Local business listings and review site, Tipped (“where people like you and me write reviews about the places we've been”), is to host the inaugural Tipped Chilli Cook Off this Saturday the 25th from 1pm at The Mucky Pup (39 Queens Head Street, N1 8NQ) near Angel Station. The event will pit about ten amateur chilli cooks (mostly Tipped users and food bloggers as well Tipped’s CEO) against each other as attendees rate the......

This is pretty much a musical must if you’re free tomorrow night: a debate about hip hop and Islam, and where the two interface. Whether they should interface. Whether they are compatible. This will be a lively one, for sure. The Islamic music scene in London (and America) is huge, but its musicians are involved in a constant debacle with hardliners as to whether the Koran expressly forbids such free expression, and whether the......

Mini music festivals - you've got to love them, haven't you? Queuing up for two hours to get into an infamous London sweatbox only to get to the front of the line where you're overtaken by a 21-year old PR mogul with a VIP wristband and a gaggle of Bedales-educated media moppets beside them. Then you've got to try and get served. Oh, we're only joking! These events can be plenty of fun, as......

One of the many reasons why we love Camden's Jazz Cafe so much is its eclectic taste in music. Home not only to jazz, their offerings also include some of the best in hip hop and reggae, with legends passing across their stage on a daily basis. Tonight reggae rhythms take over their sound system as the Mad Professor's Dub Show rushes in to bop heads about. Susan Cadogan, a frequent collaborator with the......

Pirates have all the fun. And next weekend, Londoners will have an opportunity to get in on a little piratical mischief during the first ever London Pirate Festival. Here’s Mad Cap’n Tom and Sailor Girl aboard the Golden Hinde with the details. For more info, visit www.londonpiratefestival.com and www.yarr.org.uk.......

We've dreamt of going to Iceland's Airwaves festival for many a year now, but have some how failed to get round to it. Now in a bid to save us the super expensive airfare to Reykjavik, Airwaves is coming to us with it's inaugural London Airwaves festival hanging out in Shoreditch on Friday 19 September. Tickets are £20 and in a Camden Crawl style, that gets you access to 93 Feet East, Cargo, Bar......

We are all familiar with the overwhelming sense of disappointment when you disembark at Belsize Park for the first time and realise there is no lush green space as the name suggests; that White City is not complete with its eponymous promise is a source of frequent consternation; let's not even discuss Elephant and Castle. Hainault Forest, however, verdant location of this weekend's Offset Festival, lives up to its name, and the fact that......

Back in June, Londonist had a lot of fun pairing sushi with sake at Tsuru, Canvey Street’s excellent little Japanese restaurant and bar that’s a hop, skip and look-both-ways-before-crossing-the-street from the Tate Modern. Well, odds are we’re gonna head back in September for what looks to be an intriguing evening of wine and Japanese food matching on the 17th. Damian Tillson, from Sotheby’s Wine Department, will be on hand to guide folks through six......

For some reason The Jazz Cafe always falls under our radar when we're talking about gigs we're going to see. But this is going to stop because ultimately we end up completely missing amazing gigs by jazz, world and classic soul artists. And on the very note we were super excited to see that the legendary Martha Reeves & The Vandellas are hitting up the jazz cafe for three very special gigs this weekend.......

If you enjoyed lazing about and listening to music in Regent's Park this weekend at the Innocent Village Fete, then fear not - more music is hitting the greenest patch in NW1 very soon in the form of Big Wheel Sundays. Back for a 2nd year these Sunday evenings take place at the lush Open Air Theatre and allow you to laze about from 6pm with a picnic on the lawn, or the indulgence......

From this Saturday (26th July) and occurring during the last Saturday of every month until 29th November, Covent Garden’s Moti Mahal Indian restaurant will host cookery classes led by head chef Anirudh Arora. More commonly known as Chef Ani, Anirudh will share his kitchen and his knowledge as a master of Indian cuisine with small groups of eight guests with informal two-hour classes starting at 10.30am. Participants will have the opportunity to learn how......

The entire capital weeps today, as Londonist presents its final round-up of the week's best Edinburgh Festival previews. You can show your respect by going to these shows and seeing some great comedy at super-cheap prices: Monday 21st: A free gig tonight, from four superlative new comics. In their show Homework for Heroes, they discuss acts of heroism in everyday life, and play with interactive games to create a heart-warming night of comedy. The......

In the weeks building up to Edinburgh, there are OVER NINE THOUSAND comedy previews a day. Finding the best ones can be difficult. So it's a good job that Londonist knows its comedy! Go to at least four of these shows this week: Monday 14th: This Sketch Show Belongs to Lionel Richie proved themselves expert at guerilla advertising at the Fringe last year, when hundreds of stickers bedecked lampposts, toilets and vending machines declaring......

Just a reminder that today sees London's most dashing gentlemen and best turned-out ladies gather together for the Chap Olympiad. We can't tell you where it's taking place – that is, we have a pretty good idea, but (a) don't know the exact location, and (b) feel it would be rather unsporting to let on, given that collecting all seven token-clues as to the "Decathlon for the Debonair"'s precise whereabouts comprised the first 'challenge' of......

There aren't many concept albums about the lives of rad 80s car designers. And there are even less that are the brainchild of a Welsh psychedelic bard and an American avant-garde hip-hop twiddler, and feature a podgy sex-obsessive on guest vocals. Which is one way of saying that Neon Neon's gleaming 'Stainless Style' is a pretty unlikely record. "It's a biographical show," explains a well-groomed Gruff Rhys, usually of Super Furry Animals. Tonight each......

The London comedy scene is vast and multifarious at any time of the year, but during the run-up to Edinburgh it explodes beyond all comprehension. Luckily, we - and only we - know what the best shows of the week are. Cancel even the most essential of intrusive surgery to attend any of our recommendations. After all, laughter is the best medicine!! (citation needed) Monday 7th - Dan Antopolski may have crafted the most......

If you've happily bounced around to Super Furry Animals hits over the last 15 years, you were probably a bit wowed by the sleek production of Neon Neon, a joint project between Gruff Rhys and eclectic bleepster Boom Bip. They'll be popping up at Wireless on Saturday, but if you fancy catching them do a full live gig, they'll do one of their first UK performances at Cargo on Sunday complete with guest stars Har......

We’re not sure if there’s going to be any American style fireworks display at the Gore Hotel this Friday but if you’re looking to add some bang to your 4th of July, consider the Gore’s Burlesque Soirée with Miss Polly Rae and the Hurly Burly Girlys. The Soirée will take place from 8pm until 1am, with performances at intervals between 9.30 and midnight. Costumes will be provided by vintage lingerie specialist “What Katie Did”,......

Always reliable purveyors of fine musical offerings, Sheffield's Warp Records recently signed their first Australian artist, Pivot. Specialising in off-kilter, driving rhythms peppered with just the right amount of electronics, these lads start their UK tour tonight in Camden at Proud Galleries. Having served in the support slot for the Australian tours of Four Tet and Battles, sonic comparisons to the latter cannot be avoided, but ring true in the best possible way: this......

If you love indie guitar music, but are bored to horrible tears with the current bunch of Strokes and Arctic Monkeys clones, then listen up. Or, more to the point, click here and get tickets for this gig before they sell out. The tiny Cross Kings venue is hosting the fourth Club Rockfeedback night on Friday 13th June, and the line-up is once again superb. First on the bill are Domino’s new signing Wild......

Green Apples by Mark Bruce courtesy of The Place Spring Loaded is The Place's annual festival of fresh contemporary dance. We enthused about the opening show, Probe's Magpie, and we weren't disappointed (it was ace - so different and diverse and frankly, smoking hot and funny). Now the season is coming to a close and we're inclined to highlight a couple of gems that are ideal for popping along to on these gorgeously, light and......

While half of the fair is watercolours and drawings, the other half is thankfully modern works on paper. From 30s posters advertising such things as Ireland, or Shell Oil, to the more fine art end of the spectrum: abstracts, figures made out of collages of adverts, you get the picture.......

You probably hadn't noticed, but our (almost) world-famous Friday Football Preview has been enjoying a rather extended Christmas break. We tried to convince Editro that this absence was actually a protest to the Premier League, aimed at highlighting the benefits of bringing in a contintental-style winter break, but he was having none of it. Recognising our inherent laziness, he's ordered us to put our Xmas presents back in the toybox and get back to......

In last week's Premiership Preview, guest predictor Guy scored two out of six. Which just goes to show that having a dazzlingly witty writing style has nothing to do with predicting the results of football matches. Yes. We're gobsmacked too. If you think you can do better, please do the following..... 1) Predict the results (home win, away win or draw) for these fixtures: Fulham vs Blackburn West Ham vs Newcastle Wigan vs Charlton Arsenal......

What kind of person would have the time and inclination to interrupt their morning by penning predictions of the results of the six matches involving London Premiership teams this weekend, and then email them through to a blog about London, along with a photo of themselves? It could only be a student really, couldn't it? A big welcome to Guy then, who provides us with today's Preview. Name: Guy Parsons Occupation: Student Lives in:......

We have decided, in our infinite wisdom, to give YOU, yes YOU, the readers, the chance to write today's Friday Premiership Preview. This is because we believe that interaction with readers is the key to progress in the blogiverse of the 21st Century. That's right. It certainly has nothing to do with the fact that this week we've again ran out of time to find a 'ordinary everyday Londoner' to interview. Oh no, nothing to......

In last week's Preview, we acknowledged the fact that our prediction skills were lacking somewhat, so we thought that we'd give Paresh, the newsagent at Wanstead tube station, a chance to have a go instead. Paresh let us down. He got two right, which is no better than our recent efforts. Paresh has expressed his remorse over this sorry performance, but we are afraid that now we have no option but to go and......

Two men killed in an attack by gunmen in Iraq were fathers in their 40s from west London. An Eltham man wanted on assault charges has gone on the run. David Blunkett is to interview John Humphrys when he guest edits the Today programme in Christmas week (other editors are HSBC Chairman Sir John Bon, Anna Ford, Queen Noor of Jordan and Steve 'Chandrasonic' Savale of Asian Dub Foundation). Billy Elliot wins Best London Musical......

Thursday afternoon in the Londonist dungeon, and the fetid air is filled with the sound of blistered and bloodied fingers tapping manically on keyboards. The Editor pokes his head out of his luxury climate-controlled office.... "Premiership Preview Bloke...in here. Now." "Yes boss?" "Your predictions are a disgrace." "But I got two right last week." "TWO?!? Hardly Alan Hansen is it? And your attempt to jump on the Chelsea backlash bandwagon was laughable. You missed......

We might be a little late coming to this one, but if we are it's because we haven't really seen it advertised anywhere. And if we haven't seen it then that might mean you haven't seen it, and that means you might be missing out...shall we just get on and tell you what it is now? Travelex (you know: the world's largest non-bank provider of commercial foreign exchange services) have launched a deal in......