Is London a good place to live ?

[navitus]

Am planning on moving. Have some friends/family in London.
Would like to get into recording/music production/music for TV/games, DJing, ideally but am willing to touch it out till something concrete happens. Can teach guitar, producing etc aswell.

Is it a very saturated city ? Would like to hear some perspectives from people who live there.

Thanks
F

[leedsquietman]

Don't do it unless you have a decent, well paying job lined up already.

It is a super expensive place to live and accomodation is sky high prices.

Having said this, I survived there as a student, back in the early-mid 90s, but barely.

I had periods where I could not afford to have electricity (key meter system) so would be in the dark and cold and unable to watch TV or do music and had to have my mom email me emergency food parcels at least twice. I also had to sell almost all my music gear I had at the time just to pay rent, the only thing that survived was my Yamaha electric guitar - synths, amps, 4 track machines, all sold. I also had to walk the 6 km back and forth to university at least 2 dozen times, as I couldn't afford the bus fare.

I worked at the Student Union bar, which helped a bit but unless you have rich parents or a lot of savings you're prepared to burn, the student loans are not enough to sustain you.

Working is a different matter - if you have a good job that pays well, it is a good place to live but the rents and cost of housing is astronomical. Transport is great though, the tube serves most of the city and bussing is great too. Transport costs are reasonable.

[forge]

Is it a very saturated city ?

probably a good word for London

if you are reasonably young and unattached and have lots of energy and enthusiasm then why not!

It's one of the few cities in the world everybody should go to at some point in their lives, and better to do it when you have the energy to make the most of it

personally I think while everyone is moaning about recessions it's probably not the ideal time though, it seems like everyone is losing their jobs, but if you're not planning to work then go for it!

BTW - where are you going from? exchange rate is another thing to watch out for

[forge]

... had to have my mom email me emergency food parcels at least twice. ....

blimey! you've got a clever mum! Can you have her contact my mum to tell her how to do that? I could do with a few of those email food parcels! My lamb curry has never quite matched hers, it would be awesome if she could just email me one!

[SubFunk]

I say, it depends most of my friends did not liked it very much. I loved it and still miss it from time to time... One thing is shure it's a very tough place and you need decent income to enjoy it, which i had after a hard struggle in the beginning, and to me london is the music capital of the world, people say that from berlin somehow, which i find to be a joke.

It really depends on you, for london you need to be a hard fighter, in berlin you can be lazy as fuck and it's fine...

[catalyst]

Is it a very saturated city ?

probably a good word for London

if you are reasonably young and unattached and have lots of energy and enthusiasm then why not!

It's one of the few cities in the world everybody should go to at some point in their lives, and better to do it when you have the energy to make the most of it

+1

Definitely a great place, plenty of hustle.. but as stated by others already - you need plenty of energy and decent money/some good hookups or it could really drive you up the wall.

Where are you living at the moment ?

[j2j]

I've lived in London. Its a great city, but a rough city. I loved it, but I assume many wont. The English are the best in the world at music, hands down. If that is what you are going for, GO! I've lived in ten different cities, and none were as difficult as London.

I'm not a fan of very big and famous nightclubs, but what is in Vauxhall and Brixton is just flat out awesome. At least it was a few years back, I don't know what it is right now.

[leedsquietman]

Well there are some very beautiful neighbourhoods and some very nice accomodation - problem is, unless you are a millionaire, you can't afford it, so have to live in some of the rough and readier areas.

I lived in Hackney, Lower Clapton, Bethnal green, and Haringey in North London and Brockley in South London. All of which are areas which you better be streetwise in, with some rough housing and social problems (some more than others), but by and large, I liked the people and the multicultarilty of it all. Haringey was cool, rented a place just off Green Lanes, many places to get a good kebab and some good pubs for a lot less than central london/west end not too far a walk from Manor House tube or Turnpike Lane and plenty of buses. Brockley was a nicer area, but duller, and no tube, but reasonable bus service. Hackney was the worse area but had some very friendly people. (also no tube), but regular train to Liverpool street, or buses. Londoners are not the nicest to tourists in the west end and city, but when you live among them in the inner city and burbs, they treat you a lot better.

[noisetonepause]

The English are the best in the world at music, hands down.

Ha-fucking-ha.

If you want good music, I'd say Istanbul or maybe Singapore or Malaysia.

Some of the new qawwali that's coming out of Pakistan is the fucking shit, too, but living in Pakistan is going to be difficult.

What I'd really like to, though, is move to Tehran and get into the death metal scene. It's apparently huge down there, as though the last 20 years never happened. And imagine what it's like playing death metal in a country where everything but Richard Clayderman and dull renderings of Persian classical music can put you in jail?

[UKRuss]

Bring your stab vest.

[SubFunk]

I've lived in London. Its a great city, but a rough city. I loved it, but I assume many wont. The English are the best in the world at music, hands down. If that is what you are going for, GO! I've lived in ten different cities, and none were as difficult as London.

I'm not a fan of very big and famous nightclubs, but what is in Vauxhall and Brixton is just flat out awesome. At least it was a few years back, I don't know what it is right now.

i tend to agree, out of own experience... and yes the english are the best when it comes to the music business... music itself is a world thing, but making a living from it... it's england.

i also agree with leedsquietman...

it's a beautiful place with beautiful people, it is just soooo big that it takes a while to get it.

i lived 6 years in london (sheperds bush, goldhawk road just next to the shepperds bush empire)

and it took me 2 years hardest survival fight to keep myself over water... but then i was flying... once you know your way around and manage to survive... your are prepared for live.

that is london for me, survival of the fittest at it's best, of course it's socially hard, but i like it, because the weak ones... well, it's not like in "socialistic" berlin where every lazy, well there are bad words for it i would love to use, but i respect the code of behavior... can manage to make a living.

(p.s. living afterwards for a long time in eastern europe probably made me maximum allergic against any kind of socialistic shit, sorry)

if it is for the music business, GO...
man how much i miss the clubs in london.... cause they suck so much here in berlin, no class, NO GOOD SOUND!!!, no good bars (general service & offer on drinks), no style... no dressed up sexy woman, in london you have underground music with that! plus the english are party people, germans are big fat bores.

berlin electronic music mecca? my ass. it's cheap punk ass rubbish. even it's my hometown.... i have to say like i feel.

if it wasn't for love, i would have never left london!
the love i left for, still holds and keeps me happy, but i also miss london and the english and there humor often...!!!
god i have appetite for a greasy spoon, damn.

[brightonalex]

Its the only place worth living. Everywhere else is pointless and ridiculous.

[navitus]

noisetonepause :
I am from Pakistan and live here at the moment. I went to Berklee in Boston and lived there from 96-2002 and came back when media and music was flourishing in Pakistan, but it was all a joke. All commercial music and TV stuff which i don't agree with nor like. I'm just really fed up with this place. I became a high earning DJ here, have my own studio, respect, car, home etc. Its comfy here, but not for my mind and soul.
The current government is fucked up, the country is in chaos, bombs going off everywhere, crime rate off the charts, war in certain areas, India about to attack etc etc..... i'm getting really depressed here.
I have not grown musically or intellectually in 6 years.

Yes, in ways a move anywhere will mean starting from scratch and all my money when converted to pounds will be very very little. I'm 32 right now so if i dont do it now, it'll be too late.

Australia seems like another option as they are still welcoming immigrants but i don't have any friends there.

Also, and this is a real concern, i do not know what its like being muslim in the west post 911 and all. i am extremely liberal and not into Pakistani/Bhangra music , though i am interested in Electronic Sufi world music and wanted to find players abroad to play with.
I do not know what the atmosphere is like for a Pakistani Muslim in the west at the moment and i do not know how welcoming society will be to me.

Yup, London is tough i do agree. Can u guys think of any other places which i should consider ?

Thanks
F

[catalyst]

Bring your stab vest.

It's only London mate, not Glasgow

[condra]

DO IT! UK is a cool country. Let us know how you get on.