Old Commonwealth Institute on High Street Kensington.

Lithuania takes over the Tabernacle kitchen

Called in to the Tabernacle this afternoon to find the aesthetics of the kitchen improved considerably by a trio of Lithuanians preparing Cepelinai: a traditional dish.

I'm hanging around for the tasting.

Bicycle Shrine and westbourne Park Road Latin Dog.

cheesecake.

I'm researching cheesecake this month.

Et in Arcadia ego. Idle Bakes.

I don't know who is responsible for this blog but it tastes like arcadian bliss. click HERE

Kingsland Butchers leave Portobello road & Home deliveries.

Sadly kingslands have gone. I don't know the reasons for the departure but it leaves us without an affordable good butchers. You need to re-mortgage the house to use the butchers up the road (I'm not going to name them, they ain't getting any free publicity from me).

The good news is that Kingsland Edwardian Butchers will continue to do home deliveries in the area twice a week; Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call them on 01932 241815. Or visit their Website HERE

Suspiciously, Elvis spotted in Notting Hill again.

Is he recording again. Basing Street Studios. One time home of Island records.

 At Founded & co, Portobello Road

 Is Elvis nesting in the area. Or perhaps a present for the mystery blonde.

I spotted him leaving this Boutique Hotel in Colville Road. W11

I bribed the concierge for this picture.

Portrait of a poet dying before his mother.

Do not let me die yet

I need another ten years at least

I'll cut a deal

I'll destroy that painting in the attic

That painting of my mother.

suspiciously Elvis in Notting Hill

Suspiciously Elvis is at the Tabernacle W11 on Friday evening. Here is a taster.

A crazy week in Portobello.

It has been a busy week. Last Wednesday was Gus Robertson's (razorlight) birthday party at the Portobello Gold. It was a suitably rock n roll affair with a hint of the Viper Rooms about it. Good to see Gary from the Rotten Hill gang and Legendary Club man Gaz Mayall. Especially good to bump into my favourite actress Honeysuckle Weeks who was absolutely glowing in the late stages of pregnancy.

                                           Photos: Marie Elena Ely

I popped into the Castle further down the road to catch James Simmins and friends playing there. Another good thing.

Friday was a little bonkers. I called in to the Westbourne Studio's to catch Wade Bayliss who is putting on a weekly thing there with his band. I managed a rendition of the rock n roll poem with trombone solo which was a pretty interesting experience.

Then on to Delphi's birthday party at the Retro Bar, 50 Bosworth Road North Kensington London W10 5EG [map ] Where Adam Masterson was playing as well as the birthday girl herself. delphi's set was fantastic and full of energy. A lovely night in an interesting new venue.

Delphi

Saturday Night was Loco Cabaret at the Grand Union W9. Great fun. Did the rock n roll poem Video HERE, with a band comprised of Roger Pomphrey, Jonno, James Simmins and others. It was a little on the crazy side. The rest of the acts were great including a virtuoso performance from 'Fishslice' accompanied by Paul Browse.

All in all a great week.

Charli Clark at The Muse at 269.

The Muse is a cafe/bar/gallery on Portobello Road, it was one of  my locals when I lived in the road, It's a great little place. Check it out.

The gallery is showing the work of  Artist in residence Charli Clark until the 17th of this month. It is very very good and full of humour. a mix of video installation, site specific performance stuff, photography and more. GO AND LOOK!

The Muse at 269
269 Portobello Road
London W11 1LR

Poetry is the new rock n roll. Live at loco Cabaret at the Grand Union W9.

Portobello sights: The blue door #1

Rusty in Portobello, pink skies and pies.

My old mate Rusty McGlint has flown in from New Mexico for a few days. I took him to the Tab for a beer. On seeing the gingham tablecloths in the courtyard he burst into tears. 'What's up rusty' I asked.

'It's the tablecloths' he said. 'Remind me of Lula Mae's gingham chaps and handsome homemade pies. I miss that woman bad'.

He put on his pink shades to hide his teary eyes. curious, I asked to try them on. Wow who needs drugs.

Mangrove, Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon in Hyde Park.

The 'Mangrove' Steel band is off to Hyde Park to play on the bill with Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon.

keeping cool on Portobello Road.

Chris Malcolm has been in the area for ever. His new business 'Founded & co' has not. It is at 253 Portobello Road and is cool. Clothes, accessories, shoes, music, art, literature... You know all the essential stuff. Check it out. More HERE There is a sale on at the moment too!

The Countess Alex Zapak. I told you she was a star.

 Performance Artist, singer, theatrical storyteller, fairytail punk and Fantastic woman has just won the TFL Art below prize for June.  Her image is plastered on every tube station in London for a month. check it out and remember her name.

well done alex. You are a star.

Sexual assault by Portobello Road gallery owner.

A sad tale of a Notting Hill art gallery owner sexually assaulting an artist in public has come my way.

There were witnesses to the assault which took place a couple of days ago. I shall be writing much more on this matter.

I have asked the Guy in question if he would like to put his side across... He ain't answered yet.

What this is doing however is drawing out of the woodwork, on facebook, the kind of guy who says: "The place for this is the courts, not facebook". Perpetrators of this kind of assault on women love the courts, it is another opportunity to further humiliate their victims. When the courts address the balance and start recognising victims as victims and stop allowing public humiliations at the hands of sociopaths will be the time to use their system.

It is a man's world.

Crossrail portal at Royal Oak.

Alex Zapak live at the Tabernacle. Not waving but drowning.

Alex was stunning. Nicholas Roeg was in the audience and thought so too. a brilliant night.

Countess Alex Zapak

Performance artist Countess alex Zapak is putting on a free show at the Tabernacle tonight.

Elvis spotted in Powis Square, Notting Hill.

Elvis is alive and well. I spotted him in Powis Square yesterday going into the house that was used as the location in 'Performance' the cult 70's movie starring Mick Jagger and Anita Ekberg. Sorry about the picture quality but I had to move fast.

















Suspiciously Elvis is performing at the Tabernacle on July 8th. should be fun.

The girl with the horse in her hair.

Performance Artist and storyteller The Countess Alex Zapak brings her fairytail Punk to the Tabernacle on Thursday evening. She is probably as mad as a box of frogs but interesting. I have not seen her show, I have however seen videos and talked to Alex and am looking forward to this.

Notting Hill could do with an injection of Avante Garde, Dadaist creativity.


http://www.tabernaclew11.com/whats-on/gigdetails/23-jun-11-the-girl-with-the-horse-in-her-hair-part-i-fairytail-punk-tabernacle/

It is a free event. The fb page is here:
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=220585207963199

The best smelling shop in West London.

Local chef Mark Richardson impersonating Travis Bickle at the spice shop in Blenheim Crescent W11.

ICON TACT.

Icon Tact. Bob West.

Bob writes:

It's constructed from a series of hand made faux messiahs in plaster around the edges.  An actual external solid wood frame,  The main image is on a separate board, canvas covered and slightly uplifted to sit proud of the framing device.  The main panel is a montage of bits.    There is a small upturned, hand painted postal box for jewellery in the bottom left-hand corner beside the central face; a fake looking relic on the other side made from nails and bits of gnarled leather and at the top right-hand side, obscuring the crown a little, is another applied 'thing' figure with a tin insert.   The central figure is surrounded by what are to me rather archetypical characters making hand gestures that crop up a lot in my work.   The worn down nature of the thing is a key element; lots of scratched surfaces and purposeful ageing - care worn and enticed.  The main figure has brass  'eyebrows' from an old gas mantle.  It's mostly painted in acrylic with household emulsion - although I am tempted to say 'household emotion' which has a better ring to its echoing tones.

Is it my imagination or is the figure at bottom left holding a severed head.What's that all about then?

Kate Bush - Rocket man.

How to identify a fairytail punk.

How do you identify a fairytail punk? You look at her boots of course.

There will be much more on this subject at a later date.

Who is the Fairytail punk?

This is the Fairytail punk.

more later.

Portobello Art Gallery and what's going on at the Westway Development Trust.

Portobello Art Gallery is a 'pop up'  underneath the Westway on Portobello Green (half way between Portobello Road and Ladbroke Grove). It is open until Sunday and although small contains some interesting portraits painted from photograph by Jon Cartwright . It is well worth a look if you are in the neighbourhood.

http://www.westway.org/trustnews/trustnews/11-05-23/Westway_Community_Festival_11th_-_19th_June_2011_Its_a_Celebration.aspx

Brick Heads,

Currently on show in the Tabernacle W11 gallery space.

Notting Hill Views.

Ladbroke Grove.

Portobello road 

The Cow. Westbourne Park Road.

Pigeon post.

this is a very early rough draft. Just notes really.


A song for last year's wife.

This spring

a pigeon scratched a rough nest

on the ledge outside the kitchen window

The ledge where you grew parsley and mint

and the scarlet geranium you nurtured from a cutting

taken on a drunken walk home

from outside the neighbours house.

The pots have gone

the herbs long dead

the geranium fell to the basement last winter

leaving space for the rough nest

in which a pigeon laid a solitary egg

It was not a good nest

I scolded the bird for such slapdash househusbandry

but we watched over that egg

as I fed her seeds and crumbs

and fretted with her.

On the third day

a jackdaw took the egg

there was nothing I nor the pigeon could do

a jackdaw took the egg

save make accusative stares

a jackdaw took the egg

I did not take the egg and I could not save the egg

she did not take the egg and could not save the egg.

but I think we equally cared for that egg

until we decided to blame each other for it's loss.

I have not seen the pigeon since and I have let the pigeon go

but the egg still haunts me.

Kittens in nature. This blog hurts.

I am well known for my lack of enthusiasm for anything remotely kittenish.

The following arrived via twitter from Philippa Perry:

Kittens in nature
On a spring day
Come through on twitter
and ruin my day.

He finds a reason
As soon as he can
To hate little kitty
Although he's aman.

kitty must bear
The brunt of his blame
All of his misery
And much of his shame.

Thank you Philippa.

Pepe Francis MBE.

Congratulations to Pepe on the award of his gong for services to Steelpan music. More HERE

Bookslam. Jon Ronson, Hannah Peel and Francesca Beard.

I invariably enjoy Bookslam. It is refreshingly unpretentious and laid back. Last night was no exception. I was interested to hear Jon Ronson on his new book on how to spot a psychopath and pleased to be both amused and enlightened, I know he was selling a book but it didn't feel like he was selling a book. He looked like he was enjoying himself too. the event included a 'signer', the first time I have seen this at the Tabernacle. He added an extra dimension to the narrative and was a welcome addition to the proceedings, adding an element of theatre. the Psychopath Test is out now published by Picador.

Francesca Beard writes the kind of narrative poetry I like and is very comfortable to listen to. good fun too.

Hannah Peel was an absolute delight, her intelligent narrative songs delivered cookily (this is a compliment) and happily accompanied by a guitarist and intriguingly mask wearing keyboard/percussionist. I was enchanted by the music box she played for a couple of songs, she later informed me that she makes the paper reels herself with a hole puncher. I liked Hannah Peel a lot.

hannah's debut album 'the Broken Wave' is out now.

Good fun.

A passion play at the Tabernacle W11.

Tuesday evenings meeting at the Tabernacle was a roaring success. Turnout was impressive, no doubt helped by the 'Reclaim the Tabernacle' flyers doing the rounds prior to the meeting. It was certainly passionate but at the same time constructive.

After an introduction from Shabaka (Carnival Village) a lively Q&A took place with a few grudges aired as well as some valid concerns from the community expressed, resulting in various ongoing discussions as to the use of the space. After a difficult couple of years the Tabernacle, under the Aegis of Shabaka, Chris Scholey and his team, now has the opportunity to move on to become an all inclusive centre for the community.