Tim Westwood @ Notting Hill Arts Club

Some say that Notting Hill Arts Club's YOYO nights (Thursdays) have gone downhill, and some say they're not as good as they used to be. However, it is not disputed that NHAC still attracts some of the best up-and-coming artists and DJs in the UK, and sometimes the world. A handful of the most known names in the music industry have performed or made appearances at the Notting Hill based club, such as Lily Allen, Mark Ronson and La Roux. Last night, DJ Tim Westwood took centre stage and spinned some serious tunes. Despite his cheesy appearances on cringing teenage shows such as Pimp My Ride UK, this man is good, very good.

NYC for NYE - January 2010

You most certainly know something about New York, even if you’ve never visited. The skyscrapers, manholes and bright canary taxis would make anyone feel as though they’re walking through a film set with the notion that they’ve somehow been there before.

The senses are overwhelmed in The Big Apple. Steam billows out of the sewers in thick white clouds, cars honk in competition and thousands of lights are distorted by the raindrops on misty mirrors and windows; it is a truly dizzying experience. Frequently a police car would skid around a corner, lights ablaze and sirens screaming. Aromas of garlic and basil waft out of the pizza takeaways that line the streets, which are met with intermittent punctuations of sewage odours. It’s a city of celluloid clichés and contradictions; swanky yet dirty, crowded yet derelict and chemist shops sell tobacco and beer.

To say that New York is a gritty city is an underestimation. The 24-hour subways are rarely fully staffed, making night journeys thrillingly uncomfortable, with the groups of teenagers on their way back to the suburbs and the sleeping homeless who are resting for the night, for in the winter it is too cold outside and the wind is sharp. Eccentrics wander around Downtown in their fancy garb. One approached and asked, “do you have any idea which way it is to hell?”, as if it was a normal question like "do you have the time?" or "can you spare any change?". There is a possibility that “Hell” is a club or a trendy bar, but it could really be taken either way. Busking is a measure of survival for some; it is rare to pass through Union Square subway station without hearing and witnessing a saxophonist, a break dancing group or a tap dancer, sometimes all at once.

Being New Year’s Eve, we decided to head to Times Square for the legendary celebrations that we heard so much about. Ear-muffed cops barricaded the roads to the "square" (it's more of a triangle), so we walked the long way around, trudging through snow, sludge, and treacherous ice. A white 4x4 car pulled up blaring out commercial hip-hop and was crammed with over-excited teenage show offs who shouted out to pedestrians for attention before accelerating and screeching off. It was impossible to get through to Times Square so we decided to huddle around the Central Park side where we had a view of the famous illuminated Times Square Ball, which drops to meet the bottom of a pole at midnight. A line of joggers bounced past; the "New York Road Runners" group. We stood there for half an hour, shivering and shuffling, until a build up of cheering and Mexican waving started.

A screen, inevitably sponsored by a globally well-known drink company, counted down to one. Then from nowhere streamers, glitter, balloons and confetti rained down with the sleet. Couples kissed, friends hugged and a loud booming voice was heard saying “okay, Happy New Year guys, now please, let’s go back to Florida tomorrow”. 


I wouldn’t blame him, it was arctic.

Notting Hill Carnival 2010

So, it came and went in what it felt like a flash, leaving a whirlwind of mess and discarded vuvuzelas in it's wake.

Sunday was plagued by a 15 minute downpour just as we were on the way to a house gathering situated on the northern end of Portobello Road. This resulted in a mass scramble for umbrellas and a run for shelter under the Westway bridge. The rain failed to dampen everyone’s party spirit and everyone carried on regardless of the very un-August-like weather.

Monday is traditionally the “Adult’s Day”, therefore it is always more hectic and crowded than Sunday. Also, if you consider the fact that Monday is the last day of the event, you can imagine that everyone was trying to cram in more fun before they begrudgingly schlepped back to work the next day.

Soon after the boards are put up by residents and shop owners, they were taken over by local graffiti writers, to give the otherwise boring and concrete landscape some artistic vibrancy.

The floats were a spectacle as usual, leading the parade of artwork and displays that people have worked so hard on for the whole year prior. It was a pity not to have captured some clear photos of the costumes and installations. I blame the people behind me pushing and shoving, the people in front of me blocking my view and the policeman next to me who was screeching through his megaphone.

If parades are not your thing, there are always make-shift gatherings and congregations of people having their own parties. Tavistock Park is one of the main areas where people chill out - a little bit like a mini festival, complete with the three Ds (drinks, drugs and debauchery). There are not many places where people can sit and "relax", bar the staircases in front of residents' houses and the local shops, so the park is a popular hangout.

As a celebration of cultures and communities, there are endless options for refuelling. Caribbean, African, North African and Middle Eastern, Chinese, Vietnamese, American, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and French cuisines were all there for the choosing.

The obligatory shot of the bobbies on the beat. It's not quite the customary shot that appears in the newspapers every year (the one of the voluptuous dancer gyrating in front of a fully-uniformed bemused policeman) but I suppose it will do.

"A paaaand, a paaaand, evryfings a paaaaand!"

Notting Hill Carnival 2009 Revisited

To kick start this blog I have posted some photos of the 2009 Notting Hill carnival in preparation for the 2010 carnival post in a few days time. I enjoy the carnival for the "coming together" of communities, the music, the food and the fact that there are so many photo opportunities; whether the subject is Ladbroke Grove eccentrics, the graffiti, the crowds, the smoke, the colours and the general lively vibe of the whole occasion. Carnival is not without it's bad bits, as the media would stand to testify. Not a year goes by without a plea for information or evidence from a victim's family or a hunt down for a criminal. WANTED posters linger on the street long after the event has finished, until they are torn off or blown away. However, the great thing is that thousands upon thousands of people flock to the area to have a really good time, and that's all that matters.