Photography: Hyde Park following the summer of 2012

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Rob

I have very fond memories of summers spent cooling out in Hyde Park while listening to live music with a beer in hand.  However, 2012 saw Hyde Park bit of a battering from both the number of people through its gates thanks to the Olympics, and the oh so predictably wet British Summer.  After seeing photos from Wireless I had no idea how they were going to get grass back in time for the Olympics to start.

By the time I visited Hyde Park for the Olympic Torch Relay Finale in July the grass had already been replaced with wood chippings.

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About 8 months later I decided to have a wonder down to Hyde Park to see how it was doing following the beating it took last summer.  I visited the park on two days (one predictably wet) and below is what I saw of the current regeneration of the park.

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I’ll head back to Hyde Park during the summer to see how the regeneration is progressing.  I look forward to seeing it restored to its former glory… and also no longer have to trek down to East London to party in a park during the summer!

Rob

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Gig News: Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Finale, Hyde Park Set-Times (26/07/2012)

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Rob

The Olympic Games are getting closer and closer, the end of the Torch Relay par-tay is only a few days away.  Set-Times have been published in good time for you to plan your day (see below).  And if you want tickets there are still some available for the bargain price of £15 from Ticketmaster.

It’s probably the closest a lot of us will get to the Olympic anyway, so bunk off work for a day and enjoy the sunshine before it disappears for another year!

14:05 MORNING PARADE
14:45 WRETCH 32
15:35 RIZZLE KICKS
16:35 ELIZA DOOLITTLE
17:25 YOU ME AT SIX
17:50 SAMSUNG PP
18:20 LLOYDS PP
19:00 Katy B/Ronson
19:20 TORCH WELCOME PARTY
19:30 TORCH MOMENT
19:35 PICTURE BOOK
20:11 THE WANTED
21:20 DIZZEE RASCAL
22:20 FLAME RETRIEVAL – THANK YOU AND GOODBYE

Rob

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Gig News: A gig in Hyde Park for £15! Thank you Coca-Cola

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Rob

The Olympics are around the corner and London is starting to come alive.

Coca-Cola last week annoucned a festival like concert in Hyde Park on Thursday 26th July to celebrate the end of the Olympic Torch relay.

The line-up is looking pretty tasty too; Dizzee Rascal, Eliza Doolittle, Mark Ronson & Katy B, Little Comets and Wretch 32.  Tickets are only £15 (although feel a little shafted as they are giving away free tickets for similar events in Cardiff, Glasgow, Birmingham and Leeds).  Still, £15 for a festival like concert in London is not to be scoffed at!

Tickets are available from the Coca-Cola Tickmaster site (where you can also register for the other events).

If the weather holds out, this could be a lovely little event and nice way to see the Olympics in.

Rob

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Gig News: Wireless pre-sale tickets now available

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Rob

Pre-sale… is it even a real thing any more?  Well it’s not just Barclaycard customers who get the opportunity to buy Wireless Festival tickets early; now we all can!  Three cheers, yay!

Viagogo currently have pre-sale tickets for Wireless Festival available.

The line-up is still a long way from being finalised, however early headliners are Black Eyed Peas on Friday 1st July and Chemical Brothers on Saturday 2nd July.  The event takes place in Hyde Park, London.

The year I went it was a lot of fun (and easy to get to – for Londoners); I remember staring at Mikita Oliver’s ass while she was trying to do a link for popworld, lol – it’s really big (in a good way).  Tickets currently cost £50.  Not bad for a full day festival (especially considering tickets for Black Eyed Peas at the O2 were around the same price – that was a few hours, Wireless is a whole day).

Whilst it’s no Lovebox, Wireless is  still a lot of fun.  I will have to wait for more info on the line-up before I commit.   Fans of BEP and Chemical Brothers should snap these up though!

The link for tickets - http://www.viagogo.co.uk/Exclusive-Tickets/Wireless-Festival-Presale-Tickets

Let’s just pray London is sunny this summer.

Rob

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Gig review and pictures: Jamiroquai at Debut Club, London 24/06/2010

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Rob

In a cavernous venue, so hot sweat was literally dripping from the walls and ceiling, Jamiroquai decided to test out and warm-up his band for their performance alongside Stevie Wonder on Saturday (at Hard Rock Calling, in Hyde Park).

The small venue, one of the smallest the band has played in years, definitely brought out the best of them, even if the fear of playing to 10,000+ people on Saturday was clear for all to see.  Nervous jokes and forced movements to start with soon gave way to the Jamiroquai we all know with funky and sometimes spasmodic dancing and a quirky charm, all packed in tracksuit and (a smaller than previous) hat.

The first half of the show was definitely ironing out the kinks… however as each song went on the band got relaxed more, then JK relaxed more and then with famous opening chords of Virtual Insanity mid-set it seemed like everyone just let go and enjoyed the moment.  As the tunes, new and old flowed, more and more people pushed forward and the intensity grew; this lead to more crazy dancing (from both crowd and band).

Defiantly a show for his fans as he pulled out classics such as Hooked Up and ended the set (pre-encore) with Just Another Story – or as he preferred “album two, track one!”  We were also treated to one new song (because that apparently was all new record label Mercury would allow), Rock.Dust.Light.Star, which sounded a lot like 90s Jamiroquai a lot more Acid Jazz than the nu-funk of the later albums.

Anyone heading off to Hyde Park on Saturday will be treated to very good show (as long as JK can relax).  There’s even room for than I saw as some essentials from the back catalogue, Seven Days In Sunny June and Talullah may still be worked in.  Last night was billed as a practice for Saturday… what it turned in to was more a celebration of one of Britain best bands.

Soulside Funk

for

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