Norway's Hans-Peter Lindstrom takes to the stage (if you can call it that) in Rough Trade East looking unassumingly geeky in a checked shirt and a hat that covers most of his face. He is playing as part of the shop's heavily Converse-branded first birthday celebrations and might reasonably be miffed at the smallish crowd who braved the warm August rain to be here. Fortunately in customary trainspotter fashion they all signal their support......

Booze might now be banned on public transport, but that doesn't stop us getting trolleyed in the stations. The Betjeman Arms recently opened at St Pancras, bringing a much-needed touch of class to London's catalogue of terminus taprooms. To celebrate, we decided to go on a campaign for rail ale. Despite objections from our livers and serious renal remonstrance, we spent last Saturday working our way though a laevorotatory pub crawl of the major......

Just a heads up that National Express East Anglia services are still disrupted and running a reduced service into Liverpool Street station due to overhead power cables which collapsed onto the line on Monday evening. Ironically, £150m worth of work on renewing overhead power cables between London and Chelmsford was begun by Network Rail earlier this year with a finish date projected for 2012 (like everything else). The line is expected to be back to......

As you may well have found out on your morning commute, Liverpool Street Station is closed today following a fall of scaffolding from a new East London Line bridge onto tracks last night. It was originally reported that the bridge itself has collapsed. Thankfully, this was not so. Network Rail is hoping to have the line open again by 14.00 today but we say don't hold your breath. Was your journey to work affected this......

Have you heard? Boris is banning booze on all London transport come the first of June! Do you care? Many of your fellow Londoners do! And they’re planning parties to prove it. Grassroots campaigns both to bid adieu to booze cruising on the Tube and to openly flout the new ban are sprouting up all over – where else? – Facebook. Garnering the most attention is James Darling’s Last Orders on the Underground. The......

If the idea of going to the country over the weekend is just a bit too involved, heading over to Old Spitalfields Market today might be able to give you some illusion of escaping the big city. Though billed as "the Countryside Comes to Spitalfields," it's really more of fancy foods and a few barnyard animals. There are a handful of penned-in furry friends for kids and adults alike to give a friendly scratch.......

Time was when getting into the Guinness Book of World Records really meant something. You had to walk 130 kilometres with a milk bottle balanced on your head. Or keep on teasing the ladies with your Hot Stuff routine well into your sixties in order to qualify as the world’s Oldest Male Stripper. Now, it seems, all you have to do is drink a cup of coffee. At least we know that we all......

Spot the comedy. Some dead pixels or Liverpool Street having a bit of a giggle?......

If you're the forward-thinking type who likes to read Londonist on your BlackBerry or iPhone while heading to or from work, yet resent having the myriad delights of John Q Stranger's armpit swabbed over your face on yet another overcrowded carriage, some good news: the government has promised an extra 100,000 seats across the country's rail networks. Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly confirmed that a 10% increase in rolling stock is planned, with around 600......

Liverpool Street is back to normal. (Whatever that is.) Mysterious blazing stunt truck puzzles Kent police. Electric cars are moving ahead in London. If you see what we mean. Boris claims Muslim ancestry…but Muslims still back Ken. The airport strikes are off. Will it/won’t it snow? Piccie courtesy of angleocesare’s flickr photo stream.......

TfL have been in touch to clarify things, saying: The work planned by Transport for London at Liverpool Street Station, to demolish a bridge, was completed ahead of schedule last Saturday (29 December). Unfortunately, Liverpool Street Station remains closed because Network Rail, which is outside Transport for London's control, has not finished their engineering work on time. We advise passengers to check with National Rail enquiries for the latest information. So now you know who......

The BBC are reporting that Liverpool Street station may be open this afternoon for mainline services, although it looks like local trains won't be running until Thursday morning. As we posted earlier, the station missed it's scheduled re-opening this morning. A "shortage of specialist engineers" is the culprit, apparently, presumably busy sleeping off their New Years hangovers instead of pulling down a railway bridge. Passengers are being advised to seek alternative transportation, so if anybody......

Above-inflation fare rises and teeming queues at the ticket machine as people flock to renew their passes; January 2nd is traditionally not the best day for the rail industry. TfL may be harking about a single fare freeze (whilst downplaying the Travelcard fare increase), but for Londoners today the news in general is less good: two of the capitals busiest transport hubs are closed. Liverpool Street station, shut since December 23rd while engineers were......

Langdon Park DLR station opened yesterday, to initially no fanfare, until Ken turned up with some free Oyster cards. Diamond Geezer has blogged in heartfelt detail about the "shiny alien mothership" lighting up a neglected, marginalised area. Langdon Park now easily links up with Canary Wharf and Stratford, where a second platform was also officially opened yesterday, possibly anticipating the immediate influx of people escaping Tower Hamlets for a day. TFL are consulting about......

Further to our earlier post and readers' comments we've been in touch with Art on the Underground to clarify about the poster giveaway next week. Each day a different poster will be available from 8am at the 5 Underground stations: Kings Cross, Victoria, Waterloo, Paddington and Liverpool Street. The schedule is as follows: Monday - Mark Titchner Tuesday- James Ireland Wednesday - Klega Thursday - Layla Curtis Friday - Katie Dove Happy grabbing! Image......

To celebrate the rebranding of the Platform for Art initiative as Art on the Underground, TfL are giving away specially commissioned posters at 5 Zone 1 tube stations all next week (bound to be a bunfight on Monday though, be prepared). Among the artists is Turner Prize nominated Mark Titchner and poster designs include a fictitious A-Z map and some snow capped mountains. 25,000 of each design have been produced and will be stacked......

It’s not all about St. Pancras, you know. (Although, to be honest, it is mostly.) Some First Great Western services into Paddington are a bit shit, MP implies. Overrated immature French plonk now available on the Gatwick Express from Victoria. Yippee. Major vexations for some East Sussex commuters travelling into and out of Cannon Street and Charing Cross. Naff re-branding for trains out of Liverpool Street. Spluttering indignation over mothballed ex-Eurostar platforms at Waterloo.......

Londonist spent all of its money this week getting drunk at its 3rd birthday party. Hopefully, you were one of the many people who decided to join us. As a thank you, London On The Cheap is back (hurrah!) showing you what fun and fabulous free stuff you can entertain yourselves with next week: Sunday: We had an extra hour today so you get an extra day of news from us. Out to Lunch......

If our enthusiastic dance previews didn't inspire you to go as far as actually parting with cash for contemporary dance then perhaps you could cut your teeth on free events happening as part of London's International Festival of Contemporary Dance: Dance Umbrella. If you work near Liverpool Street then, this lunchtime or any lunchtime in the next 29 days, you can stumble across Paul-Andre Fortier performing "Solo 30x30" whilst you nip out for a......

Londonist asks that most pressing of daily concerns: where to go on your lunch break. Meson Los Barriles Clerkenwell Location 55-63 Goswell Road EC1V 7EN Nearest Tube: Barbican 0871 3327054 10.30am-Midnight Daily Map Spitalfields Location 8 Lamb Street, Spitalfields Market E1 6EA Nearest Tube: Liverpool Street 0871 3327646 10.30am-Midnight Daily Map Expect to Pay: Tapas start around £4 Rating: 7 out of 10 Reviews at London-eating.co.uk for Meson Los Barriles, a tapas bar with......

. It's over. Our love affair with Free Range must sadly come to an end. Before we go, here's one more artist you really should check out before it's all packed away until next year. Claire Fitch is from renowned Nottingham Trent University. You can see her textiles and fashion accessories as part of their 'play!' exhibition until Monday 23rd July. Tell us more about what inspires you. We live in a culture that advocates......

. This is it art fans. The end of Free Range. Already? What will we do? Well get down do these shows to see the final few pieces. And then look forward to next year, when you get to do it all over again. In the mean time watch out for them, and secretly wish that it was one of them who designed the 2012 logo. Carry on Textiles Who? Norwich School of Art &......

. Free Range is almost over (sniff) so we've tracked down the best of this weeks artists so you don't have to. Julia Wood has just graduated from Staffordshire University and you can catch her at the Creationism exhibition from 12th July - 16th july. What's it all about, Julia? The main themes I discuss in my work are of domestic and family life and particularly what happens when the traditional idea of the home......

One club event we've neglected to mention really (and we really should have) is the birth of the amazing Modular Weekly parties at Ditch in Shoreditch. Modular is the label home of some of our favourite electronic artists including The Presets, MSTRKFFT, Klaxons and Cut Copy, as well as looking after Jack Johnson & Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And when they put on a party, they rock it! Sure if you're not wearing skinny jeans,......

. Oh no! Free Range is nearly over! What do you mean you still haven't been? It's Europe's largest free art and design showcase, so what are you waiting for? Here's what's going on this week. Collective Who? Nottingham Trent University (Product and Furniture) What? DESIGN (2D & 3D) Where? F Block T2 T.B.A. Who? University of Portsmouth What? PHOTOGRAPHY Where? F Block T3 Photo Eclectic Who? Amersham & Wycombe College What? PHOTOGRAPHY Where? F......

. We've really been spoiling you art lovers recently. Don't worry, we're not through yet. Check out Clare Skidmore's work below and see what she's up to as part of Free Range this year. She's part of the 'Show 'n' tell' collection from University of Wales Newport from July 5th to July 9th. Why don't you tell us a little bit about your artwork? I want to paint big bold paintings that attract the viewer......

Expect delays on the westbound Central Line after a train derailed between Mile End and Bethnal Green at approximately 9.15am. The Central Line is currently suspended between Leytonstone and Liverpool Street in both directions. The TFL website is just saying there is a "faulty train in the Mile End area" but we got the information on the derailment straight from the mouth of the driver of the train directly in front of the affected one,......

Still don't think you've found the new Tracey Emin? Take a look at these exhibitions at Free Range and you might just come across the 'next big thing'. RAW EDGE Who? Thurrock & Basildon College (Textiles) What? DESIGN (2D & 3D) Where? Dray Walk Gallery Forming emotion Who? Northumbria University What? DESIGN (2D & 3D) Where? Brick House Ravensbourne Graduates 2007 Who? Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication (Textiles) What? DESIGN (2D & 3D)......

If you haven't had chance to yet, get down to Free Range this week to see what's happening. Joe Waller, a Camberwell graphic design student is one of the artists you can see exhibiting there. Tell us more about you and your artwork. I grew up in the West End of London so my environment has always stimulated my work. Much of my current artistic inspiration comes from my past writing graffiti and walking......

. Catherine Bullen is just finishing her studies at Cambridge School of Art. Her final show is being exhibited at Free Range 2007. Londonist has a cup of tea and a chat with her to find out what it's all about. What should Londonist readers know about your work, Catherine? I try to base my work around issues that effect me personally or the world in general, drawing inspiration from news stories and personal experience.......