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With a single dessert and just two glasses of wine our bill was kept in check - but the effort of doing so was not much fun
Babbo
Film
This is a film with beautiful performances and a visual style that urges you towards reflection
Bright Star
Theatre
Although the first half of Kwei-Armah’s production is pacy, funny and intelligent, the energy level then drops off
Seize The Day
I loved this film from start to finish. Take the girlfriend, tell your mum - I'd see it again tomorrow and will buy the dvd.
I saw this last night and can't remember the last time I was so moved in the theatre.
I have been to many of London's so-called best Japanese restaurants and none have been as good as the food that I've had at Aqua Kyoto
London,
Critic rating
Reader rating
Description: Lo-fi indie party-punk Florida band.
Phone: 0207930 3647
Website: www.ica.org.uk
Trains: Tube/BR: Charing Cross 
Extra info: Pub, Food, Party Hire
They're multi-racial (despite the name), brother-and-sister led, and would be stopped in the street by any self-respecting style mag photographer.
That may be part of the reason this Florida quintet have had half a rainforest's worth of excited press after only one limited edition single.
Most people here were probably wondering if their songs would live up to their style, but for the first four songs a muddy sound mix made it hard to tell.
Then the chorus of Hurricane Jane hit us. "It's Friday night and I ain't got nobody," yelped Reggie Youngblood, sounding like The Cure's Robert Smith and looking like a black Marc Bolan.
Even on a quiet Wednesday, he connected with something primal in every love-lorn pop picker.
They followed it up with I Wanna Be Your Limousine, a funky indie-pop groove laced with kitschy synth. Reggie's between-song banter with sister Ali won us over further, before the impossibly infectious, Cure-meets-Go-Team floor-filler I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You made resistance futile. It's official - Black Kids are all right.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
The School/Pocketbooks/Sunny Street/The Give it Ups
Buffalo Bar March 12th, 2008
Twee pop is back in fashion - it's official. From the happy group singalongs of I'm from Barcelona to the grandiose 60's sounds of Lucky Soul, indiepop is back to rule the music blogosphere, if not quite yet the charts. Tonight's line-up is a glorious array of cutie pop favourites, and support acts Sunny Street and The Give it Ups both tinkle out pleasant enough sounding melodies to hum and sway to. But it is London band Pocketbooks who steal the show tonight - even from headliners The School. Their fab new single Waking Up sounds even richer live on stage, with ever-fast building piano lines and curling guitar licks perfectly complementing singer Emma's honeyed vocals. First single Cross the Line gets the crowd swaying and singing along, and handclaps are soon the order of the night. By contrast Cardiff band The School, led by platinum blonde Liz of The Loves, seem a little tired, and Liz admits that she's only just woken up from a sleep in their communal van. Recently signed to major independent label Elefant Records, the band are clearly working hard to promote their new pink vinyl single All I Wanna Do, and it shows. They plug somewhat methodically through their songs, although Shoulder and Valentine still sound fantastic in their own mini-Wall of Sound way. Judging by the excitement of the crowd - despite it being a Wednesday evening - indiepop is back to stay, you have been warned!
- Jessica French, Highgate, London
