Pop culture of east London #3: the Olly Murs tour

Essex boy Olly Murs is a hit with the British school kids, I know, and am told I pronounce his name incorrectly. He is sort of a one-person boy band, silly and totally inoffensive. Here's a tour of east London in his videos:

Mile End Skate Park:

Westfield Stratford City:

Lewisham and Greenwich Market:

Pop culture of east London #2: Spinnin' for 2012

London's saddest loss in recently memory has been Amy Winehouse.  Fortunately we were left with her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield. She is still extremely young and obviously her career is ahead of her but my favorite thing about this video for the official London 2012 torch song "Spinnin' for 2012" is that it is actually east London.  Dionne Bromfield is from Tower Hamlets, Tinchy Stryder is from Bow, and the setting is Tower Bridge and the City of London with shots of Canary Wharf and the O2.

The iconic Tower Bridge is the gateway to east London, linking the north and south of the Thames.  If you are a fan you can get a smaller version from the Lego Store in Westfield Stratford City.

Pop culture of east London #1: Itchycoo Park

Itchycoo Park is a song by the east London band the Small Faces about Little Ilford Park (it is said that is its nickname, but locals just call it Little Ilford Park).

Perhaps no one has heard about the Small Faces outside of the UK, but they were the original group which later rebanded with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood as The Faces, which you also maybe never heard of but at least you know who those guys are.  Anyway you WILL enjoy this video. Rod Stewart lives on the Essex side of Epping Forest.

There is also a well known nightclub called Faces in east London (Gants Hill) which is regularly visited by stars of the reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex.   As far as I know, it bears no relationship to the rock bands.