Kamao Quartet + Rucksack Cinema & The Experimental Narrators + Cable St. Studios : Theatre + Chinese Street Food

Doors: 6pm to 11pm
Entry Price: £5 Advance | £7 Door
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In celebration of Chinese New Year the communities of both Limehouse past and present, along with residents of Cable Street Studios tell a patchwork history of the vanished Chinatown district of Limehouse. The evening will explore ChineseNew Year traditions via an interactive shrine and Chinese couplets. The ‘tall story’ history of an underworld Chinatown is told through local theatre, animation, and a live film score. This will be contrasted with a local photo and interview history collection, illuminating the real former community of Limehouse.

Kamao Quartet take their inspiration from the legacy of the great Django Reinhardt and traditional Manouche and Romani music. Fronted by singer and guitarist Jean de Talhouet, the band’s typical formation includes clarinet (Dave Shulman), gypsy guitars (Dave Kelbie), and double bass (Ruth Goller), creating a beautiful sound that complements the vocals with haunting and lyrical harmonies.

Django Reinhardt made famous the song ‘Limehouse Blues’ which Kamao Quartet will perform this evening. The oriental rhythms and title of the song was inspired by the perceived slum living conditions of Limehouse, Chinatown that were “busy with the wailing of a Chinese fiddle.” as described in Limehouse Nights by Thomas Burke.

Simona of Cable St. Studios Chinese Street Food
On the menu is home-made tofu omelette with chilli and fresh coriander, basmati rice with roasted cashews and vegetable stir fry with bamboo sprouts.

Rucksack Cinema Presents Piccadilly (1929)
Live Music Film Score: The Experimental Narrators

Rucksack Cinema screens ‘Piccadilly’ (1929) beautifully restored by BFI boasting dazzling cinematography with amber and blue tinting. The film stars Anna May Wong who transforms from a sensuous scullery made, innocently kitchen top dancing to an art-deco oriental goddess. The backdrop is a portrayal of London through an otherworldly cocktail of influences, blending the glamorous Jazz Age of a West End dance-hall with the sleazy excitement of a Limehouse locals bar and the city’s smoky Chinese quarter.

The Experimental Narrators is an open floor inviting local and interested musicians / sound artists to improvise a film score as ‘Piccadilly’ unfolds before your eyes. Classical, Eastern, Western and Experimental Instruments invited.

Cable St Studios Presents A Tall Story Theatre Production of ‘Chapter 16: A Picture of Dorian Gray’

Illustrated & Co-produced by Dan McCarthy. Co-Produced and Directed by Charlotte Anderton. Starring Nick D’Ville and Macca. Accompanied by Ewan Bleach on Piano.

Miki Lowe of Cable St. Studios Exhibit’s Illustrations: A Tall Tale of Chinatown
http://mikilowe.co.uk/