had to say my piece and everyone stood and listened, and some people were saying 'Hear hear'. Some people clapped, but now I feel embarrassed."(quote source: telegraph)
Known as Lady P, she has a Monday afternoon show on Conscious FM (106.9). We love her.
Keep next Saturday night free, good readers. We thought this delightful summer we're currently blessed with in London might put you in the mood for something a little exotic...
Secret Safari Club will definitely be the place to be on Saturday 20th August. Dirty blue champagne cocktails & canapes will be served from 7.30pm by topless models in full body paint (as jungle animals, of course). Mingle and drink as a live band plays, then sit down for an unforgettable five course taster meal cooked by Fergus Shields, ex Head Chef at Hospital Club.
Rising DJ star Jack Smedley will then lead you onto the dance floor, where you will party until the small hours (3am, to be exact) with a bevy of gorgeous patrygoers, belly dancers, snake charmers, masses of balloons and of course plenty of booze.
The zone 1 location is a closely-guarded secret, but will be revealed here on the 15th August. Tickets are limited to just 200 people, so be quick. They are a bargenous £32, which includes cocktails, 5 course supper, dancing and even sneaky shots. Get your tickets from here.
All that's left to say is we'll see you there! In the meantime, let us listen to a bit of YELLE to get us in the mood.
Levi's is under pressure to delay or modify their new European ad campaign (below), which features imagery of young people gathering, marching and confronting authority in an urban setting. With added shots of breakout fires and police forces in rioting gear, it does seem insensitive to be releasing this today considering this week's events in the UK.
What do you think Levi's should do? We've recently opened up the comments feature below each post, and although these things are usually very slow to take off, please feel free to share your thoughts with us on this issue, and anything we post on the blog.
Visit this website: www.riotcleanup.co.uk, this facebook page here, and search #riotcleanup on twitter to find out what you can do & where. This is also very helpful. Let's clean up this mess.
Now this a new Google service we can get behind. From today, London travellers can get public transport directions with Google Maps.
Over a billion people use the capital's 18,000 bus stops & 250+ tube stations every year, so this is bound to attract a lot users. If you were a fan of Google Maps to find your way around town, well now you can also plan your journey from the very same page.
Simply go to Google Maps and click 'Get Directions' in the left-hand panel (as pictured above). This also available on mobile devices, natch.
Brighton Uni graduate Suzi Kemp brings her 'pretty punk' illustrations to London's KK Outlet for her very first solo show, Two Short Planks. The name comes from her current preferred technique; vibrant & quirky illustrations painted on wooden planks.
Kemp is a rare talent, mixing humour & sharp observations into this exhibition's 14 new paintings that combine word-play with a cool & colourful aesthetic. Two Short Planks runs until July 30th. Click here for more info.
Paul McCartney has hinted on a US TV show that organisers of the 2012 Olympic games in London have asked him to perform... The singer refused to give further details as to whether he agreed, which we choose to interpret as a 'yes'.
Organisers are keen for Paul to perform at the opening ceremony with other big British acts, including his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr. It's also been suggested that the children of John Lennon and George Harrison could be involved in the performance, ensuring the entire Beatles family is represented.
That last bit seems a bit odd but very exciting news otherwise. Here they are pinching each other.
London-based artist Alex Chinneck uses industrial building materials to explore the links between theatre, art & architecture with striking, bold results.
The works on show stem from industrial London, with breezeblocks, wood chips and steel frames at the heart of a collection that's unexpectedly beautiful. Fighting Fire with Ice Cream is on at See Studio until 23rd July.
