Liz Tray

Steely Dan’s first London show since 2009 will be a heavy affair for fans of the great American band. The show – part of 2017’s BluesFest – will mark the first London gig since the death of Walter Becker in September. Becker and Donald Fagen created Steely Dan in 1972 as a way of harnessing their unusual interests. Namely, jazz-influenced session players, Dylan-esque lyrics about shady sons of bitches, studio perfection and smooth grooves. It’s a testament to their incredible, nine-album back catalogue that the show will go on this week. So in tribute to Becker, and as a useful resource for anyone who hasn’t let the Dan into their life yet, here’s some personal Steely faves. RECOMMENDED: The best songs of 2017

Rock biopics that don’t have rights to the artist’s songs can work, as seen in England Is Mine (Morrissey) and Nowhere Boy (John Lennon) – but both of these were set in their subjects’ late teens so the canon was nascent. In Stardust, we meet 24-year-old David Bowie (played by 36-year-old Johnny Flynn) in 1971. He’s on his first US trip, promoting his Led Zeppelin-esque third album The Man Who Sold the World, presented here as a hard sell because he wore a dress on its cover. You need to believe this young man becomes one of the greatest rock stars of all time. You won’t. A one-hit wonder with Space Oddity, Bowie tries to behave like a star before he is one, but he’s written as a slightly pathetic, hippy rube who misses every opportunity his publicist (Marc Maron, always watchable) finds. In marked contrast to the real, ruthless, camera-ready and charismatic Bowie, he’s an unengaging wet failure, tortured by the fear of succumbing to the ‘madness in the family’. The severe mental-health problems of his half-brother Terry, seen in flashbacks, are treated crassly. While his wife Angie (Jena Malone) is a hectoring presence, a portrayal that overlooks the significant contribution she made to Bowie’s success. Flynn, who sings the Jacques Brel and Yardbirds songs that Bowie recorded, works hard with a weak script. And some moments ring true: we hear a song by ’60s singer Anthony Newley, an early hero of Bowie’s; Bowie wears that dress for Rolling Stone – though the film erases his

There are endless documentaries about the counter-cultural musical behemoths of the second half of the twentieth century – Pink Floyd at the V&A anyone? Yet the most significant musical and cultural movement of the first half – jazz – has been ignored of late. A new exhibition at Two Temple Place is here to fix that. ‘Rhythm & Reaction: The Age of Jazz in Britain’ is lovingly put together, spanning two floors of posters, instruments, vinyl, silent films and more. It begins with postcards of a 1903 musical, ‘In Dahomey’. As you walk in the door, you’re confronted with blackface: worn not by white performers, Al Jolson-style, but by African Americans not considered black enough. That sharp intake of breath continues, with cartoons of staid bishops losing their cool to ragtime, touring shows that use ‘jungle’ imagery such as grass skirts, and crude postcards. England seems extremely worried about what this music is doing to the nation. The only women we see are dance partners or lust objects, and while discomfort will set in at these racially insensitive sights, these are all important aspects of the story of society at the time. Upstairs sit artefacts that reflect jazz’s influence on wider culture: ceramic pots, silent films of dancehalls and, one of the centrepieces, a copy of a controversial, ambiguous artwork. John Bulloch Souter’s ‘The Breakdown’ (1926) was banned by the Royal Academy on Colonial Office orders, then destroyed. In it, a dapper black saxophonist sits on a sma

London has lots of rooftop bars. Look: here are loads of the best ones. Supping on a cold boy, surveying the city from on high as the sun goes down. Nothing quite like it. You know what makes a rooftop bar particularly good? A decent rooftop. Seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many rooftop bars in London are sited on glorified fire escapes, affording drinkers sweeping views of alleyways, hospital car parks and the Lidl goods-in entrance. What follows is the five (or six, depending on how you count) rooftop bars with the best views of the capital.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tarn B (@tanya_b_photography) Madison Terrace Bar & Lounge Picture it: London, 2021. You’re crossing your arms behind your back, Sherlock-style. You survey the city beneath you, then fix your gaze straight ahead. You’re looking at the curve of a gorgeous dome – it’s St Paul’s. Then you sit back down and order a Barrel Aged Rum Old Fashioned from the Madison Terrace Bar & Lounge’s drinks menu. Is there a more perfect way to spend an evening in the city? And did you know it’s a ‘protected view’? It is actually illegal to not be able to see the cathedral from various vantage points across the capital. Madison, New Change, EC4M 9AF. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Madolyn Grove (@madolyniris) The Standard Rooftop There is, surely, no cooler New York-inspired spot in London than the Standard hotel in King’s Cross. You may thi

According to the latest census, Jews make up less than 2 percent of the population of London. But in Golders Green more than a third of residents are Jewish, and if you take a walk down the neighbourhood’s main thoroughfare, you can’t fail to notice us. Along with Stamford Hill, this is one of the city’s two concentrated areas where the orthodox – both modern and Hasidic – and secular communities congregate. It’s occasionally known as ‘Little Tel Aviv’. The influx of Jews into Golders Green began after a Jewish cemetery was opened on Hoop Lane in 1895. The community expanded rapidly during the 1930s, as people fleeing from Germany and Eastern Europe came to settle in London. Today, more than 50 restaurants, 40 synagogues and 30 schools serve the area. The diversity of Jewish culture in this area is unparalleled in the capital. You’ll find Israelis in the restaurants, while orthodox Jews – mostly from London but many from New York – run supermarkets and Judaica gift shops. Secular younger Jews can be found in White House Express getting a shawarma in the early hours. There’s also a growing East Asian population, with Japanese and Korean restaurants popping up. It may be in Zone 3, but trust me: this diverse hood is well worth the schlep. Drink this A post shared by @j_flacks on Aug 2, 2017 at 9:45am PDT A peanut butter hot chocolate at social enterprise Head Room Café. It’s run by Jami, a charity that offers support to adults with mental health problems. A Hiver hone

It’s almost two years since our very own Brixton boy David Bowie departed for his home planet. Here are three ways to remember the man of many alter egos Starman: David Bowie Special Put on your red shoes and head over to Camden for this Bowie night. They’ll be playing pop/funk/soul classics, and possibly the odd D&B banger, plus collabs with the Ig, Lou Reed and maybe even that Nirvana cover. BYO Tin Machine. The Lock Tavern. Chalk Farm. Fri Jan 12. Free, register at dice.fm. Bowie’s Beckenham Oddity Visit the bandstand where DB played an acoustic set in 1969. Thanks to the folks behind Beckenham Oddity, the gates have been unlocked for fans to lay flowers and sign a remembrance book by the very spot where he started writing ‘Life on Mars’. Croydon Road Recreation Ground. Clock House rail. Until Thu Jan 11. Free. David Bowie Musical Walking Tour This two-hour guided tour – set to songs played and stories told by musician Nick Stephenson – offers a path around SW9, calling in at his birthplace on Stansfield Road and the ‘Aladdin Sane’ mural. Meet at the tube station. Brixton. Regular tours Wed, Fri & Sun. £15. Needs more Bowie? Take a look at these 13 London locations connected to the star’s life and career.  How do you really feel about London? Take the Time Out City Life Index survey and fill us in.   

Free doughnuts and massive menorahs, that’s how to celebrate the Festival of Lights. Chag sameach! Chanukah in the Square A giant menorah will be lit in Trafalgar Square tonight by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, right beside the new Christmas tree. Go for the free doughnuts, stay for acapella group The Maccabeats. Unless you hate all things acapella: then run. Trafalgar Square. Charing Cross. Tue Dec 12, 5.30pm. Free. Candle lighting at the Jewish Museum Eat yet more free doughnuts while lighting the menorah at the Jewish Museum. While you’re there, learn how Jewish immigrants created iconic tube posters and classic British games in the ‘Designs on Britain’ exhibition. Jewish Museum. Camden Town. Until Dec 20, 4pm. Free, exhibition entry £8.50. Islington Menorah Lighting Get down to the sounds of the London Klezmer Quartet on Islington Green and munch on latkes from kosher caterer 1701 Kitchen. If you’re feeling brave, you can also walk on hot coals for charity. Oy gevalt! Islington Green. Angel. Sun Dec 17, 5pm-7pm. Free. More great things do in London? Here's our guide to the best events in London this December and all the best things do in the city this winter. 

I know what you’re thinking. Of all the verdant, historic and on-trend locales in London, why write about Hornsey Road, best known as the artery that connects the hulking Emirates Stadium to bougie Crouch End? Well, for one thing, this is still London – where practically every building houses something worth speaking up for. And anyone who’s ever been in the area on match day, with people spilling out of pubs and grabbing pre-match bites, can attest to its buzzing atmosphere. This is an earthy, vibrant bit of the city, with plenty going for it from top (where it emerges from Crouch End Hill and Hornsey Rise) to bottom (where it crosses Seven Sisters Road before meeting Holloway Road near the stadium). Once the road from London to Hornsey – the former Saxon settlement between what’s now Crouch End and Alexandra Park – Hornsey Road is a tad overshadowed by its parallel neighbour Holloway Road. But that’s an injustice that needs righting. So prepare to get familiar with some down-to-earth N7 pleasures: meeting an Arsenal legend, scarfing down excellent fare, handing a bundle of cash over for that drum machine you’ve always wanted and raising a glass to football on a big-screen telly – before seeing red at an obviously wrong penalty decision.  Eat this A post shared by Rusty Bike Cafe Hornsey Road (@rustybikecafe) on Apr 26, 2016 at 7:56pm PDT Yen tah foh, a delicious pink rice-noodle dish with perfectly crispy wonton, at Thai spot Rusty Bike. Biangbiang noodles in

You can’t afford to live here, that’s the first thing to know. There won’t be much change out of £5m for a house, but that doesn’t mean you can’t strut around like you own the place. Regent’s Park Road, which stretches across the bottom of Primrose Hill and finishes as Chalk Farm becomes Camden, is a bit famous for its celeb residents – everyone from Sylvia Plath to Gwen Stefani has shacked up round here. It also has a brilliant villagey strip of restaurants and shops to fall in love with. There’s an optician, chemist, Post Office, hairdresser, florist, pet shop and no less than three wine merchants (Bottle Apostle, Nicolas, Bibendum). Pop by for dinner, then walk to the top of Primrose Hill and marvel at the stunning view of the whole city. London doesn’t get much more romantic. The village vibe even comes with a charming local legend. For decades, a pink-painted house at number 60 had a rocking horse in the downstairs window and urban myth held that it was a condition of sale to keep it on display. Owners in the ’90s sold the gaff to Stanley (dad of Boris) Johnson but took the beloved wooden landmark with them. Johnson had another made but did the same when he sold up. The current owners don’t have a horse in the window, but they still get Valentine’s and Christmas cards addressed to the nag. Aww. Eat this   A post shared by Odettes Restaurant (@odettesrestaurant) on Jul 23, 2016 at 3:25am PDT The crisp chicken wing and curried cauli at Odette’s. Finish off with ten-we