Marcus Barnes

With all the pomp and flamboyance of Mardi Gras combined with a discerning music policy and a wild, permissive, fun-inducing atmosphere, Regression Sessions has become one of the capital’s most monumentally silly nights out. Only By NGHT The party celebrates five years of service to London’s clubbing community this week. In that time, it has cornered the market in immersive, interactive shindigs – delivering a healthy dose of high-production, glitter-filled madness to thousands of smily happy people along the way. Back in 2012, after a summer spent at festivals across the country, club-runner Michael Mouch and his team came home with one simple question: ‘Why couldn’t clubnights replicate the weird and wonderful vibe you get at festivals?’ Only By NGHT The answer was to go hard on production. Walk into a typical Regression Session and you’ll be greeted with the sight of a ballpit full of 30-yearolds going on 13, face painters, glitter-smeared ravers, a smorgasboard of silly fancy dress and enough inflatables to fill Clapton Pond. All this fun has seen Regression Sessions evolve into a highly influential and much-loved event that has helped drag London’s nightlife out of the po-faced doldrums. Only By NGHT Its influence on the capital’s nightlife is undeniable. Just look at the sheer number of ball pits in the city, for example, like Ballie Ballerson: Dalston’s bonkers bar which combines upfront club music and a huge ballpit. The success of RS has also allowed it to take all t

In a nutshell…It’s a massive old warehouse slap-bang in the middle of Peckham that has become a cultural hub – hosting live gigs, full-on raves, theatre shows and film screenings. Where is it?It’s within spitting distance of Peckham Rye station. Walk out of the station on to the high street, take a right under the railway bridge and you’re there. It’s serviced by two of London’s main stations, Victoria and London Bridge, as well as the trusty Overground. Perfick. What’s the vibe?It depends on the night, but parties are generally on the young side, expect a fair amount of switched-on peeps in their early twenties. But it really does vary from night to night: The South London Soul Train brings in a slightly older crowd, for example as does Rhythm Section, which just moved there. What makes it a great venue?Bussey’s owners clearly revel in being able to provide this kind of space. With that in mind there’s always a wonderful air of mutual respect between patrons and the venue staff. It’s also multi-level, which is always good for a bit of exploring, plus the soundsystem is on point and there’s the CLF Art Café, The Nines bar and restaurant and Rye Wax record store and café, all in the same complex. They all host their own events, too. What’s the booze situation?Drinks prices are about average for London (single mixers from £6, beers £5.50), so if you fancy a big one then make sure you’ve got a wallet full of notes. Finally: what happens to the coats left in the cloakroom?They’re

In a nutshell…Fondly referred to as ‘The Egg’, this is the last club still flying the flag for proper raving in the once glorious King’s Cross hub. Where is it?Jump off the tube at King’s Cross, get your march on down York Way for about 10 minutes and you’re there. Failing that, an Uber will get you there in a couple of minutes if you’re not up for the walk. What’s the vibe?House, tech house, techno, deep tech, deep house and everything in between delivered by all the big hitters from across Europe and the rest of the world; from chart-botherers like Tough Love to underground techno heroes like Julian Jeweil. You’ll find the crowd is a mixture of students, Londoners and tourists (mainly Italian). Also it’s one of the few clubs in the area that has a 24-hour licence, so it’s often the last stop-off for those on an all-nighter. What makes it a great venue?A couple of refurbs over the last few years have left Egg with a killer sound system in every room, a superb garden area and outside terrace for day raving in the summertime. In fact, they remove and replace the outdoor roof according to seasons. It’s been around for 13 years now, which means every part of the club operates in a professional manner and they’re always making improvements; for instance, a new mezzanine level has been added to the main room in the club’s latest overhaul. What’s the booze situation? Drinks prices are about average for London (single mixers from £6, beers £5.50), so if you fancy a big one then make

Parklife festival has been running here in Manchester since 2010, growing in stature and reputation year on year. Like most gatherings of its size, Parklife is always a colourful affair attracting a diverse mix of music lovers and party people from across the north of the UK and the rest of the country with guests over the last few years including Disclosure, David Rodigan, Wu-Tang Clan, Grace Jones, Snoop, Plan B, Kelis and countless more.  With Ice Cube, The Chemical Brothers, Years & Years, Stormzy, Soul II Soul and lots more announced for this year's festival, here's a look back at some of the best pics from the 2015 edition. 'Ave it!Recommended: Parklife festival guide

Green space, live music, authentic restaurants: south London has it all. Now that the weather is getting brighter, why not have a stroll around Stockwell and soak up all that the area has to offer? We asked local Wesley Evans, manager of The Great Weekender tour guide service, to share what he thinks are the best bits.  1. Max Roach Park ‘Named after the African-American jazz drummer Max Roach, this little green area is a great place to chill. You’ll also find the ruins of Brixton Castle here.’ Villa Rd, SW9 7ND. 2. Brixton Jamm View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brixton Jamm (@brixtonjamm) ‘A proper grassroots venue that has maintained a high standard of bookings and curation for well over a decade now. Everything from UKG to disco is pumped through an excellent sound system.’261 Brixton Rd, SW9 6LH. 3. Little Portugal View this post on Instagram A post shared by O Cantinho de Portugal (@cant.inhodeportugal) ‘On Stockwell Road, you’ll find several authentic Portuguese establishments, like O Cantinho de Portugal. And there are more Portuguese businesses close by.’Stockwell Rd, SW9.  4. Stockwell Skatepark ‘A subversive cultural space that has been kept intact by developers, while the surrounding area has been transformed. The skate park is busy every day of the week.’Stockwell Rd, SW9 0XZ. 5. O2 Academy Brixton View this post on Instagram A post shared by O2 Academy

Did you know that London is full of legal graffiti spots? These designated spaces, which are referred to as ‘halls of fame’, are outdoor galleries that give writers the opportunity to produce more detailed pieces than they would typically be able to in more illicit locations. In Stockwell, just a short walk from Brixton’s high street, is a hall of fame managed by Boyd Hill, a graffiti writer known as Solo One. Hill took on the caretaking role around ten years ago. ‘I’d finish my piece [there], and then pick up the litter and stuff,’ he explains. But when housing association Network Homes took over the site, the hall of fame came under threat. Hill lobbied for the space, convincing developers of its cultural value. In the end, Network Homes invested £1million in the makeover. ‘I’ve never come into a situation where a housing authority is actually quite open,’ Hill says. ‘Usually you’re either fighting against residents or people in positions of power who are overwhelming you.’ It’s a rare case of gentrification embracing existing culture and working with residents to maintain local harmony. At Stockwell you’ll find a variety of graffiti styles, from complex letter-based pieces, to unified ‘productions’ (where several artists work together to use the same colour scheme and background). Graffiti writers paint there all through the week. At weekends, you might find 15 or 20 in action at one time. Hill’s commitment to his hall of fame involves regular deep cleans, liaising with th

Selected by local artist Rebecca Campbell. 1. Battersea Arts Centre ‘Located inside the ornate Victorian town hall, Battersea Arts Centre hosts a variety of shows and performances for visitors of all ages. It has a fascinating history too, most recently experiencing a devastating fire in 2015 and reopening in 2018. A key creative hub in the area.’ Lavender Hill, SW11 5TN. 2. Orit ‘Located right opposite Sugarcane, this traditional Ethiopian restaurant is popular with the local Ethiopian community, and first timers. Serving very affordable platters (known as gebetas) in a cosy, friendly environment, it’s one of those places you could easily pass by without thinking about going in. But once you’ve tried it, you’re certain to be a return customer.’ 388 Wandsworth Rd, SW8 4TN. 3. Delicias UK ‘A Brazilian-Portuguese delicatessen that stocks a wide range of mouthwatering products from the Iberian peninsula and its South American cousins. Food for the pantry, the kitchen and a café, with the most delicious pastel de natas this side of Sintra.’ 280 Wandsworth Rd, SW8 2JR. 4. 401 ½ Studios ‘Might be a little biased here as this is where I’m based, but 401 ½ Studios is a quaint cultural hub, tucked away just off Wandsworth Road. Home to a wide range of artists, the converted Victorian warehouse celebrated its fiftieth anniversary last year and hosts open days and gallery shows a few times each year.’ 401 Wandsworth Rd, SW8 2JP. 5. Room 43 ‘This is a lovely spot that not only serves up

Opening a restaurant five months into a global pandemic would give most business advisors a coronary, but Caribbean eatery Sugarcane London on Wandsworth Road has not only survived, but thrived. More impressive still is that the owner and head chef Tarell Mcintosh (known as Chef Tee) did most of the building work himself. ‘Sugarcane is my home,’ he explains. ‘So much of it was made by me.’ Even the signage was hand-painted by him. The pictures on the walls are in frames from his degree certificates. Sugarcane London represents its community. Chef Tee grew up in care, and so do a lot of his staff. He discovered his love for the restaurant business when he worked at a café at 17. He was inspired and progressed to Michelin star restaurants. ‘At each place I was just taking a little bit of knowledge – reservations management, ordering and things like that,’ he says. ‘Eventually, I said: I want to do it myself.’ At the age of 20 he set up Sugarcane in his home.Though it didn’t last, it planted a seed. Six years later, he walked past what is now Sugarcane London and the story proper began. It’s been a rocky 18 months since then, with a break-in that left Tee thousands of pounds out of pocket. A series of typically candid posts on Instagram sparked a wave of support, with a GoFundMe appeal that raised more than £10,000. Sugarcane London is Tee’s home from home, and its unpretentious atmosphere is at its core. The restaurant is now visited by the likes of Jay Rayner and Tom Kerridge.

The greengrocer that puts your local supermarket to shame. The bookshop with the owner who talks your ear off. The record shop where no request is too niche. London’s independent shops make the city what it is – and right now, they need support. Hawkeye Records in Harlesden (above) is a prime example of how shops support and sustain local communities. Harlesden and the surrounding areas were once a hub for Black music, with the mighty Trojan Records, Planetone recording studio and Jet Star Records located there. Now, Hawkeye and Starlight Records across the road are the only two record shops left. Local reggae artist Bobby Davis (pictured) is a regular at Hawkeye. He’s been a customer for decades and still pops in at least once a week. Davis was a member of The Sensations, a vocal harmony group that played with a host of reggae legends in the ’70s and ’80s. ‘Hawkeye [co-owner Roy Forbes Allen] played football with us and that’s how I got to know him and started going to the shop,’ he says. Gerry Anderson, the straight-talking other co-owner, who works behind the counter, is regarded as a reggae guru, using his connections to track down hard-to-find records for his loyal customers. ‘When it comes to reggae music, Gerry knows a lot. I can go to him and say: “Gerry, I need this particular single” and he will get it,’ says Davis. The shop was once a meeting place for the reggae community, with famous faces passing through. ‘People like [reggae producer] Bunny Lee would come in. E

Father of two Marvyn Harrison is one of many Black dads in London who’s proudly and publicly challenging outdated stereotypes. In 2018, he set up a WhatsApp group with other Black fathers in the city to share their experiences. That was the start of Dope Black Dads, a support group and podcast that works to change the narrative around Black fathers and cultivate a progressive, supportive community. It started on Father’s Day 2018. My daughter was six months old, she’s my second child. II couldn’t connect with her for whatever reason. It started to affect my mental health. I’m a proud person and I had to accept that it wasn’t possible to do something through willpower alone. I knew I wanted to talk to somebody, a way to share experiences. I started a WhatsApp group with other dads I knew and respected and said: ‘I’m so proud of you guys. When I get stuck I think about you guys being highly functioning Black men and fathers’. Ironically, everyone felt the same way I did. We were all keeping each other going without ever having to say anything. One day, we were discussing suicide in the group, and four people who I’d known for ages said: ‘I’ve considered it, I still think about it.’ I remember crying in the middle of Holborn, and feeling overwhelmed. I thought: I want this as a podcast, because then we can talk about it rather than type it out. It’s become a powerful resource. There was one guy who’d moved to a different country, away from his ex and their child. He needed assis

The most iconic NHC scenes can be seen as the parade winds its way along Chepstow Road, then on to Westbourne Grove and Ladbroke Grove. But did you know you can still join in? Here’s how... Choose your float Mas bands like Arawak, Flagz Mas and Cocoyea are still accepting registrations so move fast and get ready for an all-day calypso boogie. Costume or T-shirt? Most floats offer a range of packages: ornate costumes (think feathers and sequins – and lots of them) for those who can handle it, or branded T-shirts for those who want to represent on a more subtle tip. (Prices start at £70.) Check yourself Floats and mas bands are under the watchful eyes of a judging panel, so try not to go too sloshed and scupper their chances. Read Time Out’s full Notting Hill Carnival guide

An international traveller and selector, Behrouz is a veteran DJ who is often aligned with the sounds that emanate from the desert at Burning Man. Of course, he is a lot more diverse than that, bringing an assured vibe to every party he plays, making sure the crowd are kept happy and lively while also delivering his own musical vision. In a few days he will be spinning here in Switzerland at the legendary Hive Club, more info here. Ahead of his gig we spoke to man himself about his summer, his experience of playing in Switzerland and, of course, Burning Man... Firstly, summer is over now, how was it for you? Any highlights? Any low moments at all? It was an amazing summer for me. There are always challenges in this world, nothing is easy and you can always learn.  It went by so fast.  This summer I decided to get my own place and stay in Ibiza all summer and invite my family to Ibiza, without them I am nothing. My week started on Thursday for my own residency at Heart which was wonderful, with so many great DJs as my guests for 17 weeks, so you can imagine you get tired. It was our first year and almost every week would start on Thursday and then I would leave Friday, Saturday, Sunday, sometimes even Monday and Tuesday touring around Europe and I would get back to my place in Ibiza and start the week again. The highlight, every gig was special and I met so many wonderful people.The low moments were caused by Vueling Airlines with flight delays and cancellations almost every w

It’s not surprising in London’s current nightlife climate, in which councils are imposing increasingly strict licensing restrictions, that the capital is experiencing a boom in off-grid illegal parties. To find out more, we talked to three (anonymised) London promoters to find out how property prices and bad vibes in clubs are creating a new summer of love. Only with friendlier police this time around... Promoter #1: ‘Ferdy’ ‘Ferdy’ has been running parties since the late ’80s. He runs events almost every weekend, geared towards a more mature, open-minded crowd, commonly held in forests and empty buildings. Why do you think there’s been more attention on the illegal rave scene over the last year or so?‘I think the crowd that goes to these parties has changed. Clubs have been getting stretched or simply closing down. Because of security in venues and the red tape they have to jump through, licensed venues aren’t nice places to be. That’s why our scene is becoming mainstream. People have been having fun in the woods for thousands of years. People want to go out, let their hair down and forget about their problems for a few hours.’ How do you go about finding suitable locations for outdoor events?‘We have regular spots, but we can’t use them all the time because we’ll be seen to be taking the piss. If we continually do parties in one place then the police would be forced to do something. Half the time, though, because we’re considerate, they don’t really care. They can see we’r

According to a recent study Swiss drug users consume five tonnes of cocaine every year. The shock figure was one of several key findings in a study by independent organisation Addiction Suisse. It was also found that cocaine is the most popular drug in Switzerland, making up around four fifths of the total market. "With the exception of cannabis, the market for cocaine is bigger than that of all other drugs combined," said Franck Zobel, deputy director of Addiction Suisse.  That lucrative market is thought to be worth 47–57 million francs a year in the canton of Vaud with profits for distributors and dealers estimated at 28–39 million francs a year.  The study was based on an examination of the size and nature of the cocaine trade in Vaud, which is considered to be a microcosm of Switzerland as a whole with its urban centre and rural areas.  "Cocaine isn't expensive. A line, whether it's 0.1 or 0.2 grams, comes in at about 15 to 20 Swiss francs, or about the same as a cinema ticket," Zobel said.   Using the results from Vaud and applying them to the rest of Switzerland as a whole, the experts behind the study estimated 13.7 kilograms of cocaine is consumed in Switzerland every day. That is around five tonnes per year, the equivalent of a large Asian elephant. The results of this study are based on tests conducted on wastewater in Vaud, which was analysed for the presence of benzoylecgonine, which is excreted in the urine of cocaine users. This information was combined with an

Swiss homeboy Andrea Oliva has become a global star thanks to his hard work and natural talent, bringing his own unique twist to the house and techno world. His music is dark, seductive and funky, with releases on labels such as Circus and Hot Creations, among many others, helping to establish Andrea as a formidable producer. As a DJ, he has criss-crossed the globe, spending a lot of time in Ibiza during the summer season, reppin' for the ANTS crew at Ushuaïa and other key venues on the island, as well as touring around Europe and the US on a regular basis. This month he's appearing at Basel's highly influential Nordstern club on 31st July, and their boat party the earlier in the day plus he's back again on 11th August for one of the world's most popular party outfits, Elrow at Zurich Street Parade. We spoke to Andrea ahead of his return to the homeland, beginning with what's been going on in Ibiza...  Tell us about your Ibiza season so far... Any highlights? Any surprises?Even after all these years I am always surprised at how beautiful and magical Ibiza is! I’m just enjoying being back on the island again. Have you had a chance to check out other DJs in action while you’ve been over on the island? If so, is there anyone who’s impressed you this season?To be honest the season is still young and I’ve not had chance to get around that much. I’ve already had some crazy gigs myself at Ushuaïa and DC10 though. How has the island changed since the first time you ever visited?There

Residents of Zurich and Geneva will probably already be aware of this but a new survey has revealed that the two Swiss cities are the most expensive in the world. Swiss banking corporation UBS conducted their “Cost of living in cities around the world” based its calculations on a selection basket featuring 128 goods and services representing the spending habits of a three-person European family – with separate sets of data including and excluding rent, the single largest cost for most people.  The survey shows that the two Swiss cities came ahead of New York, Oslo and Copenhagen, three cities which are famed for their extremely high costs of living. “The biggest difference can be found in services, such as haircuts, an hour of household help, dry cleaning, language classes etc., where Zurich is 20% pricier on average than Geneva. The second-largest difference is in electronic devices like smartphones, televisions and notebooks,” the survey revealed.  Discover 26 Cheap Things To Do In Zurich Here Besides consumer goods, Zurich nabbed top spot for the “Most expensive Saturday night”, ahead of Stockholm and Miami. “At around $27 for a club entry, $35 for a couple of drinks and the most expensive cab rides around, your night will lighten your wallet by nearly $100 for you alone,” according to the survey's findings. And it doesn't stop there, items such as jeans, a Netflix subscription and a cup of coffee are all more expensive in Zurich than other cities around the world. Even a