Does London need a new £500 million concert venue? The rather ugly roundabout where the Museum of London is now (it’s moving to Smithfield Market) is the proposed site, located between the Barbican and St Paul’s. Maybe we would do better to stick to George’s long term economic plan and build flats and offices that will generate some tax revenue.
London already has a myriad of music venues one of which is Green Note in Camden. This is an intimate (meaning small) space specialising in folk and roots, which is appropriate since it has a vegetarian menu. I went to hear (Jonathan) Spottiswoode sing some of his songs while playing guitar/electronic piano/mouth organ. Not a great picture but this gives an idea of the scale of the venue.
He lives between Singapore, Manhattan and London and has performed extensively in the US, fronting a septet called Spottiswoode and His Enemies. Here they are.
His songs are soulful, weird, romantic and, the best, very funny. Mummy’s Got Strange Friends is my favourite. This went down especially well as his mother (a youthful 90 years old) was in the audience. She is American from North Dakota and was a singer herself; Jonathan’s father was an English clergyman. Also preent were Jonathan’s wife and their young daughter, and family friends from as far away as Albuquerque, New Mexico, and as close as Archway.
There’s a good selection of Spottiswoode on YouTube. You first heard about him here and I am pretty sure you will hear a lot more of him. He has been compared to Leonard Cohen, who has also done a gig at Green Note.
