MELTING POT BLUES - London

Jet lag meets heatwave, good food and music. Plus, courtesans, pop-ups, and puppets.

Covent Garden, Soho, Notting Hill - May 2025

London Town was a whirlwind. We were primarily there as Keith had a weeklong enneagram intensive in Limehouse, East London. We tacked on a few days, ten in total. We did a LOT.

Cora Pearl, English courtesan (December 1836 – 8 July 1886)

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Our second day, still jetlagged, we enjoyed an incredible Sunday Roast at a newer restaurant, Cora Pearl, in Covent Garden. The restaurant is named after a famous 18^th century London courtesan, who “turned having a good time into an art form.” The meal was traditional (I simply had to have Yorkshire pudding), yet the place is known for being “modern British,” so it was stylish and fresh and delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant if you find yourself in Central London. It can be difficult to sort out the tourist traps from the real, foodie orientated winners.

I made sure to stop by the olde magic, new age, spiritual bookseller – Watkins Bookshop – also in Covent Garden. I bought myself a miniature souvenir Gilded Tarot deck for traveling. It’s a lovely 78-card deck – all filled with medieval imagery and inspiration; however, it’s too tiny for much use beyond carrying in a purse. Also, although I love the hyperreal imagery, I am pretty sure it’s digital art, and I prefer the old ways of painting and drawing. Finally, nothing beats my traditional Waite deck for its forthrightness and reliability. My personal deck is a workhorse. I left it at home, with the intention of giving it a rest.

III - The Empress, Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti

I am more interested in old literature than new age these days, yet it was fun to reenter magical Watkins. The whole vibe is very Harry . . . Potter, that is. On one of my prior visits here, in 2008, I was halfheartedly keen on moving to London (a British paramour from Hounslow via India was involved) and made connections with Watkins to potentially be one of their in-house intuitives. Never panned out – neither the romance nor the gig – as I left London to return to India for another two years.

Walking home for a siesta we encountered yet another K-pop TikTok dance pop-up/flash scene gathering on a side street. I enjoyed watching these routines in Washington Park in NYC a few years ago, and honestly, Keith had to peel me away from these dances. I marvel at the attention given to costumery, image, and detailed TikTok choreography, not to mention the explosive adoration of this pop music genre.

Here’s a taste: “Mr. Taxi” from the South Korean group, Girl's’ Generation -

Lest TikTok K-pop be too little, we also stumbled upon the Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival. Punch and Judy professors and puppeteers from around the world had gathered in the garden of St. Paul’s Church. Kind of beautiful, kind of sweet and innocent, and kind of eerie. Like clowns. A whole subculture of very serious and dedicated puppeteers from all over. Some silent, some with music, some with dialogue. Miniature puppets, hand puppets; watercolor puppets; marionettes. If you’re into it, the May Fayre Puppet Festival is for you. Strange and lovely. I haven’t yet mentioned that London was having a heat wave, which gave an overly bright, sweaty tone to the psychedelic atmosphere.

Here’s Keith watching a watercolor puppet show:

Later that day, we met up with my old friend, Kiwi-Londoner Garth Cartwright. Garth is an author and music journalist for The Guardian (check out his fabulous Substack here). Best part about rendezvousing near Soho was Garth showing us the places the early Rolling Stones romped and recorded their debut album in ’64, at Regent Sounds, Denmark Street. Garth and I disagree about a lot of music (he hates Zeppelin voraciously, and I do understand his reasons), but we’ve always shared a loyal love of the Stones. (And writing and travel. And Twain. And Kerouac.)

Regent Sounds, Denmark Street, Soho. The Rolling Stones cut their self-titled debut album here in 1964.

Hopping on a double-decker red bus, the three of us – Garth, Keith, and I – rambled on over to The Mall Tavern, Notting Hill to share some delicious pub food (pints for the boys) and catch the inaugural gig of Big Joe Louis and Friends at his new Sunday “basement blues” residency. We happily squeezed in at the second set – I was literally in the corner behind the stand-up bass player, gorgeous and talented Francesca Shaw. With some foot-stomping harmonica and solid blues singing by Paul Lamb, the dark, hot basement was overflowing and everyone was a-rockin’. That’s the moment where I say to myself, I do miss living in a big city.

On that note, London is an absolute marvel of a metropolis. The diversity is unmatched. I can’t even compare it to New York City – I think there are more nationalities speaking in one block than The Big Apple! It’s a beautiful thing. A sea of color. A cacophony of souls.

Packed, for sure, like sardines. Nine million humans, seeping in from all four corners of the globe with their culture, clothing, food, music, beliefs. The joke is on the imperialists – the conqueror’s city is now overflowing with those they’ve conquered, and must deal with the soup.

This, my fourth visit to The Smoke, had me rocking and a-reeling with awe, enjoyment, and exhaustion.

And that’s just the first full day.

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A few extras for Paid subscribers. Thank you.

I always love me a lion. Trafalgar Square, Westminster, London. May 2025

Mexican puppeteers at the Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Fest -

The Stones busting it out in 1964 -

My review on Garth Cartwright’s book More Miles Than Money: Journeys through American Music (2010)

An Important Book in American Music History

June 23, 2011

"Gratitude" is the word that comes to mind when I think about Garth Cartwright's contribution to the American music-writing genre. Garth has done a great service in archiving some of the most important moments, moods, and mayhem that make up the United States' roots in rock, blues, soul, hip hop, and ethnic music. His writing is hopped up and juiced like jazz itself, thumping under your skin like Keroauc on the road, with the brilliance of a seasoned travel writer. All the while we feel Cartwright's deep reverence for the soul of Americana, before globalization and commercialization ripped out the heart of a nation that was BORN to shake it, feel it, bump it and grind it.

Cartwright's characters are endearing and authentic to the core. We fall in love with the seedy and the sweet companions he encounters, especially the toothless, streetwise, and good-natured Lee who rides with Garth through a good chunk of the southwest. More Miles reveals to us much more than music: we witness the truth of dying towns and cultures, the soullessness of regions shattered by meth, and the gutsy reality of rural living. I repeat: this is an important book, a crucial record and a stand for what makes American music the influential world powerhouse contribution that it is. Long live the grit and grind of the people's music - in all its purity, sweat, and poetry. Good one, Mr. Cartwright.

Links mentioned in this post:

Cora Pearl Restaurant

Watkins Bookshop

Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival

Garth Cartwright’s Substack – music, travel, art

The Rolling Stones’ debut album (The Rolling Stones, 1964 on Decca)

The Mall Tavern

Big Joe Louis - blues musician

Francesca Nnoka Shaw - standup bass and portrait artist

Paul Lamb - master blues musician

Thank you for your support!

- Erin Reese