I may not be a fan of running and I may not be a fan of Electronic Dance Music, but it turns out I quite like it when they’re mixed together. Last weekend, Ryan and I donned our running shoes – honestly the first time I have worn mine in many, many months years – and drove 40 …
Read MoreTag / Music
May 14, 2015
…won at Brooklyn Bowl
If you’re looking for an easygoing night out, complete with live music and some finger-lickin’ good comfort food, I’ve found your place. Last weekend, I headed to Brooklyn Bowl, which is inside a Williamsburg warehouse, and it was a winner. (And as it turns out, so was I.) I was a fan of the huge space, which …
Read MoreApril 21, 2015
…watched a living room chamber concert
My friend Gina had a great idea. Why not get a group of friends together one lazy Sunday afternoon, make some delicious snacks, pour some drinks and then invite a string trio to entertain everyone? She turned to GroupMuse, a website that organizes the whole thing for you (minus the snacks), and on Sunday, three very friendly musicians …
Read MoreDecember 18, 2014
…caroled on the steps of St Bart’s
I love Christmas in New York, but it also makes me homesick for my mum’s Yorkshire puddings, mince pies and roaring fires. And, thanks to years of school carol concerts, it also doesn’t seem quite right without singing some tunes in church. But I always make up for what I can. This year, I’ll attempt to make …
Read MoreNovember 12, 2014
…dosey doed at a barn dance
Some parts of this country remain completely alien to me. The way you write the date? Weird. American supermarkets? I’ll never understand them. That plastic neon yellow stuff you put on burgers and claim is ‘cheese’? No thanks. So every now and then it’s nice to get a little taste of home. Enter… the barn dance. …
Read MoreSeptember 8, 2014
…cheered for the jousting at the Renaissance Faire
I’ve always said that some time apart from New York can do wonders for my relationship with her; I come back sane again. But this weekend, when I ventured out of the city, I’m not sure I came back all that okay in the head. Welcome to the Renaissance Faire. This annual spectacle is held at …
Read MoreJune 9, 2014
…listened to music at ‘Target Free Thursday’
Thanks to some talented musical friends, I’ve been fortunate to discover a cracking range of new musicians while living in New York. But none has stuck with me as much as Kate Davis. I first heard her play at Bowery Electric about 18 months ago – and I was transfixed. She has this timeless voice that …
Read MoreApril 29, 2014
Don’t miss :: PopUp Dinner Brooklyn
This weekend, I penned a piece for Edible Brooklyn about an elegant popup dinner party that’s coming to Prospect Park this summer — and I thought it looked too good not to share, especially as tickets have just gone on sale. On June 28, as many as 5,000 people – all dressed head-to-toe in white – …
Read MoreMarch 27, 2014
…was wowed by Grouplove at Terminal 5
Two months after Ryan’s birthday, we finally got to use one of his gifts: Tickets to see GROUPLOVE. I have to admit, the first time I even heard of them was last year when Ryan mentioned they were playing at Terminal 5. I made lots of disinterested noises while making a mental note to book tickets …
Read MoreMarch 5, 2014
…was dazzled by Kinky Boots
In a small corner of Northampton in the 1990s, there was a generations-old men’s shoe factory struggling to stay on its feet. One day, with its closing imminent, owner Steve Pateman received a phone call from a transgender shop owner he’d never met before. ‘You should be manufacturing women’s shoes built for men,’ Sue Sheppard …
Read MoreFebruary 11, 2014
…saw Paul, John, Ringo and George at the Morrison Hotel Gallery
There was something amiss when I left work tonight… It was still light. Feeling there were hours ahead of me before I needed to be anywhere, I decided to check out a gallery a few blocks from the office that I’d seen mentioned by the MurphGuide: the Morrison Hotel Gallery. I’d read that it was hosting …
Read MoreJanuary 23, 2014
…watched a Juilliard organ recital
Remember a year ago, when I went to a free concert and inadvertently ended up watching six-year-olds play the piano? Well, today I actually got it right. I’ve been missing my old habits so decided to scour free events and came across a concert by Juilliard organists near Times Square. Sorry to say it, but …
Read MoreJanuary 16, 2014
…fronted a rock band
When I was 11, my sister Charlotte, our friend Lara and I started a pretty great band. While it didn’t have a name, it did have an interesting sound: Charlotte on the drums, me on the keys and Lara on the violin. We penned a surprisingly dark song for our tender years and set our …
Read MoreJanuary 7, 2014
…rocked out at Bowery Ballroom
Okay, I cracked! I lasted a whole two days without doing something new. On Saturday night, I headed to a Lower East Side music venue I’d never been to before: Bowery Ballroom. It’s hosted a whole range of acts – from Lauryn Hill and Kanye West to Queens of the Stone Age and the Pixies. And tonight …
Read MoreDecember 2, 2013
…went to Winter’s Eve
For one night a year, Lincoln Square in Midtown transforms into a long block party for Winter’s Eve, a massive festive celebration. From the Lincoln Center down to Columbus Circle, bands, Christmas trees and food stands line Broadway – cramming the pavements with tourists, hungry locals and plenty of Christmas cheer. Or so it seemed… …
Read MoreNovember 30, 2013
…listened to underground musicians – above ground
New York subway musicians take busking to a whole new level. It’s not just some emo strumming his guitar – we’re talking tight harmonies, original songs, world instruments and attentive crowds. Thankfully, one New Yorker, Dan Pierson, has had the sense to gather together some of his favorite acts and take them above ground to …
Read MoreNovember 24, 2013
…visited Morocco
I’ve travelled to a fair few places in the U.S., but apart from that, I’ve not ventured much outside the UK. My parents, on the other hand, are avid travellers and one of their favourite spots in recent years has been Morocco. So tonight they were kind enough to take me there – kind of. …
Read MoreNovember 12, 2013
…watched Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular
When I met a Rockette at Radio City earlier this year, I promised to return soon for their lauded Christmas Spectacular. Today, with the help of a friendly Groupon, I beat the holiday crowd and settled down for the show. Apart from high kicks and glitzy costumes, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. And …
Read MoreOctober 25, 2013
…danced at Webster Hall
Tucked away on East 11th Street is one of the city’s top music venues: Webster Hall. I’ve been meaning to go here for ages and this week, Hillary asked me if I wanted to go there for a date to watch a British band, Frightened Rabbit. I, er, have to admit that I didn’t actually know …
Read MoreOctober 22, 2013
…saw Stomp
Stomp was first performed in 1991 in Brighton, which is the nearest city to my childhood town – and as it happens, the show is my neighbor here too. I finally decided to head to the Orpheum Theater in the East Village to see it tonight – and I’m very glad I was given this second …
Read MoreSeptember 15, 2013
…watched a Japanese drum show
Doing a new thing every day makes sure I never forget that I have world-class talent right on my doorstep. And today – when I saw an amazing Japanese drum show – I was reminded once again. I jumped on the 1 train with Ryan and headed to the Taikoza Live show at the Peter …
Read MoreSeptember 10, 2013
…heard experimental music
Tonight I headed to Tribeca to an old building barely visible behind scaffolding. I found its hidden door and took its winding, marble stairs to the 13th floor where, through ancient wooden doors, sat a little-known radio station. The Clocktower Gallery station transmits experimental music and sound installations across the internet’s airwaves at ARTonAIR.org and …
Read MoreSeptember 10, 2013
…square danced in Bryant Park
After work today, I was tired and just wanted to go home. But Ryan and I had made plans to go square dancing for my new thing, so I dragged myself to Bryant Park and screamed, ‘I hate todaysthedayi!‘ when I met him. Thankfully, it turns out that square dancing is the best remedy for …
Read MoreSeptember 1, 2013
…danced at a music festival in Sussex
Summer is music festival season but I’ve not had one lined up for years. So when I heard there was one happening in my home county of West Sussex, I thought it was worth a weekend trip across the Atlantic. Especially because this one was very close to home: It was in my parents’ back …
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