A+ A A-

Hats-off to Micky P: Portobello Live 3rd/4th May

Reflecting on the Portobello Live Festival - by John Roseveare

 I woke up in my own bed on May 4th, in the middle of a new two day music festival, and reflected: there was no gauzy smell of tent; I was neither too cold, too wet, nor too hot; my wristband had cost £10 instead of £150; no long car queue lay waiting to pounce on my weekend sensibilities; there was no over-priced food in sight, no long journey home, no mud, and no overflowing toilet. 

Portobello Live is the brain-child of local promoter Micky P. With over 80 bands, a bunch of literary authors, DJ’s and cabaret artists in 9 venues in and around the Portobello Road for a tenner, he has managed to create an urban festival that felt as if it had been there for ever.

As oblivious to the traffic streaming across the Westway above our heads as the drivers were to us below, the opening line up in the roughshod Acklam Village venue on Sunday offered a stomping soul set from local girl Alexia Coley - my personal highlight – followed by the promise of different kind of soulic journey, in which drummers drummed and our phones were somehow planting trees in Highgate woods. I was confused, but probably just wearing the wrong kind of soul. In the Book and Kitchen I got wedged behind a pillar as the place was so full, but caught at ‘S’ Neal Brown’s reverse alphabet satire of visual art nonsense speak, much of which seemed to focus on orifices of one kind or another. On Monday night our very own Delphi Newman tore down the house at the Mau Mau bar. We beamed with pride. 

What made me so happy I wondered? Art, heart, and endeavour. Of course. But vitally, I had arrived at the Festival via a 5 minute bus ride, and can’t have been alone in a heart gladdened at the sight of so many eccentrics, hairys, self-defining slap-heads, high-hatted, side-hatted, cravated, socially and variously housed, middle aged, young, old, and congenially wasted OUT IN FULL FORCE, cocking a snoop at the monocultural money-weather that has rained on Notting Hill these past years. Pause to reflect too, that when the space under the Westway was given over to a Trust in 1971 to appease locals who weren’t convinced the A40 needed to be raised over their heads like a scalextrics track - in the process creating, at 23 acres, the largest community land holding Trust in the country - common sense happened. It doesn’t always. 

So hats-off to Micky P, who never takes off his own. Come to think of it, has anyone seen the top of his head? 

Images courtesy of Patrizia Tagliatti,  Paul Winstone and Ray Jones

More News

Prev Next

Hits:12125

Two meetings, one voice

Two meeting…

You had to be there. North and south of the boro...

Read more

Hits:34276

New Site

New Site

We're back ;)   Read more: New Site...

Read more

Hits:12705

Corbyn Won Kensington Nomination

Corbyn Won …

On July 21st Jeremy Corbyn overwhelmingly won th...

Read more

Hits:13293

Hats-off to Micky P: Portobello Live 3rd/4th May

Hats-off to…

Reflecting on the Portobello Live Festival - by ...

Read more

Hits:16079

Portobello community stands up against plans to turn iconic area into bland shopping centre

Portobello

Hundreds of protestors, including children and p...

Read more

Hits:14168

Leon Löwentraut at the The Muse Gallery

Leon Löwent…

Never too early to become a full fledged artist ...

Read more

More News 2

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
Prev Next

Hits:15189

Greferendum: an anthology

Greferendum…

Thinking of Greece. ...

Read more

Hits:12709

Pink Cigar video release

Pink Cigar …

 Local down’n’dirty rock’n’roll outfit Pink Ciga...

Read more

Hits:16858

Gaz’s Rockin Blues 35th Anniversary Spectacular

Gaz’s Rocki…

Gaz’s Rockin Blues 35th Anniversary Spectacular ...

Read more

Hits:13828

Interactive Video Art at The Dissenters Gallery Catacombs

Interactive…

On Saturday 4 July, 11-5pm, a chance to see the ...

Read more

Hits:13108

"Exposed" a Solo Show by Louis-Nicholas Darbon

"Expos…

 Coming up Thursday- June 4th -  at the Graffik ...

Read more

Hits:13501

Mock The Opera Protest @ Holland Park

Mock The Op…

A protest is taking place tomorrow at the Hollan...

Read more

Hits:13971

Where next for Labour?

Where next …

 Labour’s defeat in the UK general election on M...

Read more

Hits:13306

Artists For Nepal – local benefit gig for Nepal

Artists For…

 Thursday May 21st at the Elgin with music, film...

Read more

Hits:13513

RED ALERT by Maximilian Wiedemann

RED ALERT b…

West Bank last exhibition at the current buildin...

Read more

LOCAL

Prev Next

Hits:12125

Two meetings, one voice

Two meeting…

You had to be there. North and south of the boro...

Read more

Hits:12705

Corbyn Won Kensington Nomination

Corbyn Won …

On July 21st Jeremy Corbyn overwhelmingly won th...

Read more

Hits:16079

Portobello community stands up against plans to turn iconic area into bland shopping centre

Portobello …

Hundreds of protestors, including children and p...

Read more

Hits:13501

Mock The Opera Protest @ Holland Park

Mock The Op…

A protest is taking place tomorrow at the Hollan...

Read more

Hits:11792

Here's my proposal. What’s yours?

Here's my p…

  Local resident Tristan Hazell has plans for t...

Read more

Hits:11983

Cheer up! A new and more expensive supermarket opened up on the Portobello Rd

Cheer up! A…

Same, same, same...  ...

Read more

Hits:14702

Westway Trust releases statement of intent on the Portobello Village proposal

Westway Tru…

Following the strength of feeling against the cu...

Read more

Hits:16015

Westway Trust (WT) unveils Portobello Village

Westway Tru…

The debate has started over the redevelopment of...

Read more

Hits:12862

Sir Malcolm in the Middle

Sir Malcolm…

 Kensington MP Sir Malcolm Rifkind has been susp...

Read more

Hits:12591

'SHAMBOLIC' -  RBKC confuses 'want' with 'need'

'SHAMBOLIC…

Following our short article by Tristan Hazel on ...

Read more

ARTS

Prev Next

Hits:14168

Leon Löwentraut at the The Muse Gallery

Leon Löwent…

Never too early to become a full fledged artist ...

Read more

Hits:13828

Interactive Video Art at The Dissenters Gallery Catacombs

Interactive…

On Saturday 4 July, 11-5pm, a chance to see the ...

Read more

Hits:13108

"Exposed" a Solo Show by Louis-Nicholas Darbon

"Expos…

 Coming up Thursday- June 4th -  at the Graffik ...

Read more

Hits:13306

Artists For Nepal – local benefit gig for Nepal

Artists For…

 Thursday May 21st at the Elgin with music, film...

Read more

Hits:13513

RED ALERT by Maximilian Wiedemann

RED ALERT b…

West Bank last exhibition at the current buildin...

Read more

Hits:13715

A solo show of fresh works by Tim Fowler

A solo show…

  Coming up on April 2nd at the WestBank Galler...

Read more

Hits:19847

Darren Berry’s "The Crocodile of Old Kang Pow"

Darren Berr…

No crocodile tears here  - An unfinished opera p...

Read more

Hits:15768

PORTOBELLO LIVE 


PORTOBELLO

A much needed music, arts and performance festiv...

Read more

Hits:11936

Photographic Exhibition by Nadia Nervo at The Muse

Photographi…

A single fleeting moment by nadia nervo. ...

Read more

Hits:13882

"Sex. Pop. Vandal." A Solo Exhibition by Ben Allen

"Sex.

The London Westbank Gallery presents a fresh bod...

Read more

Local Events Calendar

<<  <  June 2021  >  >>
 Mo  Tu  We  Th  Fr  Sa  Su 
 
    

Upcoming Events

Fb

writers pic2

We're looking for writers! Join in! (scroll down the article)

Rants

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7

I don't do …

I don't do rants. But,

...it's a rant! ...

Read more

Last Night …

Last Night I Dreamt...

"I could see the body of Kim Kardashian..." ...

Read more

Portobello …

Portobello drinkers 'harassed' by children

  From our sports correspondent Dave 'the ...

Read more

Everyone’s …

Everyone’s a F*****g DJ

by Kensal Scream  At long last! Another salvo f...

Read more

Lap dogs …

Lap dogs & devil dogs - the final solution

By Kensal Scream Time for another rant by the K...

Read more

Trains and …

Trains and  lycra pants

 By Kensal Scream That Really Grinds my Gears i...

Read more

An e-mail f…

An e-mail from Billy Connolly?

We can not be sure that  it’s his but it co...

Read more

Reader's Choice

Hits:74343

The Colon Diaries by Steve Graham (all)

The Colon D…

  By Steve Graham Following several requests, ...

Read more

Your Experience

review and preview

Login or Sign Up