Bankside to Skyline

Quote of the Week - “Spread a mindset, not just a footprint.” - Robert I. Sutton

Good afternoon, London. We’re rolling from Bankside to skyline this week. Waterloo’s getting a fresh lift as cranes swing, Brick Lane turns the heat back on for three spicy days, and the Coliseum sets up a candlelit live score that’ll give you goosebumps. Over in South Kensington, Marie Antoinette’s power sparkles at the V&A, Norman Jay brings golden hour vibes to Ally Pally. And a sleek low‑rise is quietly remaking King’s Cross. Call this your nudge to dive into a week where power’s sharp, spice is hot, and the horizon keeps climbing. Enjoy this edition of The London Palette!

Snatched highlights from this edition:

1. Twilight Re-scored at The Coliseum

2. Google’s New HQ Redefining King’s Cross

3. Bank Holiday Good Times With Norman Jay

4. Live Music - Omar, Selina Albright & lots more!

Let’s dive in.

—Bybreen Samuels

COUNCIL CANVAS

Southbank Supercharge Yields Local Dividends

Lambeth Council is driving a place-first transformation at Waterloo and along the South Bank. Through a strategic partnership with Network Rail and Places for London, the council is unlocking a clearer, greener station experience with over 40 new or improved walking and cycling links. They’ll channel footfall to local high streets, venues and jobs while reducing congestion and emissions. Downriver, the council’s planning and delivery oversight at 72 Upper Ground will open 40% of the site as public realm. The site will also include two new squares, an affordable creative workspace and support for 4,000 jobs. Turning a limited use riverfront into a seven day district that works for residents and visitors. New wayfinding, step-free connections and safer junctions will make everyday journeys quicker and more accessible, especially for older residents and families.

All of this aligns squarely with Lambeth’s 10‑year Growth Plan. The vision is to have 10,000 new homes, 20,000 jobs across creative, life sciences and clean-tech, and £250m reinvested locally. The council’s intent is clear. It wants to tie major schemes to skills, affordability and high-quality neighbourhoods, so growth isn’t just built here, it’s owned here. Waterloo’s refresh is the keystone, connecting hospitals, theatres and cultural powerhouses to town centre economies through better wayfinding, safer streets and improved public space. All with active travel routes linking into Brixton, Vauxhall and the wider Thames Path.

The council is trying to strike a balance between having a global destination energy with local dividends. It has secured affordable workspace, community partnerships and new public routes at 72 Upper Ground. While the Growth Plan invests in talent pipelines including targeting a sharp reduction in residents without qualifications and training for 20,000 people. Delivery will be measured by visible public realm gains. Such as, cultural and small business tenancies, new trees and planting for climate resilience, and Section 106 funding flowing into borough improvements.

Strategically, Lambeth is moving from piecemeal regeneration to mission-led placemaking. In reality this means knitting a modernised Waterloo to a greener, more open South Bank while hard-wiring skills, affordability and cultural access. With clear public goals, disciplined delivery and transparent community benefits, this is not just a new skyline. It’s a broader share in the borough’s future.

CITY PALETTE

Marie Antoinette, Still Dressing Power

South Kensington is about to shimmer with scandal, sequins, and silk. The V&A’s upcoming blockbuster, Marie Antoinette: Style, opens on September 20, 2025. It promises 250 objects that trace how the most mythologised queen in fashion became a blueprint for celebrity image-making, from Versailles to the front row. You’ll find intimate relics like silk slippers and jewels alongside sky-high wigs, pastel gowns, and contemporary looks by Dior, Westwood, Erdem, Moschino and Valentino. Look out for film costumes that recharged the legend for a new generation.

The show explores how a teen Austrian princess engineered a persona that has echoed across 250 years of design, film, and pop culture. It dives into why that cocktail of glamour and catastrophe still intoxicates today. The V&A lays out the origin story and its endless revivals with immersive staging, four-part storytelling by curator Sarah Grant, and headline sponsors who know a thing or two about shoes as power statements. Essentially, this is fashion history through the lens of a cultural X-ray.

V&A members have special previews including morning shows on September 18 - 19, in Galleries 38 and 39. The exhibition runs until March 22, 2026, making this autumn and winter’s must-see show for anyone who cares how image, power, and desire are stitched together. Some of the loaned items will be seen for the first time outside France, so procrastination isn’t your friend.

While London debates what luxury means in 2025, this exhibition argues that style isn’t escapism, in fact it’s influence. From the infamous diamond necklace scandal to today’s quiet luxury backlash, Marie Antoinette’s afterlife shows how taste can topple reputations and shape markets. Step inside for the spectacle and leave with a sharper lens on how fashion builds legends and why we still can’t look away.

Book tickets here - https://www.vam.ac.uk

Twilight, Re‑Scored for Sighs at the Coliseum

File this event under the heading of unexpectedly irresistible. On September 13, the London Coliseum turns Forks, Washington into a grand candlelit opera of teenage longing as Twilight in Concert beams the full 2008 film onto a cinema-sized screen with a 12-piece band performing the score live. It’s billed as a two decade salute to the book that launched a phenomenon. This is a restaging of Bella and Edward’s first spark with the sweep and intimacy of a live soundtrack in a storied West End hall.

Don’t linger in the thought that his is cosplay. Think of it more as craft. The format of live to film means the dialogue and sound effects stay intact while the band takes over the music, syncing in real time. From Bella’s Lullaby to those breath-held, rain-soaked showdowns, so every motif lands in the gut rather than the speakers. The result is part concert, part cinema, part collective memory. You’ll be in a roomful of people quietly mouthing lines and then roaring at the cue they’ve been waiting for. The candlelights will do what good production design always does, sharpen the emotion.

The saga’s cultural footprint is still huge. $3.3 billion was generated at the global box office for the five films, over 160 million books sold in 49 languages. And, demand has pushed a UK tour expansion, with the Coliseum date added ahead of a 14-stop run into early 2026, including a London return at Eventim Apollo. Doors open at 7:30pm, and expect it to run for about 2.5 hours including a 20-minute interval. There’s enough time to text the group chat and argue Team Edward vs Team Jacob before the prom sequence hits.

The boom in London’s live to film events is less nostalgia than a re-edit of how we consume cult cinema, by turning solo streaming habits into shared ritual. Twilight in Concert leans into the romance of orchestration and the comfort of a story everyone already knows, then upgrades it with presence. If the music made the myth, this is the myth made music for only one night. And yes, you’ll hum Burwell on the way home.

Book tickets here - https://londoncoliseum.org

UNDISCOVERED GEMS

Carnival, Skyline, No Crush - Good Times at Ally Pally

Skip the shoulder to shoulder scramble and claim Bank Holiday Sunday with room to dance. On August 24, you roll with Norman Jay MBE as the famous Good Times soundsystem parks its iconic red Routemaster on Alexandra Palace’s open‑air Terrace, where the skyline is your backdrop and the vibe remains high.

Norman will take you on a musical cruise through house, rare groove, jazz, disco, hip‑hop and a splash of drum and bass. You’ll bask in sunshine rhythms and Carnival spirit rerouted to North London. The Terrace doubles as a mini‑market, so enjoy summer cocktails, street food including jerk everything, allowing you to remain in the groove.

Put your dancing shoes on, go cashless with a small bag, and arrive on time for that first bassline in full golden glow. Meet friends at the bus, circle around the bars and food stalls between sets and let Good Times live up to its name.

Expect surprise guest selectors from the Good Times family, classic dub sirens between blends, and a solid, sound system. Trains to Alexandra Palace and Wood Green feed frequent shuttle buses, with step‑free routes signposted along the way. Golden hour hits around 7.30pm which is perfect for that sing‑along rare groove closer.

Book tickets here - https://www.alexandrapalace.com

LONDON BUZZ

Brick Lane Comeback - Three Days, One Spice Capital

East London’s spice mecca is staging a comeback. From September 19–21, the Brick Lane Curry Festival returns after a nine year hiatus, uniting the street’s Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani restaurants for a free, three-day celebration. This is aimed squarely at reclaiming the title of the UK’s curry capital. The main highlight is Sunday, September 21 with street stalls, chef demonstrations, DJs, stilt walkers, magicians, live graffiti and workshops, spill from Hanbury Street to the Brick Lane Arch. Plus, if you pre-register you’ll receive a 20% discount at participating restaurants, all weekend..

You can expect more than buttery naans and smoky tandoors. Friday and Saturday warm-ups feature henna sessions, Bangla dance classes and Dress4theFest styling with local experts. Sunday opens with a processional parade from Buxton Street, followed by regional specials cooked kerbside by the very kitchens that built Brick Lane’s legend. It’s a love letter to Bangla Town’s culinary heritage and a platform for the new wave that’s broadening the palette beyond classic baltis to Sylheti, Kolkata, Karachi and beyond.

The timing lands perfectly. Think autumn evenings, neon signage reflecting off puddles, and that unmistakable lane aroma of char, cardamom and slow-simmered sauce. Now framed by chef show-and-tells and family street theatre from 12pm to 9pm each day. For first-timers, the nearest stops are Shoreditch High Street Overground, Aldgate East, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel. And, the route is easy to walk with bite and browse pacing built in.

Brick Lane’s curry houses offer dinner, the story of migration, resilience and entrepreneurship that shaped London’s taste buds. Reviving the festival is part cultural memory, part economic catalyst by driving footfall to independent shops while renewing pride in a street that taught the city to love spice. Book a free ticket, bring an appetite, and let the parade lead the way to something fragrant, fiery and unmistakably East End.

Find out more here - https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk  

LONDON SOUNDSCAPE

Boisdale of Canary Wharf - August 22

Silk-smooth basslines meet white linen as Omar Lye-Fook MBE brings his velveteen baritone and jazz‑funk alchemy to Canary Wharf. You’ll get the slow bloom romance of There’s Nothing Like This, those caramel falsetto lifts, and the elastic grooves that made Stevie Wonder tip his hat, all delivered up close in Boisdale’s supper-club glow. Omar and his band will thread together Latin, R&B and nu‑classic soul. If grown and sexy is the brief, Omar still owns it.

Book tickets here - https://boisdaletickets.co.uk

Hootananny Brixton - August 30

Veterans from Light of the World, Hi‑Tension, Beggar & Co form The Brit‑Funk Association: Ancestral Voices. They’re ready to deliver more horn‑driven grooves with Afro‑Caribbean rhythm DNA. You’ll bounce from jazz‑funk scorchers to love‑tinged soul, framed by stories that connect Carnival sound systems to UK charts. Doors open at 7pm. Claim your spot, loosen up, and let a living lineage turn the dancefloor into shared memory.

Book tickets here - https://hootanannybrixton.co.uk

Jamboree - August 24

Kasai Masai turns Jamboree into a Kinshasa street party, fusing soukous sparkle with Central African rumba and trancey Congolese folk grooves. You’ll lock into seben guitar lines that shimmer and turn on a dime, liquid bass that smiles on the off‑beat, and djembe / ngoma patterns that lift the room up. Join in the call and response vocals, find your sweet spot and dance.

Book tickets here - https://www.jamboreevenue.co.uk

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club - August 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29

Paul Cornish frames melodies, then zooms in until the harmony sparks. At Ronnie Scott’s early show, you’re seated inches from a trio built for velocity and detail. Listen out for originals that pivot from post-bop architecture to neo-soul glow. Plus, you’ll hear reharmonised standards where left-hand counterpoint carries its own conversation.

Light of the World plug their Brit‑funk engine into Ronnie Scott’s early show with special guest Tom Browne, the New York trumpet ace behind Funkin’ for Jamaica. You’re in for rubber‑band bass, clipped guitar, and horn lines that strut from Soho to the South Bronx in a single chorus. The show starts at 6.30pm and the funk won’t wait.

Book tickets here - https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk

606 Club - August 25, 28 and 29

Steel-pan sparkle meets jazz club hush as Shireen Francis turns the 606 into a Carnival hideaway, threading calypso, mento and lovers rock through her Caribbean Island Project. You’ll drift from Bill Withers meets Bluefields soul to gently skanking grooves, where hand drums chatter, bass lines lilt, and harmony vocals bloom like evening jasmine. Shireen’s velvet contralto carries folk tales, church heat and Notting Hill joy, with touches only arrangers can bring. Enjoy their flute countermelodies, rim‑shot riddims and brushed snare that keep it intimate yet festive.

Rebecca Poole aka Purdy brings that dusky, cinematic croon to the 606 Club, where late summer evenings feel tailor made for torch songs with bite. You’ll slip between noir‑jazz and vintage soul as her band leans into brushed snare swing, tremolo guitar and velvety horns, framing originals with the louche glamour of a Bond theme. Along with the wink of a speakeasy standard.

Brazil meets Soho swagger when Samara turns Chelsea’s basement haunt into a late night gathering with hi‑fidelity sound. You’ll ride airy bossa and hard‑swinging samba, then pivot into jazz solos that flash serious chops without losing that sun‑on‑skin ease. Expect Portuguese and English vocals in silky unison, flute and trumpet trading melodies like sea breeze over surdo pulse. And arrangements that honour Jobim while flirting with Stevie.

Book tickets here - https://www.606club.co.uk

Soul Mama - August 23 and 31

Two crowns of roots romance share one spotlight as Soul Mama toasts the legacies of John Holt and Dennis Brown with a live band steeped in Lovers Rock finesse. You’ll sway from John’s silk-lined croon, Help Me Make It Through the Night, Police in Helicopter to Dennis’s velvet fire Money in My Pocket, Love Has Found Its Way. They’re all arranged with brass warmth, rocksteady pulse, and sweet harmony parts built for a sing-along. Arrive early for the 6.30pm start. This is reggae’s golden hour, poured neat and served with a smile.

Sunday starts with a skank and a sway. Soul Mama’s Ska, Reggae & Jazz Brunch folds blue note harmonies into off‑beat sunshine. You’ll ease into midday with rocksteady bass and one‑drop drums, brass riffs that wink at ska’s 2‑tone lineage. And, bask in jazz chords blooming under vocals sweet enough for lovers rock. You’ll hear classic riddims revoiced with smoky horn voicings, call and response choruses, and a rhythm section that keeps plates warm and feet restless.

Book tickets here - https://www.soulmama.co.uk

The Pheasantry - August 29

Velvet tones meet candlelit cabaret as Selina Albright and Gavin Holligan turn The Pheasantry into a soul‑jazz speakeasy. Relax in Selina’s crystalline top notes and satin runs shaped by gospel roots and a jazz pedigree. Then, Gavin delivers his honeyed croon and storyteller piano glide from neo‑soul to classic R&B with footballer‑turned‑songsmith charm. Enjoy their chemistry, plush harmonies, and intimate reinventions of originals alongside smartly reharmonised favourites. All of this is tailored to the room’s crisp acoustics and supper club glow.

Book tickets here - https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com

BUSINESS SCENE

Google’s Landscraper HQ is Redefining King’s Cross

The capital’s most talked about office isn’t reaching for the clouds, it’s skimming the city. Google’s long, low headquarters in King’s Cross, nicknamed The Landscraper, stretches to 330 metres. It’s longer than the Shard is tall, with 11 storeys of workspace, retail and amenity woven into a timber and glass facade and terraced roofscapes. Designed by BIG and Heatherwick Studio as Google’s first wholly owned building outside of America, They plan to open later this year to accommodate roughly 7,000 employees.

Strategically, the build consolidates Google’s London footprint from Pancras Square outposts to a single flagship stitched directly into the Knowledge Quarter. This anchors a long-term UK investment in AI and product teams while giving the firm flexibility in a hybrid era. The architecture is intentionally interchangeable, including an activated ground floor with market halls and shops. Also, a roof that doubles as parkland with running track and sports facilities, including a 25 metre swimming pool. It’s a bet that talent wants daylight, health, and serendipity. Landlords must now compete with lifestyle, not just leases.

For King’s Cross and Camden’s economy, the multiplier is significant. A single tenant of this size reinforces the area’s tech and creative cluster, drives weekday footfall for retailers, and supports construction and building services supply chains. Google’s recent UK hiring and capex disclosures underscore the timeline. Staff growth and remaining capital commitments point to momentum through to the end of year as teams prepare to decant in phases.

The competitive signal is clear. In a market recalibrating around prime, experiential workspace, Google’s Landscraper packages scale with softness, biophilic terraces, sports, and porous public edges that blur campus and city. The model of high specification, low-rise, amenity-rich with transportation, strengthens London’s case as Europe’s tech HQ of choice. Plus, it resets expectations for what a flagship office has to deliver in 2026 and beyond.

LINGUISTIC TAPESTRY - WORDS OF THE WEEK 

English Word:
Susurrus
Pronunciation: /suːˈsʌrəs/
Definition:  A soft, whispering or rustling sound, as of wind through leaves, gentle waves, or hushed voices.
Cultural Note: In literary criticism, it often signals intimacy, secrecy, or a liminal mood. And, in sound design it’s used to describe low‑level textures that create immersion without drawing focus.

Pakistani Word:
Ishq (عشق)
Pronunciation: /ɪʃq/ (ihshk/
Definition:  An intense, transcendent form of love often spiritual or devotional that surpasses ordinary affection. Used for profound romantic passion and for divine love in Sufi thought.
Cultural Note: Central to South Asian poetry and Sufism, Ishq suffuses the verses of Rumi, Bulleh Shah, Ghalib, and Faiz, where the beloved may be human or a metaphor for the Divine.

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