TheInquirer

TheInquirer
An independent weekly paper for City students 2 February 2007

Stolen library
books on eBay
• Rare music books could be being sold online
• Music students at a loss without the volumes
Two music books were stolen from City Uni-
versity library and later sold on eBay, a lec-
turer told his class last week.
The rare books went missing about four
years ago and have long been out of print.
Recently the same titles have turned up on
eBay and Amazon. One book was priced at
£100.
Suspicion is rising that these could be the
same books stolen from the library. George
(surname refused), a final year music stu-
dent, said: “One of our lecturers told us that
it is very likely that these books are the ones
which belong to City and now are being sold
online. The books are expensive and they are
essential for music students. They are really
hard to find elsewhere.”
However, this is not an isolated incident.
Missing books are a constant problem at
City’s library, and many students report that
books which are on record on the system are
nowhere to be found on the shelf. This is be-
coming a nuisance for the students as many of
the missing books are needed for their studies
and the lack of availability means long wait-
ing lists to access certain titles. Library staff Stolen library books are becoming a problem for students
from City said they didn’t know about this
problem. we use security devices in our stock and we a platform for crime, albeit in a small scale, if
Derek MacKenzie, public services manager have a gate alarm system at the exit area of the the problem is not tackled soon. In fact, steal-
at City was not able to comment on these Short Loan collection and the main library it- ing from the library happens more often than
circumstances. He instead referred students self.” is generally believed. 24 year old engineer-
to information services, and the libraries The crimes are only one symptom of what ing student Hazem Akilla told the Inquirer: “I
code of conduct, which advises them to let could be a larger problem. According to the know that some people from City stole books
library staff know if any books have been Guardian, book trafficking is becoming one by removing the cover which has the little de-
vandalised or gone missing. Regarding the of London‘s prime crimes, as stolen books tector attached to it. They took the book and
security measures, Mackenzie said: “In worth millions of pounds are sold in the UK il- left the cover behind, and the scanners at the
terms of prevention, as with most libraries, legally every year. City’s library could become library exit did not start an alarm.” AA

Inside your Inquirer this week...

Caipirinhas flow for Power hungry? Iñárritu’s lost

the best of causes It’s SU election in translation
at Favela Feva time again – Babel review
TheInquirer
Editors
Dimi Reider
Emily Clarke
Stephane Reissfelder
Harry Haydon
Contributors
Adwan Adwan
Rene Butler
Ketil Stensrud
Tom Walker
Shahaf Ifhar
Write for us
The Inquirer needs you! We’re
independent and can publish
anything we like. Send us your
views, reviews and especially
your news and pictures!
Email inquirer.city@gmail.com
Leader
So; important, rare music books were sto-
len and sold on the internet. I’m sure many
of you have been the victim of an AWOL
tome. Come on – own up, I bet some of
you’ve even been the perpetrator of a theft
in your time.
We at the Inquirer, while never for a
second condoning crime, understand the
frustration students can go through to get
their hands on library books. How many
times have you checked the catalogue and
not been able to locate the book you need?
(Never mind the library staff.)
This raises an interesting question. What
about other students, for whom important
books have never been in the library. Do
you fancy learning libel definitions from
a book published in 1973? Or studying
ethnomusicology from the range of west-
ern classical CDs that straddle most of the
music section, come to that?
We know, we keep complaining about
City’s library, but with due cause. Our
sympathies go out to those students with
exams in January, who were diligent
enough to want to study before them. The
library, however, did not really share such
understanding.
The library was closed from 22 Decem-
ber until 2 January. Exams started on the 8
January. In addition, the library closes at
9pm. No good for the insomniacs, hey?
Now, take the LSE. During the week,
their libraries don’t close. You can sift
through 4 million books (compare it to our
350,000), not to mention the exhaustive
journal collection to your heart’s content.
Come on Brendan Casey – you know this
isn’t up to scratch.
New vice chancellor for City
Gillies: takes over next year
Professor David Rhind is to set to stand down
from his position as vice chancellor of City
University this summer after nine years in
charge.
Rhind will be replaced by Professor Mal-
colm Gillies as City looks to further expand
its development of international partnerships.
Gillies takes over the reigns at City on the 1
August after leaving his job as the vice presi-
dent of the Australian National University
(ANU). He is currently involved in finding
new and more international areas of funding
SU elections a fortnight away
Nominations for seats on the executive
committee of the students’ union are open
until next Friday.
There are three positions available; presi-
dent, vice president for welfare, and vice
president for communications. The incum-
bent president, Tom Abbott, is optimistic
about the elections, despite admitting that
participation is weak.
“It’s difficult to stir up interest, and it’s
hard to make people realise what impact
they can have,” he told the Inquirer. Last
year, elections were disappointing, with not
enough candidates running for seats on the
union council, leading to a lack of competi-
tion. Mark, a computing student, said: “I’m
not really sure why they bother with elec-
tions. From what I’ve seen, being on the
council wouldn’t do much.”
Abbott is quick to deny this. The SU is cur-
rently cooking up a number of campaigns,
he said, and members of the council do have
a say in proceedings. He said: “It’s hard to
make people realise the impact they can
have.” The SU has been without a general
manager for two years, and Abbott admits
“things have been hard.” The new manager,
Aidan McDonald, has worked in the careers
centre at City and is a former president of
London Met students’ union. He is assisting
Abbott in the running of the union.
In the near future, the union is planning a
health awareness week, as well as pushing
a campaign for better food labelling in the
refectory. “If you go in there and ask the
for the university, while being based in Amer-
ica. Before this post, Gillies was the deputy
vice chancellor of education at the ANU, in
charge of research and accreditation of all un-
dergraduate courses across the univeristy.
Gillies told City: “I’ve long been aware of
City’s reputation as a trend-setter in higher
education and I am delighted to be taking the
helm at such a progressive institution. In the
years to come I hope that legacy can be en-
riched and deepened, with new programmes,
an expansion of external partnerships, and fur-
ther building of the nexus between education
and research.”
Gillies has a strong background in the hu-
manities; he was the president of the Council
for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at
the ANU and has been a campaigner for bring-
ing areas of expertise involved in the humani-
ties such as research and innovation to the
forefront of Australian education policy.
Gillies is a respected researcher and musi-
cologist in the field of 20th Century classical
music. He worked with and taught members of
Elision, Australia’s contemporary music asso-
ciation, before becoming its chair in 2001. He
is most famous for his research into compos-
er’s Bela Bartok and Percy Grainger. He has
chaired five major Australian music organisa-
tions as well as being the editor of the series
Studies in Musical Genesis and Structure pub-
lished by Oxford University Press. HH
staff what’s in the food, they can’t actually tell
you.” Abbott revealed.
This idea is welcomed on campus. Hayley, a
journalism student, said: “I think it’s a great
idea for the SU. I would be interested in
seeing what I’m consuming.” The campaign
is particularly important for those who are
vegetarian or vegan, and essential for those
who suffer food allergies. EC
In other news...
The School of Engineering at City has been
awarded a research grant from the UK-India
Education and Research Initiative. City was
one of only six out of a total of 108 submis-
sions to receive the grant which was present-
ed by Gordon Brown. HH
A house in Islington used for a documen-
tary with Anne Widdecombe to highlight the
plight of inner city estates was firebombed
last week. The house belongs to Labour
councilor Lisa Spall. The attack and the TV
program are believed to be related. HH
Islington Council’s education chiefs decided
on Thursday to give approval for Islington
Green School to become a city academy. The
plan has been heavily criticised by parents
and local residents. City is fronting a large
part of the funding, donated by anonymous
backers. It will open in September 2008. HH
Hong Kong for pennies? Yes please...
Ever since the emergence of low cost airlines
such as Ryanair and EasyJet, there has been
an unstoppable wave of overweight, sunburnt
Britons jetting all over Europe to show off
their cellulite infested bums entrapped in red
Speedo’s.
As environmentalists, politicians and Ameri-
can former presidential candidates engage in
the raging debate over carbon emissions, yet
another catch has appeared in the midst of all
the campaigning.
So far, travelling for the price of the average
Indian take-away has been restricted to desti-
nations within a reasonable distance, but last
month marked an end to the short hop mad-
ness as Hong Kong based airline Oasis set up
a direct route between Gatwick and the former
British colony. The price? A mere £141 includ-
ing taxes for a return ticket, compared to Brit-
ish Airway’s cheapest option at £520.
Similarly, Air Sahara has begun chartering
flights from Heathrow to New Delhi from an
incredible £126 plus taxes, while Tim Clark,
president of Emirates, has revealed that he is Hong Kong is now £141 away. But what’s the real cost?
considering launching flights from London to
Sydney for £280 return including taxes and The budget travel boom has generated great and the alleged ‘horrible flight experience’,
£140 return to New York. Who said the world worry for worldwide efforts in dealing with most cheap airlines are maintaining steady
wasn’t flat? climate change, as the already well established sales figures as a result of loyal costumers and
Scottish airline Flyglobespan has also em- airlines are forced to reduce their prices ac- our seemingly restored confidence in air travel
braced the latest trend of long-haul air-travel, cordingly. This is a new era of international post 9/11. Ryanair is reported to be adding 100
providing routes between the UK and Canada. travel, and its implications are crash landing Boeing 747-aircrafts to its fleet, after they saw
How does a weekend in Toronto sound for upon us. Whether the trend persists remains to their earnings increase by 80 per cent in the
£200? Lufthansa, the biggest airline in Eu- be seen, but as The Spectator recently pointed first quarter of 2006. Questions have arisen as
rope, offers the same flight for £540. Another out: “How ready are Britons to surrender the to how the companies do it; perhaps the furi-
new kid on the block is Isra–Air Direct, who exhilarating freedoms of cheap air travel?” ous Ryanair-employees can answer that ques-
operates flights to Israel for pocket change. Tel The loser? Mother Earth. Temporary winners: tion. Last year it was revealed that charging
Aviv is now only a £20 note away (calm down, the consumers. mobile phones while at work had become
plus taxes – ed). It might not be kosher, but at Despite accumulating a platoon of fierce strictly prohibited. Evidently, it is all about the
least it gets you there without going bankrupt. critics, namely for stories of laid-back security money. Low cost. Big profits. KS

Your views
Revka Bijl, Inga Vesper,
Exchange Journalism
student, student,

on the low Rotterdam Hamburg

cost travel Being a student, I think it’s nice to be able to

fly really cheaply, although I was flying with
I really love low cost flights. my family lives
in Germany – so whenever I go to Germany I

boom
EasyJet to London because I come from Rot-
terdam, and it was pretty awful; bad service,
they charged me for three extra kilos of lug-
gage. I’m here for three months, so I should
be able to have those three kilos. Being a
girl, I need it!
Hang the carbon But I do feel quite guilty about the envi-
ronment. Although, now there are offsetting
footprint... Our websites. You can pay for them to plant a
tree for you when you fly. Then, you don’t
students say they have to feel so guilty. There really is no other
way for students to travel – it takes so much
can’t afford to travel less time that the train.
get a budget flight. That’s cheaper than a train
ticket.
For an ordinary flight with BA, say, it cost
£520 to get to Hamburg, where I live. If I take
Ryanair, and go late at night, it’s £10. There’s
no choice for me.
They are a bit uncomfortable, and there’s no
food but it’s only an hour.
As for the environment, I always think that
there are 180 people on that plane, and if they
travelled the 500 km from here to Hamburg
by car, it probably wouldn’t make much of a
difference.

any other way. Got an opinion? E-mail us with anything you might want to say. inquirer.city@gmail.com
Get out there
Your eclectic guide to
London’s ins and outs

•TheNorth meets South at the Green Note, as

Your ad here...
Curst Sons rock and sways with some

Advertise with
good, old fashioned, swampy Hillbilly
stompin’ and hollerin’. Saturday, February 3
106 Parkway, just up the road from Camden

•
Town Tube.
Speaking of swampy and bizarre, David
Lynch will creep up in person to talk at the
NFT of his new film. Thursday, February 8th,

TheInquirer
NFT – Southbank. Be sure to book well in

•
advance.
More of the same, the LSE will host former
Home Secretary Charles Clarke on Wednes-
day, February 7 at The subject of the talk is
“Economic Policy and Taxation). Entrance is

•
free.
Current torch-carrier of anti-dogmatic
stand up Scott Capurro will be delivering his
usual dose of controversy at the Soho Theatre TheInquirer is an independent publication for the students of
this week. 21 Dean Street W2, Friday, Febru-
City University.
•
ary 2nd.
David Bowie’s favourite six-piece band,
Arcade Fire, are doing London this very Fri-
day. All the tickets were sold out within 5
minutes from going on sale, but 50 tickets for
tomorrow’s gig were reserved by the band for There are over 20,000 students studying here, most of whom live
fans to buy on the floor. Porchester Hall, 45 in the local area.
•
Porchester Road, W2. Friday 7.30pm
And, closer to home financially and geo-
graphically, the Hen & Chicken theatre pub Our ad rates are very reasonable... It s more cost effective than
is running Wilde’s The Ideal Husband. For
the discerning and socially disengaged, 7pm,
printing your own flyers. We can even design an ad for you! From
February 6th and 7th-10th , The Hen and Chick- clothes, to books, to printing shops ‒ students need them all.
en, 109 St Pauls Road (opposite the Highbury
& Islington Tube). DR

Interested? We know you are...

E-mail inquirer.city@gmail.com
LONDON LIVES
Rene Butler

Taking on the misery line

Thanks to the inept muppets who run the
Northern Line, I’ve missed out on a good part
of my mid-twenties.
I could have written War and Peace with
a blunt pencil during all the time I’ve spent
wedged between other commuters. For some,
this might be acceptable, but my luck always
seems to put me between a bearded accoun-
tant from Edgware (I think her name is Sally),
and some goofy iPod-gangster who gets on at
Burnt Oak.
Because Goofy and Ms I-need-Immac insist
on taking every available inch of space, I
have no chance of swinging a stray leg or
digging in an elbow to avenge the deafening
iPod.
My time in underground custody should
be spent sat back unwinding with a skinny
latte and a broadsheet. When I’m standing,
the nearest I come to news is a quick glance
at a paper belonging to a seat-depriver – and
they twig your eyes on their print in seconds.
When they do, they flick straight to the obitu-
aries, making sure all headlines and pictures
are out of your gaze.
Why can’t they be nice? Why can’t they say
“Let’s read the asylum seekers story together,
I’ll just re-angle the paper – we can both
‘I’d have that skinny latte... no bastard would
get in my way’
enjoy it”?
Last Tuesday I decided I was going to get a
seat regardless. I’d have that broadsheet and
skinny latte – no bastard was going to get in
my way. And if Goofy got on, I’d order him
to turn his iPod off.
As a treat to myself before Underground
Judgment Day, I asked the girl in Costa’s to
add some vanilla syrup in my latte. What a
mistake – she was about as quick as a tortoise
putting on a dinner jacket. On most days I’d
offer one of my lectures in customer service,
but my insults were needed for the tube.
So I got to the tube station that morning,
ready for battle. Guess what? The fucker was
closed for engineering works.
Better life than Rene? E-mail us and tell us all
about it. We promise we’ll listen.
inquirer.city@gmail.com
detached
the arts and culture bit
film
Babel
Imagine this: you’re on a bus in
the middle of the Moroccan des-
ert, four hours from the nearest
hospital, when your wife lets out
a sudden yelp of pain. She’s been
shot by some local goat-farming
kids, trying out their new rifle to
see whether it really can shoot
3km. And then, for some reason,
there’s an odd side-story about a
deaf-mute Japanese schoolgirl.
That, in a nutshell, is the experi-
ence of watching Babel, the latest
from Amores Perros and 21 Grams
director Alejandro González Iñár-
ritu. Iñárritu is in danger of be-
coming a formula director, with
each of his films following a pre-
dictable course of multiple, inter-
weaved stories – it’s all very film-
school, very clever-clever, and
very dull. Worse, none of the sto-
ries here are really strong enough
to stand on their own.
Blood
Diamond
As the cliché goes, if you want
to send a message, use Western
Union. Ed Zwick’s movies have
traditionally been earnest, sober-
minded action-adventure dramas
that offer up some supposed se-
rious examination of a societal
ill. Blood Diamond keeps up that
streak by showing how the illegal
smuggling of diamonds impacts
African countries. While Zwick
does a fine job of laying out the
confluence of bloodthirsty rebel-
lions, corrupt governments, and
greedy foreign interests that keep
many African nations in a con-
stant state of turmoil, his story of
an Afrikaner (Leonardo DiCaprio)
who sacrifices his own self-inter-
est for the love of a woman and
the good of a decent African man
is so relentlessly square that the
film plays more like a ham-fisted
lecture than a movie.
As is usual for Zwick, Blood
Diamond offers beautiful,
Here, the main story sees Cate
Blanchett as the shot wife who
sobs occasionally, and beside-
himself husband Brad Pitt, who
spends most of his time yelling
“I’m American, no speaka Espa-
nol, I need to call my embassy,
send a fucking ambulance, I need
that fucking helicopter!” and so
on. Then there are the goat-farm-
coffee-table-book-quality
cinematography. While these
images are pleasant to look at,
the thuddingly obvious subtext
of horrible atrocities occurring
in such beautiful places makes it
difficult to be awed by the natural
majesty, and they constantly
betray the schematic mindset of
the director.
Having recently been taken under
the wing of Martin Scorsece for
Oscar-nominated The Departed
Departed,
and simultaneously ensured his
credibility as a prominent actor,
the former teenage-bedroom-
posterboy has stepped it up a
notch. DiCaprio is enough of a
movie star to know how to own
the screen, and his selfish rogue
who learns to care for others is a
stereotype that goes all the way
back to Bogartt in Casablanca.
Leo tries, and viewers should be
very thankful for the effort, but
the serious tone of the picture
constantly douses the sparks of
life he brings to the material.
Jennifer Connelly is entirely
unbelievable in the role of a hard-
as-nails, internationally respected
reporter. Some people, like Den-
ers, who run away and get into a
shootout with the brutal Moroc-
can police, and the couple’s kids’
nanny, who also ends up stranded
in a desert after doing a runner
from the almost-as-brutal Ameri-
ca-Mexico border police.
There’s really so much plot that
it’s difficult to fit it all in here: it’s
all plot, all the time, and yet rarely
nis Farina, were born to swear
on screen, but Connelly is not
one of those people. When she
forces out the f-word, she does it
with a world-weariness that rings
false. She sounds like a 12-year-
old girl trying the word out on
her parents for the first time. Yet
another symptomatic of a greater
ill, if I may.
Djimon Hounsou might be a
very talented actor, but in this
film – as in most of his major
films – he is not playing a person
as much as he is a symbol of
‘The lessons, facts and morals are
spoonfed to the viewer’
“otherness” that white characters
must learn to respect in order to
teach the movie’s moral. Here, as
with previous castings, he suffers
both beautifully and majestically,
making it hard to think of the
character as a real individual.
It is not a bad performance; it
is a badly conceived character.
In the end, Zwick’s motivations
manages to go anywhere.
The moments that the film
should hinge on just come off
trite: yes, it’s not much fun to go
to a nightclub if you’re deaf, yes,
South American deserts are kinda
scary, and yes, American police
are quite mean to illegal immi-
grants. Whoop-de-do.
Maybe I could have forgiv-
en all this for a strong ending,
but you won’t find one here
– things turn out pretty well as
you’d expect in all four stories.
None of this is really to say that
Babel is a bad film, and a bit of
ruthless editing really could have
saved it (there are entire ten-min-
ute segments that basically boil
down to “wait, didn’t we already
do this?”) See it if you have time
to spare and money burning a hole
in your pocket, but don’t go in
expecting anything approaching
originality.
There is a nude Japanese school-
girl, though – maybe that’s what
got it the Oscar nominations. TW
are good-hearted, but that does
not excuse the fact that the film
is a crushing bore because he
talks down to his audience. The
lessons and facts and morals
are spoon-fed to the viewer, and
Zwick fails to grab our attention
during the action scenes, so there
ends up being very little of inter-
est for the audience.
The movie ends with white
text on a black screen stating
that “you” must do your part.
Instead of making an entire film
to drive that simple point home,
Zwick might as well have filmed
an alcoholised Bob the Builder
on Prozac— and left us with the
tagline, “Remember, don’t buy il-
legally smuggled diamonds. Only
you can prevent genocide.” KS
Babel and Blood Diamond are on
general realease
 music
Favela Feva
The AKA Bar, W1
On a cold night in January the temptation of
a Brazilian party in central London brought
back fond, hazy memories of carnival and
summer and seemed for once a good alterna-
tive to staying in and watching the football. As
well as boasting a feast of different genres of
musical talent including 4Hero, Rodney P &
Skitz, Bugz in the Attic, DJ Bailey and Brazil-
ian imports Dynamo Magician and Capoeira
Canal, the night had an exceptionally good
cause, which is always a good excuse to go
and neck loads of cocktails and dance till 4 on
a Wednesday night.
Favela Feva is a sort of annual fundraiser
for a project called RafioActive by a man
called Max Graef. The project specializes in
opening pirate radio stations in deprived areas
in order to try and steer children away from
their usual path of becoming foot soldiers for
drugs gangs.
Radio Active provides all the equipment
and training people need to get on air. Graef
has recently set up radio stations in Cam-
internet
Best of the web
http://docs.google.com/
Got a collective paper to work on with your
fellow students, but one of them is in Greece
and the other bed-stricken? Use Google Docu-
ments – formerly Writely -to edit and collabo-
rate on documents in real time.
http://ww.zyb.com
Among its many services, this site allows you
to effortlessly save all your mobile phone data,
so that you don’t end up friendless next time
your phone gets stolen.
http://www.meebo.com
If you’re tempted to chat on msn, yahoo, and
google with all your buddies at the same with-
out headache, this website permits to do just
that and works in libraries!
http://liveplasma.com
An amazing graphical display of related artists,
movies, and film directors that makes you dis-
cover new cultural horizons, or at least pretend
you’ve scouted them.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com
An independent site that lets you scrutinize the
activities of your proud representatives. No,
not the student unionÉ Think bigger: MPs. You
can also contact them directly and raise hell!
SR
Got a website you love? E-mail us at; inquirer.
city@gmail.com
eroon, Chad, Mexico
and Palestine, ahead of
his planned stint in Rio
de Janerio. He will be
working with commu-
nity group Afro Reggae
who run 61 different
community groups in an
effort to get an estimated
5000 armed children off
the streets.
“It’s not just about mu-
sic, says Graef excitedly
on the night, its about
getting peoples messages
out there, and talking
about the issues that af-
fect people in the favelas
and just giving people
somewhere where they
can communicate.”
By 10pm it seemed
like a Friday and thanks to some very strong
caiprinha’s from the guy at the bar ( thanks
guy at the bar), great Brazilian samba vibes,
and fantastic music that had been donated fee-
less by the wonderful DJ’s all night, people
danced their next days hangover’s away. HH
Anyone can play guitar...
Open mic venues in the capital
Aspiring musicians in London, particularly
of the singer/songwriter persuasion, can liter-
ally spend every night of the week seeking
attention and appraisal at countless open mic
venues across town. To avoid a performing
experience akin to busking outside Totten-
ham Hale Station in February, here are a few
highlights to make your journey to indie star-
dom much smoother.
Up All Night @ the Spice of Life, Soho
Names can be deceptive and this is no
exception; central London’s most famous
open mic starts at 7pm and plugs out punkt
at 11. You will have to be there by 6:30
to fight your way through the hordes of
performers to the ever-elusive List. “Can I
go on first?” is a good way of attracting the
MC’s attention as no one ever wants to. The
stage is cold, but the audience will appreci-
ate your bravery and you can still make
dinner on time. The basement room hosts
around 50 people, almost invariably fellow
performers with Fender gig bags. There’s a
cute upright piano (big plus) tucked away at
a corner of the stage. Sound is usually excel-
lent with good monitors to boot. Music is a
very mixed bag – from the mundane to the
amazing; You get to play two songs, or get
a 20-minute featured artist slot if they like
your demo.
Viva Viva, Hornsey
They named it twice so you think it’s nice.
And it looks nice. Hands down, this is the
most carefully furnished room I’ve ever
played in, fairy lights notwithstanding. Still,
the effort involved in getting to this obscure
location doesn’t pay off. It’s the perfect
Capoeira at Favela Feva.
Courtesy of Ritzilla
Check the website at:
http://radioactive .org.uk/afroreggae.htm for
info and donations.
wine & dine venue, but for the songwriter
who only wants to be heard, this place can be
traumatic. For better or worse, it’s the only
known venue in London that will actually
email you asking to play. An elaborate PR
system thinly disguises poor arrangements;
they send you their “terms,” book you in,
send you slips you can give to your friends
for 10 per cent off the first drink between 8
and 8.15, but arrive on the night and voila;
the sound man hasn’t got you on the list, you
get to play for five minutes instead of 15 and
your slot is pushed to 11pm by the Oxbridge
teen who’s brought all his family along.
When you finally get to play, the ceaseless
chatter makes you realise people come here
for continental sophistication to go with their
Merlot, and not to listen to music. Oh, and
pray no one fancies a cuppa during your set
– the coffee machine is ruthlessly loud.
The Mitre, Greenwich
This recently opened joint, run by the lovely
Ben and Dan, is set to thrive. The room is the
size of a disused swimming pool and echoes
nouveau riche balls with its chandeliers and
posters of extinct bird species. Apart from
lots of personal TLC, you also get a Roland
keyboard, monitors and a drum kit on the
premises. Only downside is this is one of the
only open mics to currently charge entrance,
but performers get to pocket the three quid
– as long as they bring a few people to see
them. SI
Details to all nights can be found on
www.thevac.co.uk
Shahaf Ifhar plays the Bullet Bar in Kentish
Town on February 21st, www.ifhar.com