THE LONDON ESSENTIALS

The Big Red Bus, the Big Red Party

17th June 2026
Reviewed by Robert Corich

There are mornings when the alarm goes off and you immediately regret having made any commitments whatsoever.

This was one of them.

I’d only just returned from Miami on a red-eye flight, which meant my body clock was somewhere over the Atlantic, my brain was still operating on Florida time and my bed was making a very persuasive argument for staying exactly where I was.

But an invitation had arrived to join The London Essentials on an open-top bus trip around London.

So I dragged myself out of bed, hauled myself to the pickup point and climbed aboard, thinking this was probably going to be a pleasant few hours of sightseeing that I’d have to endure before getting back home and into bed.

How wrong can you be?

Very.

This wasn’t a tourist bus full of unsuspecting passengers. The passengers, so to speak, were predominantly media, music journalists and a few assorted hangers-on — a particularly sociable collection of people who seemed united by an enthusiasm for music and a willingness to make the most of the hospitality.

And there was plenty of hospitality.

Champagne appeared.

Other alcoholic beverages followed.

Conversation became increasingly animated.

And the Big Red Bus hadn’t got very far before it was abundantly clear that this was going to be considerably more entertaining than I’d anticipated.

Then came the musicians.

And there were a lot of them.

This wasn’t some polite little acoustic duo sitting at the front of the bus. The London Essentials arrived as a sizeable musical invasion, filling the upper deck with instruments, vocals, energy and an almost alarming amount of enthusiasm.

Their whole approach is based around taking music out of the conventional stage environment and putting it right amongst the audience. On this occasion, however, the audience was travelling through London — so the city itself became the stage.

And what a stage.

As the Big Red Bus wound its way past some of London’s most famous landmarks, the band played around us while the Champagne flowed and the conversation continued at a volume that probably required its own London Underground line.

Meanwhile, the beautifully — and occasionally rather scantily — dressed girls on board were dancing the afternoon away as the bus sometimes took a slightly enthusiastic interpretation of the London road system.

What wasn’t to like?

The combination of live music, dancing, drinks and London landmarks made for one hell of a travelling party.

And then there was the audience outside the bus.

Every few minutes we’d pass tourists and pedestrians who would suddenly look up and discover this extraordinary spectacle rolling past them.

A large group of musicians performing on an open-top London bus, surrounded by a bunch of increasingly cheerful music journalists and hangers-on, many of whom appeared to be taking their responsibility to sample the hospitality extremely seriously.

The expressions on the faces below were priceless.

What on earth was going on?

We knew.

Well… most of us did.

The tourists, on the other hand, appeared to have stumbled across some sort of travelling musical circus.

And frankly, I suspect they enjoyed it almost as much as we did.

When we reached Parliament Square and swept past Westminster Abbey, the spectacle really went up another notch.

People on the streets stopped and stared, then started dancing along with the music. What had begun as a bunch of media people having a rather good afternoon on a red bus had now become a spontaneous street party, with complete strangers joining in from the pavement.

I’m not sure Westminster has ever seen quite this particular interpretation of a sightseeing tour.

The band played, the girls danced, the journalists drank, the tourists stared — and London danced along.

Because beneath all the Champagne-fuelled lunacy there is something that shouldn’t be overlooked:

These guys can seriously play.

The London Essentials aren’t simply a bunch of entertainers who happen to have instruments. They are bloody good musicians — tight, versatile and capable of moving effortlessly between musical styles while retaining that wonderful impression that everything is happening spontaneously.

And they’re funny.

Properly funny.

The humour isn’t some routine bolted onto the performance between songs. It’s part of the whole thing — the interaction, the personalities, the musical exchanges and the sheer cheek of having a sizeable gang of musicians invade whatever space happens to be available.

That combination of musicianship, humour, personality and audience interaction is what makes them so effective.

A few hours later, the musical procession came to a temporary halt at Julie’s in Notting Hill Gate, where wonderful canapés appeared along with, naturally, more alcohol.

By now this was beginning to resemble less of a media event and more of an extremely well-organised excuse for a party.

Eventually it was time to climb back aboard the Big Red Bus.

There was, of course, the small matter that some members of the expedition had by now reached the stage where operating a bus was probably best left to someone else.

The survivors climbed aboard and the Big Red Bus began weaving its way back towards the vicinity of Baker Street and our original pickup point.

And then came the finale.

Because apparently we hadn’t had enough fun already.

More Champagne was waiting.

The band got out.

And promptly started a full-blown street party.

At this point the distinction between a media event, a musical performance and a bunch of people having an outrageously good afternoon had completely disappeared.

London was now the stage, the pavement was the dance floor and the Big Red Bus had become the world’s most entertaining mobile dressing room.

And somewhere in the middle of all this I suddenly realised that I’d completely forgotten about being jet-lagged.

I’d started the day thinking:

“This is going to be a chore.”

I’d ended it standing around London with a glass of Champagne, surrounded by musicians, journalists and assorted survivors of the day’s hospitality, watching The London Essentials turn the street into a party.

Far from being a chore, it was bloody brilliant.

And, remarkably, the day still wasn’t over.

Those of us who had somehow survived the Big Red Bus then slid off to a local pub to watch a World Cup game — because clearly what we really needed after several hours of music, Champagne, canapés, more Champagne and a street party was another drink and some football.

By now, however, the ranks were beginning to thin.

Some had sensibly disappeared home.

Others were probably still trying to work out where they were.

A hardy few carried on regardless.

Eventually even the most resilient survivors admitted defeat and headed home.

I slid under the sheets that night and, needless to say, slept extremely well.

In fact, I’m not entirely sure whether I actually went to sleep or simply switched off.

And that’s perhaps the best recommendation I can give The London Essentials.

Whether it’s a corporate event where everyone has spent the first hour being terribly professional, a celebrity party where the guest list requires a certain amount of subtlety, or simply a bunch of people who want to have an absolutely bloody great time, these are the people who can walk into the room and completely change the atmosphere.

They don’t just provide the music.

They provide the bloody party.

So, roll on the next one!

Red-eye or not, I’ll be there.

Although perhaps next time The London Essentials should take this particular travelling circus abroad.

New York, perhaps?

Or another suitably crazy city where a Big Red Bus full of musicians, dancers, journalists and Champagne could cause the appropriate amount of confusion.

I suspect Manhattan might not quite know what hit it.

Until then, London has been thoroughly entertained, a few tourists have some explaining to do when they get home, and several music journalists have probably discovered that Champagne and jet lag make for a surprisingly effective combination.

The London Essentials — see you on the next one.

Don’t forget my unite guys! 😎🥂🚌🎶