Gideon Coe's London Cultural Diary

The Gideon Coe 6Music weeknight show at 9pm is appointment listening for indie kids of all ages. He shares his top places to visit in London for spring and summer.

Festival: Hay Literature Festival , 22 May – 1 June 14

We’ve been to this a few years in a row – it’s over the half-term holiday so we take my eight-year-old and stay for four or five days. It’s a favourite spot on the circuit for kids’ writers as well as other writers and performers – a few years ago Mr Tumble [aka Justin Fletcher MBE of CBeebies] made an appearance and got a rock god’s reception. 

Personally I’m looking forward to seeing Chris Froome, the defending Tour de France champion, whose autobiography The Climb  is coming out in June, and I’ll try and book John Hegley, Max Hastings, Stephen Fry and Kate Adie too. I like the fact that you end up listening to stuff you wouldn’t normally encounter. 

Book: Viv Albertine memoir,  Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music,  Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys

Viv Albertine was in a wonderful band called The Slits. I’m looking forward to her music-based memoir. 

Albums: Hendra,   Ben Watt and Are We There,  Sharon van Etton

Ben Watt was in the band Everything But the Girl with Tracey Thorn. I very much enjoyed his memoir about his parents, Romany and Tom , and now he’s released an album called Hendra , which seems to have been written in tandem with the memoir. Over the years he’s DJed and run a record label but this is his first solo album in 31 years. Sharon van Etten is an American singer songwriter. Her last album, Tramp , was a very special piece of work. 

Gig: Kate Bush, Hammersmith Apollo

I’ve never been able to blag anything in my life, but this will be the music event of the summer. It’s a huge undertaking to play 22 nights in a row at the Hammersmith Apollo. It’s her first live performance since 1980 – I really hope it goes well. 

Food: Brooks Fishmongers, 93 Chamberlayne Road, Kensal Rise

I’m always on the look out for people doing fish well – I make a very good fish pie and have mastered the art of baking sea bass, for exactly the right amount of time, albeit after getting it wrong a few times. This new local wet fishmonger in Kensal Rise where I live is a recent find. It was opened by Doron Atzmon, who already runs a butcher and a cafe in the area.

Exhibition: Veronese , National Gallery, until 15 June

I tend to leave it to the last minute to see exhibitions, but my DJing schedule means I can go at around 11am on a weekday, which is a decent time to aim for if you want to avoid the crowds. Veronese is on my current hit list. 

Gideon Coe's 6Music show airs every weekday night at 9pm

Want to read more? Members enjoy full access to all Culture Whisper's arts previews, exclusives and features. Click here to take our cultural quiz and get a month's free trial.