Popular British-born Cypriot, Panayiotis (Pani) Argyrou sadly died in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 24th April 2018 at the age of 29 after fighting an illness with so much dignity.
Whilst his family and many of his close friends knew that Pani was ill, the news of his passing has sent shockwaves through the Cypriot community across the UK, with many taking to social media to express their sadness and condolences.
Panayiotis was born on 6th March 1989 in London and was the second eldest of three siblings.
His mother and father are also British-born, with his paternal grandparents being from Eftakomi and Avgorou and his maternal grandparents from Morphou.
Panayiotis grew up in north-west London, predominantly in Kingsbury, and attended Our Lady of Grace Primary School in Neasden, followed by St Gregory’s Catholic Secondary School in Kenton. Business Studies was his chosen subject at Middlesex University.
Many Cypriots in the UK knew Panayiotis, (known as ‘Pani’). He was an active member of St Panteleimon Greek Orthodox Church in Harrow and enthusiastically organised several trips across the UK and abroad for the Church community. He was also Chair of the Graduates Organisation of the Church.
Along with that, Pani was a founder member, treasurer and sponsor of St Panteleimon FC who play in the Middlesex County Football League.
As proprietor of the well-known and popular restaurant, “Panorama” in Whetstone, and was also a partner in the Orama Restaurant in Hatch End, enjoying a very active business life.
A good friend and listener of London Greek Radio, he would often use the medium of radio to promote his events and business to the community. LGR management and staff were shocked and saddened on hearing of Pani’s passing, with some reflecting on the last time they saw him at the Basile event held in February at the Millfield Theatre.
Pani also assisted to bring renowned Greek singers to perform in the UK and he was instrumental in bringing the famous Greek-American comedian Basile to our shores.
He is survived by his mother, Georgina; his father, Argyros; brother, Antonaki; and sister, Maria.
The Funeral Service takes place on Wednesday 9th May 2018 at 11.00 am at the church of St Panteleimon, Kenton Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 9QN.
Everyone at London Greek Radio shares in the community’s sadness and we extend our condolences to Pani’s family.
Article written by London Greek Radio
LGR sponsors Dionisis Sxoinas in concert at the Hilton Park
London Greek Radio are proud to co-sponsor Dionisis Sxoinas with the Hilton Park Lane for a one-night-only concert on Saturday 19th May 2018 brought to you by Hellenic Nights London.
The Greek singer’s debut London performance will be with his backing group from Athens and the party won’t stop until 5 am!
Hellenic Nights have collaborated with Show Time Productions to bring a line-up comprising of Kostas Lianas, Dimitris Tiktopoulos and Eirini Zei.
A special guest set by DJ Valentino is expected to fire-up the atmosphere for what is said to be one of the biggest live clubbing events in London this year.
Following the huge success of Hellenic Night’s last event with Vasilis Karras and Christos Menidiatis, LGR is excited to join them at the Grand Ball Room of the Hilton Park Lane in Mayfair for this night.
Dionisis started his music career in the 1990s and two decades later, remains as popular as ever. He attracts big crowds in Greece and with a back-catalogue of greatest hits, he’s sure to impress our London crowd.
Date: Saturday 19th May 2018
Time: 10:00pm till 5:00am
Venue: London Hilton, Park Lane, 22 Park Lane, London W1K 1BE
For table reservations and information, please call: 07453 303493, 07771 871066, 07399 602018 or email: info@hellenicnights.com
The event is sponsored by London Greek Radio (LGR) and Hilton Park Lane Hotel.
Article written by London Greek Radio
A new radio station has been introduced in Glasgow which has big plans to shake up Scotland’s airwaves.
London Greek Radio, (LGR), has been added to the DAB+ multiplex in Glasgow, extending their radio coverage to Glasgow’s population of almost 600,000.
Scotland has an estimated Greek and Cypriot population of more than 50,000 and the new station’s hopes are to garner many more listeners across the Glaswegian City with a fusion of talk and Greek music when it launched on Wednesday 11th April.
LGR is believed to be the first ethnic London radio station to cross the border into Scotland now playing European music in Glasgow on DAB+ Digital Radio.
Antonaki Jay, LGR’s Station Manager said, “We’re really big on serving Scotland and will now include more features for the communities we serve outside of London to include local people, local issues and local news.”
He added, “We’ll be covering a wide range of news, gossip and Greek music with different presenters tailored to the various diverse communities we broadcast to.”
LGR has already attracted some top presenters after more than thirty-five years on the air. It will be led by veteran host Vasilis Panayi and will feature DJs including Andreas Michaelides, Kat Neocleous, DJ Sooty, Soulla Violaris and Tony Neophytou.
Inevitably, Antonaki says that Greek music will be their “mainstay.” Describing their brand as “the Heartbeat of the Greek community”, he reveals hopes to begin a regular phone-in during the evenings to connect Greeks in Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London, (where the station is already broadcasting on DAB+).
LGR’s Chairman, John Kyriakides, said, “We are broadening our scope to reach out to the wider Greek and Mediterranean audiences. With digital radio, we can go further and will be looking at doing things differently at LGR.
“We’ll be talking about everyone in the Greek communities in Glasgow, including small businesses and local people and aim to reach out to more than just Greek people in Scotland too. We feel the whole Greek culture may have been somewhat overlooked to some extent.”
Antonaki Jay, who was at the helm of joining Glasgow’s DAB+ platform – hopes LGR’s edgier playlist of more of today’s biggest Greek and Cypriot tunes with some home-grown talent thrown in the mix will attract listeners who are fed up of chart-topping earworms on mainstream stations.
He said: “We’ll play a wide range of music from Natasa Theodoridou and Konstantinos Argyros, through to Giannis Ploutarhos and Melina Aslanidou – an eclectic mix. Not too heavy, though.
“We’ll also host unsigned Greek singers, bands and performers either via telephone or in the studio. We want to give these acts a chance to be heard and celebrate Scottish-Hellenic talent.
“We love our Greek music and we really hope to build our audience through that.”
LGR will be spinning Greek music and covering a wide range of cultural programmes with more depth, which will no doubt appeal to hundreds across Glasgow.
Vasili Panayi, lifelong programmer at LGR said, “We know we’re not Heart or Clyde. We don’t have any sort of competition. For us, this is a first being in Glasgow!”
He added: “This will be a multi-platform digital outlet that interacts with its audience through social media and telephone, as well as email, text and messenger platforms. We’ll be connected to our listeners and giving Greek people in Scotland a voice.
“LGR will be more than just a radio station.”
London Greek Radio (LGR) is a 24-hour station, with live broadcasting between 7 am until Midnight. It launched in Glasgow on Wednesday 11th April.
LGR joins several stations on DAB+ as more radio stations are preparing to broadcast on Glasgow’s airwaves, as the city becomes Scotland’s digital radio hotspot.
Listeners will need a newer DAB+ compatible radio, recognisable through the Digital Radio Tick Mark on packaging, to receive the full set of stations via DAB and DAB+ digital radio.
54% of Glasgow homes own a DAB radio, according to latest statistics. The number of DAB stations that can be received in Glasgow has increased by thirty in the past year and is growing rapidly.
LGR is now broadcasting via 103.3 FM in London, across the world online and already on DAB+ in Birmingham, London and Manchester. Glasgow is now available in stereo using DAB+.
Article written by London Greek Radio
‘Oneiro Mou’ is the song which Greece have confirmed will be their entry in this year’s Eurovision and the video was released this week.
Greek broadcaster ERT confirmed earlier this year that Yianna Terzi would fly the Greek flag at the Altice Arena for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.
The mid-tempo modern Laiko ballad, which is sung in Greek, with strong ethnic elements and a polyphonic chorus successfully combines both a traditional orchestral sound with modern production and this makes it a catchy atmospheric song.
The melody adds a mysterious feel and an incredible Greek bridge with drums and clarinet riffs add to the song’s atmosphere.
Yianna co-wrote the lyrics and music with Aris Kalimeris, Mixalis Papathanasiou, and Dimitris Stamatiou.
The verses and chorus intriguingly are said to be an intimate conversation between ‘Greece and its people’. It’s a touching song which, through its deep lyrics, pronounces steadfast loyalty to the ‘nation’ with fervent patriotic overtones.
The video’s opening scene shows Yianna in what is a ‘fetal position’, which she says herself represents ‘the Greek territory’ or ‘motherland’.
A male, aka Dimitris Vlahos, is seen running across the mountainous terrain where he stops at a plot of soil and pushes his hand underneath and tightly grips Yianna’s arm. The Greek man does this as a way of demonstrating his strong ‘umbilical cord’ to his ethnic roots and as such, underlying the song’s patriotic credentials.
The video is directed by Sherif Francis, who captures the song’s mystical intensity and atmospheric feeling quite dramatically.
The song’s verses compliment this innate feeling, with emotive lyrics; ”Why would you want to change me and dull my blue (colour)?” and, ”No matter how much I ache, I wouldn’t strike you off the map”. This, presumably, is its subtle wink to the nation’s flag colours and territory.
Chali Jennings was asked to direct the song’s creativity and staging and we have learnt that the colours ‘blue and white’ feature heavily in the song’s live stage performance.
The Greek act comprises four backing-vocalists accompanying Yianna on stage; Giannis Lafis, Eugenia (Nia) Balafa, Irini Psihrami and Viktoria Halkiti.
Yianna was born in Thessaloniki and is the daughter of acclaimed Greek singer Paschalis Terzis.
Yianna, who will be 38 by the time of the contest in May, began her music career in 2005 and has released two albums ‘Gyrna To Klidi’ in 2006 and ‘Ase Ne Na Taxidepso’ in 2008.
She is best known for her singles ‘Tetoia Gynaika’, ‘Pou Kai Pou’, ‘O Aggelos Mou’, Gianna ft. Nevma with ‘Exw Ponesei Gi’auti’.
Yianna relocated from Greece to the United States five years ago in order to further her music career.
She released her first English-language single ‘Love Is Your Name’ under the name Yianna in 2012, which started bubbling in the underground clubs of New York City.
The first Eurovision semi-final airs on Tuesday 8th May, on BBC Four at 8 pm with Yianna performing fourteenth out of the 19 countries in the running order.
Greece’s chances of qualifying for the final were given a boost as the UK were confirmed as voters in the first semi-final phase.
The televoting/jury has a history of giving Greeks generous marks. The Eurovision Grand Final takes place on Saturday 10th May on BBC One.
London Greek Radio wish Yianna Terzi the very best of luck in the competition.
Watch the official music video to ‘Oneiro Mou’ here:
Article written by Tony Neophytou
LGR supporting Radiomarathon charity
An Evening of Greek Music & Dance, on Friday 27th April, is hosting a spectacular evening full of live music and dancing!
Supporting Radiomarathon, the charity based in Enfield supports young people with a range of learning difficulties.
Entertaining us on the night are the talented; Savvakis Skouridis, Kostas Eleftheriou and a special guest appearance from Nicole Vasiliou.
Events like this offer the chance for our station to come together with the community and enjoy a fabulous evening. Moreover, through these events, we are able to renew and build a good relationship with both our listeners and the companies which work alongside us.
Join us at the Cypriot Community Centre, Earlham Grove, Wood Green, N22 5HJ.
There will be drinks and snacks available at the bar.
Tickets at only £7, for more information please call LGR on 0208 349 6950.
We look forward to seeing you all there.
The event is sponsored by Exesio Hair Care Services exesio.co.uk, ellinas BROTHERS food wholesalers and distributors, Taste of Cyprus in Palmers Green for a wide range of breads, sweets & pastries.
Article written by London Greek Radio
After weeks of teasing the world with only the title ‘Fuego’, the Cyprus Eurovision entry by Eleni Foureira has finally been released.
We were promised an ethnic up-tempo track and Eleni has certainly lived up to that script, releasing her official Eurovision music video for ‘Fuego’ on March 2nd.
The video is filmed at the Piraeus Municipal Theatre and Armeniakos Home, by well-known Greek director Apollon Papatheocharis.
Eleni will be Eurovision “eye-candy” and impresses with her absolutely stunning looks in the many outfit changes we see in the video. The song’s theme undoubtedly demonstrates Eleni’s sense of empowerment, one in which she’s taking full charge of her fate and destiny.
As the video climaxes to its final scenes, Eleni flicks a lighter which sets a car ablaze; providing the video with a somewhat ‘iconic’ moment. Maybe a little ‘trigger-finger’ compliant, we think it may be wise to avoid giving a lighter to Eleni, right?
Her Cypriot entry is penned by composer Alex Papaconstantinou, or Alex P, a Greek-Swedish producer, well-known in Eurovision circles. He collaborates on the tune with Geraldo Sandell, Viktor Svensson, Anderz Wrethov and Didrick.
The song is a well-produced, radio-friendly hit and has entered the London Greek Radio play-list; one that is certain to be heard numerous times in the weeks ahead.
The progressive track starts with atmospheric nuances of clarinet and rather excitingly the track’s speed at 101 beats per minute, includes quiet pre-drops before each chorus. The great pop catchy ‘hooks’ are comprised of useful clarinet riffs, adding the ethnic feel to it.
Cypriot broadcaster CyBC confirmed that Greek star Eleni Foureira would fly the flag at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon earlier this year. CyBC chiefs felt that the Albanian-born singer was right for this year’s contest as the up-tempo song compliments Eleni as a singer and dancer.
She is charismatic, who’s stage-skills are expected to ”attack” the Cypriot entry effectively which will no doubt, help this upbeat song. Sacha Jean-Baptise will be responsible for the Cypriot stage concept; She is a Swedish director with Eurovision pedigree under her belt.
Eleni was born in Fier, Albania and is a Greek artist of Albanian origin. She has lived in Greece from a very young age when her family settled in Kallithea, Athens.
In the last few years, Eleni has released four successful studio albums and multiple singles. One of those hits was ‘Sto Theo Me Paei’, a Greek cover of the 2015 Eurovision entry of Israel ‘Golden Boy’ by Nadar Guedj.
More recently she has released singles in both Greek and English and in 2017 scored an international hit with the song ‘Send For Me’, a collaboration with successful producer and rapper A.M. SNiPE.
The Cypriot delegation will be quietly optimistic about their qualifying chances for a fourth year, following the recent successes by Minus One, John Karayiannis and Hovig.
The First Eurovision Semi-Final airs on Tuesday 8th May, at 8pm on BBC 4. Eleni will perform 19th – last in the running order, considered by many as one of the preferred positions in the draw.
It has also been revealed that the UK is voting for the first Eurovision semi-phase competition. The tele-voting accounts for 50% of the vote, with the other 50% from music expert jurors, which will decide the Top 10 qualifying countries.
The Eurovision Final takes place on Saturday 12th May, on BBC One and London Greek Radio wishes Eleni Foureira the very best of luck in the competition.
Watch it here: the Official Cyprus Eurovision music video to ‘Fuego’:
Article written by Tony Neophytou
On Sunday the 25th of March, the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK organised a community-wide celebration to mark the national day celebrations of 25 March 1821 and 1 April 1955 at Ashmole Academy in North London.
The guest speaker was the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, responsible for Greeks Abroad, Mr Terens Nikolaos Quick. Speeches were also given by the President of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, Christos Karaolis; the Ambassador of Greece to the UK, Demetrios Caramitsos-Tziras; the High Commissioner for the Republic of Cyprus to the UK, Euripides Evriviades; the President of the Greek Orthodox Communities in the UK, Marios Minaides; and the representative of the Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, Bishop of Tropaeou Athanasios.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, Mr Terens Nikolaos
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece stressed that Greece’s position on the Cyprus issue is clear – that occupying troops must withdraw and that Cyprus cannot be subject to an anachronistic system of guarantees. Mr Quick said that these are the two inalienable conditions that Greece has for the Cyprus issue, and among other things he said:
”The 25th of March and 1st of April are historical events that in the end, led to freedom. Amongst many other factors that led to their success, was the international presence of Hellenes who took advantage of the dominant tendencies of the European communities and managed to persuade them to support Hellenism in its pursuit for freedom.
”Almost 200 years since the Greek Revolution, and after 400 years of enslavement – keeping in mind both the ups and downs of this journey, but most importantly our faith in a free Greece which are evident by our participation and role in the two World Wars, the Balkan wars – we are now opening up to new challenges. I would like to emphasise the collaboration of the diaspora of nations and specifically of the youth within the diasporas since they will define our future.”
The President of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK welcomed and thanked the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece for his presence to celebrate 25 March 1821 and 1 April 1955 and said:
”This year’s national day celebrations find Cyprus and Greece facing tensions. In our small country, the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, instead of supporting the interests of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots, is held hostage by the orders of President Erdogan of Turkey, who continues to threaten Cyprus, Greece and the European Union.
”Our community, coordinated by the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, sent thousands of emails in less than two weeks to the British Foreign Office about Turkey’s actions in Cyprus’ EEZ. The Foreign Office confirmed that it “wanted to see exploration go ahead”. The Labour Party, as well as Conservative and Labour MPs, condemned Turkey’s actions, proving that together, united we can achieve more. I urge you all to show our strength by voting for Cypriot candidates in the local elections on the 3rd of May.”
The Ambassador of Greece, Demetrios Caramitsos-Tziras, in his greeting said that the presence of the Deputy Foreign Minister at the celebrations demonstrates the importance that the Greek Government attaches to the contact with the diaspora and the interest that exists towards the continuation of the dynamic presence of the community in the UK.
The High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, Euripides Evriviades, said in his speech:
”The heroes of ’21 and ’55-’59 live on in today’s Greek, Cypriot and global world. Not only because the history of their lives and their deaths remain in the memory of the generations that followed and will follow, but above all because they are a beacon of loyalty and devotion to the fundamental ideals and values inherent in the real meaning of Hellenism: self-sacrifice, self-denial, selflessness, heroism.
”I must mention the enormous success of our compatriot, Andria Zafirakou, who was named the best teacher in the world when she won the Global Teacher Prize out of 30,000 nominees from 173 countries.
”Another major success of the community came as 2,200 emails and 600 physical letters… in other words, 2,800 arrows were sent via the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK and reached their target in the heart of British Foreign policy. I’d like to send warm congratulations to the President of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, and his team for this very important achievement which demonstrates the hard work they have been putting in for the past few years.
”The diaspora holds our national banners high, paying homage to our history, which has nurtured and continues to nurture our ideals of European and Global culture. Together, we can. Together, we are stronger. Together, we go forward. Together, we go higher.”
The President of the Greek Orthodox Communities in the UK, Marios Minaides, in his brief greeting, paid tribute to the heroes of the national liberation struggles of Greece and Cyprus and said that in these difficult times we need to learn from the ”bravery, self-sacrifice, unity, and selflessness” of those heroes.
The Bishop of Tropaeou Athanasios, conveyed blessings and heartfelt greetings from the Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, Gregorios, and urged the diaspora to continue studying and learning from the spirit of the struggles of 1821 and 1955.
The programme was enriched with songs, poems, plays, and dances by children from community Greek schools. The community Greek schools that performed were: Hazelwood Greek School (OESEKA), the Cyprus Educational Mission (KEA), the Independent Greek Schools of Manor Hill and Finchley (AESL), the Greek Nursery & Primary School of London, the theatrical group of KEA, the Greek Secondary School of London, the Independent Greek School of St Mary (AESA), St. Demetrios Greek School. There were also psalms performed by the Archbishopric School of Byzantine Music, conducted by Dimitris Skrekas.
The President of the National Federation of Cypriots in the United Kingdom and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece handed out awards to children from Greek Schools in London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester, for their participation in the annual art competition ”25 March 1821” or ”1 April 1955” that is hosted by the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK.
The students that received awards were Natalia Tsamili, 7 years old; Ariana Papaxenophontos, 7 years old; Helena Braim, 8 years old; Semeli Makri-Makridou, 8 years old; Nefeli Tsamili, 10 years old; Thekli Violari, 13 years old; Sofia Strati, 13 years old; Gabriella Lykourgou, 13 years old; and Thodora Panagiotou, 14 years old. Their art was exhibited in the programmes that were handed out on the day of the celebrations.
In attendance were representatives from the Greek Embassy and the Cyprus High Commission, the President of POMAK Andreas Papaevripides, the Vice-President of NEPOMAK UK Christos Tuton, presidents of the UK Branches of Cypriot political parties, presidents of associations and organisations, presidents of educational organisations such as KEA, OESEKA, AESA, AESL, Head Teachers and teachers of the Greek Schools of the community as well as many Greeks and Cypriot who live in the United Kingdom.
The programme was presented by Andreas Karaolis, Executive Secretary of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, and Anna Antoniou, a teacher-member of KEA. Susie Constantinides was responsible for the coordination of the programme whilst the Head of KEA, Maria Papalouka was responsible for coordinating the performances.
Technical support and the coordination of music on the day was led brilliantly by Nakis Merkis. He had the support of the Chair of Ashmole Greek School, Antri Andreou; Andrea Louka; Christos Tuton; Adrian Patsalos; Zoe Merki; and Nephytos Merkis in preparing the venue and stage prior and during the show.
Article written by National Federation of Cypriots in the UK
