NYLON - February 2008 - (Page 105) (a sort of proto MisShapes) closed its doors in January 2007, Durr was right there to party on its grave. They’ve pulled in names like Soulwax and Shy Child for live shows and the playlist bounces from obscure remixes to punk funk to electro pop. myspace.com/durrrclub TRAILER TRASH AT ON THE ROCKS, SHOREDITCH EVERY FRIDAY Regularly documented on weknowwhatyoudidlastnight.com (London’s answer to cobrasnake.com), the floors are sticky and the soundtrack is filthy electro remixes of pop floor-fillers. myspace.com/trailertrashin UNSKINNY BOP AT THE PLEASURE UNIT, BETHNAL GREEN THIRD SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH Named after a Poison song, this is a tiny, sweatbox party where girls, gays, and misfits go to shake their tail to anything from Le Tigre to Toots and the Maytals. unskinnybop.co.uk CIRCUS AT SOHO REVUE BAR, SOHO EVERY FRIDAY Hosted by drag queen du jour Jodie Harsh, the fabulous freaks come out to play and dance, while celeb pals drop by to DJ. myspace.com/jodie_harsh THE HAWLEY ARMS, CAMDEN If you’re not up for clubbing but fancy a drink within view of a famous face or five, pop into this pub just off of Camden High Street. Amy Winehouse, Kelly Osbourne, and Peaches Geldof are permanent fixtures, along with a nightly array of indie band members and slumming A-listers. Having such dialed-in drinkers has done the pub’s owners no harm: they recently made a guest appearance on The Mighty Boosh and launched their own label, Bumpman Records. BEHIND THE MUSIC: Some of London’s most intrepid graphic designers, video directors, and illustrators are changing the way you see your favorite songs. BIG ACTIVE Under the creative direction of Gerard Saint, Big Active has turned out album covers for the likes of Basement Jaxx, Sugababes, Beck, and Goldfrapp, along with ventures in music, editorial, and book design. The design collective's most recent book, called Head, Heart & Hips—The Seductive World of Big Active (Gestalten Verlag), highlights the sexy side of their work, but their philosophy is surprisingly simple: “If an idea can’t be articulated simply and successfully over the phone, it ain’t worth a fuck,” they say. bigactive.com UNITED VISUAL ARTISTS Founded in 2003 by Chris Bird, Matt Clark, and Ash Nehru, UVA inaugurated its existence by producing the groundbreaking visuals for Massive Attack’s 100th Window tour. Specializing in light-based installations, they went on to create a giant orb for Kylie Minogue’s “I Believe in You” video, and their recent clients have included the Tate Modern and the British Library. uva.co.uk BOUJIS, SOUTH KENSINGTON For those who would rather party with Royals than brave a sticky-floored dive, there is Boujis. Yes, you have to be a member (or flatter one shamelessly until they invite you) and brave the paparazzi outside, but once you’re in, you’ll be knocking some fabulous elbows. This is the venue Charles forbade Prince Harry from setting foot in after a particularly debauched incident in 2006, but it didn’t stick—he’s still a regular. boujis.com NON-FORMAT The brainchild of Kjell Jordan, a Norwegian designer, and Jon Forss, who hails from Western England, Non-Format began with a redesign of indie music mag The Wire, and has since gone on to work for clients such as Coke and Nike. Currently, the duo are establishing a second studio in Minneapolis, and art direct and design Vavoom, an illustration journal. non-format.com ADAM SMITH Dubbed “the Hype Williams of grime,” 37-year-old Adam Smith has directed music videos for Brit luminaries such as Lady Sovereign and the Streets, and is known for his documentarystyle narratives. Smith has also frequently collaborated with the Chemical Brothers on videos and tour visuals. flatnosegeorge.com BUNGALOW 8, ST. MARTIN’S LANE HOTEL The latest outpost of Amy Sacco’s everexpanding empire has already been host to the likes of Kylie, Kevin Spacey, and his purple lordship Prince, and it’s only been open a matter of months. Good start, then. bungalow8london.com JIM STOTEN Sometimes referred to as Jim the Illustrator, Stoten has worked for clients such as MTV, Levi’s, Channel 4, and Urban Outfitters. Most notably, Stoten illustrated the cover of Gomez’s third album, a commission he won after the band saw some drawings he’d done while he was still living with his parents. jimtheillustrator.co.uk PLAN-B STUDIO Plan-B Studio is designer Steve Price, who has created imagery for Diesel’s U Music Awards, including invites and ad campaigns, in addition to Diesel fashion ads. Price has also made band-specific fanzines for Boy Kill Boy, the Enemy, and 23rd Union—going old school with Exacto knives, tape, and a good old copy machine. plan-bstudio.com clockwise from top left: united visual artists light show for u2; a book collection of non-format’s work, entitled love song; jim the illustrator’s colorful work, which caught the eye of gomez; plan-b’s diesel u music fanzine; a still from adam smith’s work for the chemical brothers; and big active’s cover for the latest goldfrapp album. http://myspace.com/durrrclub http://weknowwhatyoudidlastnight.com http://myspace.com/trailertrashin http://unskinnybop.co.uk http://myspace.com/jodie_harsh http://uva.co.uk http://bigactive.com http://boujis.com http://non-format.com http://flatnosegeorge.com http://bungalow8london.com http://jimtheillustrator.co.uk http://plan-bstudio.com
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