After last week’s assertion that London hasn’t lost its cultural mojo, I’ve had a whirlwind few days speaking with loads of people who, while universally admitting it’s damn hard right now, all still prove my point via their unwavering creative enthusiasm, too.

More on those exciting conversations to come over the next few weeks. Before all that, I sat outside Kentish Town’s unique backstreet cafe, venue, design hub and recording studio, MAP Studio Cafe, to hear a story of the grassroots, the green shoots and the fun of making music in the neighbourhood which remains creative to its core.

Naked Yoga are an instrumental band born in the rehearsal room and venue above. The gravitational pull of the area to the French diaspora - via recommendations, shared acquaintances and the CFBL School - saw guitarist Adrien Baudrimont land here, and end up having a Tapping the Admiral pint with local bassist and experimental musician Dudu.

“It’s a lovely pub,” says Adrian. “There’s a fireplace, a cat. So we end up back there a few times, discussing maybe playing some music together, but Dudu was already in two bands, and tells me he’s too busy. We eventually tried just jamming a bit without a drummer, and it sounded pretty good.”

So they set about seeking a drummer, and ploughed through a few that just didn’t fit. “The best one, who we worked with for a while turned out to be 16-years-old,” says Dudu. “So when I’d lined up a gig here at MAP, he wasn’t even old enough to play.”

In the spirit of their improvised sound, in stepped Dan Meier, playing live with them on the night for the very first time. A band was born.

“That’s still how we mostly write our songs today,” says Dan, “jamming, listening back to hours of recordings, finding the best moments, elaborating and polishing those. Dudu has also gone on to accumulate loads of instruments, so while we’re still a trio, he’s playing about four different keyboards in the mix.”

“That’s why we’ve played so many gigs in Camden,” laughs Adrien, “because that’s as far as Dudu can carry all his stuff.”

Naked Yoga launch their new EP tonight at MAP Studio Cafe, where the development of their live show over the intervening years will be in full evidence.

“On top of all the synths, Dudu now triggers a series of movie clips with his feet. As the key changes, he can match the mood with different clips, so we’ve become more visual. As an instrumental band, sometimes it’s a bit hard as people are used to looking at a lead singer, so the visuals add a kind of David Lynch layer to the stage show.”

Dan says their setup also means they can find it hard to fit easily into line-ups. “I sometimes say we play ‘disco jazz’, but I know Dudu feels that sounds pretentious - it’s actually nice to be uncatagorisable.”

Those showing up tonight will also see the live debut of the band’s ‘special instrument’, also available as their new range of merch. As Dudu pulls one out of it’s silky pouch, it looks uncannily like a milk whisker to me.

“One day, I somehow put one of these next to my bass guitar and the motor obviously messes with the field around the microphone as it created a wild noise,” he says. “I have customised 50 of them, renamed the ‘cow crusher’, which will be available for sale on the night for musicians, or simply if you want to make a nice cappuccino.”

Naked Yoga might be hard working when it comes to their craft, but they are keen to retain a very playful, unserious attitude to what they do. Everything is done in-house, from the graphics to the video making - and whisk customisation. But what of the name?

“It began as another joke,” explains Dudu, “for that very first gig we played as a trio, but then friends said it was kind of cool. We didn’t all agree - we still don’t! - and if you Google it, it’s annoying as there are a lot of results that have, er, nothing to do with the band. We’re not at the top of search, but it’s still memorable.

“One time though, when we played a gig at Jamboree in King’s Cross, a couple came up holding mats and said ‘we loved the gig, but where is the naked yoga’?!”

📊 This week’s one-click poll

The Big Issue magazine have given the whole of this week’s edition over to graffiti, with artist 10Foot as guest editor, so…

Last week we asked the question: How do you feel about the current health of London's creative heartbeat?

It's a disaster - I fear greatly for our music, art, theatre and all the rest
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 43%

It's ok - times change, technology changes, let's see what happens next
🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 16%

I'm optimistic - adversity always generates great new cultural output
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️ 41%

and some of your comments:

“The Vagina Museum is under threat, they've just announced a crisis fundraiser today. The cultural sector is really struggling, as are anything to do with women's and LGBTQ+ rights. Lack of funding, culture wars, cost of living all playing a part.”

“New cultural output might be generated - but where are the outlets for it?”

”It’s awful out there, yet that strangely gives me optimism. These are turbulent times and the culture that emerges from the mess will be totally new in ways we can’t predict”

FOOD, DRINK & CULTURE

Soho’s £19 members club

🎥 The return of Soho as more than just a posh dining destination continues, if our visit last night to All Is Joy is anything to go by. It’s the new members bar within the former Warner Brothers De Lane Lea building on Dean Street, set amidst a warren of the original studios, performances spaces and a 100 seater cinema. With art on the walls and quirky shows happening in the different spaces, it feels like the studios have been squatted by a bunch of purposeful creatives, which is exactly the chaotic divebar feel they want - a world away from the swish members clubs nearby. You can join for only £19 at the moment too.

🍝 Also shunning the most annoying bit of Soho dining is the brand new walk-in only 27 Old Compton St. The focus is on quick plates of quality pasta and glasses of decent wine and it opens this Mon 24th Mar with 300 free lunches up for grabs to celebrate.

🥖Existing Fitzrovia fave Officina 00 have just opened their third artisanal pasta workshop and restaurant near Drury Lane in Covent Garden. It includes a pan-baked Reginella pizza with confit garlic and anchovies as a menu exclusive, too.

🍕 The latest incarnation of Haverstock Hill’s ever-changing site, (most recently occupied by Tetto’s salt steak joint but previously everything from wine bar to karaoke bar) is to be an Italian called Terrazza. No opening date yet, but the menu looks like all the usual pizza and pasta staples.

EVENTS

💗 Fixing the broken dating game… back in the real world

Corto Dating is a new event series that aims to transcend traditional speed dating and the app swipe culture, by offering VIP nights out themed around shared passions. The idea is that by connecting in the real world over interests (like gaming, sneakers or books), you are much more likely to find a decent date.

On top of that, before coming to a Corto event, attendees enjoy two 30-min preparation sessions: with Jacob Lucas, a dating coach and body language expert who offers insights into self-presentation and understanding others, and Dr. Kathrine Bejanyan, a psychologist with a PhD in romantic relationships, preparing participants for making meaningful connections, helping them into the best headspace to meet new people.

The first event - for gamers - is on 4th April, set in a secret Parisian style cafe, and afterwards at N64 Soho for a night of arcade nostalgia. Camdenist readers can get 10% off tickets using the code CAMDENIST10 at the checkout

STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

🕳️ Revealing the hidden catacombs and tunnels beneath Camden

📍 Brand Camden: what does it mean?

🤯 Camdenist Guest Editor Ruby Wax on why we are out of our minds

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