Forget Good Friday and have a great Friday with Maya’s provocatively titled, ‘How Do You Eat Yours’ Party.
Free chocolate and champagne will be laid on for the ladies until 11:30pm.
Maya London is one of central London’s most exclusive members lounge and club, located in the heart of Soho, so be sure not to miss out this Friday, 2nd April!
Today see a protest by amateur and professional photographers in London’s Trafalgar Square following rising tensions between photographers and police over the implementation of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Many photographers feel intimidated by Police as a result of actions to target possible terrorists who may be on reconnaissance missions in areas of Central London including Mayfair, Soho and St James’s and other major cities.
The protesters are echoing the views of the European Court of Human Rights who last week ruled the power to stop and search people without suspicion was indiscriminate and therefore illegal.
It is estimated up to 36,000 people were stopped under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act between April 2009 and June 2009.
John Yates, the head of counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, has stated that Police risk losing public confidence as a result of the tactics they are employing under the controversial law.
Lord Carlile, the government’s independent reviewer of anti-terrorist legislation has publically stated that he believes “section 44 is being used far too often on a random basis without any reasoning behind its use”.
Marc Vallee, one of the photographers behind the protest, said, “Photographers will be exercising their common law right to take a picture in a public place – and they will be doing it collectively. People are fed up about being stopped and they want to challenge a culture that sees photographers as a threat.”
New Year’s Eve in London is the biggest night of the year with millions of people flocking to the centre of the capital to enjoy the nightlife and the top night clubs hosting their most extravagant celebrity parties.
Although 2009 has been much publicised as a bad year for the economy the best London clubs are still pulling out all the stops with VIPs expected to be arriving in limousines and enjoying the events, popping Champagne bottles, as they normally would during the festive season.
Some of the most well known night clubs and private members clubs in Chelsea, Kensington, Mayfair and Soho include famous names such as Amika, Boujis, Cafe de Paris, Chinawhite, Disco 24, Embassy, funkybuddha, HEYJOCLUB, Maya, The Mayfair Club and Vendome.
These are clubs regularly frequented by A-list celebrity clubbers such as P.Diddy, JLS, Girls Aloud, Jay Z, Kate Moss and Beyonce where entry is controlled by strict guest lists and the crowd is mostly made up of elite clubbers more used to gracing the pages of Tattler than The Sun.
James WJ Wilson, Director of Forbidden London Clubs, one of the leading promotion companies in London’s club-land believes the top bars and clubs have everything to look forward to as he forecasts a great Christmas and New Year in the West End.
“London is the most fashionable city in the world and despite Gordon Brown’s best attempts to derail the economy, the nightlife – bars, night clubs and restaurants – particularly at the top end of the market, are still performing well.”
“People are perhaps not spending at the same level as they were two years ago, maybe we’ve seen the last of the bankers splurging £30,000 on bottles of Cristal Champagne for now, but overall most of our clients are wealthy and still want to enjoy themselves. In my opinion there is no better place to do that than at the best events in London which are hosted by the top clubs and promoters.”
Lord Dave West, owner of the HEYJOCLUB in St James’s is well known publicly thanks to his Cherie Blair assisted battle against the smoking ban and his penchant for bright pink suits; he echoed this view.
“I own one of the top clubs (HEYJOCLUB) and one of the best restaurants (Abracadabra Russian Restaurant) in Central London and we are finding that the high-end customers we entertain are still enjoying spending their money on fine food and fine wines”
“Many of our best clients are Russian and the government has not managed to ruin everyone’s fun yet, they’re still spending.”
With Christmas and New Year’s Eve just round the corner and most companies still planning on rewarding their staff for what could be considered a difficult year, things are looking bright for the glamorous London clubs the VIPs and celebrities love.
Singer songwriter Tori Amos has announced that she will play a free music event at top London venue the London Jazz Café in Camden on Wednesday 2nd December to help promote her new album with tickets being given to fans on Oxford Street in Soho on the day of the concert.
The singer will play solo with a piano at the show, which will be open to wristband holders.
Fans can get wristbands from 10.30am (GMT) at the HMV shop at 150 Oxford Street in the UK capital on the morning of the gig. One wristband per fan will be issued.
Tori Amos released her new album, ‘Midwinter Graces’, on Monday November 16.
A trip to London Christmas shopping can be stressful at the best of times but it’s often made worse by retail-phobic partners dragging their heels from shop to shop. Ladies, you have an alternative allowing you to enjoy the best of the shopping utopias of Carnaby Street, New Bond Street, Oxford Street and Jermyn Street!
This Christmas, visit London’s bustling shopping area of Carnaby Street in the heart of Soho, there will be a number of Manpods (courtesy of Sony Blu-ray) – a man-crèche where you can unburden yourself from your boyfriend or husband, leaving you in charge of the credit card and able to conquer your shopping in peace and quiet.
Secure in his Manpod your lover will be well looked after whilst you shop. He will be fed, watered and provided with the best in high definition home entertainment in the way of the latest Blu-ray blockbuster demonstrations, including Terminator Salvation and Angels & Demons.
Even with the fabled excesses of the movie business, it is unheard of for a co-star of a film to spend any money at its after-party event.
But not every actor has the disposable income of American hip hop star 50 Cent, who took bar tabs to a whole new level last Thursday after dropping £75,000 over the bar at the after-party of Dead Man Running at the Alto club in London Soho.
Hundreds of girls tried to get past security and into the VIP area. 50 Cent allowed around 15 of the girls in to sit with him – but left alone at the end of the night.
The 33-year-old rapper hired the entire VIP area for his entourage, friends and film colleagues. And he’s not even the star – being officially billed behind Tamer Hassan, Danny Dyer… and Brenda Blethyn.
A guest at the party said: “When he arrived at the club it was mayhem. The area was cleared for him and security ushered him straight through. On his table were bottles of champagne but he wanted a magnum bottle of Ace Of Spades champagne.
“You could tell that he was loving all the attention as people were trying to take photographs on their phones and were shouting his name.”
Earlier that evening, 50 had been wearing a smarter grey suit as he posed alongside singer Jamelia at the Leicester Square screening as part of the London Film Festival.
On Thursday 26th November, Wonderbra will be celebrating its Ultimate Strapless Party, to celebrate the popularity of the strapless look this season, at VIP club Punk Soho which is on Soho Street – and as you have probably guessed by now that’s in SOHO!
The Ultimate Wonderbra Strapless Bra
The regular London nightlife favourite of celebs including Lily Allen and Mark Ronson is a top club, need we say more?
Dress code is strictly strapless – of course – and there is the chance of winning some Wonderbra prizes and other goodies. To get the party started, ASOS will be putting on a catwalk show packed with inspiration of what to wear over the Christmas party season. And we’ve heard a rumour that there are 40 pairs of VIP tickets to win to the event… but you’ll have to get your thinking caps on for that one!
Top London club and restaurant, Chinawhite, reopened at its all new venue on Winsley Street, just off Oxford Street, in the trendy Soho district on Wednesday night.
The oriental influenced night club was host to Champagne drinking celebrities Chelsy Davy, Natalie Imbruglia, Noel Gallagher, Princess Beatrice and Jenni Falconer. The stars and royalty were entertained by contortionist Rubber Ritchie and fire eaters who wore nothing but a thong and black and gold paint.
The celebrity hangout – an institution in the London nightlife scene – was renowned for its luxurious interior and high-profile guests and it looks set to maintain this reputation. Its original site also in Soho, on Air Street, is now part of a new five star hotel being developed by an Arab Consortium who secured the lease from the Crown Estates from late December 2008.
All guests were on their best behaviour, no drunken photographs, very public displays of affection or fashion disasters. Finally a club that has some class!
Singer Mutya Buena – who was seen partying at one of the top London clubs, Studio Valbonne in Soho, recently – is rumoured by celebrity gossips to be plotting a relaunch of the original Sugababes line-up.
According to reports in several London papers and magazines Mutya has been in touch with Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy to try and organise a reunion.
A friend of Siobhan was quoted as saying: “She met up with Mutya for the first time in ages over the summer and they got on well. Now Mutya is convinced the original three could be huge again. She was on the phone all last weekend trying to convince the girls to reform. Siobhan’s considering it.”
While a source allegedly close to Keisha added: “Mutya is very keen to do this. Keisha has her solo career on the go – including recording with new star [DJ] Jay Sean – but she feels more comfortable as part of a band. There were arguments in the past, but all three realise it was because they were young, headstrong and finding fame hard to cope with.”
No doubt the girls will be toasting their reunion with a glass of Champagne at a few of the best London night clubs later in 2009, we’ll keep you posted on this blog!
Shock horror movie makers Hammer Horror have planned an event – a two-week festival of horror beginning on Wednesday, 28th October across London – just in time for Halloween.
There will be a free exhibition at Idea Generation Gallery in London on Chance Street – off Shoreditch High Street, featuring photos, prints and artwork. Screenings of Hammer classics will take place at the Curzon Soho, Shaftesbury Avenue, and Lexi Cinema, Kensal Rise.
Talks will analyse the Hammer legacy and look at its future under new owner John de Mol. For a week, a nightly Ghost Bus will tour east London.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, the Soho based film company overcame cheap sets and camp production to spawn an entire genre with commercial hits in Europe.
Among the stars of Hammer films were Christopher Lee, Ursula Andress, Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Peter Cushing and Bette Davis. Classics included The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), The Mummy (1959), The Brides of Dracula (1960) and Lust for a Vampire (1971).
For information about Halloween parties at London clubs contact Forbidden London Clubs on 0845 0945 195 or by visiting www.forbiddenlondon.com
