Heart it or hate it, you can’t argue with the fact that Valentine’s Day and all its attendant sentiment inspire some pretty fantastic photography. We’ve rounded up some of our favourites from our friends in the Londonist Flickr group. Enjoy... Heart, courtesy of buckaroo kid's flickrstream Courtesy of version-3-point-1's flickrstream......

People keep mentioning The Wave Pictures to us. First we caught them supporting Architecture in Helsinki back in September, and tomorrow they play the final of 4 Tuesday night sessions at the George Tavern, Whitechapel. It's an amazing venue but not to everyone's tastes. Candlelight, cheap beer and a relaxed atmosphere, slightly reminiscent of an old village pub but with a mixed and lively bohemian crowd. The paint is peeling and you can't help......

Hackney Council are at it again. Taking half arsed decisions on Banksys. Last time they completely removed a stencil of a girl in a frilly dress and gas mask from Gillett Square. This time they've tried to wipe out the crude phallus being painted by the old fashioned, beard and hat sporting artist on the side of the Vietnamese restaurant in Victoria Park Road. What are they like? A council spokesperson said: "Most people......

Here’s what we’ve learnt out and about this weekend (while you’ve been shivering indoors trying to find your thermals): The RSPB would like us count robins this year We’ve given up counting the number of shootings each weekend. The police should count themselves lucky that they have apparently found Rachel Nickell’s killer at last. Mayoral race entrants: 3 and counting as Paddick joins the fray We’re losing count of the ins and outs of......

Tonight start the week by going to see massive Swedish popstar Marit Bergman at Hoxton Bar & Grill. She's playing a one off UK gig in an attempt to get signed in the UK. (£6, here. Former Hefner frontman Darren Hayman teams up with fledgling band The Wave Pictures at The Luminaire (£8, here). Plus the awesome Cold War Kids play Shepherd's Bush Empire. On Tuesday, German dance kids Digitalism are at the Scala......

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.......

Here's a word of advice if you're thinking of using one of the 12 private suites on the new A380 super jumbo to indulge in some carnal activities: KEEP THE NOISE DOWN! Or use the toilets like everyone else. That's not the word from Singapore Airlines who will be flying the jets to Singapore out of Heathrow next year. They say: DON'T, but we here at Londonist towers could never deny anyone the opportunity......

I have to be honest, I never listen to London pirate radio... it's not that I don't approve; it's just not how I access my music. I guess I’m more of a Pandora.com and Last.FM type of guy. I do approve of pirate radio though, people getting together playing music for themselves and their friends has to be good right? So... londonpirates.co.uk is a site worth a look, I love the gallery section with......

Music, as Bono, Geldof, Martin or any of the members of Screwdriver will tell you, is a tool for peace and harmony. Selling memorabilia, on the other hand, would seem to be the domain of scrapping dogs, hound-like or otherwise. But now we hear that the owners of Elvisly Yours and The London Beatles Shop have settled their differences in a flurry of cheesy song references.* Story goes like this: Beatles guy (Howard Cohen)......

Last week, we asked you to imagine London in the clutches of a saurian rampage. Daniel Sykes sent in this little gem. It's Reign of Fire meets Pete's Dragon - very much a film we don't want to see. Daniel wins a signed copy of Melvin Burgess' Bloodsong, thanks to the good people at Penguin and their new community site Spinebreakers. Touch Up London returns to abnormal next week, and we want your images.......

Kick off the week tomorrow with Stephen Fretwell at Cadogen Hall (£15). The singer songwriter is touring his 3rd album "Man On The Roof" and by all accounts it's pretty good. Or if you like your things with a bit more soul (or rubbish pop depending on your point of view) then the 'legend' that is Craig David begins the first of four dates at Ronnie Scott's (£25). The Mercury nominated one man dream-machine......

Earlier today, proposals to limit the Mayor's stint in office to two terms were quashed. Ken is now free to rule the capital until the ends of time. Assuming, of course, he finds the means to artificially prolong his lifespan. Keep those pictures of a reimagined London coming in. And remember our dragon competition.......

Man gets 'stiff sentence' for 'accidentally' sending people pictures of his penis. He thought it would never stand up in court. Great train robber Ronnie Biggs says his life has been wasted. Not at all. Without him, we wouldn't have had that superlative 'Buster' film with Phil Collins. Grandmother dies after being disorientated my mirrors in a shop. Ramsay's treat. Celebrity chef attains his 12th Michelin star. Shortly before being shot, de Menezes alighted......

There are some very pissed newts in Stratford, as the Olympic Planning busy bees have slapped a compulsory purchase order on their current ponds to make way for a cycle track. Actually, they shouldn’t be that pissed off, as they are to be offered a bijou new des res in an all new pond nearby replete with grub-friendly foliage and goo (and they’ll probably be given discount vouchers for the velodrome ‘an’ all). The Great......

Cameras at the ready. It's time to get Green. That's the theme of the Shoot Photomonth's event being held this Saturday. But green what? Well, anything really. Traffic lights, jumpers, trees, jelly beans. Even the bit of mould you cut off the loaf of bread this morning. Just as long at it's green. Now you have to register for this event in advance which is why we're telling you about it now. But it's......

Autumn is tussling with the tail end of summer. It's nearly time to start closing the curtains early, sticking the central heating on timer and making soups and stews. Bed socks on! Here’s your London related home based media entertainment for the week. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 24 September Withnail and I (C4, 01.30-03.25) Drink, drugs, debauchery and dirt in Camden Town. Need we say more. (Actually, just to confirm, that's 01.30 on......

It may not be the strangest sight that Nelson has descried from his perch this year, but the Lomography London Lomowall in Trafalgar Square would no doubt raise an inquisitive eyebrow from the good Admiral. Part of this year's London Design Festival, the Lomowall consists of hundreds of thousands of photos, taken with the cult Lomo camera, stuck onto plasterboard and arranged in a 350 metre long maze across the Square. The snaps have......

What are you up to this weekend? If the answer isn’t “I’m going poking round lots of quirky London buildings, enjoying Open House for all I‘m worth and whooping with delight at all the random facts I glean” then we’ve just lost a little respect for you. (Unless, of course, you’re going to a funeral, or setting off on holiday or something like that. We really don’t mean to suggest that you’re an uncultured......

The Scala was filled with bands on Monday night and spurred on by a desire to see the mighty Architecture in Helsinki, we went to check them out. First up were The Wave Pictures- three local guys with a couple of guitars and a kit. Thoroughly affable chaps, all of them: the sort your Mum would like until you broke the unfortunate 'he's a drummer in a band…' news. Guitarist/vocalist Dave Tattersall easily warms......

First it was skulls, now it's nude paintings. A painting that Francis Bacon gave to The Royal College of Art in return for rent, is soon to be auctioned at Christie's. It's expected to fetch more than £9 million. Wowser. Study from the Human Body Turning on the Light will go under the hammer in October. The renowned art college is selling the painting in the hope of raising cash for its new campus.......

As the more hoop-savvy amongst you will know the NBA has beaten the NFL to London by just over a fortnight as the Boston Celtics are scheduled to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in an already sold out pre-season game at the O2 Arena on October 10th. If you're not fortunate enough to have a ticket for that then this weekend offers you the opportunity to join in the basketball razzmatazz as NBA Madness 2007......

It's day 4 of our week-long competition in conjunction with SkyscraperCity forums. Today's entry comes from 'Sy', who pictures a vengeful Manchester steamrollering Canary Wharf. It would never happen. We hope. We'll be giving a prize to the image with most votes, so if you like what you see, click 'recommended' below. Note that, for some reason, the archive isn't registering the recommends properly. So to vote, you should scroll down and click recommend......

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a......

Ask someone what they picture when the word "burlesque" is mentioned and chances are they'll think of a pretty girl wearing feathers slinking about on stage. But what if Dita von Teese were a bloke? If you'd like to find out, boys and girls, head on east to the Bethnal Green Working Men's Club for the final of Tease:The UK’s ONLY Male Burlesque Competition ! Come and see who will be crowned ‘Mr Male......

By which we mean 'tests the patience of those in charge of public safety and wastes everyone's time, money and resources.' Not wanting to be outdone by the Evening Standard's scaremongering, the Daily Mirror sent two journalists to the Stonebridge Park train depot to plant a fake bomb on a freight train, in order to test the security measures in place. A similar exercise was carried out last year when two Daily Mirror journalists......

Londonist was thrilled to attend the The Chap & Hendrick's Olympiad 2007 last Saturday, a most amusing afternoon's entertainment in the leafy surroundings of Bedford Square Gardens. It was an absolute delight to see so many of London's brightest young (and not so young) things attire themselves with utmost care for the occasion, and the time simply flew by. Of course, the day's focus was on sport (and disporting oneself), and after the ceremonial......

If you’re a woman in London, you have most likely experienced being groped, touched, leered at, harassed, followed or hit on by random strangers in public. It happens to women of all ages, from preteens to grannies. It has even happened to this Londonista, getting pushed into traffic by a man whose wrath was incurred when his request to 'smile, baby' was turned down five years ago. If you haven’t experienced something like this,......

It’s a quiz, in a pub, with prizes! We can’t claim to be the first to come up with that idea. But, by golly, are we going to use the opportunity to fact you till you fart. There’ll be music, film, history, pictures, good old random trivia, maps and, oh all kinds of things. Every question will be about this fine old city of ours. So if you think you can out-nerd the Londonist team......

There are a million things to do in London this week, but if you fancy a night in, here are a few things to keep you occupied. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 9 July Britain’s Next Top Model (Living, 21:00-22:00) After the dramatic first episode that saw all the girls get in a screaming match on their first night in their posh London house, we can't wait to see what the wannabe models will......

There are a million things to do in London this week, but if you fancy a night in, here are a few things to keep you occupied. On TV, Londonist likes: Monday, 2 July - Friday, 6 July Wimbledon Today (BBC2, 20:00-21:00) Chances are, your workplace won’t let you watch Wimbledon during the day, so here’s your chance to catch up all week. Watch and see how many ways they can come up with......