For the diary: The One Ton Show
London, music and art, what’s not to love? That's the thinking, anyway, behind The One Ton Show, with 100 artists, illustrators, graphic designers, print-makers and photographers presenting works based around the theme of London Lyrics.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what they come up with, considering the fun you could have with the wealth of songs written about London. It’s also a perfect opportunity to sniff out and invest in some affordable art, with prints and original works up for sale. Wee Birdy friend and Australian artist, Gemma Jones, will also be participating (think dreamy pop-art sixties girls meet swingin’ London town!).
I would find it really difficult to pin down just one song to illustrate, so with that in mind, here’s Top Bird’s Top 10 London Lyrics:
1. “Dirty old river, must you keep rolling
Flowing into the night
People so busy, makes me feel dizzy
Taxi light shines so bright
But I don’t need no friends
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset
I am in paradise”
Waterloo Sunset – The Kinks
2. “The wine will be flat and the curry’s gone cold
I’m down in the tube station at midnight”
Down in the tube station at midnight – The Jam
3. “She studied sculpture at St Martin’s College
That’s where I caught her eye”
Common People – Pulp
4. “London calling to the faraway towns
Now war is declared - and battle come down”
London Calling – The Clash
5. “Panic on the streets of London
Panic on the streets of Birmingham
I wonder to myself
Could life ever be sane again?”
Panic – The Smiths
6. “Mornington Crescent
I think of you
Rain in the southeast
Men feeling blue
Men with their bowlers
Kids with their spats
Ladies with chauffeurs
Dogs wearing hats and jackets
Rich apartments
Old punk posters
Tartan garments
I love the exquisite array
I love the camp as camp parade
The possibilities suggest themselves to me
I'm feeling free”
Mornington Crescent – Belle & Sebastian
7. “There's only one place we can go.
It's around the corner in Soho,
where other broken people go.
Let's go.”
Bar Italia – Pulp
8. “And when he does his little rounds,
round the boutiques of London town,
Eagerly pursuing all the latest fads and trends,
cause he’s a dedicated follower of fashion.”
Dedicated Follower of Fashion – The Kinks
9. “Academia girl;
her life's a gas, she loves the trash inside his world.
Can't find his way there,
got the cash, feeling flash in Leicester Square.”
He’s on the Phone – St Etienne
10. “‘Oranges and lemons’ say the bells of St. Clement's
‘You owe me five farthings’ say the bells of St. Martin's
‘When will you pay me?’ say the bells of Old Bailey
‘When I grow rich’ say the bells of Shoreditch”
Oranges and Lemons
So... what's your favourite song about London?
The One Ton Show
Thursday 4th - Sunday 7th December 2008
The Basement
Shoreditch Town Hall
380 Old Street
London EC1V 3ET
