On the agenda: Storm Thorgerson; Love at First Bite; Apple iPad; Gloverall's pac-a-duffle; Cambridge Wordfest; Alchemy

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Beth Jeans Houghton interview: “I hate London”

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Turbo Records going into overdrive for 2012

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Design

What do Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Muse and the Cranberries have in common? They have all had covers designed by a pioneer of original commercial design, Storm Thorgerson. His 40-year career includes what is thought by many to be the greatest cover of all time, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, which makes east London gallery Idea Generation's retrospective – complete with sculptures, images and drawings – a must-see. Until 2 May, ideageneration.co.uk

Adam Jacques

Food & Drink

Food and romance go together like Lady and the Tramp, and Italian cookery school Venturi's Table is promising to help singles replicate that spaghetti scene (though perhaps not quite literally) at its Love at First Bite speed-dating cookery evenings. The next event – an upcoming attempt to break the speed-dating world record – aims to match hundreds of singles in one day by getting prospective partners to bond as they knead, shape and create pizza together. venturis-table.com

Books

Good news for independent authors who, like so many undiscovered geniuses before them, have inexplicably failed to rouse the interest of mainstream publishers: the Apple iPad has just announced a deal with the self-publishing website Smashwords, allowing vanity publishing... sorry, the free and fair distribution of ideas, on the new tablet device. Authors must upload their opus to the Smashwords site and set the price, ending in .99. Smashwords' latest bestseller is Walpurgis Night , a ground-breaking thriller about... vampires. Plus ça change. smashwords.com

Katy Guest

Fashion

April showers may sound all dewy and twee, but in reality you're more likely to be sodden at the bus stop than twirling in a forest. Recapture some of your zest for spring with heritage label Gloverall's handy new pac-a-duffle – they're the same cult design as its normal duffle, complete with toggles and hood, only in slim-fit and streamlined nylon fabric. They even come with a handbag-friendly pouch which they can be stuffed into when the sun streams through the boughs once more. Or when the bus finally comes. Also perfect for festival season, when you really might be twirling in a field. £175, selfridges.com

Harriet Walker

Kids

Excited by anime? Budding illustrators should check out the manga workshop at Cambridge Wordfest on Saturday, where award-winning comic artist Sonia Leong (the brains behind the manga version of Romeo and Juliet) will give a masterclass on what makes the art form distinct, and how to work on proportion and anatomy styles. The class was filling up fast at the time of going to press, although if you mention "Independent" when booking, there'll be a couple of extra tickets in reserve, in case the event sells out. From 9-11 April, 01223 300 085, cambridgewordfest.co.uk

Music

While fans of bhangra and Bollywood will be fretting over the uncertain future of the BBC's Asian Music Network, the live scene is in rude health, as will be seen at Alchemy, an inaugural five-day festival celebrating Indian contemporary music and culture at London's Southbank Centre. The first highlight is on Thursday night, when some of the biggest names in the UK Asian-music scene, from H-Dhami to Juggy D, will perform together with rising star Jaz Dhami. From Wednesday, 0844 847 9910, southbankcentre.co.uk