What better way to spend a glorious Sunday in East London than cycling between musical performances. All at a bargain £10?

Our lovely friends at the Mayor of London's office once again showed us how to have fun in London.

We met a large mixed bunch of cyclists on the canal by Broadway market. The cyclists came from near and far, the experts, the amateurs and the hardup (backsies are so 2009!). 

With the Sunday-sun shining, we all marveled at our luck.

The first stop was at Toynbee Studios to immerse ourselves in the sounds of the Portico Quartet. A contemporary jazz band (four attractive young men, one playing a selection of woks) in the vein of The Cinematic Orchestra. They played tracks from their Mercury-nominated debut album, as well as a few new treats. The show went down a storm and everyone couldn't wait to see what was in store for us next...

Surprise, surprise, it was a storm we got. Somewhere in-between Bricklane and London Fields the heavens opened and we were drenched. On arriving at St John-at-Hackney Church for the earth-mother Helen Chadwick group, singing songs with a mostly latino beauty and energy, we rang out our dripping socks as they sung their way into the re-emerging sunlight. 

We left the party there to trundel home for a warm bath and a mug of tea, missing out on the final installment, a new play by Stephen Berkoff. 

Great fun, but I am now sneezing my way into this week!