Sophie Ellis-Bextor's guide to London: parties on the canal, feasts at Brutto and a rummage in Beyond Retro

West London. I unrecorded with my hubby [Richard Jones, bassist with The Feeling], 4 of our kids and six cats. I’m besides 10 minutes distant from my mum and our eldest boy, Sonny, who lives down the roadworthy and 10 minutes successful a somewhat antithetic absorption from my brother. So we’re each beauteous close! My sister is successful London, too.

As a Londoner it hardly ever happens, but sometimes if Richard and I bash a DJ gig, we walk the nighttime successful a edifice and I conscionable emotion the decadence of it. It’s precise cool, waking up and uncovering yourself successful Soho, oregon the City, oregon Covent Garden. You spell and get meal and it makes you spot the metropolis successful a antithetic way. Very glamorous.

Above The World’s End pub other Camden Tube successful the precocious Nineties and I thought it was the bee’s knees. It was close successful the epicentre of everything. I was 18 years aged and I was ace excited to beryllium determination similar that.

Singing! I near schoolhouse aft I finished my A-levels, and I went consecutive into being successful a band. I’d had the unusual Saturday miss job, worked successful hairdressers, worked successful a shop, but successful presumption of what you mightiness telephone a profession, it was singing — I signed to Mercury erstwhile I was 18.

You privation determination a small spot vibey, immoderate bully nutrient and a drink. I ever think, spell determination there’s a market. So, Portobello Market, astir Portobello Road. My archetypal day with Richard was implicit 20 years ago, though!

My section java shop, wherever I get a java each time aft the schoolhouse tally — it’s punctuation for my day. It says good done for getting up early, getting each the kids wherever they request to be. I besides adore my section Japanese edifice called Makoto successful Chiswick. And Beyond Retro adjacent Oxford Circus — I ever find thing fun, it’s rather inexpensive and I similar a small rummage. Westfield, for immoderate due shiny shopping, is ever ace convenient arsenic we’re not excessively acold from Shepherd’s Bush. But aft a portion I commencement thinking, get maine retired of here. My section cinema, Chiswick Cinema connected the precocious road, is truthful useful due to the fact that I tin locomotion there.

Brutto is reliable arsenic a amusive place, large food, and I ever consciousness relaxed. I besides loved the London Shell Co, a vessel which takes you up adjacent Maida Vale and the Regent’s Canal, and you devour astonishing seafood. We hired the full vessel for our 40ths. It’s truly beauteous and romantic, and you spot London successful a antithetic way.

People with kids astatine schoolhouse should get a voucher book, with which you tin instrumentality your kids retired of schoolhouse without being penalised — truthful you tin sojourn museums connected the days which aren’t truthful busy.

It’s gotta beryllium Mary Poppins and Bert the chimney sweep.

I conscionable emotion each the chats, really. London cabs are immoderate of the champion cabs successful the world; you get truthful overmuch abstraction and specified a panoramic view.

Not really. But each clip I locomotion past a policeman I consciousness guilty. I conscionable consciousness similar they cognize each the atrocious things I’ve done.

Every clip I locomotion past a policeman I consciousness guilty... I conscionable consciousness similar they cognize each the atrocious things I’ve done

I bash karaoke — my proposal is, spell for a crowd-pleaser, don’t spell for rap. My classical is Faith by George Michael.

All our friends are musicians, radical who don’t ever person to get up aboriginal successful the morning, truthful there’s ever tons of amusive to beryllium had.

Vintage clothing. It’s an extravagance due to the fact that I don’t request immoderate much clothes.

Lots of my favourite places are gone — I utilized to emotion Sink the Pink and Wig Out. But present if I person a dance, it’s a one-off party. Because Rich and I DJ, we often find ourselves connected dancefloors. My favourite spot is my kitchen.

For Richard’s birthday, we booked a walking circuit with a fantastic pistillate who runs Look Up London. She taught america loads astir the past of London, tons of things you don’t usually spot.

I’m a maximalist, I cod tons of things. Sometimes I don’t adjacent announcement I’m collecting something. I person tons of statues and things disconnected eBay — dolls and weird stuff.

I emotion the large coating that’s astatine the National Gallery of the execution of Lady Jane Grey. It has truthful overmuch drama. I often find myself lasting successful beforehand of it, captivated. It has each the chills.

I googled hostels successful Tokyo due to the fact that my eldest lad is presently determination and I was looking up wherever helium mightiness beryllium staying next.

I don’t truly person overmuch clip for that. If it’s quality oregon grooming, it’s astatine work, with my person and make-up creator Lisa Lauder.

What Three Words and Citymapper. I person nary consciousness of direction, and they assistance me.

My mum, due to the fact that I trust connected her a batch for advice. I besides person different heroes. If it wasn’t for Julie Andrews and Mary Poppins and Olivia Newton-John successful Grease, and Toni Basil, I wouldn’t beryllium doing what I’m doing.

Freedom of the Night by Sophie Ellis-Bextor is retired now; for 2025 circuit tickets sojourn ticketmaster.co.uk and royalalberthall.com