Ugh
It's not the weather that's getting me down but London itself. The big bright city I always dreamt of living and studying in....10 years on and I'm sad to say that my love affair with this city is over.
Like most people who move here, I wanted to be at the crux of the music, art and culture scene. I wanted to watch the bands, go to the clubs, go the galleries that I read in the papers as a teenager. However there were teething problems a) It took me about 5 years to find it (all from one fateful day when I placed an ad for like-minded creatives to get in touch and as a result Soma Soma Scene started) and b) apart from a handful of friends who are actually doing things of interest, what the hell is going on in this town?! c) Pretty much my life received a much-needed spiritual overhaul when I entered The George Tavern and met the most gifted, inspiring, unsung heroes of modern culture.
I am sick of dull, over-priced club nights where the same 5 bands play in rotation. Of course I am a lover of music but the way it's presented and dolled up leaves me feeling less than enthused.
NYE Decasia was meant to be the last one but in the few days afterwards I had an influx of ideas in my mental inbox....things that just needed to be done or else I would die a very restless woman. It is these thoughts which I am now acting on and until they are satisfied, I will be extremely distracted by them.
I feel that most people move to London with very good intentions from a creative point of view. However in reality, it seems to me that most people are excited about the myth of London rather than actually doing anything exciting themselves. They want to make a 'name' for themselves in the easiest, quickest way possible otherwise anything else would take them away from their real perogatives. Most people just want to get drunk every night and sleep around. Infamy and vulgarity can only get you so far. There needs to be substance, substance and substance for without that creativity is dead.
At the moment, I feel like a woman possessed. I have never felt so driven in my life. I reach a personal milestone this year but there is so much that needs to be done beforehand....
Heidi said this to me about a year ago: "Weather you believe it or not, London is going to be dead soon. The Olympics are coming and will shit over everything." I think she's right. There isn't anything exciting anymore, nothing that I feel I have to go to, apart from Dice maybe, but that has somehow dried up a bit. what with the same 5 bands, seeing as a lot of venues are asking for a lot of money, people want to make sure the place gets full and put their bucks on the save bet, innit?
ReplyDeleteI see your point, however I feel the Olympics has nothing to do with the art/culture/music scene. I think that has slowly been dying a death due to a massive shift in society's likes and dislikes over the years...Even if the Olympics has subconsciously got under people's skins, then we should combat any frustration by doing what we do best - being creative no matter what.
ReplyDeletePeople who book the same 5 bands and DJs are not promoters. They are running clubs for popularity, money and ease. All the hallmarks of lazy arse infamy. People should boycott these nights and in fact, I think they are starting to.
Despite all this, I have very high hopes for 2010. New decade, new year. What exciting things happen completely depends on us, our actions and our creations. How exciting!
PS Happy New Year!!
xx
well, think about it: why do you think they are taking the foundry down? to build a new hotel. who's going to stay there? and what's going to happen to it afterwards? Fact is, the peeople who are investing nto the area had a change in interests and peergroup and hence has influenced the nights and clubs that are on offer. just think about curtain road and how it has changed audience wise.
ReplyDelete