The Insomniax will be hosting an After Carnival Party Special today at Life on Old Street, with DJ’s Rapzcallion (Blacktronica) and Dan Anderson (A2B Records), not to mention a live performance of material from The Insomniax’s forthcoming Love She Wants EP, and live radio broadcast on Nasty.fm from 12-2AM.

Don’t say we don’t spoil you, ’cause we do.

It’s Bank Holiday Weekend! If you’re in London for the weekend we have two hot spots for the diary.

Today Earnest Endeavours, Black Atlantic and Dante Fried Chicken team up to bring you Ride or Fry an alternative carnival cook up. DJ’s include Alexander Nut and Fatima, Jon Phonics and more. What started as the KFC R.I.P. loft jams in New York almost a decade ago comes to Mare Street, Hackney. Good music and music come as standard, so do like me and start making room in your belly now.

Leah Gordon presents an exhibition of photographs at the Side Gallery in Newcastle taken from the book Kanaval: Vodou, Politics and Revolution on the streets of Haiti .

Published by the stella Soul Jazz Records, this book promises an insight into a cultural event unblighted by threats of gentile Hyde Park routes and fizzy drinks sponsorship.

Notting Hill Carnival this certainly ain’t.

There’s something about the idea of Refugee Week that sticks in my craw like a fish bone: a bit like Black History Month in fact. Namely because the history of this country – and most countries for that matter – is either a history of immigration, or of people having sought refuge.

By virtue of such uncomfortable truths, these stories are an integral – not exclusive – part of a nations narrative. If I see another campaign talking about the virtues of Mary Seacole, someone’s going to get it up the seacole.

If you’re going to broach the subject of refugees contribution to a nation, then you had better say something interesting. Thankfully, these posters for Refugee Week manage to do that.

There’s still time to catch the the book launch & exhibition of Flip the Script – A Photographers Music Diary, by Kingsley Davis & preface by Norman Jay MBE

The original event featured a special performance by Jonzi D – Choreographer, MC, Poet & Curator of Breakin Convention + Flip the Script video premiere.

Rather than dwell on what you’ve missed, get yourself down the exhibition, which runs until May 28, 2011.

Address: Westminster Reference Library, 1st Floor, 35 St Martins Street, London WC2H 7HP

The joys of Spring brought new faces to the office recently in the form of the Black Atlantic crew. When it comes to the club / cultural experience, Tom and Ben are raising the bar to create the equivalent of a pole vault event.

Only innovators need apply, and this weekend Berlin based producers Modeselektor will be joining Mala, Siriusmo and more at a secret warehouse party (location TBA).

Judging by the two wind turbine sized fans perched by their desks they’re expecting a bumper turnout, and with good reason it seems.

Documentation is representation. If you don’t like the way you’re being represented, you’re best advised to get out there and represent yourself.

While traditional news outlets were busy portraying student activists as mindless, fire-hydrant wielding anarchists hell bent on destruction and the end of society as we know it, a young seventeen year old not only chose to organise a protest against EMA cuts in Lancaster, but she saw fit to document it with her own keen photographic eye.

The pics feature bright faces and poignant messages galore. I won’t say which one’s my favourite: it should be obvious.

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These images were exhibited last month at the 10 Gales Gallery in Bethnal Green.

Just got an email / video reminder from Ronzo about this evenings exhibition at the StolenSpace Gallery, so it’s only right I pass it on.

As for you? Well…pass it on…

Ronzo‘s second solo exhibition features a new series of paintings, collages, prints and sculptures showing life in the ‘Ronzo Borough of Crackney’ (let’s just assume that the ‘C’ stands for ‘crazy’).

It may be ‘a dark but funny place’, but if it inspires such a range of vibrant creativity then we’ve got a lot to thank London’s East End borough of Hackney for.

Ronzo‘s vision of Crackney can be seen at the StolenSpace Gallery, The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Bricklane, London E1 6QL, UK from the 18th (tomorrow) to the 21st of November.

Thinking of going? Then click here for a proper google map.

We came. We saw. We conquered. We got pretty damn wet. And with the help of Juliette Dalton and her 2diceproductionz team, pretty soon we’ll have the film to prove it.

Art work from the Sequences Real-Time Art Festival from back in 2008, proves that not only is milk good for your bones, but it’s good for font design too. Providing you’re willing to make an awful lot of mess.

The 2010 version of the festival runs from October 30 to November 7 in Reykjavík, Iceland.

From the ashes of Rise comes the UpRise Anti-Racism Festival on October 3 in Finsbury Park London.

The previous incarnation went down in a blaze of contention and glory. Brazen Bunch, Zap! Bang! and twenty%extra™ have bowed to the will of the people to bring back an event that never should have left in the first place.

We’ve achieved an awful lot in a very short period of time, but there’s still much to do and funds to raise. So if you – like us – want to put our money where our mouth is so to speak, then please lend your support by joining the ever growing £1 Crew [larger donations ARE welcome], joining the FB page or just spreading the word.

I think I may have to don a school uniform and start wearing my hair in ponytails again. Not a Britney homage, but to see if I can blag a few of ‘A Night Less Ordinary’ tickets.

For those luckily enough to be under 26 (I’m just over the age limit, mind) the Arts Council have promised FREE theatre event tickets.

All you have to do is check out  www.anightlessordinary.org.uk enter your location and all participating theatres in the area will pop up, book your tickets and Bob’s your uncle, you’ve been in the receipt of freeness!

So if you feel like getting your culture vulture on, you know what to do.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Chris Ofili retrospective at Tate Britain as yet, head down this Sunday. Not only will you get to see the show for a fiver (bargain!) but you’ll also get to take part in a range of creative workshops and musical shenanigans.

I really can’t recommend this show enough (without sounding like I’m on the Tate payroll) but <em>really</em>, his work will blow your socks off. You’ll be immersed in glorious colours, intricate patterns and provocative narratives. But don’t take my word for it, be part of it.