By Charlotte Cox
Silent disco. LOUD disco. Neon art. Zombies… Now THIS is how you do a weekend
FOOD: Som Saa
People power is great, isn't it? Come together and we can achieve anything. We can overthrow governments, we can topple the Berlin Wall… and, crucially, we can fund Thai pop-ups to find a permanent home. And so it is with Som Saa, which began life as a much-celebrated residency in Climpson’s Arch in Hackney and drummed up £700,000 worth of crowdfunding for this fully fledged Spitalfields restaurant. Opening properly this week after soft-launch success, expect amazing hot ’n’ sour soup, red curries and Burmese-style pork. And queues – this one has a walk-in policy. Power to the people, y’see.
Som Saa, 43 Commercial Street, Spitalfields E1 6BD
ART: Ben Eine: Soho Riot
We’ve made no secret that our love for Lights of Soho, London’s leading light-art gallery, runs deep. But now, somehow, they’ve managed to make us love it even more with this, what might just be its coolest show yet. Legendary street artist Ben Eine is lighting up his trademark graphic 2D font for the first time, with a series of brand-new works that not only look darned amazing, but protest against the gentrification that threatens what was London’s most vibrantly decadent district. And let’s face it, if you’re going to do social commentary, you may as well do it it huge f— off neon letters...
20 April-31 May; free, Lights of Soho, 35 Brewer Street, W1F 0RX
NIGHTLIFE: DJ Harvey at Ministry of Sound
As comebacks go, this one is somewhat of a double whammy. First off, the venue: Ministry is having quite the renaissance thanks to a new 60-speaker Dolby Atmos soundsystem (the world’s first surround-sound dance floor technology – LOUD, then) and a newly on-point bookings policy. Which brings us to the DJ: returning to the club after almost 20 years, cult disco icon DJ Harvey is bringing his era-defining record bag with him to play an ALL NIGHT LONG set. Meaning an all-night-long session on the dance floor for you. We know you’re up to it.
23 April; from £24 103 Gaunt Street, London SE1 6DP
EVENT: Pick Me Up Pick Me Up
is NOT: a convention for lazy folks in need of a lift somewhere. Pick Me Up IS: Somerset House's 12-day bringing together of all that's cool in graphic art, featuring illustration, animation and 3-D installations, plus a huge array of workshops to help you get your scribble on. A much cooler proposition entirely, then... Don’t miss Alan Kitching’s bold, elegant prints, Clay Collective’s modern ceramics or the chance to create your own stickers with Grey Jam.
21 April-2 May; £10 Embankment Galleries, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
NIGHTLIFE: Dans le Noir’s Otra Vista Social Club
Senses. They’re overrated, it seems. Dans le Noir is already famous for depriving us of sight, by plunging us into pitch black for a meal that heightens our tastes (and our chances of slopping soup everywhere, but hey). And now they’re after our hearing too, at this new silent disco with a difference. On a (lit) dance floor, noise-cancelling headphones will let you tune into live house, R&B or disco sets by top-name DJs; or you can just take them off and admire the shapes being thrown around you to, er, complete silence. Meanwhile, right next door is a darkened chillout zone where, sure, you’ll be able to talk to your friends, but you won’t see them. In short: it’s all a load of non-sense… in the best possible way.
FOOD: Café Monico
One thing that Europeans surely do better than us is cafes. Not for them any old greasy spoon, mais non! Theirs are huge, gilded palaces with gourmet all-day menus that mean you can pretty much LIVE there. Not something that could be said of Little Chef... But now Soho House is bringing grand-café culture to London with its latest opening, Café Monico. Complete with oak panels, marble floors, leather banquettes – and a huge chandelier (naturellement) – plus a menu of Italian and French classics, pastries and cocktails, it's the ideal place to pretend you're a member of a continental royal dynasty. Again, not something that could be said of
FILM: Secret Cinema: 28 Days
Later If ever there was a film ripe for the Secret Cinema treatment, it's 28 Days Later. It's set in London! It's a cult classic! And it involves low-budget enough zombies for us to have a go at replicating the costumes! Running for (you guessed it) 28 days, this features the usual incredible sets, immersive elements and even, we're told, a rave in a bloodbath (that’s a newie). Essentially, it promises to be SC's most atmospheric effort yet. Zombie chic: now a Thing. Until 29 May; £64.50 Secret London location
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