Working together to make West Ealing a better place for residents, businesses and visitors.
As part of its fundraising for the move to new premises in West Ealing this summer OPEN Ealing presents its second comedy night this Friday at 8pm with:
John-Luke Roberts
Writer of Spats on BBC Radio 7. Time Out says ‘constantly inventive and playfully mischevious … a talent to watch’.
Nathaniel Metcalfe
‘Brilliant and unusual and very funny’ – Josie Long
Phil O’Shea
‘Fantastic newcomer with a surrealist bent’.
Tickets £5. Students £3. To book call OPEN on 020 8579 5558
I went to the Drayton Court last night for the Eel Daddy organised music night. Oddly enough, it was the first time I’ve been there and it’s a good venue. It must hold about 200 maximum and it was pretty full last night. There were three bands playing. Du Bellows and Blushing Bones are local and the headliners were Simon Townshend’s band. For my taste, Du Bellows were the best of the three. Their Welsh lead singer Jade has a memorable and powerful voice which works really well on their bluesy numbers. She teamed up with guitarist T J after an an open mic night at Ealing and have developed their own style. Take a listen to Jade’s voice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBcxGB8KR88 I think she’s a bit special. And don’t overlook Blushing Bones. I don’t think the sound balance was right for them last night as Tessa Shrubsall’s voice got a bit lost but they too are well worth a listen http://www.myspace.com/blushingbones and great credit to Tessa and Blushing Bones for organising the night. Let’s hope the Drayton Court can build its reputation as a music venue.
I’ve booked my ticket to see Simon Townshend play at Eel Daddy’s gig on Friday at the Drayton Court. (Unusual name Eel Daddy but I think there’s a reference back to Eel Pie Island which was a big jazz and blues venue in the 60s). I’m curious to see Simon Townshend play. He’s the younger brother of The Who’s Pete Townshend and Simon has played with The Who and has a good track record in his own right. The event is organised by local group Blushing Bones who are well worth a listen as well – saw them at OPEN Ealing a while back. Should be a good night. More details – http://www.facebook.com/events/222263417884216/
Then next Friday (15th) a Fundraising comedy night at OPEN Ealing. I’d better declare an interest as I’m involved with OPEN but take a look at the website for details – www.openealing.com Tickets £5 or £3 for students.
I’ve been lucky enough to go to two live music events in Ealing in the last 24 hours and I’ve really enjoyed both. Last night I was at the Ealing Club to see the Creole Brothers play their version of Louisiana Creole music. The Ealing Club has a key place in the history of British Blues Music and these twice monthly music nights are beginning to reestablish the club as an important part of Ealing’s cultural scene.
Back to the music. If you’ve been to the club you’ll know it’s tucked away down the steps by an estate agent opposite Ealing Broadway station. As we walked down the steps to the entrance I could hear the sound of Cajun music. It was a great sound to hear and got even better when we went inside. Sitting in a circle were musicians of all ages thoroughly enjoying playing their music. Their joy spread to everyone listening and before long people were up and dancing.
The main event of the evening was the Creole Brothers. Without realising it we happened to be sitting near them as they waited their turn to play. One played the accordion and the other a fiddle. Cajun music has a powerful driving rhythm that soon has your feet tapping and the singing in French seems to fit the rhythms so well. A great night out.
This lunchtime at OPEN we had the soaring voice and very skilled cello playing of Laura Victoria. Laura should have been joined by Sarah-Jane Miller but Sarah was ill so Laura played solo. At first the cello seemed an odd choice of instrument to accompany her modern take on folk music but it worked beautifully. Her voice is so expressive and soars and dips, delighting the audience. Laura’s hour long set included many of her own songs interspersed with at least one jazz classic. Whether singing unaccompanied or making the cello fill the air with multiple sounds, Laura was compulsive listening. I thoroughly recommend you give her a listen – www.lauravictoriamusic.com
As I was walking to OPEN Ealing this morning I noticed part of Dean Gardens was cordoned off. Apparently there was a fight overnight/early morning and one person has been taken to hospital and another arrested. The fight looks to have taken place in clear vision of one of the newly installed CCTV cameras. It’s an interesting question as to whether the newly installed CCTV acts as a deterrent or as a means of identifying and apprehending offenders?
Not long after this there was an armed robbery at the NatWest Bank on the corner of the Lido Junction. Seems the robbers got away with some cash.
Friday 1st June
A passer-by said ‘As I walked through Dean Gardens this morning (Thursday), there was a group of 8 people, 2 of which were slightly broken away, one was very aggressive towards the other (on crutches) and was pushed over onto the floor. The separated 6 also seemed to be about to fight with each other. They’d clearly been drinking, one I could see from my distance was holding a bottle still. I scooted through pretty quickly and called the police who said they’d send a patrol round immediately.’
OPEN Ealing, a new arts centre and creative arts platform in West Ealing, is proud to present folk musicians, Laura Victoria and Sarah-Jane Miller for a free lunchtime concert on Friday 1st June, from 12.30 to 1.30pm.
Sarah-Jane Miller’s Northumbrian roots and love for Romany and English traditions influences her musical style and she captivates audiences with her poignant songwriting and high-energy delivery. www.myspace.com/sarahjanemillermusic
Laura Victoria also originally from Northumberland performs original and traditional songs of love and life. Along with her striking ability to play the cello, Laura has been quoted as having a “powerful and individual vocal presence” (fRoots). Furthermore, Bob Fischer of BBC Radio Tees recently described her musical style as “absolutely unique – a brilliantly strange and haunting take on folk music”. www.lauravictoriamusic.com
United by their interests of exploring and interpreting traditional folk materials both Sarah-Jayne and Laura and will be performing a special set of solo and duo pieces for OPEN Ealing.
Join us on Friday 1st June 2012 f
or lunchtime music and snacks from 12.30 to 1.30pm
At OPEN Ealing 113 Uxbridge Road, London, W5 5TL
0208 579 5558 | www.openealing.com
I’ve been trying to find out what’s happening to the now empty Peacock’s store and am told there have been holes drilled down in to the ground to look at the foundations. The view is that it’s testing the strength of the building for building flats above. I’m also told the owner of the store now also owns the empty store next door on the corner of Uxbridge Road and Melbourne Ave. So, expect to see plans for a redevelopment of this whole corner before long.
Anyway, during my efforts to find out all this I got talking to a guy who cleans many shop windows in West Ealing and who I’ve seen about for years. He was telling me that more and more shops in West Ealing, and mostly those that are part of a chain, are stopping using his services and taking out central contracts with national companies. All of which means the money that was going in to the local economy is now going out of it.
It may only be one small example but multiply it for other services that shops and offices need and you start to build up to a significant amount of money that could be spent locally but looks gradually to be going out of the area. I don’t pretend to know how to stop this but it just struck me again that all of us who live locally need to be aware of the importance of thinking carefully how and where we spend our money. A conscious decision to use local shops and services could be a key factor in whether or not these businesses survive and people keep their jobs.
Our second craft market last Saturday was a bit damp with the rain but the general feeling from stallholders was that more people were buying this time. It will take time for people to know the market is there in St James Ave on the first Saturday of the month but there feels to be a gathering momentum and a lot of good will. We had some music and that went down well. I think we need to investigate whether we can get some modest amplification for future music. We’ll see if we can get more musicians for our next market on 2nd June which is Diamond Jubilee holiday weekend.
You can see photos of the May market on WEN’s website
Craft Market on Saturday with free music from 12.45
Saturday (5th May) is the next monthly craft market in West Ealing. The market will be in St James Ave from 10am – 3pm and will have a range of stalls from cosmetics, candles and jewellery to wood turning, toys and leather goods. This time we also have some music at lunchtime with Greenford musician Steven Boyle playing his own songs and some favourites from down the years from 12.45-1.45 and WEN committee member Gill Adams playing folk with some friends from 2-3pm. As before, St James Church will have a stall offering free teas and coffees. Do please come along and support us and enjoy some free music.
Our website has the full list of stalls – www.westealingneighbours.org.uk
OPEN Ealing free music at lunchtime this Friday 12.30-1.30pm
Friday 4th May sees OPEN Ealing’s next regular First Friday music event venture in to the world of Broadway musicals. May’s free concert at lunchtime from 12.30-1.30 will see OPEN host 3rd year music students from the University of West London playing excerpts from their forthcoming production of Kander and Ebb’s Flora the Red Menace. Best known for writing the hugely successful musical Cabaret, Flora the Red Menace was the songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s first Broadway musical.
There will also be an exhibition of artwork from local art group 4020 on display.
Details at www.openealing.com. OPEN Ealing is at 113 Uxbridge Rd W5, opposite the fire station.
Having got the monthly craft market up and running last month it would be great if we could add some music to create an atmosphere and a sense of occasion. We may not be able to pay but we can offer local musicians a venue to play and a chance to perform somewhere a bit different. The market is the first Saturday of every month in St James Avenue from 10am-3pm. It’s suitable for acoustic music rather than amplified as there is no power available. If you are interested in playing for an hour sometime on that Saturday please email us at westealingeighbours@gmail.com