Never more true than today...

Bloddy tube strike...

Give over, Boris

I am beginning to tire of Boris Johnson's constant media presence. The man is just annoying at this stage.
His run for mayor seems based solely on claims that he'll fix everyhting that's wrtong in London. Today's targets are petty criminals, last month it was teen gangs. In a way I wouldn't mind seeing him get the job and hearing his response when crime doesn't stop.
I have no great affiliation for Ken Livingstone but Johnson seems to think no-one else has ever tried to make things better. Get real.
Stick to charity football games ...

...actually, no don't.

Is there anything better...

...than walking into a bank, seeing there isn't a queue, walking straight up to a cashier and being out the door within 3 minutes? Ok, there are lots, but it felt pretty good. It's quite the anomaly in a London bank!

Les Mis

I went to see Les Miserables on the West End last week and it was truly magnificent. In general I wouldn't be a massive musical fan but the story of Valjean and co is truly epic. The cast of the current production at the Queens Theatre are fantastic. Drew Sarich excels as Jean Valjean in his battles with Javert, who cut an imposing figure on stage.
That quality was endemic of the whole cast, maintaining the high standards the original Les Mis cast set over 20 years ago.
Here for your viewing pleasure is CT Wilkinson (the original Valjean) signing Bring Him Home from the 10th anniversary concert at the Albert Hall.

Arcade Fire

I got Funeral form a guy I worked with almost three years age and loved it instantly. I'm surprised myself that it then took me until this weekend gone, to get to see the band live. But it was definitely worth the wait.

The Alexandra Palace in North London is a bit of a trek but the band acknowledged the efforts of the 6,000 strong crowd and the farcical beer token system was about the only black mark on the night.

When the band hit the stage all thoughts of beer tokens were quickly forgotten as they dived straight in with the opening two tracks off Neon Bible, Black Mirror and Keep the car running, before cooling off with a couple of slower tracks, including The Smiths' Still Ill.

Playing their way through the hits of Funeral and Neon Bible the band played with incredible energy and their own unique, orchestral sound. I'm always impressed by bands who play a wide array of instruments and loved the way the band members interchanged positions and instruments throughout the gig.

The encore was a perfect close, comprised of Intervention and Wake Up. And the crowd, which had been a it quiet earlier, were left begging for more.

I'm not one of those people who holds up a mobile to film half the gig I'm at but someone else did it for me and I pinched it off youtube! So here is No Cars Go and a slightly fuzzy Wake Up from Saturday night.

Beastie Boys

New York's finest, Beastie Boys, rocked the Brixton Academy last night with the middle of their three London gigs. Mix Master Mike opened the show with a mesmerising display of scratching before the three MCs bounded on stage.

Mike D was on top form belting out classics such as Body Movin' and No Sleep Till Brooklyn, before they settled into a number of instrumental tracks from their new album. MCA brought out the upright bass and Ad-Rock switched between keyboards and guitar. Very funky stuff. They are playing an all-instrumental gig at the Roundhouse in Camden tonight.

Mix Master started off the encore also, which included Intergalactic and Sabotage, finishing off an excellent 90 minute set.

I have never been a massive fan, but they are definitely one of those must see acts and venues like the Academy are tailor made for them.

Bamboula

For those of you out to find some top notch Caribbean food don't look past 'Bamboula', on Acre Lane in Brixton.

Arriving at just after 6pm on Saturday we were lucky to get a table in this small but very cosy restaurant. There are two sittings, at six and nine, and you need every bit of the three hours (we left at 9.05 passing a big queue on the way out!). Some might think the service slow, but you'd hardly notice amid the comfortable atmosphere.

The food is terrific and plentiful, the prices reasonable and overall it proved to be a fantastic dining experience.

What summer?

I don't know about anyone else but this so-called summer we are having in London is nothing short of laughable. Despite the fact that there is now sun coming through the office window I can't believe the extent of the storm this morning. Visibility was less than 100 yards and the thunder and lightning extensive.

Any meteorological experts out there willing to lend an explanation?

Water, water everywhere...

...and not a drop to water the plants or wash your car with!
I hope Thames Water etc. have been busy in the past few weeks. Given the levels of rain-fall and flooding I'd be very disappointed (but not surprised) if two weeks of sun in August led to another hosepipe ban.
Sort it out, guys!