The Time Out London blog team

This week south London’s very own RAYE has kicked off one of the capital’s biggest music residencies of the year. The former Time Out cover star is set to play a whopping six dates at the O2 Arena in Greenwich between February and May 2026. Since the This Tour May Contain New Music Tour was announced back in September, RAYE has confirmed that she has a new record on the way. Her sophomore album This Music May Contain Hope., which was previewed with last year’s hit single ‘Where Is My Husband!’, will be released at the end of the March. Heading to see RAYE at the O2 between now and May? Here’s what you need to know about the shows, from timings and setlist to any remaining ticket availability. When is RAYE playing at London’s O2 Arena? London is first in the capital for four shows between February 26 and March 2. She’ll then go off to tour North America before returning to London for two more dates in May. Here’s the full list of shows: Thursday February 26 Friday February 27 Sunday March 1 Monday March 2 Tuesday May 19 Wednesday May 20 What time do doors open? For all shows apart from March 1, doors open at 6.30pm. On March 1 – as it’s a Sunday – doors are at 6pm. As always, you’ll be able to get into the venue (but not the arena) earlier, with all its shops, restaurants, bars etc. When will RAYE come on stage? Previous tour dates have seen RAYE take to the stage at around 8.30-8.40pm. Expect similar timings at the London shows. The only exception is Sunday March 1,...

Dreams of a fully walkable Oxford Street are officially set to become a reality. No more being shoved off the pavement for near-misses with blaring pedicabs and lumbering double-deckers. Soon you’ll be able to saunter down the famous shopping street all the way from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been working towards a car-free Oxford Street since 2017. Sir Sadiq officially unveiled plans for pedestrianisation in 2024 and last September the shopping district went totally car-free for a day, with street food stalls and live music to boot.   Following two rounds of consultation, Khan gave pedestrianisation plans final approval yesterday (February 26). The plan will turn much of the iconic road into a walkable street, with vehicles banned and buses diverted. Additional cycle routes will be constructed around the shopping district.  The mayor said: ‘I am delighted to be moving forward with my bold vision to transform Oxford Street into a world-leading urban space for shopping, leisure and outdoor events.’ When will Oxford Street go car-free? Works will begin in the coming months and continue until late 2027. The BBC reports that vehicles could be banned from the street by September 2026.  What are Londoners reactions ? Around 2,700 people responded to TfL’s traffic diversion consultation, with City Hall saying that a majority agreed to the plans. An initial consultation last summer showed that 63 percent of Londoners supported Oxford Street’s...

Miserable news, Piccadilly line users: TfL has announced that the rollout of the navy blue line’s brand-new trains has been delayed again.  The new vehicles, which have been tested in Austria and constructed in Yorkshire, will be walk-through and air-conditioned – but now they might not arrive until next summer.  When will the new Piccadilly trains start running? Commuters will have to wait until December 2026 to June 2027 to marvel at the Picc’s sleek air-conned carriages. Overall, the upgrade will have been delayed by nearly two years.  And the new trains aren’t just late: their cost has ballooned by an extra £409million, bringing the refurbishment’s total cost to £3.4 billion.  Stuart Harvey TfL’s chief capital officer explained the organisation needed to be ‘confident that these trains are ready to operate safely’. TfL said the delays were due to ‘the complexity of introducing entirely new trains onto ageing infrastructure’. Some sections of the line date all the way back to 1906. Photograph: TfL Aglaja Schneider, joint-CEO of Siemens Mobility (which is building the trains), said: ‘As a Londoner, I know how excited everyone is about the new trains coming into service and, whilst there will be a delay, it won’t be long before these trains transform travel for millions of people.’ The long-awaited update will bring in 97 new trains to the navy blue tube line, increasing the service from 24 to 27 trains per hour (and eventually be boosted to 36). The new vehicles will...