My friend Dan and I went to see his long-time mate from Devon, Luke Friend play a show in Islington and ended up going out on Upper Street with some new friends afterwards. Guess which one of us was pouring up the waters..?

1:00 Saturday May 20, 2017

John Salt Bar, Islington, London

Fact: 21 year old Luke Friend is an English singer and former student from Teignmouth in Devon. He started his career in 2013 after winning TeenStar and appearing as a contestant and later a finalist on tenth series of The X Factor and later placed third on the show.

A new friend I avoided crushing on the walk home in the rain…

00:23 Friday May 19, 2017

Maury Road, Stoke Newington, London

Fact: Most snails have thousands of microscopic tooth-like structures located on a banded ribbon-like tongue called a radula. The radula works like a file, ripping food into small pieces. Many snails are herbivorous, eating plants or rasping algae from surfaces with their radulae, though a few land species and many marine species are omnivores or predatory carnivores.

George Maple, Australian singer and music producer signed to Virgin EMI and originally from Sydney’s Northern Beaches performed her first UK headline show two days after returning to London (current base) from Australia where she played ‘Groovin The Moo’ Music Festival touring around the country.

22:42 Thursday May 18, 2017

Birthdays, Dalston, London

Fact: I dropped half a cup of cold water on the floor by the girl next to me whilst trying to take this photo…if looks could kill.

One of the most beautiful music venues in London, both aesthetically and acoustically. I was here to see an up and coming act Jordan MacKampa play a sold out show, on the recommendation of my friend Isabelle. We were soaked by the time we made it ‘to Church’ but it was worth it; Jordan has a stunning voice with moments that reminded me of Matt Corby and he was very humbled by the occasion.

21:31 Wednesday May 17, 2017

St Pancras Old Church, London

Fact: St Pancras Old Church is a Church of England parish church in Somers Town, central London. It is dedicated to the Roman martyr Saint Pancras, and is believed by many to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England.

I walked, then ran, then walked, then ran in the rain from home to Islington and back, let’s call it “interval training”. I’ve always thought this theatre, somewhat hidden off the busy main street was very quaint; the brickwork and the secret garden. I took this as I passed it along the way.

19:53 Tuesday May 16, 2017

Dagmar Passage, Islington, London

Fact: The Little Angel Theatre is a puppet theatre catering for children, families and adults, off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington.

One of my absolute favourite friends; Jemima Jayne walking past Viacom HQ on the way home from our local post work catch up. Note the last two protesters still standing outside the entrance, exercising their right to oppose Channel 5 airing the second of a three part documentary series, Inside the Gang.

20:18 Monday May 15, 2017

Hawley Crescent, Camden, London

Fact: Inside the Gang documentary series aims to show the reality of some aspects of gang life in the UK today – where selling drugs, robbery and extreme violence are a normal part of everyday life. This documentary focuses on the lives of gang members of different races, backgrounds and diversity – the one commonality is that people seen in the programme are connected with gang life in one form or another in the UK.

On the way to the local basketball courts at Hackney Downs, Phoebe and I befriended a German girl (from near Cologne) Hannah who is here studying English at a language school and the three of us ended up shooting hoops together before being invited into the team photo for the local football team from Ghana.

14:36 Sunday May 14, 2017

Hackney Downs, London

Fact: The Ghana national football team represents Ghana in international association football and has done so since the 1950s. The team is nicknamed the Black Stars after the Black Star of Africa in the Flag of Ghana.

After checking out Jude Law (shirtless) in a new stage adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s ‘penetrating social drama’ Obsession at The Barbican, which on a whole wasn’t received that well by my three amigos. Our quartet walked to this secret office location in the heart of East London for pre drinks where the group doubled in numbers before heading onto a festival themed house party in Wood Green where we left with faces full of designer glitter.

23:19 Saturday May 13, 2017

Tabernacle St, Shoreditch, London

Fact: Jude Law was in the middle of filming The Young Pope in Rome when director Ivo Van Hove made a transcontinental pilgrimage to pitch him the role of Gino.

My incredibly talented friend Emily Burns performed a Friday night Sofar Sounds show supported by Luke Richardson on BV and keys. With vocals that are effortlessly angelic yet strong and bright with emotive capabilities, this girl had the room captivated (she writes brilliant songs too), so many people came up with kind words and positive affirmations afterwards.

20:58 Friday May 12, 2017

International House, St Katharine’s Way, London

Fact: A Sofar will typically feature three acts, no “opener” and no “headliner”. Every lineup is carefully curated to give the audience a diverse show, and each performer is given equal attention. Guests arrive on time for the first act and stay for the entire show. Events are normally BYOB, so there’s no waiting at the bar. And during the music, there is full attention: no talking, texting, or filming. Many cities have a video crew who records and edits the performances so you can watch them later on YouTube.

These two were animatedly rehearsing “for a show about plastic” on a street corner, attracting interest from local residents; above was the moment they were interrupted with a series of questions about what they were doing and why…

18:36 Thursday May 11, 2017

Shacklewell Lane, Hackney, London

Facts: The amount of waste from single-use plastic bottles in London has risen out of control, according to a report from the London assembly environment committee. It calls on the mayor to consider introducing a deposit return scheme and to provide free tap water as an alternative. The report finds that the London population consumes more plastic bottled water than anywhere else in England – 7.7bn a year – yet has the worst recycling rate in the UK – 32%, compared with a national average of 43%. Plastic bottles make up 10% of all litter found in the Thames. A separate study found three-quarters of the flounder swimming in the river had ingested plastic. Plastic bottles take 450 years to break down.