We like the Domestic Sluttery blog. We like its attitude that cool stuff for the home isn’t just the preserve of yummy mummies and ladies who lunch. We like their obsession with cake and gin. We like the way they touch on all kinds of DIY knittin’ and bakin’ stuff without ever getting all hairshirty about it. And we like their tagline – ‘the home and lifestyle blog for women who have better things to do’. So we’re getting a wee bit excited about their first shopping event. Not just because there are goodie bags, free cake and cocktails, and a raffle. Not just because the venue, the rather smashing Something is chock-full of oh-I-want-that stuff. But mainly because the bloggers themselves will be there to help things along and we know how much they like a party. / Alison Ordnung

How do you celebrate the contribution of one of the most influential writers of our century? A writer who is not only respected by the literary world for his outstanding artistic poise, but also by those who fight injustice in today’s society and protect the right of liberty and freedom from abuse and torture. It’s a hard thing to do but a theatre production adapted by Dominic Cavendish, from the Daily Telegraph, has done just that. Along with a monologue version of Coming Up for Air, based on the middle-class anxieties during political and economic pressures, the show also has performance extracts from the most famous novel to have been written, Nineteen Eight-Four. The interrogation scene by the ‘Ministry of Truth’ may not compare to Abu Ghraib but his writing remains a true description of the abuse of power as when he wrote it and represents the relevance of the issues that we continue to face today. / Sophie Khan

Music and art, art and music – they go together like the proverbial horse and carriage. And this is a pretty heady mix. Portuguese street artist Vhils is a rising star – Londoners might have seen his work at Kevin Spacey’s recent Punchdrunk event, but he’s been churning out amazing work for a couple of years now. To celebrate his new show at the Lazarides gallery, he’s throwing a bit of a shindig at Bar Rumba, showcasing ‘the urban soundscape that gave rise to Vhil´s art’. So that means the likes of Riot (Buraka Som Sistema), DJ Ride (four-time national champion at Turntablism/Scratch) and DJ Glue (Da Weasel) – three of Portugal’s best-known tunesmiths spinning his fave tunes. Good stuff. / Pantha Dubois

It was Canada Day yesterday, the Molson has been drunk, the Kraft Dinner has been eaten and the maple syrup licked off naughty bits. But don’t put away your maple leaves too soon, why not continue celebrating the Great White North’s 142nd birthday (at le cool we like to educate as well as entertain) with Canadian scratch DJ extraordinaire Kid Koala. This is his first gig in London since 2007, where he stole the show from Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow. This time around he will be playing at The Garage in Highbury with DJ Cheeba and special guests. Known for his enigmatic style of turnbalism, Kid Koala uses an unusual collection of samples including people sneezing, reading menus in Cantonese, and the music from Charlie Brown. Should be a good show, remember your maple syrup, you might get lucky. / Lisa Botter

I don’t know too much about Russian Film. And nor does my mate Tris. Unless he has a hidden KGB FSB past. However, it was he who recommended I write about this event. And you know what? Tris does cool stuff. So it WILL be good. Imagine standing in the epic Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern, ten o’clock at night, watching urban Russian landscapes that include desolate housing estates, light shows illuminating tower blocks before being razed to the ground, and rival gangs battling it out in empty suburbia. All set to music by the sensational French composer Koudlam. Well, funnily enough you can! This is a chance to watch three films by the artist Cyprien Gaillard, exploring ‘utopian architecture, and the aftermath of its social and physical destruction’. Interesting? You like Russian Cinema? You like electronic music? You want to meet my mate Tris? Go for it. / Jake Jones

There’s nothing I like to hear more than that announcement on terrestrial TV channels when the continuity guy lowers his voice seriously and says ‘the following contains scenes of graphic sex and extremely bad language right from the outset’. It’s like a little guarantee of quality. Well you won’t be hearing that tonight at the Riverside. In fact you’d more likely hear ‘the following contains scenes of brutal quadratic equation solving and extremely long numbers’ becasue tonight is maths night. Wait, stop, don’t leave. I know I sound like your primary school maths teacher here (maths is actually really cool – look these problems contain references to pop-culture figures who you like) but both the films in this double bill are worth a look. Pi is a strangely paranoid black-and-white mystery tale where the figues of pi have caballistic and esoteric significances, while Fermat’s Room is an odd Spanish take on the whodunit, with four mathematicains locked in a country house to solve one of science’s greatest mysteries / Rob Valid

A potty-mouth lady rapper with a penchant for leopard print, doorknocker earrings, acrylic nails and crotch-tastic outfits? Oh Em Gee…Amanda Blank may represent everything I want to be in life. Hailing from Philly, you’ll probably have heard Blank cropping up on collabos with hip-hop hipsters Spank Rock, M.I.A and Santogold. With her hood-rat pleasing mix of b-more beats and raunchy rapping, she’s similar to fellow purveyor of female filth, Peaches, minus the hairy pits and you’ll want to wife her. Bringing up the rear (hehe ‘rear’) are DJ duo Delvin and Darko and man with his mug on many a remix Martelo, guaranteeing this evening to be a gloriously mashable night of dirty b-more, dubstep and dancehall offerings. DUN KNOW. / JFK

When I think of Albert I think of Albert Einstein, Prince Albert and Fat Albert. Pearl brings to mind Pearl Jam, Pearl Harbour and pearly kings and queens. Put them together though, and you have a fine Upper Street cocktail establishment, which is celebrating its first birthday this Friday. Music will be provided by DJ Huey of the Fun Loving Criminals on the decks, while punch from the finely crafted cocktail list will flow for free, and complimentary canapes from the British-inspired menu will circulate. Sport your finest frocks – “elegantly wasted like Pearl, or rakishly dapper like Albert” and come to play parlour games and meet convivial souls in this curious fusion of Victorian meets contemporary, East End meets N1. / Justin Toh

True story this one. I was working at an events company and a famous brand from the USA came over and said that they felt us Brits didn’t celebrate the 4th of July as much over here as they did in America. It didn’t go down so well when, as an eager junior, I pointed out it’s their Independence Day celebrations and as polite as we are on this isle, we tend not to celebrate the wars we lose. Cue plenty of embarrassment and I was ushered out of the room. If, however you don’t care about wars long ago and want to have a good time and get dressed up like an all-American hero, then you should go bowling at All Star Lanes. Bowling dressed as Marilyn or Elvis or more probably go like everyone else – Michael Jackson. They’ve also got the Guilty Pleasures DJs, a ‘who can eat the hottest chilli’ competition, bucking bronco and bourbon cocktails. Best dressed wins 100 bucks (money not goes on the horse). / Josh Jones

OK all other events this week can take a backseat. Florence and the Machine? Pschaw. The Virgins? Lightweights – this man walked on the moon my friends – on the moon. There’s lots to love about the 2009 London Literature Festival – Sarah Waters, Jake Arnott, Samuel Beckett monologues – but nothing quite thrills like the chance to see a real-life astronaut up close. Buzz Aldrin is in conversation with Andrew Smith whose Moondust book is perhaps the best look at the extraordinary lives led by those few men who have walked on the moon. He knows his stuff so hopefully there will be a few unheard stories for the moon landing junkies in the audience. / Rob Valid

Curious chap Gavin Bryars. here’s a modern classical composer who doesn’t have contemporary listeners reachin’ for the aspirin and ends up on the shortlists of things like the Mercury Prize. That’s because his work, though still appealing to those minimalistic theoreticians of the Radio 3 set, is still full of heart and life. Witness the haunting looping and machinations of a tramp singing me ‘Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet’ or the musical instructions for cheating at cards in ‘A Man In A Room, Gambling’, seemingly technical exercises that are full of wonder. For the London literature festival he’s putiing together new interpretations of Shakespeare’s sonnets with the help of guest composers like Antony Hegarty, Mira Calix and Natalie Merchant. Expect a beautiful interweaving of words and music – this is man who could’nt be boring if he tried. / Rob Valid

Fingers crossed, today we shall have picnic weather again. So instead of heading to the good ol’park or patch of grass you may have near you, why not take your outdoor eating gear to a, er, graveyard? Brilliantly kooky Mrs Coot is taking her following to the Kensal Green cemetery for a day of goth-spotting, underground catacomb tours and wandering around the site where Freddie Mercury was cremated and endless other notables are buried. Open day events at the place have been described as a mix of funeral-The Cure gig-village fete, and the organiser wants the outing to be something along those lines, so goth princes and princesses are welcome. The meeting point is the grassy bit (not the graves, shame!) around the Anglican Chapel and the whole thing starts at midday. / Angelica Mari

Did you know that Sweden is about to take over the presidency of the EU? Did you know that we are invited to celebrate with the Swedes? ‘Brilliant!’ I hear you shout. And so you should. For today, the Swedes are putting on a mega-party. Get yourself up to Hampstead Heath for an afternoon of free family fun. There’s going to be a lot of AMAZING music. And when I say AMAZING, I really mean AMAZING. There’s jazz guitarist John Etheridge, Shlomo (who was subject of a previous le cool), Miss Li (a super-hot Nordic popstress), and to top it off, THE Benny Andersson, and his band. Err…I told you it was AMAZING. This will all be coupled with a real focus on the green agenda, with eco-arts, story-telling, lovely food, and midsummer festivities. This, my friends sounds like one of the events of the summer. And it’s free. Jake Jones

Get your glowsticks ready and your hippy hat on, it’s time to enter the wonder that is the Whirl-y-gig Look forward to a night of mayhem and madness with a definite green vibe to i t- thinks whistles, stilt walking and glitter clad angels and you’ll get an idea of the free spirited up for it crowd. Always an extravaganza of joy, the Whirl-y-gigs’ latest venue is perfect for experiencing the famous fruit hour (slices of juicy melon and apple handed out free at midnight) and the music ranges from eclectic house to global beats. Enjoy amazing light shows and drink in the ‘commune’ vibe as people get pally as they sit in drum circles sharing cigarettes. The night culminates with everyone lying on the floor whilst a massive parachute is draped across them, and you get to experience a chill out show of lasers that will be like nothing you’ve experienced before. Always surreal but undeniably entertaining, once you’ve been to Whirly you always go back. / Zara Rabinowicz

There’s no shortage of clichés about they gay community, and not even queers themselves seem that bothered about arguing with them. Gay Shame then, a spectacular round of festivity, instigated by Duckie’s, every year on Gay Pride day, actually does debunk a few myths. That gay men are depoliticised – with a thought provoking theme each time (this year, we’re lampooning femininity) around which the performance and interactivity revolves; that gay women have no sense of humour – step forward the Lesbian Truckers (and Amy Lamé, of course, resplendent as ever) That drag queens don’t have beards; well hello there Timberlina! And most bafflingly, that burlesque performers should have great big tits. Oh…actually bearlesque, the all-male troupe probably do conform to that particular stereotype. / Naomi Attwood

There are hip hop nights and then there are hip hop nights like Boom!. The first lot see you either stabbed or staggering out, sobbing hysterically, ‘I knew it, hip hop is dead. And it’s all our fault; it must have choked on all that dough we crammed down its neck back in ’96. Come back hip hop, we miss you, we love you…’ But then nights like Boom! allow you to shrug off the guilt, snap out of it, and just…get…down. Good ol’ fashioned down and dirty; they make it all better again. DJ Yoda is one of those wonderful acts who just keep on keeping on, a sonic stalwart, a hero of the revolution who’s about as likely to sell out as Che. And, talk about yer old skool; it’s only an all-nighter. So when I say hip thou shalt not say hop; and we shall be all the better for it… / Vyvian Raoul

With their 20th birthday just around the corner and by all accounts the party to end all parties, this Saturday offers a perfect reminder of why two decades on Warp Records are still one of the most important British independent labels around. Featuring label alumni Plaid, Clark, Time Exile and Luke Vibert, Soundcrash’s well deserved tribute to the granddaddy of electronica should be one of the noisiest and most fun parties Koko will see this year. If one thing has kept Warp relevant it has been their reluctance to rest on their laurels, a policy which may have infuriated diehard fans in recent years but has also ensured that we’re still talking notice. Similarly tonight’s party is a celebration of the present rather than the past with both Clark and Tim Exile celebrating the release of new (rather excellent) albums tonight. Saying that the draw for many will still be Plaid, whose association with the label stretches right back to the Artificial Intelligence series and who will be playing their first full live show since headlining the Big Chill last Summer. / John Power

Floetry. Split?! What-when-why? They were the UK’s answer to Jill Scott and not because they were a crapper version of an American jazz soul star, but because they were British soultresses who were really really good, spun soulful melodies and used spoken word to great effect. Somehow (unless you watched MTV Base in the wee hours of the morn), they never really made it here, so that might explain the split, but it turns out that one half of said duo is branching out on her own, and tonight, The Jazz Café’s monthly soul showcase is letting Marsha Ambrosius launch solo material from her forthcoming, yet to be finished, album. This regular night supporting all things neo-soul, jazz, and hip hop is worth a venture anyway, but if you like the kind of vocalists who induce goosebumps whilst singing nu-jazz tones then head to Camden for an individual way to wind down your Sunday evening. / SJ

Well this is a curio. Ballboy are a cult arch-indie Scottish band with a nice line in cinematic balladry who got documentarist (is that a word?) Andy Kimpton-Nye to film them on and off stage at the Luminaire for songs, discussion and sweet sweet strings. The result is showing here, under the disarming title of ‘Trying Not to F**k it up’, as part of a double bill with the excellent Joy Division documentary (titled, with an Olympic-sized lack of guile, ‘Joy Division’). Quite how the charmingly ramshackle Scots are linked to Manchester’s Princes of Darkness is anyone’s guess, but two excellent rock documentaries for a measly four quid has got to be worth a punt. In case you’re still sitting on the fence, Ballboy’s Gordon Mcintyre will be playing a live acoustic set too. / Rob Valid

Sssshhhhhh…! Disco Bloodbath is back! But this is a le cool exclusive: the secret party will be hosted in a gorgeous warehouse starring a Parisian phenomemon: Pilooski. This amazing DJ has put out some of the biggest dancefloor torpedos of the last couple of years, adding some serious French discothèque flavour to his fruity edits and remixes including Elvis Presley, the Pointer Sisters, Frankie Valli (obvs), The The, King Creosote, Findlay Brown and LCD Soundsystem. As ever the star guest will be aided and abetted by the notorious Disco Bloodbath sound system – Damon Martin, Dan Beaumont & Ben Pistor – who’ll be supplying their (un)usual soundtrack of ecstatic disco, spaced-out italo, punchy proto house, sacrilegious re-edits, banging yacht rock, strung-out 80s pop noir and brand new tracks. See you on the dancefloor! / Tom Lalande

For all you suckers who missed Glasto-nbury (and don’t get me wrong here; I suck hard) and, what’s more, didn’t get off they slovenly ass in time for Blur’s Hyde Park tickets I suggest Florence and the Machine at Rough Trade as tonic. See, music is all about the moments, you must live it live; everything else is just a myspace masturbation session. Get up close and personal, take that mental musical picture, file it away in your sonic scrap book and cherish it. The best of these moments are free, impromptu and unplanned so while your so-called friends are still banging on about seeing La Roux queuing up to pay 18 quid for falafel in a Somerset swamp you’ll be one of the lucky few who first came and were first served for Florence’s in-store gig tonight. Hey, I had to go all the way to the East End, yeah? The queues were mad… / Vyvian Raoul

I always dreamed about drive-in cinemas, those icons of 50s/60s USA – me, Dean and Kerouac, picking up chicks at the diner, swinging by the drive-in in our Cadillac, before heading down the endless road. It would have been so cool. Passion Pit, are another member of the recent electro-indie invasion, this time a 5 piece from Massachusetts, named after a nickname for the drive-in. In between festivals, they’re part of a series of nights from 7th to 10th July, showcasing the latest cutting-edge music. Sort of a micro-evening fest…or…um a revue, at Vibe Bar. The Falsetto choruses, dreamy synths and melodic beats will please fans of MGMT, Animal Collective, Friendly Fires, Empire of the Sun. What better way to while away the summer nights, and you definitely won’t need wellies or a tent. / Simon Owen

White denim. Preserve of kids in the 80s (I had a pair. Well my mum bought me a pair, I wore them once), cowboys, girls who holiday in Benidorm, and fans of Jimmy Summerville. White Denim are a three-piece from Austin, Texas. While their Influences include garage rock, dub, soul, alternative rock, country, post-punk, blues, psychedelic rock, I could go on and on, but lets just call it progressive garage rock (Grog?) or garage post-rock (Grost?). Oh I give up. Best just to think of MC5, The Stooges, John Spencer Blues Explosion, Mars Volta and the White Stripes. If you like those you can’t go wrong. The venue is Heaven, but there’ll be no Kylie here, or White Denim, except those on stage. / Simon Owen

One of the best things about London is the avalanche of Fringe previews that hits us in July. Here you have all the best comedy at your doorstep and at your own pace without running low on laughter. Andrea Donovan’s one woman show is a clever observation and study on regret. Her numerous characters are brilliantly inspired and ridiculous at the same time. Regret Me Not is like a Kathy Lette book if it were comedy and could entertain us with so many different accents. The lovely Andrea transforms into her many characters with schizophrenic ease. Watch out for Audrey (I am honoured to share the name with her!) and Ms. Warner and my personal favourite -the Catar Bayoga sketch. If the Edinburgh Fringe is beyond your budget (have you seen those train fares?), I urge you grab the opportunity and watch top comedy without leaving home. / Audrey Khew

Dalston Square is one of those places where the new developer’s London is rising from the old. So what if you’re an artist who loves the vibrant old ‘hood and you get the gig as artist-in-residence on a wacking great Barrets construction site? That’s what happened to local artist Alex Blum, but she saw beyond the quandary and drew. “Being a construction artist is a bit like being a war artist and sent to the front line,” she says. Over 100 of her drawings chart the rise of concrete and cranes over the jumbly old Dalston. You can feel the vertigo as the scaffolding seems to bend in the wind around the frenetic high-altitude activity. A fantastic, exhilarating take on what’s happening over our cityscape. / Herbert Wright

This first London branch of Milan’s fine food purveyors combines all that’s good about traditional Italian baking and café culture with a modern in-out canteen style setting. I’d walked past here a few times, casting a contemptuous eye over the place, but as soon as I actually tried it – without forming a smart-arse opinion first – I was speechless. Just for a moment. Then, I proceeded to bore the pants of anyone that’s ever given me their phone number by rejoicing in Princi’s virtues. Thirty minutes before midnight may not be the most sensible time to neck two macchiato(i), a couple slices of pizza and then a strawberry pastry, but I thought I did pretty well stopping there. Everything is freshly baked on the premises, the coffee – of a very good quality for our generally lame coffee brewing city and the prices are fair enough considering that you’re bang in the middle of Soho. £1.50 for such an alluring little macchiato? I’ll bite your hand off for that anytime, son. / Eamon Downes

People like these fellas thoroughly deserve to prosper. The owner is a sincerely friendly host, there’s a first-rate selection of ales and scrumpy, a carefully selected list of international wines and the ethical, British menu is a thundering delight. The Compass is the recently acquired sister pub to Clerkenwell’s excellent The Green and it easily matches The Green’s extremely high standards. Sunday lunch is about as good as it gets, whether you prefer succulent slices of roast beef, with a healthy dollop of freshly prepared horseradish sauce, or the unforgettably fine Cornish fish stew – which also appears on the regular evening menu. My vanilla, earl grey and prune crème brulee would’ve have been considered perfect until my missus, who claims to be a brownie connoisseur, declared the brownie with clotted cream on a par with anywhere you care to mention. The bar snacks menu is affordable, without compromising on the style and taste: grilled crab on toast is only £2.50, and for £3.50 the ‘best Scotch egg in the world.’ / Eamon Downes