When Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, aka Maribou State, headline Lido Festival on Monday August 31, they won’t have travelled far to the Victoria Park mainstage. The Hertfordshire-born electronic duo are now both based in east London – and they have a host of independent restaurants, pubs, cafes and music venues to recommend.
August is a huge month for the genre-bending pair; not only are they headlining the second edition of Lido (tickets are still available to catch Maribou State as well as Kelis, Flamour, Theo Parrish b2b Moodymann and more) but last week, they released a deluxe edition of their third album Hallucinating Love. The acclaimed 2025 record blends the pair’s signature soulful electronica with field recordings from places like Walthamstow Market. And for the deluxe edition, the lead track DTOW Feat. Lady Wray (demo) builds to an upbeat, drum synth-driven peak with rich vocals from American singer-songwriter Lady Wray.
Below, Davids and Ivory reflect on their perfect day off in their neighbourhoods, lock-ins at Crisp, and a grand old theatre that they’ll always have a soft spot for.
First, tell us what you like to do on a day off?
Liam: A day off for me in London is starting off by getting my body moving and getting into nature. A good combo is to cycle down to Castle Climbing in Stoke Newington, followed by a swim in the West Reservoir, then I’d take a walk up to the high street, lunch at The Good Egg followed by a Guinness at the Auld Shillelagh. And then from there, see where you end up.
Chris: I’d take a walk down the canal, from Lee Valley down into Hackney Wick. Then I’d head over to a restaurant that's really close to my wife and I called Filly Brook in Leytonstone. It’s one of my favourite places to go In London, the music’s really good, the food's amazing, as is the selection of beers and wines. They have a rotating kitchen in there, and it’s always really on point, so that’s where I would spend my evening.
What inspires you about living in London?
Chris: The music scene, the amount of bands that come in and out of the city, and the festivals. But also London is one of the best places in the world for food. I never used to think that about a decade ago, but now, on the doorstep of where I live in east London, there’s just so many good places to eat.
Liam: For me, it’s the diversity of London. There’s so many walks of life here, and that kind of cliché term of it being a cultural melting pot is something that I really love and does really inspire me. You're constantly having new experiences and you're constantly interacting with different people that open your mind up.
Where do you love to see live music in London?
Chris: The Eventim Apollo is probably one of my favourite venues in London. It’s just a really beautiful grand old theatre, and it’s got the seating up the top.
Liam: The Eventim for me is a really good one too, I’ve seen a lot of great shows there. One that I actually really like is Village Underground. I think it’s a mixture of just growing up and going there a lot, and then playing there and that feeling really special, and then in the wake of that, having seen quite a few good gigs there. It’s super simple, that one main room. It sounds pretty good, and you’ve always got a good view of the stage.
Are there any small, intimate venues that you think are great for discovering new music?
Liam: The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington. I don’t know about discovering new music, but it is a really great small venue, and it’s become more of a space recently where people go to do these real big underplays, like when Caribou did it. They’ve always got quite interesting people playing there. And it really is tiny!
What, in your opinion, are some of the best clubs in London?
Liam: One that comes to mind is Phonox. That’s one that has kind of held its standard throughout the years. There seems to be an ebb and flow of clubs in London, and for a time they’re great, and then they kind of go a bit shit – or maybe that's just my experience of visiting them at different points in life. But Phonox seems to always be pretty good, in terms of the crowd, the bookings, the system. I’ve got very fond memories of that club consistently every time we’ve either played or been.
What’s your favorite London restaurant?
Chris: Mine is probably quite a lot of people’s favourite restaurant, but Brat, just because every time I’ve been, it's just so good. Also, another one would be Kiln, which is an amazing Thai place where the food is all cooked on fire.
Liam: Both are very high on my list too. Kiln is probably the restaurant I’ve eaten at the most. I’m also a big fan of Smoking Goat.
If you wanted to impress someone, where would you take them?
Chris: There is an amazing Mexican restaurant called Kol in Marylebone. It’s a proper experience. They serve Mexican small plates in a beautiful space.
Liam: I would take them to Crisp, it's actually my mate’s gaff. But seriously the whole thing is really fucking good. He’s done such an amazing job of it. The pub’s beautiful, the pizza’s amazing. It’s a nightmare to get a booking or to reserve a table but they’re always very hospitable to us every time we go. No queue, always get a spot, always get a pie. Often we get a little lock-in at the end of the night too.
If you ever need a break from London, where do you go?
Chris: In recent years, it has been down to Cornwall. I think there’s a strong synergy between London and Cornwall. I think because of all the amazing food and ingredients that they have down in there, that you see in so many restaurants in London. It’s so nice to go down there and still experience a lot of the nice things that you get in the city, but also just in a beautiful area with old stone houses and the beautiful sea and surf.
Liam: This is kind of a similar answer, but on the other coast. For a period during lockdown, I moved down to Margate, and I think similarly to what Chris is saying, there’s a real synergy between the people in Margate. I mean, a lot of them are from London, so it makes sense. But the food scene’s amazing there.
What or who is making London a better place right now?
Liam: Lime bikes! Lime bikes make London great. To be honest they’re making all of Europe amazing. I got really bored of riding the tube. It stressed me out, and I had a period of getting taxis everywhere, which also stressed me out because you sat in traffic and they’re expensive. I love getting Limes now. They make me visit more of London than I normally would because I’ll happily jump on a bike and cycle for 20 minutes. You can cover a good distance in that time.
What is the essential play, TV show, song, book, or film about London?
Liam: Top Boy or Only Fools and Horses.
Chris: Untrue by Burial is like the ultimate London soundtrack, that record would remind anyone of London. It’s also because it’s got all of the field recordings from being in the city. It just is London.
Who is a London musician you idolise?
Liam: I reckon Chris will probably agree with me on this, I would say Four Tet. When I first heard of him he was left-field electronic, kinda unknown, and I just really rate the way that he’s developed as an artist. I respect how he’s kind of cut his own path through the industry, and he’s ignored the pressures of the industry around him and done things his own way. He’s kind of thrown the rulebook out and just made things up as he's gone.
Chris: Definitely, I’d agree.
Hallucinating Love Deluxe Edition is available now.
