Somewhere you should go… Carnaby Echoes

Lucy Palmer — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 10:00:44 +0000

Carnaby Street has become slightly tourist ridden of late, but ask your parents and they’ll tell you it used to be the place to be seen and to see the hottest music stars. It’s where the NME offices began, holds the first venue to play a SKA act in the UK and is where Tom Jones walked the streets with a cheetah on a leash (!).

To celebrate Carnaby’s 10 decades of musical heritage from jazz to rock to pop to punk, commemorative plaques will be installed on key buildings giving an insight into the vast music history behind one of London’s most iconic streets.
As you visit each plaque and navigate the back street of Carnaby a walking tour app is also available to download via carnabyechoes.com, the App Store or Google Play. It’s a great and innovative touch that further aids in your music education providing interviews and performances from artists including The Sex Pistols, Cat Stevens, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse as you take in the places they’ve visited and performed at.
The plaques are the idea of artist Lucy Harrison and accompany an exhibit at Foubert’s Place where music fans can further indulge with contributions from Boy George, Mark Ellen, Lloyd Coxsone, Dynamo to name a few. Visit the exhibit to also receive a free pair of Carnaby branded headphones for each visitor.

On until 20 October, admission is free and once you see a picture of Tom Jones walking a cheetah on a leash, watching The Voice won’t be the same for you again. (Words: Lucy Palmer)

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Something you should do… walk with Bowl of Chalk

Laura Thornley — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:00:43 +0000

Having new adventures in London are pretty high on the agenda over at TCé HQ and since we’ve celebrated our 2nd birthday recently (the belated card’s in the post right?) – we thought we would get back to our roots – out exploring the big smoke and burning off the birthday cake. Cue Jonny from Bowl of Chalk: not a street artist adorning the pavements with artwork using the medium of chalk but an urban explorer who employs cockney rhyming slang to describe his weekend activities – a series of informative, fun and friendly walks about a lesser-known London.

I opted to try his St Paul’s Cathedral to Monument tour which is an area packed with history and incident – as well as some funny old English traditions. Without giving too much away, we managed to pack in a high point, a bridge with a difference, Christopher Wren’s house (or is it?), a big puddle, a prostitute’s burial ground, a brush with Keats and sheep herding across London Bridge… just to mention a few! The group was a friendly, intimate mix of Londoners wanting to get to know the city in a different way and have lots of laughs on the way around. Audience participation is encouraged bringing a fresh, personal feel to the walk. This is not your standard walking tour and working on a tipping policy (just pay what you want or can) Jonny isn’t your standard tour operator. So if you’re looking for a friendly way to learn more about London, you need not (walk) further. (Words: Laura Thornley, Pic: bowlofchalk.net)

For more info, visit www.bowlofchalk.net

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walking tours – The Cultural Exposé

Somewhere you should go… Carnaby Echoes

Something you should do… walk with Bowl of Chalk