Musician Ilan Eshkeri has offered up his top tips for ahead of his spectacular show, Space Station Earth, a collaboration with Tim Peake and the European Space Agency, at the Albert Hall this month.
The award-winning performer, composer and producer has worked with the likes of , Amon Tobin, and and written soundtracks for movies including Stardust and The Snowman & The Snowdog.
What was the first venue you performed at?
The Water Rats in King’s Cross in 1998. I played guitar in a friend of a friend’s band. I can’t even remember what their name was.
I did a few gigs with them one summer, I wasn’t a proper member of the band.
Favourite venues to perform at?
I love the Union Chapel, it’s very beautiful and has a warm and welcoming feeling.
I’m doing my gig Space Station Earth at the Albert Hall and I’ve performed there before as part of The Cinematic Orchestra.
I did some arrangements for Amon Tobin which we performed there as an orchestra, which was a bit strange as his stuff’s so electronic, and I really enjoyed doing that.
Best places to eat and drink?
I’m a big fan of Bocca di Lupo in It’s an Italian restaurant, the dishes change all the time and it’s always incredibly delicious.
And I love going to the Groucho Club for a drink. You never know if you’re going to see a Hollywood star or a homeless street poet in there. It’s a cross section of interesting people.
What’s your favourite area?
Regent’s Park and the Outer Circle – it was all designed by the architect Nash and it’s all intact. It looks as it would have looked 150 years ago. It’s very beautiful, and I like walking through Regent’s Park.
Where would you take a visitor?
We would get a Thames Clipper from the Embankment to Greenwich, walk through Greenwich up to the observatory and take in the view across London.
Then we’d go to the market, get some food and go to one of the pubs. It’s a beautiful part of London and travelling on the Thames isn’t done often enough.
What changes would you make if you were mayor?
The traffic is getting worse and worse. I don’t understand what the plan is behind some of the changes that have been made.
I live near one of the Low Traffic Neighbourhoods which has stopped traffic going down one of the roads. It’s made the traffic go completely crazy.
Stopping the flow of traffic doesn’t deter people from driving it just means people spend more time in their cars and create more pollution. Whatever the plan is I’m baffled by it.
And putting the plastic bollards up which widen the pavements and narrow the streets – there have been occasions when I’ve been waiting in traffic and an ambulance has tried to get through.
Because of the bollards no one can pull over. If it was a normal street people could have gone on the curb to let the ambulance through. Making changes that prevent ambulances getting through seems really dumb.
Where do you spend too much money?
In restaurants and food shops. I recently went to Louie on West Street in which does high-end Louisiana-style cuisine which was great. If I buy meat it’s from the Ginger Pig on Moxon Street in Marylebone.
They started as a farm which came to London to sell their produce. So you have a clear understanding of where the meat you’re buying has come from.
Then I’ll go to Rococo Chocolates which is opposite. It reminds me of going to the butcher and fishmonger as a child. A lot of them have shut due to supermarkets.
I also spend money on musical instruments. I bought a lot of synths to make Space Station Earth. I used to buy them on Denmark Street, there are still a couple of synth shops there, but it’s all changed, a lot of the street has been demolished and it’s restaurants now.
Most unexpected place you’ve seen a celebrity?
I once had a meeting with a film producer and director in a Vietnamese restaurant in Dalston. It seemed like an unlikely place for Hollywood people to be having food but I think the place was quite trendy for a while.
Whilst we were eating came in with a couple of people and they sat him in the corner and he had his dinner.
And I was recording in a studio in Ladbroke Grove ten years ago, it was around 2am, and the fire alarm went off. Everyone had to get out of the building.
I was standing in the car park and came out of the door. It was very random to see him there.
Ilan performs on May 15.
