Bending Genres, Building Futures

Quote of the Week - “Take the risk, or lose the chance.”- Kaelyn Spickler

Good Afternoon, London. In this edition of The London Palette, witness how our city continues to morph into new identities. The Southbank incubates the Montreux Jazz Festival to bend the genre Miles Davis pioneered. Whereas, in Catford, Goldsmiths brings its creative engine home to an old town hall, allowing a new future for a neighbourhood hungry for reinvention. Meanwhile, at the top of North East London, Walthamstow Wetlands pulses with wild heartbeats within 259 acres reminding us that nature doesn't wait for permission to reclaim its space. Don’t forget to take up yours as you take time out to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year!

Snatched highlights from this edition:

1. Catford Strikes Goldsmiths Creative Match

2. See Seven Wonders in One Pixelated Hour

3. Go East Scales Vintage into Serious Commerce

4. Live Music - Heatwave, Mario Bakana & lots more!

Let’s dive in.

—Bybreen Samuels

COUNCIL CANVAS

Catford’s Creative Sketch | Goldsmiths Comes Home

Catford's Old Town Hall is shaking off decades of bureaucratic dust to become the playground for more than 600 fine art and design students, at Goldsmith. That's exactly what's taking place from September 2027, after Mayor Brenda Dacres' Cabinet sealed a landmark 10-year lease, last week. Goldsmiths, born in Lewisham 120 years ago, is swapping its soon to be demolished Deptford Bridge site for this civic beauty. By doing so it will breathe creative energy into a town centre ready for its renaissance.​

The transformation promises more than just a campus relocation. The high street will be humming with student life. The late 2020s version of this is independent cafes buzzing over flat whites, makers' studios thriving with fresh collaborations, and Catford Broadway Theatre enjoying packed houses. Mayor Dacres captures it perfectly, calling this "Not just a campus, but anchoring creativity and opportunity," While Interim Vice-Chancellor David Oswell celebrates reconnecting with the borough's "creative heart." Council services shift to Laurence House, and unlock 6,000 square metres of studio space that'll marry Goldsmiths' global arts reputation with authentic local energy.​

Lewisham Council shows how policy can be exciting. Its Civic University Agreement, a first for London, transforms institutions into regeneration livewire without massive taxpayer injections. Smart asset repurposing fuels 2,700 new homes, South Circular improvements, and Transport for London public realm investment. Cllr James J. Walsh rightly celebrates "delivering results," proving councils can revive high streets through partnerships rather than begging Whitehall for handouts.​

Does this sound familiar? Wandsworth Council's version of this is through grants that nurtured Turner Prize winner Nnena Kalu, Lewisham's blueprint shows how micro moves create macro impact. Catford isn't just surviving, it's scripting its boldest creative chapter. Track this progress because Goldsmiths and Lewisham are about to draw some O extraordinary new lines.

CITY PALETTE

Montreux Channels Miles Davis to Bend the Jazz Genre

Moments before this year’s Spring Equinox on March 20, Montreux Jazz Festival takes up a three day residency at the Southbank Centre. This is to celebrate the centenary of Miles Davis. Baked within this sonic alchemy lies the provocative question, “What is jazz today?” Answers come from Theo Croker's trumpet blazing through Kind of Blue reimaginations, Celeste's soul-baring confessions, and Children of Zeus fusing hip-hop grooves with Tomorrow's Warriors' fearless young talent. This isn't your grandfather's tribute concert. It’s more of a fluid, boundary-dissolving laboratory sprawling across Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell Room. Paid headline shows collide with free spontaneous jams that honour Miles' own relentless shape-shifting spirit.​

Grammy-nominated Theo launches Friday with his personal Miles Mixtape. He’s remixing the icons who forged his cosmic sound. While Women in Jazz celebrates the 10,500 strong movement of female pioneers smashing the genre's historic glass ceiling. Saturday deepens the conversation with Emma Warren interviewing Celeste about her jazz-infused journey, Then take in, OneTrackMinds' Hidden Tracks storytelling sessions, and Zeus' double bill consisting of Manchester soul meeting young improvisers in pure communal jazz tradition. Sunday crescendos with D'Angelo tributes, corto.alto's flowing explorations, and Ramzi Hammad's Arabic hip-hop-jazz fusion. Collectively they prove migration's rhythms pulse through modern improvisation.​

This is the second collaboration between Montreux and Southbank. Last year’s triumphant Nina Simone love-in, brings back the Swiss Festival’s 250,000 strong fan energy straight onto the Thames. They turn the Southbank into a temporary Riviera for jazz obsessives and newcomers alike. You’re stepping into a programme shaped by Miles Davis’ own two-decade Montreux legacy, but the gaze is on 2026. Lineups reflect this, as there’s a 40% surge in genre-blended jazz streams, the place where trumpet lines lean into hip-hop, neo-soul, Afrobeat, and electronica without blinking. In a world where playlists shave off rough edges, this residency throws them back in, asking you directly, Will Miles’ radical, ever-morphing spirit be the antidote to pop’s smooth, homogenised tide?

If you care about where jazz goes next, or just want to feel something live that your algorithm hasn’t already predicted, this is your moment. Each night feels less like a tribute and more like a laboratory, with artists using Miles less as a monument and more as a verb, to bend, stretch, and rewire what the word jazz can hold. Grab your tickets before they vanish like a brushed cymbal at the end of a ballad, because once the lights go up, all you’ll want is one more chorus. This residency doesn’t just honour Miles, it drafts you into his lineage. Whilst there, you’ll feel his restless ghost score jazz’s defiant, ever evolving tomorrow while you’re right there in the room.

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

Pixel Pilgrimage | See the Seven Wonders in One Hour

The face of Shoreditch continues to change with spaces repurposed for awe. Suddenly Babylonian vines spiral up columns while Petra's rose red facades shimmer to life around you. Welcome to Seven Wonders of the World: An Immersive Experience, where virtual reality wizardry and projection mapping compress humanity's most coveted icons into one wanderlust soaked hour. There’s no need for red-eye flights and airport queues. East London’s atmospheric soundscapes transport you from the Taj Mahal's rippling gardens to Machu Picchu's cloud-wrapped peaks, blending ancient mystery with modern technological magic.​

Exhibition Hub, the visionaries behind Bubble Planet and those swirling Van Gogh spectacles, has crafted something beyond passive viewing. You'll dive hands-on into lost marvels like the Hanging Gardens' mythical Eden and the Great Pyramids' cloud-piercing enigma. They’re all rendered with pixel-perfect precision that blurs time's edges. Giant projections and interactive elements transform education into pure escapism. Now you can experience bucket list thrills without the carbon footprint. In 2025, similar shows pulled more than 100,000 Londoners through their doors last year.​

The Seven Wonders experience rides the post-pandemic, armchair adventure wave. Immersive shows grow faster than long‑haul tourism as airfares climb and climate guilt bites. You’re part of a new travel class, those who are curious, time-poor, and carbon-aware. You’re happy to trade jet lag for headsets and projection tunnels that feel very real. Artificial Intelligence rebuilds lost temples stone by stone and sound designers layer in desert winds or jungle dusk. As you bear witness you start to wonder whether this kind of virtual awe dilutes the power of standing there in person. Or, does it quietly sharpen your appetite to one day make it to the real sites?

In a city hungry for horizons, we tend to be hemmed in by budgets, borders, and workloads. Seven Wonders makes a strong case that proximity can trump postcards. Walk off Shoreditch pavements into Petra, Giza, or the Taj in under an hour, with no luggage, no queues, nor visa dramas. Just you and a rotating carousel of civilisations. Book your slot and treat it like a rehearsal for the trips you haven’t quite booked yet. With humanity’s genius, created pixel by pixel and scaled larger than life, you might just reset what “I’ve been there” means in 2026: Don’t think of this as a replacement for the journey, but a vivid first chapter.

Book tickets here - https://feverup.com

2026's Real Issue? Not Ambition It's Timing

You don’t lack ideas.
You don’t lack discipline.
You lack clarity on when to move.

Most people charge into January because “new year, new you” says it’s time. But if you’ve ever launched something that stalled, don’t take it personally. You were probably acting in a prep season, not a peak one.

Zodiacal Releasing is an ancient astrological timing technique that divides your year into prep, peak and completion phases based on your birth chart. Suddenly, past years make sense. The heavy ones were mistimed, and the effortless ones were true peak periods.

In the 2026 Astrology Peak Period Power Hour, we use your chart to map launches, career pivots or reinventions onto your personal timing windows. So you stop guessing and start moving with precision.

No more launching on vibes. Just intentional timing for your smartest year yet.

Book your 2026 Astrology Peak Period Power Hour here:
stan.store/BybreenSamuels

UNDISCOVERED GEMS

Walthamstow Wetlands | Wild Heartbeat, A Stop Away

Beyond Walthamstow's railway hum lies Europe's largest urban wetland. A place with 211 hectares of ten Victorian reservoirs, where herons stalk shallow waters and kingfishers flash electric blue across your line of sight. You'll discover this haven layering cultural sparks into free-roaming forms. On February 22, Jack Baddams' Kingfisher Quest guides you to iridescent jewels. While the life drawing session on February 11 lets you explore how talons meet charcoal sketches. Since 2015, the London Wildlife Trust have managed this former Lea Valley waterworks. They’ve created a space that fuses industrial ghosts with 2 million annual visitors chasing peregrines, otters, and reedbed symphonies.​

February blooms with unmissable gems for you to explore. Urban Nature Club's February 16 winter plants forage teaches you which greens sustain wildlife through frost. At the same time, beginner bird walks on March 8 help you spot more than 130 species navigating these waters. Nature Tots Forest School runs every Monday in March, so bring your tiny explorers to dip in ponds and hunt minibeasts amid turbine house exhibits whispering Victorian engineering tales. Stargazing nights pierce crisp skies and family discovery days revive heritage through hands on challenges. Collectively proving wetlands aren't just bird blinds but immersive classrooms for your urban escape.​

The numbers tell the story. Since opening in October 2017, you've joined nearly 3 million visits, with an annual footfall of around 450,000, almost double the projected 230,000 after five years. You're witnessing biodiversity soar with rare sightings combating London's 40% deficit in green spaces. December 2025 alone logged 81 species including Bewick's Swans landing for the first time this century, Woodcock, and the elusive Bittern. With 148 species recorded annually, which is the second highest total ever and over 400 plant and animal species calling these marshes home, you've found your antidote to concrete burnout. Your guided quests guarantee thrills even when kingfishers play coy. And, while rarities like Little Gulls and Common Whitethroats prove these waters draw wanderers from across continents.

At just £2.50 entry after 9:30am, you'll unlock trails till 4pm in winter, and 5pm in the summer. Swap the daily clamour for the Tube for wetland hush at Walthamstow Wetlands. These reservoirs still supply drinking water to 3.5 million Londoners every day, proving conservation and utility thrive side by side in your backyard. Walthamstow shows you that wild heartbeats lurk where Victorian engineering meets sky. Your next breath of untamed London is just one Overground hop away from central zones.

Find out more here - https://www.wildlondon.org.uk

LONDON BUZZ

Lunar Roar | Year of the Horse Gallops in the West End

As the Year of the Snake sheds its final skin, London is ready to usher in the Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse, on February 22. The Chinese New Year parade turns Central London into a living river of red and gold. You'll watch Europe's biggest lion and dragon swarm thunder from Trafalgar Square's east side up Charing Cross Road, sweep past Leicester Square, then curl down Shaftesbury Avenue into Chinatown. The sound of drums crack the winter air as acrobats ride rolling clouds of incense. And, floats celebrate the Year of the Horse officially beginning February 17. Accept up your invitation to lean into its symbol of drive and momentum.

Once the last dragon tail slips past, the party shifts gear. Trafalgar Square's main stage becomes your open air concert pit filled with live music and dance troupes. Duck into Leicester Square or Dean Street to practice your calligraphy. Then, sample craft corners turning red envelopes into mini works of art, traditional dress demos, and children friendly zones. Familiar street food stalls steam with dumplings, skewers, and noodles as lion troupes loop back for blessing performances.

You'll taste how deeply food culture is woven in. Special menus and one-off dishes appear. Devour delicate dumplings at buzzing dining rooms, wonton soups pressed into chilly hands, and Singaporean Lo Hei prosperity salads tossed high for fortune. Bookings tend to vanish weeks ahead because the Parade pumps serious revenue into West End businesses. For some, this tends to be the busiest trading period of the season.

For over two decades, London's Chinese and East Asian communities have scaled a modest neighbourhood celebration into one of the world's top Lunar New Year events outside Asia, without losing its heart. You're stepping into a living ritual of continuity, migration, and belonging. Pick your viewing point early. If you want big picture drama, Trafalgar Square is the place to be. For intimate lion dances, then just follow the crowd.

Wear something red, bring lots of layers to keep warm and treat this as a reset boost for the new year. You'll hear drums echoing off stone, see children reaching for luck shaped as a lion head, and feel that rare London moment when everyone's gaze lifts together. Catch the beat as prosperity and connection parade right past you.

Find out more here - https://chinatown.co.uk

LONDON SOUNDSCAPE

Boisdale of Canary Wharf - February 5 and 6

Feel the strut of Studio 54 right in Canary Wharf's financial heart. Whilst there, you'll groove to Le Freak: The Music of Chic & Nile Rodgers, on February 5. Powerhouse vocalists Hazel Fernandes, Tom Jones collaborator, and Valerie Etienne from 25 years with Jamiroquai, lead an all star band through a night of non-stop, disco, funk anthems like Good Times, Everybody Dance, and I Want Your Love. You’re in for an electrifying, night that others have hailed as "world-class."

Ignite your Friday with Heatwave's timeless funk inferno on February 6. Brothers Johnnie and Keith Wilder's 1970s powerhouse, penned by Rod Temperton the genius behind Thriller, delivers disco and soul gold in Boogie Nights' infectious pulse, Always and Forever's silky sway. After 50 years touring the world, join the traveling funky dancefloor.

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

Hampstead Jazz Club - February 7

Imagine letting Rio's sultry whispers melt your winter chill as Mario Bakuna's fingers dance across acoustic strings at Hampstead Jazz Club. His 75 minute solo set channeling João Gilberto's bossa nova poetry and Baden Powell's rhythmic fire, laced with warm vocals that Songlines calls "sparkling with palpable feeling." Relish the fresh takes on Tom Jobim and Dorival Caymmi, by this London-based Brazilian maestro's 25 year groove, fusing tradition with jazz finesse in an intimate setting.

Book tickets here - https://hampsteadjazzclub.com

02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire - January 30

Channel Prince's revolutionary riffs at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire. Lose yourself in New Purple Celebration's explosive two hour tribute. This nine piece band led by guitar wielding Jimi Love, nails funk-rock anthems, including Purple Rain's epic soar, Kiss's sly strut, 1999's party blast, Rave reviews call it “polished magic.” You deserve to close out January with a bang.

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

Royal College of Music - February 4

Savour Quincy Jones’ timeless swing in orchestral splendor. Trumpeter and vocalist Georgina Jackson wants to thrill you as she directs the elite Royal College of Music Jazz Orchestra through Quincy’s iconic legacy, on Wednesday, February 4. The sounds of big band reflecting Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, dovetail in Killer Joe riffs, Fly Me to the Moon brass, and Soul Bossa Nova groove. Under Georgina’s BBC Proms-honed flair, students unleash dazzling performances that have been praised as being, “infectious.”

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

Southwark Cathedral - January 30

Surrender to a thousand flickering flames wrapping Southwark Cathedral in a golden hush, where you'll drift through Ed Sheeran's heartfelt strums and Coldplay's cosmic anthems reimagined by Candlelight's string wizards. Their multi-sensory magic refines hits like, Shape of You and Fix You, in a way that gains ethereal depth. Dates run through to March, so don’t miss this candlelight spell.

Book tickets here - https://theblueskitchen.com/shoreditch

St. Martin’s in the Field - February 7

Descend into the soul's sacred crypt for Aretha's triumphant roar. You'll surrender to Crypt Live: Aretha and Friends, for this new cabaret honouring Queen Aretha from gospel origins to civil rights anthems. Powerhouse vocals and live band ignite R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Natural Woman, Chain of Fools and Think. All alongside gems from Otis Redding and Ray Charles. Now’s your time to clap, sway and sing.

Book tickets here - https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org

The Jazz Cafe - February 4 and 7

Feel the echo of Jamaica's studio revolution rumble through Camden as Dr. Dennis Bovell MBE channels King Tubby's dub legacy, on February 4. This is your ticket to a seismic Brief History where the UK dub pioneer remixes the remix master's iconic cuts with all-star firepower. Without King Tubby, there wouldn’t be bedroom producers or endless loops. Dennis Bovell's wizardry, think Steel Pulse roots and Mattafix hits, honours the man who made consoles sing, proving studios do birth genres.

Light up your inner groove with Brit funk's original architects. Dive into The Brit Funk Association's 10-piece supergroup explosion on February 7. They draw from Beggar & Co, Hi-Tension, Central Line, Light of the World, Incognito legends like Kenny Wellington and Patrick McLean. Feel the late 1970s London fusion of jazz, funk and soul thumping Somebody Help Me Out, British Hustle, Always There, Walkin' Into Sunshine. This is going to be a high-energy night, so make sure to wear your dancing shoes.

Book tickets here - https://thejazzcafelondon.com

BUSINESS SCENE

Go East Scales Vintage into Serious Commerce

Over this weekend, Hackney’s old bus depot bays transform into a vintage treasure hunt on steroids. Wade through Go East Vintage's Big Sale, where 70 handpicked dealers lay out reworked denim, mid-century furniture, retro sportswear, and statement fur pieces. Vinyl DJs spin soul and funk, street-food vendors serve loaded fries, and a fully stocked bar keeps the vibe loose and friendly. All you have to pay is between £2–4 entry. Louisa and Onur launched this market from humble Walthamstow trade halls. Now it's a roving East London institution.

Behind the racks lies razor sharp business. Go East operates as a curated marketplace. Vendors pay stall fees around 20% of takings, while bar revenue, food concessions, and DJ entertainment build multiple income streams. Their creative economy sidesteps hospitality's brutal 13% margin squeeze by turning derelict spaces into weekend cash engines. Some have generated roughly £50,000, per event. East London's £1.4 billion fashion cluster provides footfall. But its the curation and atmosphere that keep people coming back.

The timing couldn't be sharper because U.K. resale is sprinting toward £4.8 billion of online sales. However, physical vintage markets are riding the wave as younger shoppers reject fast fashion's toll on the environment. Vintage sales continue to rise by 25% each year, driven by buyers wanting pieces with history, craft, and longevity. Go East proves experiential retail beats sterile high street rails. You're digging through decades, chatting with dealers, and walking out with something no algorithm recommends. The founders are looking across the River to Bermondsey and beyond, with the aim of scaling nostalgia into serious commerce.

As 2026 leans into circular luxury, Go East signals retail's future by side stepping not charity shop browsing, and venturing into premium playgrounds where one depot spin yields stories and sales chains can't replicate. Louisa's tailoring background and Onur's teaching roots bring a craft-first ethos that resonates with crowds tired of corporate sameness. Find your tote bag and hit Hackney Depot early. The best pieces vanish fast, and the energy is something you can't buy online.

Find out more here - https://www.goeast.uk

LINGUISTIC TAPESTRY - WORDS OF THE WEEK 

English Word:
Moire
Pronunciation: /MWAHR/ or /mwah-RAY/
Definition:  A visual pattern of ripples, waves, or shimmering lines that appears when two regular grids or textures overlap, like fine stripes on fabric, scanner lines on a screen, or close-knit patterns photographed together. In textiles, it also refers to a finishing process that gives silk or other fabrics a watery, woodgrain-like sheen. Cultural Note: Moire sits at the crossroads of fashion, art, and technology. In couture, moire silk has long signalled opulence. The subtle, shifting pattern catching light as the wearer moves, often used in eveningwear, ceremonial garments, and historic dress.

Mandarin Chinese Word:
感激不尽
Pronunciation: /gǎn-jī bù jìn/
Definition:  Means “gratitude without end" or "I can't thank you enough." This phrase expresses profound, felt appreciation that goes far beyond a simple thank you. Reserved for moments when someone's help has been truly transformative or invaluable.
Cultural Note: In Mandarin speaking cultures, gratitude operates on a spectrum of formality and emotional depth. While 谢谢 (xièxie) handles everyday courtesies, 感激不尽 (gǎnjī bù jìn) signals a debt of care that can't be repaid in a single transaction. When you say this phrase, you're acknowledging that someone's kindness has altered your circumstances in a meaningful way

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