Friday 15 March 2024.

Friday 15 March 2024. THE PHARCYDE and LORDS OF THE UNDERGROUND live at Shepherds Bush Empire. Formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, legendary old school rap group The Pharcyde are back on the road with their influential witty lyricism and jazz style production. Joining The Pharcyde will be hip-hop trio The Lords of the Underground, made up of Mr. Funke, DoItAll Dupré and DJ Lord Jazz and most remembered in connection with the golden age of hip hop. The pair are playing a UK & European Tour before heading home to America for a tour there. I saw The Pharcyde play a sold out show at The Forum in 1996.. -------- A very lively hip-hop atmosphere tonight, at this near sell-out show. The stalls standing area is totally rammed solid. Reminds me of all those great shows I saw in the late 1980s, when hip-hop first came to the UK with Public Enemy , Run DMC ,Beastie Boys. LL Cool J etc. Mainly a 75% white crowd , with ages 20s to 50s. It is pretty much a three hour non-stop show , as when acts not on stage , there were DJs playing hip-hop tunes. LORDS OF THE UNDERGROUND arrived on stage at 8.50pm for their 60 mins set. Both headliners had a DJ or DJs at the back spinning their backing tracks. The Lords did a good lively set. THE PHARCYDE arrived on stage at 9.55pm for their 60 mins set.The Pharcyde did a good lively set. Very nice to be at a hip-hop show again. ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- Thursday 14 March 2024....i went to two events tonight... 6.30pm to 8.15pm JESS ALLEN - private view - Unit Gallery ,3 Hanover Square, Mayfair, London W1. Jess Allen’s first solo exhibition with Unit considers space, time and the inevitable transformation of present into past. This Is Now captures a series of fleeting moments in which shadows and figures overlap to represent the ephemeral and indistinct. The exhibition presents a series of paintings in which details are kept to a minimum. It is on for the next month...free entry. Complimentary whiskey cocktails and gin cocktails for all . then 8.30pm to 11.15pm THREE SHEETS SOHO - launch party - 13 Manette Street , London W1. They've been very popular in Dalston, and now Three Sheets are to open their second bar, this time in Soho. Run by Max and Noel Venning, the original is viewed as one of the best bars in town, and you'll also have seen Max's cocktails in many of the city's best new restaurants, like the recently opened Pearly Queen. Three Sheets Soho is on Manette Street, part of Soho that's seen a huge amount of change over the last year thanks to the Elizabeth Line works, with the new bar just around the corner from new openings like Daroco and Milk Beach. The original Dalston cocktail bar is noticeably compact so this Soho space is a little bigger (although they're still referring to the space as "cosy") and the biggest difference is that their Soho bar will be an all-day affair, with coffees and pastries on offer in the morning. But the cocktails are where it's really at. They'll also have a small wine list and a food menu that's been put together by ex-Lyle’s chef and butcher William Blank. On that, you'll find salt beef sandwiches, croquettes, triple-cooked chips and fresh oysters. And when summer finally returns, they'll have some space outside for alfresco drinks. All in all, it's a very promising new addition to Soho. ------- No signs outside, so it feels like a private members club. It is in the same street where The Borderline venue was, and The Crow Bar rock bar , which is now a Simmons Bar. Venue is full and buzzy, as maybe only holds 50 folks max. We managed to squeeze in , at a corner table by the bar. Lots of nice complimentary drinks and food including Billicart -Salmon champers , four different cocktails , salt beef sandwiches and triple-cooked chips. Well worth a visit when in the Tottenham Court Road area.

Posted 15th March 2024