what to do in london for one night
 

im going to be in london for 1 night on august 17th. i land at 8:30 pm and take of at 13:30 the next day. i am staying in a youth hostel near the museum district. is there going to be what to do? what time do shops open? when to cd stores open?
should i eve bother going out, or just stay at the hostel then go back to the airport?
any advice would be much obliged...

It's shame you're arriving in London so late, otherwise I'd offer to take you to Ashtray Navigations in Eastbourne.

I'll check the gig guides and get back to you.

cool, thanks!

ah, but remeber that im landing at 20:30, so i probably wont be at the hostel until 22:00ish, so i ont be ready to leave till 23:00ish...
i think

go to a gay bar and do some record shopping. not in that order.

I just saw your point about your arrival time, so you're not likely to get to any gigs, but here's a list anyway:

GENE DRAYTON UNIT
@ London 100 Club, £7.00

INGRID LAUBROCK, LIAM NOBLE & TOM RAINEY
@ London Vortex, £10.00

JESSE MALIN
@ London Monto Water Rats, £12.50

MARY HAMPTON, THE RG MORRISON, TANDY HARD, MATT EATON - THE LOCAL VS DRIFT RECORDS
@ London Knom @ Downstairs at The King's Head, £7.00

PARTISANS
@ London Jazzlive @ The Crypt, £6.00

SPITZ FESTIVAL OF COUNTRY: THE PINEY GIR COUNTRY ROADSHOW + OLI N CLIVE
@ London Spitz, £8.00

SPOON
@ London Borderline, £12.50

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT
@ Shepherds Bush Empire, £20.00

THE VIBRATORS
@ Camden Underworld, £12.00

SEPULTURA
@ Islington Academy, £16.00

Most record shops open at about the time that you'll be heading back out to Heathrow, I'm afraid - although, according to the Rough Trade website, their new shop "Rough Trade East" (The Old Truman Brewery, Rough Trade East, Dray Walk (off Brick Lane), London, E1 6QL) opens at 8.00 am.

ECHO CHAMBER JAMM
A special benefit gig for Resonance 104.4fm, hosted by James DC.
Expect an eclectic mix from over 6 awesome live acts, including:
punk-funk fusion from RANDOM CONNECTION QUEST, neo-new-wavers STRIPLIGHT, psychotic surrealist BEEPOID POOLORD, Ramones cover band HEY HO LETS GO!, avant-rockers STARVATION BOX, Psychedelic garage-punk from THE JOHNSONS and ambient electronica from STAFF
plus DJ'S,raffle, visuals and other happenings!

ECHO CHAMBER JAMM:
8pm - 4am, FRIDAY 17TH AUGUST @ JAMM, 261 BRIXTON RD, London, SW9 6LH. £5 (with all proceeds going to Resonance), (Tube: Brixton/Oval:10 minutes walk, Buses: 133, 333, 159, 59). www.brixtonjamm.org www.resonancefm.com

Brixton is fairly central and easy to reach by tube. On top of that you'd go for a good cause.

cool so i might got there in the morning...
the shows will probbly bo too early for me to get there on time\find them. i have not been in london since i was three

that looks pretty cool, but what time does the tube shut down?

Last train is at around 1:00 am on weekends, but since you are staying somewhere central, it is easy to get anywhere by nightbus. Where exactly is your hostel?

Nice one, Porky. I rather expected that you'd be able to come up with something more suitable than me.

I'm not sure what time this finishes but on the few occasions that I have been to these events they tend to come to an end rather late. Whitechapel Gallery is the world-famous second home of Tracy Emin, so make sure to wear dirty underwear for this occasion. Just kidding, check it out:

Whitechapel Gallery: The Wire presents: Below The Radar: An Evening of Outsider Sounds: John Wall & Lgamble + The Wire Sound System DJ's + more TBC 7pm. £6/5

I'd go with this option. Just take a look around, anything else seems a bit rushed to me (but then I'm old, and a leisurely walk is more appealing!).

im staying around the corner i think from the london museum

I wouldn't walk around Picadilly Circus or Oxford Street on a Friday night. Not terribly exciting.

I've spent many a happy night wandering around Picadilly Circus.

On a summer night, the South Bank is a nicer walk, and some of the views are gorgeous. Whitechapel is a little gritty, rather than touristy, but it has its charm.

The walk along the South Bank, from Vauxhall Bridge to Southwark Bridge, is my favourite London walk.

cool! i think that is what i would enjoy the most, just walking around at night...
how far is the southbank from where i will be? is it a walking distance away?