The Top Boy actor and Mercury-Prize-nominated rapper known for hit track ‘Venom’ on her most loved hangouts.
O2 Academy Islington, LONDON
‘I first played here when I was about 10. My youth club put on a showcase where everyone got to perform. I was MC Simz then; later I became Lil Simz and eventually Little Simz. That performance was a key point in my career for sure – I was only young, but I knew it was what I wanted to keep doing. It’s a big venue, and as a child it felt like playing in an arena. After I put out my first album, I went back and sold the place out. I grew up in Islington, so it’s like home.’
Huis Marseille
Eddo Hartmann
Huis Marseille, AMSTERDAM
‘I’d just finished a show outside of Amsterdam and stayed on for a few days. You never know when you’re going to return somewhere, so you might as well make the most of it. On one of those extra days I went to this photography museum. It’s a wicked space that seems quite small but keeps unravelling, with more and more rooms. There was a Deana Lawson exhibition on when I was here – I love her composition and the
way she frames things.’
Address: Huis Marseille, Keizersgracht 401, 1016 EK Amsterdam, Netherlands
Website: huismarseille.nl
An insiders guide to the best restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, shops and things to do in Neukölln, Berlin
MICHELBERGER HOTEL, BERLIN
‘It’s just a vibe! I really like Berlin – I’ve got friends in the city, and always stay at the Michelberger. They host yoga sessions and live music events. I often have people over and we’ve had some sick nights. Last time I stayed here, my room had a jacuzzi bathtub. The food’s so good, too: they do a nice tofu burger – I don’t even like tofu, but this one is banging. I don’t know what they put in it, but whatever it is they need to keep doing it.’
Vlieland, THE NETHERLANDS
‘I discovered this tiny Dutch island when I was here for the Into the Great Wide Open festival last year. We had to go on a bit of a trek – there are no cars allowed, so we took a plane to Amsterdam, then drove for an hour and a half, and finally took a boat. We arrived in the middle of the night – it felt so quiet and super-secluded, even with a festival going on. All these beautiful sandy beaches and lakes, and there were wild horses! With no traffic you notice how clean it all is.’
W SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
‘Playing on the Gorillaz tour in 2017 was exciting and surreal. Every night I got back to this hotel right next to the MoMA gallery, I wanted to go straight to bed – all I can remember thinking after we played San Francisco was that the pillows here were insane. I mean, everyone likes to be comfortable, right? But I take it very seriously. When I’m on tour, where I’m going to rest my head needs to be relaxing, because the days are jam-packed with craziness.’
Address: W San Francisco, 181 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States
Website: marriott.com
Little Simz is touring from June and her album ‘GREY Area’ is out now (littlesimz.co). ‘Top Boy’ can be streamed on Netflix
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