Farewell Spitz

Last night I joined an odd collection of musos, trendies and City boys at a special gig to mark the closing of the Spitz, the bistro, gallery and music venue in Spitalfields market that for the last ten years or so has built up a reputation as one of the best places to hear live music in London. Although it maintained a refreshingly eclectic programming policy, its particular strengths were in all things "Americana"—country, folk and blues, all of which were well represented last night.

I've been a regular visitor over the years, and while the venue has occasionally missed the mark—a troupe of earnest middle-aged white British men trying to pass themselves off as a Congolese soukous band lingers painfully in the memory—the high spots have been many. I'll remember two in particular—the captivating gravel-voiced Sandy Dillon, who I suppose could be described, roughly, as a female Tom Waits, and my friend Nick Talbot's band Gravenhurst (I commend to you Nick's blog, the Police Diver's Notebook).

The Spitz is looking for another London home, and is soliciting donations to help it do so. Read more here.

Another recent artistic highlight for me was Boilerroom's Terrific Electric, a play that opened the Barbican's Bite season of contemporary theatre and dance. Themed loosely around the discovery of electricity, the play deploys an impressive range of lighting, sound and prop devices to explore the changes wrought by powerful new technologies. Its Barbican run has finished, but it may be touring the UK next year.