Rooftop Olympics at Queen of Hoxton - The Drowned Man

Saturday 6th July - Another ridiculously late write up, this time for Rooftop Olympics at the Queen of Hoxton, organised by the Social Athletics Club.  I scrambled together a ragtag bunch of athletes (Will, Cath, Ali and Seb), and we rocked up to Shoreditch for 1pm, vaguely dressed in retro sports gear.  By that I mean Will had long socks on, Cath and I had ties around our heads, Ali was wearing a dress, and Seb was for some reason wearing jeans on one of the hottest days of the year.  We wrestled with many team name ideas (The Cathletes, Underdressed and Overweight) but eventually settled on Seb & Co. - get it? No one else did, and we were even mocked publicly by the organisers for coming up with such a rubbish name. Good start.  Best team name went to the Clitoris Allsorts (closely followed by One Erection). After a £40 (WTF?) jug of Pimms, I regrettably gave Seb a spare pair of shorts, and the competition got under way.  I will let the photos tell most of the story. First up - "Beer Pong".

This wasn't really beer pong, as there were no real beer forfeits.  You just had to drink half a pint at some point during the game.  After a couple of minutes of illegal blocking from the other team, we lost by one point - bitter much?  As long as those blokes in the blue Orlando tshirts didn't win the whole thing...  Next up - "Staring Contest"

This was a funny one - we all stood in a line opposite the other team, and it didn't really matter if you beat someone, it all came down to the last two standing.  I was gifted the win after the girl opposite me was judged to have blinked - she didn't blink.  Event No.3 - Rock, Paper, Scissors

I didn't put this one in inverted commas, as it was actually Rock, Paper, Scissors.  5 v 5, quick rotations - it was actually damn exciting.  I had mindgames in the queue with my opponent and lost nearly every time. Thankfully, everyone else did pretty well and we won comfortably in the end.  NEXT - Table Football.

Another comfortable win for Sebastian & Co (got it yet?), even though the eponymous Seb was at the bar getting beers for the whole event.  Ali and Cath turned out to be demon defenders - who knew?  Final Event - "Frying Pan Ping-Pong"

This turned out to be ping pong, I'm not sure where the frying pans got to.  We wrapped this one up pretty quickly to give ourselves 4 wins out of 5 events.  We were quietly confident having only lost one event by one point - who could top that? THOSE BLOODY GUYS FROM BEER PONG, THAT'S WHO.  Look at them celebrating in their perfect attire. Next year, next year...

There was one bonus event left, with a grand prize of team t-shirts.  We sent forward Ali (in a dress) and Seb (in my shorts) to take on the limbo.

Bookies favourite

What you can see above is the exact moment that Seb ripped open my shorts which have now been consigned to the bin.  Sad times.

Ali in standard limbo attire

They gave it their all, but some smaller, more flexible girl was finally announced as the winner in the end. Sebastian & Coe (right, enough clues) licked their wounds and trudged out to an off license.  Despite what you might think from my bitter comments throughout, it was a really good laugh and a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  They need to tighten up the events, as it could be even better with a bit more innovation. Scrap the staring contest, and bring in some classics like egg and spoon race, or a three legged race and I would be all over it next year.  I'll even change our team name.

Tuesday 16th July - Totally different from Rooftop Olympics and much more bizarre was my trip to see A Drowned Man : A Hollywood Fable from experimental theatre group Punchdrunk.  They have had big hits here including an interpretation of Faust, and The Masque of Red Death, but they have also received rave reviews across the pond in Boston for Sleep No More.

I won't go into any great detail about the show as it is a unique experience that I wouldn't want to spoil in any way.  What can I tell you? Punchdrunk have transformed 4 floors of an old postal office in Paddington into a living, breathing Temple Studios and its surrounding areas, with an insane attention to detail.  You are free to roam around (wearing a mask) for 3 hours, during which time you can try and follow a narrative, or simply explore the astonishing sets.  The story is loosely based on Buchner's Woyzeck but there is no need to know the plot before you go.  Don't try and stick with your friends, it will only hold you back.  It is intensely enjoyable being able to go exploring on your own, or follow right behind the actors as if you are a cameraman making your own film.  I managed to follow the main characters for most of the performance and see some key scenes, but this is not essential.  Do what you want!  I found List Leader Natalie again at the end and she had a totally different, yet joyful experience, as did other friends who went along.  We did both agree on one thing - wearing the masks over glasses is pretty annoying and painful so wear contacts if you can.

Don't be put off by the £39.50 price tag, it's the least they deserve for the effort that has gone in to the show. If you are feeling fancy, buy yourself a Premium ticket for £85.00 - "this will include an invitation to enter Temple Studios via the Studio Entrance, available only to a small number of guests each night, and an additional prologue to The Drowned Man, as well as a taste of Mr. Stanford's hospitality".  They have extended the run til December 31st and there are tickets for most performances still available here - I can't recommend it highly enough!  

P.S. - Please leave comments if you have been and let me know what you thought of it!

Frank's Cafe - Rooftop Film Club at Bussey Building & Queen of Hoxton

Sunday 30th June - Many people are aware of Peckham's myriad delights, but some are still fairly terrified. Fear not, The List has done a recce for you and I can happily give you the all clear, as long as you are ok with walking up to the top of a multi storey car park.  On the roof you will find Frank's Cafe which has been running for a few years now as part of the Bold Tendencies art project.  Bold Tendencies makes use of the top four floors of the car park and is free to visit from 11am to 11pm, Wednesday-Sunday, until 30th September.  There aren't many signs to comfort you on your way up the car park, but have faith and you will be rewarded.  Peckham Rye is incredibly easy to reach via the Overground, but this wasn't working so we were instead slow-cooked on the 345 for an hour.  Keep an eye out for Multi-Storey who put on incredible one off orchestral concerts each year in the car park - see the video below (which just won Best Documentary at the SE15 Young Filmmakers Competition - made by Joanna Beaufoy).

It was the opening night of Frank's and the weather was fantastic, which sadly meant that there were far too many people up there.  There seemed to be a single file line for the bar which wasn't moving at any great speed and we were thirsty, so we didn't hang around for long.  The drinks are affordable (hard t turn down a £5 Negroni) and there is good looking food on offer as well.  The 360 degree views are spectacular, and once the sun starts setting, it is hard to tear yourself away.  Luckily, our next stop was another rooftop that was even higher than Frank's, and about two doors down!

Luke, Natalie, Lauren and I made our way to the Bussey Building otherwise known as The CLF Art Café for Rooftop Film Club.  The Bussey Building has all sorts going on with music, theatre, dance, film and comedy events lined up.  On our way up to the roof, we were passed by a rowdy bunch of villagers who were uprising against the sexual tyranny of their feudal Lord - this turned out to be the cast and audience of Fuente Ovejuna mid-performance.  We were delighted to find the rooftop nearly empty with street food courtesy of Route 66, a bar with a happy hour still on, and enough deck chairs for everyone.  It is worth getting their early to bag your seats for the film to ensure that you can sit together, rather than to get a good view which isn't an issue.  We grabbed some drinks and food and took in the incredible views of the London skyline.  You can see everything from Battersea Power Station to the O2 with the London Eye, St.Pauls, The Shard and The Gherkin (plus Frank's Cafe!) in between.  The Californian style street food was tasty, if a little inefficient - it's the first time I have been served a King Prawn as an accompaniment to a burger.

As the sun started to set, we collected our headphones and slankets (a blanket with arm holes) for the showing of Zoolander, which was due to start as soon as the sun had sufficiently set.  The wireless headphones that you may have used before at silent discos are an excellent idea and work perfectly.  The slankets are definitely necessary even on a hot evening as the wind really picks up.  You are allowed to be on the rooftop just to use the bar before the film, but you will be sent back down once it starts.

We started to notice that the organisers looked a little flustered and were running around a lot.  It then materialised that the projector had broken, and that their only option was to get another one brought in as quickly as possible.  A few people left who probably didn't fancy leaving Peckham on a night bus on a Sunday evening at midnight, but most people stuck around and enjoyed the sunset some more. It is a truly beautiful place to watch the sunset, and it is worth paying the ticket price even if you aren't interested in the film! They did well to get a projector in fairly quickly, but were hilariously slow at getting it to work. Eventually the whole audience joined in with some backseat driving as they managed to flip the image upside down and back to front, and there was a huge cheer when it was finally corrected.  We were all given free popcorn and half price drinks to make up for the delay, and settled down to watch the ludicrous Zoolander at about 10pm.  

Monday 8th July - A week later, I went to try out one of Rooftop Film Club's other venues with flatmates Ali and Maggie on top of the Queen of Hoxton in Shoreditch.  During the winter this rooftop was home to Wigwambam, but during the summer months it becomes a rooftop garden.  Due to its location, it gets ridiculously busy which doesn't compare well to the Peckham branch.  The majority of people there were not staying for the film, and so the chairs weren't laid out beforehand.  Not knowing this we arrived early to bag seats, but this isn't necessary.  Turn up at 8.30 when they start to kick people out and rearrange the seating. The audience is cordoned off while they sort everything out - this is when you need to position yourself to get the best view!  The seats were like film set director chairs as opposed to deck chairs, and there were only blankets rather than slankets which again made me long for the Bussey Building, and the view of people working in their offices doesn't compare very well at all.  That said, they at least had a working projector, and when it comes down to it, it is still exciting and atmospheric to watch a film on a roof in the open air. Go for the Bussey Building if you can, but the other venues would still be worth going to if Peckham is sold out or doesn't take your fancy.  They have venues in Kensington, Ealing and Hackney at the moment, and seem to be expanding quickly.

In other news, I went to Punchdrunk's The Drowned Man : A Hollywood Fable last night, and it was superb.  I will write more about it at a later date, but for the moment, trust me and go and buy some tickets to this wonderful, immersive, promenade style piece of theatre that is set across four floors of an old postal building in Paddington.