Cocktails and Dreams (within dreams)

by Adam on July 30, 2010

‘Inception’ at the Lexi from tonight. On Wednesday 4 August Carin hosts a special edition of the Lexi Film Club* entitled ‘Who-and-the-what-now?’ after our 7.30pm show.
Get tickets
online or on 0871 704 206.

Inception The Lexi Cinema

Well and truly miggused. A powerful idea was planted in my brain on Saturday night. We were hosting a late night birthday party at The Lexi and our client had requested we serve Mount Gay & Sprite highballs for the occasion. Having historically made many midnight dashes to Runners to replenish rum stocks, I was well acquainted with the great Bajan rum. But I'd never tried it with Sprite before. Didn't even know Sprite was still in circulation. Needless to say, this is a delicious drink and after locking the doors in the wee small hours of Sunday morning, I paid a visit to my long-suffering friends at Chamberlayne Road's busiest (and from a retail merchandising point of view, best-dressed) corner shop, to pick up the liquor, mixer and yet another £2 bag of ice (how I'd love to meet Mr Party Ice)

Billy Joel

So before I went to see the much-vaunted Christopher ‘Chris’ Nolan mind-bender on Sunday night, I poured myself a stiff one and settled down to do a bit of research on Nolan himself, the concept, critical response etc. The magic of the highball took effect. Before I knew it I was onto number 2. Gently and warmly, my interest in ‘Inception’ dissolved, and I found myself reading about Billy Joel on Wikipedia. Whatta guy. What a trouper that Billy Joel is. Such hits!

After a third Miggus (the new, easy-to-slur name for Mount Gay & Sprite**) and 45 minutes on Spotify, blaring out album tracks from 1971’s Cold Spring Harbor – originally mastered at the wrong speed, resulting in Joel’s voice playing a semitone higher than it should – it was time to splash my face and head off to the screening of ‘Inception’, which is the, er, new film from Chrissofer Nolan, director of Batman and Guy Pearce and that.

Mount Gay and Sprite The LexiI had managed to write down the wrong time for the screening, so had half an hour to kill. Popped into the bar across the road for a quick Mount Gay & Sprite. Skipped back to the cinema, singing both melody and piano parts of ‘She’s Got A Way’. Audacious.

Anyway, I really don’t know what to tell you about ‘Inception’ . I mean, it’s good. It’s very good – it’s enjoyable and beautiful and, like, dreams… Leonardo ‘Leo’ di Caprio recommends that you see it twice and I’m with Leo on this one. I’m going to see it again. On Wednesday. Maybe you and Carin can explain it to me after the show…

One thing I can tell you is that it will LOOK and SOUND amazing at the Lexi. The screening room I saw it in was not technically equipped for this film.

*The Lexi Film Club – first Wednesday of every month, after the main show, hosted by Carin

**Mount Gay & Sprite (Miggus) now on sale at the Lexi.

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Trading places

by Juliet on July 28, 2010

Photograph by Anna Schori

House swap, anyone?

Whether you’re planning a family holiday or perhaps you’re a have-laptop-can-travel freelancer who fancies a spell in a new destination, exchanging your home for someone else’s could prove the adventure of a lifetime. Or allow you to stay somewhere special with barely any pricetag. A couple of years ago I shared my tale of how we traded our Kensal Green terraced house for a Brooklyn apartment with The Observer.

We’re thinking of doing it again, and this time we’d enlist Luxe Home Swap. Register online for a £99 fee, then upload pictures of your stylish home. Find a property you’d like to swap with, contact the owners through their secure messaging system. And hopefully – bon voyage! And if you are someone who really loves hotels, the great thing about a house swap is that holidaying this way saves you loads of cash to lavish on a night or two in fancy pad either as a mini-break within your trip of for a weekend away somewhere else!

Paris apartment with Luxe Home Swap

Trade like for like. A studio in Swansea won’t equal a sea-view villa in St Tropez. And swapping Mayfair for Manhattan may work last-minute, but the more remote your location, the further ahead you should plan.
Decide dates with your swappers before booking flights.
Show photos galore. Don’t make like an estate agent: manage expectations honestly and if anything undersell, overdeliver.
Leave it spotless. A clash of cleanliness is one of the biggest causes for disappointment. Empty the fridge, declutter surfaces, provide cupboard space, leave bathrooms sparkling, and insist on the same.
Leave a house manual. Include local tips, including the nearest chemist, eating and drinking highlights, transport connections.
Have kids? Match a household with similar-aged children; if you have a baby, a cot, changing table, steriliser, etc, in situ makes life easier.
Check your insurance. The issue is usually how long you’re away rather than who’s in your house.
Research plan-B. Glass-half-emptiers might feel comfortable having contingency arrangements in case of a problem with the property.
Meet the neighbours. Ask your swappers who’s friendliest – especially helpful in emergencies. Then say hi as soon as you get there.
Walk/use public transport. Hightailing it around your new city on a bus or train pass rather than gas-guzzling taxis is cheaper, more eco, and better for soaking up local culture.

Tips originally compiled for Red magazine.

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That’s your Lott

July 27, 2010

We chat to author Tim Lott, who lives in Kensal Green with his wife Rachael (pictured here with daughters Lydia and Esme)
What do you love about your neighbourhood?
The extraordinarily nice people who live there.
Any pet peeves?
Just silly stuff – shootings, stabbings – that kind of thing.

Describe your perfect weekend…
Breakfast at Gracelands, lunch [...]

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Cornershop Cuisine… In Tokyo

July 23, 2010

Jon tries – and fails – to inspire us with ingredients picked up from a far-flung foray…
Hello! It’s been ages, hasn’t it? Where have I been? Funny you should ask; mainly losing my mind on prescription medicine in Tokyo hotel rooms. Seriously. For days on end. I think I might have developed a split personality. [...]

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Chief Martin Brody, style icon

July 22, 2010

‘Jaws’ is playing at the Lexi this Sunday 25 July at 3.30pm as part of the latest Flicker Club extravaganza. Tickets £15 online or on 0871 704 2069 (includes cocktail reception, goodie bag, original novel by Peter Benchley, limited-edition movie artwork, flicker book, and possibly some real-life wild animals).

Roy Scheider. Unlikely fashion hero. With his tanned, [...]

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Kensal Green Fake Festival

July 19, 2010

Saturday 28 August, Roundwood Park (12pm-11pm). Tongue-in-cheek tribute bands tickle your fancy? Try fun-for-all-the-family Fake Festival
We’re in the throes of festival season, and especially excited about this live-music jamboree coming our way. Not only is Notting Hill Carnival on our horizon, but that Bank Holiday weekend we’ll also have live performances of Arctic Monkeys, Stereophonics [...]

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Hit the Canal tonight, party people

July 17, 2010

Saturday 14 August
The Canal Party at the Grand Junction Arms
Tickets £7 in advance from Honest Jon’s on Portobello Road or from Ticketweb (plus booking fee). If there are any left they will be on door at £10.
9pm–4am West London’s finest line-up feature on the house terrace with resident Stuart Patterson (East Village) joined by Matt [...]

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More Francophilia, mes amis

July 15, 2010

‘Leaving’ (‘Partir’) plays at The Lexi from Friday 16 July and ‘I’ve Loved You So Long’ (‘Il y a longtemps que je t’aime’) plays Sunday 18 July at 5.30pm. Buy tickets online or on 0871 704 2069
While we’re waiting for the distribution rights clearance for ‘Allo, ‘Allo – Season 2′ (‘the golden season’), our French summer [...]

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Celebrate Bastille Day chez Miro’s

July 12, 2010

Wednesday 14 July 2010, 6pm–11.30pm, Miro’s Bar & Kitchen
On 14 July, the French celebrate the storming of the Paris bastille in 1789 when the people took back control of their country.
In honour of the French spirit of independence Kensal Rise’s favourite wine bar will be celebrating all things French.
Delicious French dishes (beef bourguignon, mousse au [...]

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Beaming magic since 2008

July 9, 2010

The Lexi: a funny little brick building – is it a church hall? Nope, it’s a portal to magic cinema. Suspicious looks from the faces pressed against the windows on the 52 and the 6 and the 302, which all wheeze to a stop outside our front door.
Come inside, get yourself a stiff drink, bathe in the warm [...]

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