Another Bank Holiday you cry! Yes, bless the month of May for delivering two extra days off. We’re here to help you make the most of it with foodie events of the indulgent and the ‘free from’ kind, some must-see theatre and an interactive AI exhibition that might see you throwing Alexa out of the window. All this and much more in the Weekly EDIT.
AI: More than Human (Barbican, Now till August 26th)
There’s a huge interactive exhibition at the Barbican Centre, exploring all things Artificial Intelligence. We’ve created a monster! Well, we were smart to enough to create something that’s smarter than us, the consequences however, well there’s no turning back now folks. You’ll find all sorts of examples of the capabilities of AI, in the form of cutting edge research projects. Yet not a single self-service till in sight.
Hay Festival (Powys, till June 1st)
It’s Hay Festival time again, with all the cultural nutrition it brings. There are talks aplenty by literary luminaries, as well as some by stars from other walks of life, such as newsman Hew Edwards. There’s also plenty of interest in the music and comedy stakes with Ezra Furman taking to the stage as well as the legendary Gypsy Kings and Nish Kumar and Paul Merton and his improv chums among the highlights of those bringing some mirth to proceedings.
Cricket World Cup (Various, from 30th)
One of the most watched events in sport lands on our shores on Thursday with the start of the Cricket World Cup. Grounds all around England and Wales will host 50 over games, beginning with England v South Africa at The Oval. For a change, England start as favourites for the tournament, not surprisingly with a formidable batting line up that’s been piling on the runs over the last couple of years. Fingers crossed Eoin Morgan can keep the trophy in Blighty and maybe notch up a magical 500+ total along the way.
All My Sons (Old Vic, no till June 8th)
It’s getting toward the last chance saloon time to catch this excellent Arthur Miller play with the shiniest of star casts, we’re talking Bill Pullman and Sally Field. This five-star drama sees Pullman play factory owner Joe Keller, who found trouble during WWII when his firm supplied plane parts that caused the deaths of 21 pilots. Field plays his wife, Kate, who still refuses to acknowledge that their pilot son Larry, who went missing three years ago, isn’t still alive. When a figure from the past returns, long-buried truths are forced painfully to the surface. Catch it while you can.
Bath Fringe Festival 2019 (Bath, now to June 9th)
Bath’s 17-day fringe fest is off and running with 120 events and 90 contributors spread across 24 venues in the city.
There’s a particular emphasis on theatre this year with the likes of Hamlet: The Musical looking set to entertain, other highlights include talks by Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Darcey Bussell and film critic Mark Kermode. Next weekend sees the big guns wheeled out to close the festival in the shape of Clean Bandit and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Sir Van Morrison.
Gigs
Connan Mockasin (Various, 27th/28th)
The unique figure of New Zealand’s Connan Mockasin has delivered some of the most listenable psych pop in recent times. He’s making a welcome visit over here bringing his enigmatic presence and wholesale brand of oddness for shows that are bound to wow and befuddle at each stroke. Catch him in Manchester at Band On The Wall on Monday, then Brighton the following day.
Songlines Encounters (Kings Place, N1, 30th – June 3rd)
This five-day fest runs into its ninth year with more quality musical acts arriving from around the globe. North London’s Kings Place hosts this cultural assault with compelling Q&As, films and musicians from four continents. Highlights include veteran Ethiopian singer and pianist Girma Bèyènè with the band Akalé Wubé, Portuguese fado singer, Gisela João and Estonian zither player Mari Kalkun. Not a line up your likely to see every day.
Eats & Drinks
Eat & Drink Festival (Glasgow, 27th)
Monday marks the final day of Scotland’s favourite food festival, which celebrates the exciting trends in modern cuisine, mixology & street food. Here you can learn new culinary skills from celeb chefs like Rosemary Shrager, who will be cooking up a storm on the festival stage, discover new wines, beers and spirits and take home fantastic produce from one a number of unique artisan producers.
Free From Festival (Brick Lane, 27th)
If you’re living your life free from gluten, dairy or refined sugar due to health issues, or just because it’s a lifestyle choice that works for you, then the Free From Festival is your perfect destination. From 11am on Bank Holiday Monday at East London’s Old Truman Brewery you can indulge in refined sugar-free chocolate, gluten-free desserts & savoury snacks. Glug down some gluten-free beer and organic wine as you listen to live music and talks by nutritionists & industry pros giving top tips on living a ‘free from’ life.
New Podcast
13 Alibis (ABC News, Out Now)
The true crime juggernaut keeps surging on with yet more cases to be poured over. This latest podcast offering sees Dateline NBC, producer Dan Slepian explore the case of Robert Rosario, a man serving a 20-year sentence for a murder in NYC in 1966, this despite thirteen witnesses all testifying that he was, in fact, hundreds of miles away at the time of the murder
New Music
Skepta – Ignorance is Bliss (Boy Know Better, 31st)
It’s three years since British grime star Skepta won the Mercury prize for his fourth album. He’s back with new 13 track LP Ignorance is Bliss, off which he’s already dropped two outstanding songs, ‘Bullet From A Gun’ and ‘Greaze Mode’, which show a greater maturity not previously seen in his work. Expect more glory and gongs for Skepta from this one.
Flying Lotus – Flamagra (Warp, Out now)
Flamagra is the sixth studio album by the uber-talented American record producer Flying Lotus. As with his other records, there’s nothing normal here, case in point the rather weird single ‘Fire Is Coming’ which utilises the dulcet tones of director David Lynch. And there’s plenty of heavyweights guesting on other tracks most notably Anderson .Paak on the great rack ‘More’, funk legend George Clinton and Solange. Arguably not FlyLo’s finest work to date, but still better than 95% of the album releases we’ve had this year.
New TV
When They See Us (Netflix, 31st)
This powerful new four-part Netflix miniseries written and directed by Ava DuVernay is based around the Central Park jogger case of 1989, in which five young men from Harlem who were wrongly convicted of rape. The show begins in spring 1989, when the teenagers were first questioned about the incident, and spans the following 25 years. A stellar cast includes Michael K Williams, Famke Janssen and Joshua Jackson.
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman: Season 2 (Netflix, 31st)
The late night chat king is back for a second season of his show that sees him sit down for extended interviews in front of a live studio audience with high profile guests. This time Letterman chews the fat with Ellen DeGeneres, Lewis Hamilton and sure to be most interesting Kanye West. In the interview, he talks music, fashion, his feud with Drake and support of Donald Trump. Not to be missed.
New Movies
Godzilla: King of Monsters (Cinemas, 29th)
Fans of huge beast going to battle won’t be disappointed by the latest movie incarnation of the gigantic super lizard Godzilla. King of Monsters sees big G square off against a raft of other massive creatures such as Rodan and King Ghidorah. There’s a sub plot involving a shady organisation led by Charles Dance trying to capture a device that can talk to these titans, leading to the kidnap of Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, but let’s be honest you’re paying your money for the blockbuster battles and they do not disappoint.
Ma (Cinemas, 31st)
This cracking psychological thriller has a whiff of the brilliant 90s film Misery about it. Octavia Spencer is on career best form, playing Sue Anne, a lonely woman who lets a group of teenagers use her basement to party. But Ma’s house comes with ‘rules’ and when they are broken the tension ramps up as her hospitality turns into creepy obsession.
Competition Time
We’ve teamed up with barber-grade grooming brand The Bluebeards Revenge to offer you a complete set of styling essentials.
For the chance to win this great prize head to our Instagram page and follow the instructions on the competition post.
In this bundle you’ll find: an essential travel wash bag, three hand-crafted body soaps, a synthetic bristle shaving brush, an exfoliating face scrub, a tub of the brand’s iconic shaving cream, a smart looking double-edge safety razor, a travel beard brush and beard oil, a super slick hair pomade, matt paste and matt clay, and a bottle of texturizing sea salt spray.
Unfortunately for you, the brand can’t part with its precious treasure chest, though!
To see all products from The Bluebeards Revenge visit: www.bluebeards-revenge.co.uk
Best of luck!
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