pic: Bruno Bollaert.
London is at its most wonderful when the sun is shining. Here’s ELL’s pick of the line: an eclectic mix of music, film, events and exhibitions to take you through the next week of summer – come rain or shine.
Tonight Ed Barker and Friends and the Riot Jazz Brass Band open the Canary Wharf Jazz Festival at 7pm in Canada Square Park, Tower Hamlets. This free festival is for seasoned jazz fans and newbies alike and will feature jazz-funk, big band, soul, instrumental and folk jazz.
The Festival continues on Saturday with Manchester trio Go Go Penguin, Hidden Orchestra and Ciyo Brown’s Motown Sound wrapping things up for the night. Look out for East London’s Zara McFarlene who billed to play at 3.15pm. McFarlene’s soulful voice is magnetic; her soaring scats and romantic melodies have both an innocence and knowingness that is held in perfect tension. She is possibly the most exciting jazz singer in recent years.
Zara McFarlane – Open Heart
Also on this Saturday is electro-classical music and arts micro-festival – “Is it all Black and White?” – in Lewisham’s Southwark Park. The free event from 4pm to 8pm will feature a number of short music and visual performances. Organisers Autorotation, who are an experimental electro-acoustic band – who say their inspiration is politics and ambient sounds – will be performing alongside Kirsten Morrison, Jo Quail and the Green Army Choir.
Jazz not your bag? Head south to Lloyd Park Fun Day in Croydon on Sunday from 11am to 6pm. Billed as a fun filled day packed with activities for the whole family, expect art and craft stalls, traditional games, refreshments, face painting, vintage cars and celebrity five-a-side football. There is also a very good chance of some excellent jerk chicken.
The fun day has a more serious side as it is raising funds for the ACLT a charity working to continue to give hope to people living with blood cancers and registering lifesaving bone marrow, blood and organ donors. There will be a five kilometre family fun run and walk which you are invited to join in with either as yourself, in the ACLT colours (red, white, grey), or perhaps your favourite superhero!
Don’t like Mondays? Banish that everlasting Monday feeling by attending a Poets Anonymous meeting in Matthews Yard in Croydon.
‘Bring the Happy’ opens in Deptford Lounge in Lewisham on Tuesday. It is part of a global project documenting happiness. People are invited to come along map their own moments and memories of happiness in Deptford.
The three week run will also feature workshops, evenings of music and spoken word and “other participatory activities to ‘bring the happy’ into the space” and will culminate in a performance with a retelling of happy memories at the Albany. The mood of this finale is described as “somewhere between a wedding and a wake” a fairly wide range of possibilities there.
As you take your happy to Deptford Lounge, look out for the Matisse cut outs inspired roof top installation on the A.P.T Gallery and Studios by Redstart Arts on your way there. The best view is from the DLR between Deptford Bridge and Greenwich stations.
On Wednesday Tower Hamlets Council is bringing ‘A Day by the Seaside’ to East London. Mile End Park in Bow will be transformed to a seaside for the day with candy floss, donkeys, Punch and Judy and all. You will be able to feel sand between your toes from 11am to 4pm.
Hackney Picture House is screening a special preview of the Sundance award winning pop musical God Help The Girl on Thursday.
God Help The Girl Official Teaser Trailer #1 (2014) – Emily Browning Movie HD
Writer and Director Stewart Murdoch of indie band Belle and Sebastian will be at the screening along with some of the films investors and Kickstarter supporters. Murdoch will take to the decks at the after party at the Attic (do his talents know no end?).
