A chilly autumnal afternoon in a historic square in London’s Soho. A giant billboard, a row of easels and paints, Tudor minstrels, a breakdancing techno-hedgehog, and a shambleton in a yellow boiler suit. Plus the obligatory enthusiastic collection of black and neon madcap fans. It must be another Scribblings event!

This weekend witnessed the fourth signing/painting event to mark the launch of Noel Fielding’s art book The Scribblings of A Madcap Shambleton, following similar events in Oxford Street, Edinburgh and Manchester.

The magnificent Tudor Units provided medieval musical accompaniment to Noel Fielding’s live billboard painting. The painting session offered a great opportunity to see Noel’s creativity in action, as he alternated between hurling pots of paint across the vast canvas, standing back to ponder what should come next, then diving straight back in to daub colour upon colour upon colour.

This was accompanied by what can best be described as improvised stand-up as Noel chatted to the assembled crowd, bantered with the demonstrative front row and guided us through the primary-coloured world he was creating in paint.

Noel was ably assisted throughout all of this by Dave Brown, who also treated the crowd to an impressively energetic breakdancing interlude (resulting in a grazed forehead).

Afterwards books were signed, gifts shared, photos taken, hugs given and received and songs sung. We danced to woodwind solos to stay warm. It’s a testament to how entertaining the afternoon was that people only noticed the cold as darkness fell and the last of the queue reached the signing table. As ever, Noel and Dave were touchingly appreciative of the fans who had come, thanking everyone for waiting in the cold all afternoon (as they themselves shivered in their boiler suits!).

As everyone  hurried off to thaw out, clutching their signed goodies and precious photos – and with grins stretched across their faces, it was clear no one had minded the cold one bit.

This is just a small selection of the photos that we took; more are available on our Flickr page – where we will be hosting photographs from events we’ve covered past and present, and where YOU lovely folk can submit your own photographs too! Just click on the image below to check them out…

Keep a look out for our film of the Soho painting event and more new photos – coming very soon!