Barbican Centre

Neon Neon, the band of Super Furry Animals’ singer Gruff Rhys, LA-based producer Boom Bip and National Theatre Wales have created a biographical show entitled Praxis Makes Perfect, based on and inspired by the remarkable life and times of left wing activist and publisher, Giangiacomo Feltrinelli. The show, which will also have a life as a concept album of the same title, brings live music, a cast of actors, set design, lighting, projections and plenty of unpredictable moments together to tell this amazing story in what promises to be a memorable live event. The Praxis Makes Perfect show received its premiere in Cardiff earlier this month before arriving in Village Underground in London in June.

Suitable for

Admission

£20

Instantly recognisable for his mesmerising voice which has drawn comparisons to Jeff Buckley and Janis Joplin, and widely acclaimed on the continent for the number one hit ‘One Day/Reckoning Song (Wankelmut Rmx)’, Israeli singer-songwriter Asaf Avidan stops in London on his European tour for an exclusive performance at the Union Chapel. His heartfelt lyrics blended with raw folk, blues and rock sounds have captured the hearts of a fervent audience, with a long list of admirers which includes the likes of Ben Harper and Robert Plant – both of whom he has shared the stage with.

Suitable for

When

7:30-9:30pm

Admission

£23

In a much anticipated UK premiere, The Gloaming collective carves new paths connecting the rich Irish folk tradition and the New York contemporary music scene. From haunting sean-nós songs to raucous folk explosions, they make music that is both ancient and utterly new. The super-group came together at Grouse Lodge Studios in West Meath in early 2011 and features New York pianist Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman), Chicago guitarist Dennis Cahill, fiddle master Martin Hayes, hardanger innovator Caoimhin Ó Raghallaigh and Irish singer Iarla Ó Lionaird – well known for his contribution to the legendary Afro Celt Sound System and arguably one of the finest singers of his generation.

Suitable for

When

From 7:30pm

Admission

£20 (unreserved seating)

The Rose Lipman Building, 43 De Beauvoir Road, N1 5SQ
22 June – 14 July 2013 (42 performances)
Press performances: Thu 27 Jun, 11am and 5.30pm

For the first time since 2005, Theatre-Rites creates a site-specific show in the UK. Bank On It receives its world premiere at the Rose Lipman Building in De Beauvoir Town, London N1.

Bank On It is an interactive, promenade show for children where the audience is invited to explore a bank’s secrets. Guided by actors, puppeteers and some unexpected characters, they’ll encounter an irresistible realm inspired by fairy tales and folklore. But once inside they’ll soon discover that something’s not quite right in this kingdom of money.

Suitable for

Admission

£12 (tickets same price for adults and children)

Corner of Leytonstone Library, 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone, E11 1HG
Press performances: Thu 4 Jul, 7pm and 9pm

The Paper Architect, by Davy & Kristin McGuire, receives its world premiere in Leytonstone in July. Written by Tom Wainwright and co-produced with Create London, The Paper Architect tells the tale of a lonely man who longs for a life he never lived. Secluded in his workshop, he builds intricate models that become vessels for his eccentric dreams and melancholic memories.

Winners of this year’s Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust (OSBTT) Award, Davy & Kristin McGuire are multi-disciplinary artists who create innovative works that blend animation, projection mapping (a technique that allows video to be projected on to irregularly shaped objects), film and papercraft.

Suitable for

Admission

£14

On 13 July Dalston’s hippest square will host a packed day of live music and dance workshops. For all ages and abilities, this annual event unites some of east London’s finest talent to create a carnival spirit and giving audiences the chance to relax and soak up the summer atmosphere.

This year’s event features music from Shangaan Electro and an open air screening of the internationally acclaimed, non-narrative documentary Baraka ( US 1992 Dir Ron Fricke 96 Min) which reaches beyond language, nationality, religion and politics to provide a kaleidoscopic series of breathtakingly photographed human scenes shot in 25 countries and across six continents.

Suitable for

Admission

Free

This year’s festival, produced by Shoreditch Trust, takes place in the buzzing heart of Hoxton Street, with the Barbican animating Sunday’s festivities with a mix of live music, theatre and dance and family-friendly events celebrating the creativity of east London.

Suitable for

Admission

Free

Cutting-edge producers and promoters of 21st century Brazilian sounds, Mais Um Discos, in association with the Barbican present three exciting new artists from Brazil at Village Underground in London’s East end in July. The line-up for this summer night of ‘New sounds of Brazil’ features turbo-charged tropical tecnobrega dance music from the queen of the Amazonian dancehall Gaby Amarantos in her debut European show
adventurous, modernist Brazilian singer-songwriter Lucas Santtana who mixes Brazilian rhythms with dub, afrobeat, hip-hop and beyond, and 6-piece band Graveola, who bring their quirky mix of styles borrowing from the folk, rock, funk and blues songbook but with more than a nod to the fuzzy and freaky Tropicalia movement of 70s Brazil. Plus DJ Mais Um Gringo.

Suitable for

Admission

£15