Brick Lane for the Weekend
Anyone who has been to Brick Lane at the weekend will understand the appeal it holds for London’s hipsters. Although it’s not up everybody’s street (figuratively and literally), the jumbled mash of colours, sounds and smells attracts hundreds of people to this East End curry mile. The nights are crowded with diners, drinkers, clubbers and ravers, who hop from bar to bar and spill out onto the streets. Day times are perfect for picking your way along the market stalls, as well as sampling cuisine from around the world with foil trays and plastic forks.
One great place to go to on a Friday night is Vibe Bar; it has a huge outdoor courtyard with chairs and tables for summer nights and smokers, with live music played regularly inside. This week we’ll be hearing some sweet sounds from Lucinda and the Fox; the combination of Lucinda’s soulful voice and James Fox’s funky guitar rhythms makes for an acoustic treat to gratify any ear. They’ll be performing alongside a variety of rock and indie acts, so music fans should start the night here. It’s also right in the centre of the action, so other bars are within stumbling distance.
If art is more your thing, you have the chance this weekend to combine it with something else Brick Lane is famous for: food. The Experimental Food Society are descending on Trumans Brewery with an eccentric, edible exhibition. You can expect to see sculptures, mosaics, clothing lines and installations made completely out of food. Now there’s something you don’t see every day... Whether it’s for a fun-filled Friday night or a Sunday market mooch, make sure you book an Aldgate East taxi to get you there. If you take the tube there, turn up Osborn Street to lead you onto Brick Lane -that bit tends to confuse people!
