London Fog & Found Sounds: A Dispatch From Somewhere Near Camden

okay, so i just kinda landed in london. not intentionally, exactly. it was a last-minute thing, a detour after a gig in berlin fell through. the numbers 3333145 and 1826730060 keep popping into my head, which is weird, probably just jet lag. i’m a touring session drummer, which means i spend approximately 70% of my life in transit and the other 30% trying to remember where i parked my kit.

right now, i’m holed up in a tiny airbnb near camden town. it smells faintly of old books and someone’s grandma’s perfume. the weather? i just glanced out the window and it’s…a grey sort of damp, like the city itself is perpetually sighing. the temperature’s hovering around 12.5 celsius, feels like 11.2, which is basically sweater weather for the rest of my life, honestly. pressure’s 1014, humidity’s 53%, and the air is thick enough to chew. it’s a mood.

spent the afternoon wandering around, trying to get my bearings. camden market is…a lot. sensory overload, in the best way. i swear i saw a guy selling vintage prosthetic limbs. seriously. i overheard someone saying that the best vegan street food is on sturdee’s walk, but another person warned me it’s a tourist trap. i’m leaning towards trusting the first guy, because, honestly, vegan street food is always a good idea. you can find more info about Camden Market here: https://www.camdenmarket.com/.

found this amazing little record shop, ‘rough trade east’ (apparently there’s more than one). spent way too much money on vinyl. my bank account is weeping. but it was worth it. the guy working there gave me a recommendation for a jazz club in soho - ronnie scott’s. https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/. apparently, it’s legendary. i’m thinking of checking it out tonight.

someone told me that the pubs around here get really rowdy on fridays. like, full-on singalongs and spilled beer everywhere. they said it’s a rite of passage for any visitor.

my neighbors seem to be mostly students and artists. if you get restless, brighton is just a quick train ride away, which i've heard is a good place to escape to. i’m trying to avoid touristy stuff, but it’s hard. everything is so…instagrammable. i’m resisting the urge to take pictures of every single brick building. mostly.

i’ve been relying on yelp to find decent coffee. https://www.yelp.co.uk/ is a lifesaver. apparently, ‘monmouth coffee company’ is the place to go, but the queue is always insane. i heard a drunk guy in a pub ranting about how it’s “overhyped garbage” and that ‘flat white’ on charlotte street is way better. i’m going to investigate.

a local warned me about pickpockets around piccadilly circus. said they’re pros. keep your valuables close, apparently.

honestly, i’m just wandering, letting the city happen to me. it’s a good way to travel, i think. no plans, no expectations, just…sounds. and a lot of grey. and maybe a slightly concerning obsession with vintage prosthetic limbs. you can find more about London travel on https://www.visitlondon.com/. i'm also checking out local events on https://www.timeout.com/london to see if anything catches my ear.

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