END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL & ROUGH TRADE SHOPS CURATE ...

This Sunday 17th July, End of the Road Festival & Rough Trade Shops are curating the bandstand for the annual 'Swap & Share' picnic at Arnold Circus in Shoreditch.
So, if you're in London and at a loose end - bring a picnic to share, something to swap & a love story to tell!

The picnic has always been very much a community event bringing together local families with the more recent inhabitants of Shoreditch. People make and bring food to share. There are free activities for all ages - artists's portraits, paper hat making, dancing, cycle racing, a miniature clay picnic, musical cherry stone spitting, a pop-up exhibition of children's illustrated poems, a table top museum, Thaumatropes, ping pong and a Playmobil trading stand...

Swap & Share at Arnold Circus from Jasper Morrison Shop on Vimeo.

The band stand will run from 12.30 - 6pm and features...Loud Like A Lion, Laura Hocking, The Head & The Heart, Oh Ruin and Danny & The Champions of the World.

Here's a little taster of what you can expect to hear on the day from The Head & The Heart...


The day is organised by The Friends Of Arnold Circus, a registered charity formed in London’s Shoreditch in spring 2004 through local voluntary action. The historic bandstand and gardens at the heart of Arnold Circus had fallen into disrepair and were widely seen as dirty and threatening. A small group of local people set about to rescue this unique part of the East End’s heritage, and to re-establish it as a resource for all. By spring 2006, membership had risen to 450 and our events – from brass band concerts to an annual Carrom championship – were attracting over 300 people to each. In 2011, membership had risen to 550, and the Friends had taken over management of part of the site from the Council.

It really is a lovely space and worthwhile charity, so get down there on Sunday and support the cause.



This lovely Cut Out Map is by Liv Bargman

The Head & The Heart In-store and Signing At Rough Trade West

Heavenly signing, The Head and the Heart will be spending July in the UK and there are plenty of chances to catch them live, but tickets will go fast so get yours now. All tour dates can be found here.

Rough Trade West will be hosting a FREE acoustic in-store gig on Monday 18th July so get down there before their plugged in gig at Bush Hall later on in the evening.

The Head and The Heart debut album is a favourite in the RT shops and comes highly recommended by Rough Trade West's Director/Manager Nigel House, who says it's his Album Of The Year so far. Nigel found it extremely difficult to choose one track for his appearance on Domino Radio a few weeks back because every track is so damn good!

Check out their video to Lost In My Mind and be sure to catch them live at a gig near you this month...

Beware Of The God

If you're in Hoxton Square any time between now and 10th August go and check out the new Neal Fox exhibition 'Beware Of The God'.

Fox’s drawings depict a phantasmagoric journey through the detritus and mythology of pop culture and takes many of the recurring subjects of his drawings and portrays them through the medium of the stained glass window. Fox has produced a set of twelve 2.5 metre high stained-glass windows; exhibited in a single room - an alternative church of alternative saints.

In these windows you will see Albert Hoffman take a psychedelic bicycle ride above the LSD molecule, J.G. Ballard dissecting the world, Johnny Cash wrangling his demons and more...

At Daniel Blau gallery, 51 Hoxton Square until 10th August 2011.

Neal Fox is also one of the founding members of Le Gun magazine. Another member of the Le Gun collective, Rob Greene aka Robert Rubbish will be exhibiting new artwork at Rough Trade East throughout September. More details of this will be announced very soon.

I'll Be Your Mirror

On the weekend of 23rd and 24th July 2011 at the stunning Alexandra Palace, London, All Tomorrow's Parties will present the first UK I'll Be Your Mirror event, which will be curated by the mercurial Portishead and ATP. Acting as sister events to the world famous ATP Festivals which usually take place in holiday resorts, and named after the b-side to The Velvet Underground's original All Tomorrow's Parties 7" single, I'll Be Your Mirror will be a new series of artist curated music, film and art events taking place in cities worldwide. In what promises to be an incredible two days of the best music, art and film in the Capital.

Portishead will headline both nights, with a different stunning support line-up joining them each day. Other acts include PJ Harvey, Factory Floor, Grinderman, Caribou, S.C.U.M., Swans and the newly reformed Company Flow.

More information and the festivals full line up can be found here.

Tickets are on sale now at Rough Trade East.

Wanna go for a curry with Joy Formidable?

Joy Formidable are coming in to play an in-store gig on Tuesday 12th July and are holding a raffle where the 10 lucky winners will get treated to a curry with the band after the show.

Here's a mention on NME

Laki Mera In-Store

Laki Mera are playing a lunchtime in-store for us at Rough Trade East on Wednesday 13th July at 1pm. Come and hear them play songs from their new album The Proximity Effect.

More Caught By The River News...

Get yourselves down to The Social on Tuesday 19th July for the book launch of On Nature. It'll be a bit of a warm up before the fantastic Port Eliot festival later on in the week.

Also, a CBTR shop can be temporarily found in the basement of Pedlars on Talbot Road until 23rd July. Go check it for all things fishing and nature!

On Nature - A Caught By The River Event

The poster tells you everything apart from, this is a night NOT to be missed. Click on the image to read the finer details.

Stay tuned for future Caught By The River events at Rough Trade coming soon!