So the clocks have sprung forward, but how do we intend to use that lovely extra hour of sunlight?
Well, April has thrown up plenty of great events to head down to as well as plenty to listen to or view if you’re holed up indoors, not to mention two of the classic sporting events of the year in The Grand National and The Boat Race. Here’s the weekly EDIT.
Football is Art Exhibition (National Football Museum, 5th April – 27 October 2019)
This new exhibition at the National Football Museum in Manchester shows how multiple artists from Paul Nash to David Hockney have depicted the beauty, drama and passion of the beautiful game.
Alongside their works showcasing the beautiful game, other highlights are Banksy’s Football Terrorist (on display for the first time in a museum in the UK), L.S. Lowry’s Going to the Match and Yellow Strip by Rose Wylie.
Visitors will also get the chance to create their own 3D interactive works of art using the futuristic Google Tilt Brush. Back of the net!
London Games Festival (2nd – 14th)
Tuesday sees the start of a thirteen-day celebration of all things gaming across the capital.
There are all kinds of events taking place, from a huge video gaming fair ‘EGX Rezzed’ at Tobacco Dock (4th – 6th), along with talks looking at computer game culture.
Saturday sees the Games Character Parade hit central London where hundreds of games icons will be flooding the streets. Bagsy we’re Sonic.
Peckham Flea Market (7th)
From 11am-5pm on Sunday you can get your rummage on in Peckham Springs, for one of Britain’s best flea markets.
A plethora of top traders will be flogging everything from vintage clothing, homeware, prints, jewellery, accessories, found objects and lots more.
Just expect to be heading home with something you never knew you needed.
The Boat Race (7th)
Another great sporting event hits The Thames on Sunday with the 165th annual boat race between Oxford University and Cambridge University.
The gruelling course is 4 miles, 374 yards and is always a taxing challenge for even the very fittest athletes taking part.
An interesting story thrown up this year is the inclusion in the Cambridge team of 46-year-old Olympic great James Cracknell. Can he handle the pace? Most probably, yes.
The women’s race begins at 2.15ppm with the men heading off at 3.15.
Newlyn International Film Festival(Penzance, 5th – 7th)
One of the new kids on the film festival block is this charming three-day event held in one of the loveliest areas of the UK.
Penzance’s Acorn Theatre this year plays host to hundreds of all manner of screenings, from documentary to poetry films in short and feature form.
There will also be workshops, Q & A’s and plenty of networking opportunities.
But the real question is how many films will be about fishing?
The Grand National (Aintree, 6th April)
The most famous jump race in the world run over the Aintree course is held on Saturday.
The first Grand National was held in 1839 (won by the fittingly named Lottery) and has been contested every year since, with the exception of three years during World War I and in 1993, when the race was declared void.
600 million plus will have their eyes glued to the 40 runners and riders as they try to claim one of the grandest prizes in the sport.
Last year’s winner Tiger Roll is favourite this time around, as he tries to become the first horse since the great Red Rum to win back-to-back Grand Nationals.
Gigs
Giorgio Moroder: Celebration of the 80s (Various, 1st/2nd/4th/5th)
The legendary sounds of music producer Giorgio Moroder are hitting the UK for his first tour of these shores.
A Celebration of the ’80s will include highlights from the 78-year-old’s prolific career played by himself and a live band in a not to be missed spectacular stage show.
Having worked with the biggest artists of the 70s and 80s, we’re talking David Bowie, Donna Summer, Debbie Harry, Moroder also composed and produced the soundtracks for movies like Scarface, The Never Ending Story, Top Gun, and Flashdance.
Put it this way, if we don’t hear “What a Feeling”, we riot.
IDLES (various, 1st – 6th)
Bristol’s finest post-punk rockers IDLES are out on tour with dates in Belfast, Manchester and a mini-residency at the Electric Ballroom in Camden from Thursday where they’ll be showcasing tracks from their cracking new album.
There are still tickets to catch them before commercial success finally catches up with them.
If you do head out to see them, expect things to get very loud.
Eats & Drinks
Japes (Soho, Open now)
If you find yourself in central London and in need of some dough based goodness to satisfy a serious appetite then we can heartily recommend an outing to the recently opened Japes in Soho.
This Chicago-style pizza restaurant features innovative creations both savoury and sweet from delicious cheese filled deep-dishes & unique pot pie pizzas to fresh waffles and ice cream to die for.
Added to this a menu of cocktails and hardshakes, including an Espresso Martini, made with chocolate ice-cream, and you’re all set for a very tasty experience indeed.
Vegan Nights (Spitalfields, 4th)
It’s not the first time we’ve banged on about vegan street food market Vegan Nights and it’s unlikely to be the last.
40 of the best vegan food stalls descend on East London’s Brick Lane to provide some top nosh while you’re entertained by live music and DJs.
Thursday’s event also celebrates the launch of new vegan cookbook Bish Bash Bosh! with authors Henry Firth and Ian Theasby doing live cooking demos.
New Podcast
The Fifth Dimension: A Twilight Zone Podcast (Consequence Podcast Network, Out Now)
The latest series from the Consequence Podcast Network will open the door into Jordan Peele’s new revival of The Twilight Zone. Each week, Michael Roffman, Matt Melis, and co-hosts will recap new episodes and decode their themes, characters, and lessons.
They’ll also go deeper into the Zone – plundering the depths of Rod Serling’s original series as the dimension continues to expand.
It’s going to be a journey into the land of the different, the bizarre, the inexplicable — indeed the limitless terrain of the mind itself. Cue the spooky music.
New Music
Circa Waves – What’s It Like Over There? (Prolifica Inc., 5th)
The great music coming out of Liverpool at the moment is reminiscent of the halcyon days of Merseybeat.
Scousers Circa Waves continue to make the city proud, crossing genres and more than likely continuing their rise with new album What’s It Like Over There?
The indie rockers have infused their sound with slick pop as they cover a host of themes such as the weird world of relationships and the current listlessness of the nation. Recently they even opened their own boozer in Camden as an escape hole from Brexit, serving Circa Waves custom beer.
Now that’s the kind of social responsibility we can get behind.
Khalid – Free Spirit (Columbia, 5th)
With the brilliant Talk and recent single Self, songwriter Khalid’s sophomore album couldn’t be much more anticipated.
He continues to be a very busy boy with a film starring himself coming out tying in with the LP and a World Tour just announced.
Khalid recently told Zane Lowe for his Beats 1 show that his album is
“about the path before and after you find your sense of freedom, and is freedom even a real thing. I’m like as much as I want to be a free spirit I don’t feel like I will ever truly be a free spirit because there are so many things that restrict me.”
Best of luck breaking free Khalid. Hopefully, the millions you’ll make of the new record will help.
New TV
Our Planet (Netflix, 5th)
Netflix has used its mega-bucks to enter the world of nature documentary with this vast new series from the team behind Blue Planet and Planet Earth.
All filmed over four years in 50 different countries, with the familiar tones of David Attenborough-narrating proceedings.
It looks set to stun viewers with groundbreaking 4k filming showing you vistas of locations such as the Arctic wilderness, the deepest depths of the oceans and South America’s jungles, crisper and clearer than ever before. Not to be missed.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 2 (Netflix, 5th)
Once a nice teenage witch in the 90s, Sabrina was fairly successfully rebooted last year to provide chilling adventures for this Netflix series.
Part 2 of the show, out Friday, sees Kiernan Shipka reprise her role as the titular character, who we’re promised this time around will be “exploring her darker side”. This season is also set to be sexier with more magic!
It looks like Sab will struggle to maintain her friendships in the mortal world. And her romantic life won’t be plain sailing with an unholy love triangle between warlock Nicholas Scratch and mortal Harvey Kinkle.
New Movies
Pet Sematary (Cinemas, 4th)
Another Stephen King adaptation here, hot off the heels of the success of IT which also has a sequel coming out later this year. This novel was turned into a feature in the late 80s and is now getting a reworking.
It tells the tale of Louis, a doctor who discovers that the pet graveyard behind his new family home seemingly possesses the power to bring the dead back to life.
When Louis child’s cat is knocked over his neighbour persuades him to bury the feline in the ‘Pet Sematary’ leading to the moggy’s violent return and the start of a terrifying chain of events. Not one for pussies.
The Sisters Brothers (Cinemas, 5th)
Based on Patrick DeWitt’s novel, The Sisters Brothers is a genre-bending romp revolving around gold prospector Hermann Kermit Warm, who’s being pursued across 1000 miles of 1850s Oregon desert to San Francisco by infamous assassin siblings Eli and Charlie Sisters (John C. Reilly & Joaquin Phoenix).
Which would be fine if not for Eli having a personal crisis and beginning to doubt the longevity of his chosen career. With a stellar cast including Jake Gyllenhaal and Rutger Hauer this is a slick, stylish hidden gem that deserves a watch.
Click the banner to share on Facebook
