London

My question is whether King's Cross is a good spot to live for "ILM types", whatever that means.

Con: not be able to get tix might contribute to immediate onslaught of major depression.

Going to London for a couple days in a few weeks. I know there are a zillion secondhand stores in, like, Soho (and probably also other places), but does anyone living there (or nearby) have an idea about some of the best ones?

I am not into vinyl, so for me it's more like finding some nice old CDs from, for instance, the 80s, that may be deleted and so on.

Camden and Hoxton are probably better suited to your needs than Soho.

Are you going to be popping out for a drink while you're here?

For deleted CDs - (there's a Soho branch as well - and maybe a Camden one - but I've always had much better luck at the Notting Hill one, which also has a huge basement):

Music & Video Exchange - 38 Notting Hill Gate, Notting Hill London W11 3HX

I have never been to Camden but actually considering to try and go there if I have the time, as I know it's worth seeing. But the Notting Hill one also seems interesting.

I will only be there from the 16th until the 18th, but I guess if somebody has the time, and want a confirmation I am for real (Nathan can already confirm that ;) ), then that would be fine. :)

I'd recommend Flashback :

http://flashback.co.uk/

They have 2 branches, both slightly out of the way (one on Essex Road in Islington, one in Crouch End) but I always find interesting CDs in there at reasonable prices.
You can also try Reckless / Revival / whatever it's called these days on Berwick Street in Soho, also on that street is the Music & Video Exchange as mentioned above, plus Sister Ray which has some s/h stock. Nearby-ish too is Fopp (on Shaftesbury Avenue, just off Cambridge Circus) which is all new but lotsa good stuff in the £3-£6 range.
Charity shops are often worth a quick look too, especially the Books & Music branches of Oxfam.

Flashback sounds very nice, but may be a bit difficult to access going to London by plane with no car (not that I would allow myself as a driver in the "leftist" English traffic anyway... ;) ), I suppose it's outside the tube area.

Islington is well within the tube area. Zone 1 even.

Yeah I meant slightly out of the way as in not in the West End - the Islington branch is 5-10 mins walk from Angel tube, Crouch End you have to get a bus from Finsbury Park or Archway though.

I have never been to Camden but actually considering to try and go there if I have the time, as I know it's worth seeing.

It really isn't.

haha otm

Worth going to if you need to buy crack though

I like Camden as it's my manor. Objectively a bit horrible though.

i remember when i was visiting london a couple of years ago (i live here now) i found two record shops on the same street, possibly owned by the same people, think one stocked rock stuff and the other lots of house/disco/dub/techno etc. pretty sure it was kensington kind of area. there was also a second hand clothes shop on the same street. anyone have idea where this was?

That could describe Essex Road I think? (that's in Islington though)

also pretty sure i saw some ilxors in the bethnal green florist a couple of weeks ago figured saying 'hi i used to read your blog a few years ago' would have been a bit too crepey

it def wasn't essex road. i was playing a gig at buckingham palace and i only had an hour or two walking around. so it's in that area. they had lots of disco edits. i think the road kind of ran parallel to one of the parks.

there was also a classical music shop on the same street.

pretty sure crackle is describing the music and video exchanges in notting hill (which is just down the road from kensington church street, and high st kensington) - on the high street there is a 'rock' exchange, a 'classical' exchange and a 'dance' exchange. there's also clothes, musical instrument, book exchanges in the same area.

ok just googled and pretty sure you're right. thanks.

also pretty sure i saw some ilxors in the bethnal green florist a couple of weeks ago figured saying 'hi i used to read your blog a few years ago' would have been a bit too crepey

Pretty sure that would have been Local Garda and maybe Blueski and a couple of others.

i was playing a gig at buckingham palace

Are you Brian May?

also pretty sure i saw some ilxors in the bethnal green florist a couple of weeks ago figured saying 'hi i used to read your blog a few years ago' would have been a bit too crepey

i actually live on a stool in there. when was it? almost guaranteed it was me! my flat is about 5 mins from there.

I dream of living there.

i was playing a gig at buckingham palace

Are you Brian May?

Or Francis Rossi maybe?

we did play that i want to break free song. it was queen's guard xmas party, playing covers, it paid well and the food was A+

anyway geir will you be around for hip hop kareoke?

http://www.thesocial.com/calendar

LOL Hardly my style, but I will be flying home Thursday evening anyway :)

I dream of living there.

i love it, got v lucky as it was the first place i found when i moved to ldn two and a half years ago, didn't really know anything about anywhere.

Got home a couple weeks ago now but forgot to write a followup here. I did visit those stores in Berwick Street, but actually found more of interest in the old HMV stores. The record stores may be disappearing at a fast rate, and putting more effort into games and DVDs, but the two large ones at Oxford Circus and Trocadero are still very good shops with lots of back catalogue items. Still missing the huge Tower Records store at the other side of Piccadilly, but that one was gone ages ago anyway.

As for Camden Market being worth visited: I reckon it was, but not because of music.