A change is definitely coming!
Concerts are getting rescheduled. Comedy clubs are opening up, football fans are allowed back in to the stadiums and I even got to hug a couple of friends last weekend!
The Cat and Fiddle Pub in Hollywood was the place I picked to make my maiden voyage – I met up with a few friends to watch the Champions League final. Fortunately they were all Chelsea fans so we ordered a bottle of bubbly at the end of the game to toast the Blues.
Being vaccinated has definitely giving me a liberated feeling, I have to keep reminding myself it is not 100% effective and even if it was, that it is not necessary to hug everyone I see.
We are finally being allowed to go back to live shows! My mailbox has been filling up with emails from concert venues this week. There are so many great shows to choose from that if I wanted to attend them all I would have to sell everything I own. So I have made a long/shortlist as a starting point.
BEACHLIFE Festival at King’s Harbor in Redondo Beach (September 10-12th) looks fun. It’s a real mixed bag and there is literally something for everyone, from Jane’s Addiction to Counting Crows, to The English Beat and Thievery Corporation and even Ziggy and Stephen Marley. The location next to the water can’t be beat and if you are feeling flush check out their VIP packages – the ‘Admiral’s Package’ includes a boat mooring for three nights and front frow seats for every show! Alternatively if you don’t have money to spend on tickets right now you can sign up to be part of their ‘Beachcomber Crew’ and attend for free! Visit www.beachlifefestival.com for details.
Cynthia Erivo, the British Nigerian actress, singer and songwriter will perform with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl on July 30th. This multitalented artist from Stockwell, south London is only 34 and already won a Grammy, Tony and Emmy and even has an Oscar nomination under her belt for her work in Harriet. Cynthia will be making her Hollywood Bowl debut with a program titled “Legendary Voices.” In addition to giving voice to music made famous by the greatest female singers of all time, including Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday, Erivo will also perform selections from her forthcoming debut album.
Everyone’s favorite “Gothfather”, Gary Numan, returns to Los Angeles with a show at the Fonda Theater on September 27. Tickets went on sale to the general public on Friday and are priced at $40. Visit axs.com for details. Gary shot to fame way back in the late 1970s as the brains behind electronic music pioneers Tubeway Army before going solo and scoring the monster hit “Cars”. Numan is touring in support of his new album Intruder, released on May 21 via BMG. Additional Gary Numan tour dates include The Observatory in Santa Ana and The Observatory Northpark, Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneer Town — as well as shows in San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Austin, Atlanta, Dallas and more U.S. cities.
Pet Shop Boys and New Order were due to play the Hollywood Bowl this summer as a double bill, but sadly this show has been postponed until 2022 – the good news is that Paul Oakenfold has been added to next year’s line up. I have seen all three acts separately and they were all fantastic, so I can’t imagine that this won’t be either.
If you are missing live music but not feeling brave enough to venture out in to a crowd just yet, I highly recommend you purchase tickets Richard Shelton’s show ‘Sinatra and Me’ which will be streaming live from Feinstein’s at Vitello’s on June 11th. I have been to a few of Richards shows and it is almost like seeing the real Frank Sinatra perform, I actually saw a few older Italian men in the audience wiping away their tears! He is a fellow Brit in LA and I know he would appreciate your support and I am pretty certain you will all love his performance.
The only thing I have actually bough tickets to so far is the Banksy: Genius or Vandal Exhibition which runs from August until October but get your tickets soon as they are selling out. In typical fashion the venus is currently secret but you can score your tickets at banksyexpo.com/los-angeles/
As I mentioned earlier, the pubs are finally allowed to show the football games, which is perfect timing as the Euros are due to kick off on June 11th. And for the first time since 1996 Scotland have qualified for this competition along with England and Wales!
England and Scotland are in the same group so will be competing against each other on June 18th at Wembley stadium. The last time these two nations came face to face it was a two-all draw, I don’t have any Scottish in me but as a Brit I still want them to do well.
Visit our blog at www.britsin.la for the latest details on which bars are screening the matches, this is also where you can find our Brits in Stage page, which is where we list concerts, plays and exhibitions that have a Brit or two involved.
If you get stuck you can drop me a line at eileen@britsin.LA
Lastly, Craig and I are looking forward to bringing back our in person events very soon. We miss Breakfast Club and an in-person quiz night as much as you do. We just want to make sure we get it right before we start back up again. In the meantime you can join our virtual trivia night every Tuesday evening via Zoom. Sandro Monetti is our quizmaster and the winner gets a gift card to spend at The Cat & Fiddle.
Please drop us a line if you have any questions, suggestions or show recommendations we shouldn’t miss, as we always love to hear from you!
Can’t wait to see you all!
Cheers
Eileen
