Random Slices #3

Part of the Ha Ha Hackney season which has been running at the Empire since early July and goes on until 9 September. Maggie, Maggie, Maggie is written by and stars the great Arthur Smith and Steve Nallon of Spitting Image fame. It’s a night of political satire featuring various top draw comedians which serves to absolutely rag the Iron Lady to pieces. It’s timing is prescient because, as we all know, she is the hero of the current crop of Tory fools, who’s bedrooms are plastered with sexy pictures of the witch in her eighties prime. 

 

 

 

In a nice segue, said current crop of tories are obsessed with getting everyone to work for nothing. In the Uk in 2012, Volunteering has too often become a byword for selling yourself into a weird, modern, dead end corporate slavery – second only to the dreaded internship. But if there’s one thing worth volunteering for in this muddled up world, it’s surely You, Me, Bum Bum Train. If you haven’t heard of it, hear about it. The most fun you can have without actual penetration. Sold out but with this one, and this really is the exception, volunteering really is rewarding. 

 

 

 

When I were a lad, Kings Cross were the kind of place you’d go to score a bag of crack or to sell your arse. Now it’s been done up with Eurostar gold, is being rebranded as an ‘entertainment’ district (which, in some ways, it always has been) and is generally getting all che che. Africa Express are doing a gig there next week, Gilles Peterson did his Traction thing there recently – it’s all so very European! The cherry on the knickerbocker, so to speak, is the Ice Cream festival which takes place over two days this weekend. The Kings Cross Ice Cream Festival. Is it some kind of drug code I’m too old to understand? Either way, I’m going, so what if it’s raining?