Plenty on the events agenda this week as we descent towards Christmas. There are more festive food events taking place and lights to marvel at, with one lot of interactive orbs promising to help balance energy in the body and mind. There’s also a bite-sized version of the Haye literary festival, an escape room on a real plane and much, much more. It’s the Weekly EDIT.
The World of Hans Zimmer (O2 London, 26th)
Hans Zimmer is responsible for some of the most recognisable music ever heard on the silver screen. The O2 in London is hosting a tribute to his work, presenting some of the composer’s most famous tunes, all arranged for a live symphony orchestra for the very first time. Expect stirring renditions of the soundtracks of Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lion King, The Da Vinci Code, The Dark Knight and Inception to name a few.
MELTDOWN: Visualizing the Climate Crisis (Horniman Museum, South London, 23rd to 12th January 2020)
This new exhibition at the Horniman Museum from Saturday is shining a light on the devastating impact of the climate crisis through photographs and artworks that document the vanishing of the world’s glaciers. Created by climate crisis charity Project Pressure, MELTDOWN: Visualizing the Climate Crisis, includes 63 artworks ranging from vintage postcards and lightboxes to large-scale photographic installations, all taken from over ten years of research expeditions (from Iceland to India, Iran and Uganda).
Champions Tennis (Royal Albert Hall, 28th – 1st December)
There’s more top tennis being served up in London this week. Champions Tennis brings together Grand Slam champions, former world number 1s and other prominent tennis players for an entertaining showcase of top-notch tennis at the Royal Albert Hall. Martina Hingis, Tim Henman, Goran Ivanišević, Tommy Haas and the amazing Mansour Bahrami are among the players appearing this year.
Flight 338 Escape Room (Greenwich, From 25th)
This thrilling new immersive escape room in Greenwich has a whiff of Con Air about it. Set inside a decommissioned jet plane the storyline sees participants don prisoner garments and handcuffs before boarding Flight 338, the prisoner shipping plane. Onboard you notice a member of your criminal gang has avoided arrest and has smuggled on some items that you’ll need to use to escape. You’ll need to work with teammates to solve problems so you can make your getaway.
Wave at Eccleston Yards (Victoria, 28th – January 11th, 2020)
This new free interactive installation by artist collective Squidsoup is a thing of Christmassy beauty. The 500 glowing orbs that are suspended from a structure, are meant to contribute to a calming energy balance for visitors. It’s all inspired by the ancient healing concept of Chromotherapy: the science of using the powers of light and colour to balance energy in the body and mind. They work for us. The lights are on display from 4pm to 10pm daily.
Tiffany & Co. Ice Rink (Covent Garden, 29th – 26th December)
We can’t wait for this New York-inspired ice rink to open in Covent Garden. Sponsored by Tiffany & Co, visitors will get to feel like they’re skating around Central Park in a world filled with oversized Tiffany Blue Boxes and sparkling snow. And best of all, it’s free to anyone who signs up! So be sure to book ahead, although there will be a limited number of tickets available on the day.
Hay Festival Winter Weekend (Hay-On-Wye, 28th – 1st December)
This intimate, lower-key version of the famous literary festival’s summer edition is the perfect culture-filled winter weekend away. This bite-sized fest features a host of great author events, with the likes of the winner of this year’s Booker Prize, Bernardine Evaristo and former MALESTROM interviewee Cerys Matthews talking about her cookbook, Where the Wild Cooks Go. There’ll also be live music, comedy and an artisan food-fest.
Gigs
Mac DeMarco (Birmingham/Liverpool, 27th/28th)
Canadian slacker rocker Mac DeMarco is currently on tour over here and having just conquered Ally Pally he’s off to Birmingham and Liverpool this week. Always great live, Mac will be treating fans to cuts from each of his five albums, including songs off his most recent LP Here Comes The Cowboy. And if you’re lucky you might even get treated to his cover of Enter Sandman by Metallica.
Lil Tecca (London/Dublin, 25th/26th)
You might best know New York rapper Tyler-Justin Sharpe aka Lil Tecca for his hit ‘Ran$om‘ the most-streamed song in the U.S. with 300 million plays on Spotify. His debut release from this summer, We Love You Tecca, showed that Tecca is a guy who is going to be a musical force to be reckoned with for years to come. Catch him at the Electric Ballroom Camden and Dublin this week.
Eats & Drinks
BBC Good Food Show Winter (Birmingham NEC, 28th – 1st December)
Just in time for Christmas, The BBC Good Food Show returns to Birmingham’s NEC for the winter version of this foodie extravaganza. Across four days visitors can indulge in all the tempting treats on offer, with hundreds of stalls offering a range of delicious food, drink and kitchen accessories. You can also find big names offering masterclasses, with Tom Kerridge, Mary Berry and The Hairy Bikers among those cooking up a storm at the Big Kitchen.
Food Gusto Christmas Fair (Ashby, 30th – 1st December)
Any Leicestershire locals can get into the Christmas spirit by than munching their way around Market Street in Ashby this weekend. There’ll be loads of food and drink from local and regional producers and artisans to get stuck into from puddings and preserves to Xmas beers. All of which you can enjoy while listening to some live entertainment. And if all that lot doesn’t get you feeling festive then a visit from Santa Claus and his real reindeer just might.
New Podcast
The Score: Bank Robber Diaries (Acast, Out now)
Ever robbed so many banks that you lost count? No, us neither. One man who did is Joe Loya – the so-called “Beirut Bandit”, the charismatic subject of this new podcast hosted by Ben Adair. Loya hit at least 30 banks in the space of just 14 months. Here he recounts his life from an abusive childhood to prolific bank robber and ultimately his redemption. It’s some seriously engrossing audio filled with Loya proving to be a fine raconteur.
New Music
Baxter Bury – The Night Chancers (Heavenly Recordings, Out now)
One of our fave musicians Baxter Dury is back following up his acclaimed Prince of Tears album with an altogether darker ten-track record inspired by the sleazy creatures and characters of the night. And we’re happy to report Baxter hasn’t missed a beat, not afraid to evolve as an artist rather than staying in a safe musical sweet spot. Watch the brilliant video to the track ‘Slumlord’ HERE.
Pesci – Still Singing (BMG, 29th)
The legend that is Joe Pesci is nothing if not unpredictable. Having been lured out of retirement by Martin Scorsese for The Irishman, the diminutive actor’s next move has been to go and release an album. Singing it turns out is his first love, with Pesci releasing his last album, Vincent Laguardia Gambini Sings Just For You, 21 years ago. Still Singing features guest spots with Maroon 5’s Adam Levine on two tracks including the duet cover of ‘My Cherie Amour’ along with the legendary Jimmy Scott on ‘The Nearness of You’. It’s some of the most unexpected, yet very welcome crooning you’re ever likely to hear.
New TV
Dirty John (Netflix, 25th)
We told you about the LA Times true crime podcast Dirty John last year. Here Netflix have turned it into an eight-part series starring Eric Bana and Connie Britton. This sexy, provocative and harrowing real-life thriller follows the true events of fraudster ‘Dirty’ John Meehan (Bana) as he prays on vulnerable rich women using his charm before turning nasty. It’s sexy, sinister and well worth your time.
Andy Murray: Resurfacing (Amazon Prime Video, 29th)
It was 2017 when a hip injury that threatened his very career, led Andy Murray to plummet from the world’s No 1 tennis player in down to triple figures. This new Amazon Prime documentary recounts the long road of rehab he went down in painstaking detail, plus his continually thwarted comeback attempts. The series scratches under the surface of Murray’s character as he displays his stoic disposition, in the face of serious adversity.
New Movies
The Two Popes (Netflix, 29th)
Inspired by real life events this smart new Netflix movie tells the story of Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce) as he tries to retire from the church, but instead his request is rejected and he’s summoned to the Vatican to meet with Pope Benedict(Anthony Hopkins) who might just have bigger things planned for the Argentinian. It’s an acting masterclass from two of the best in the business. So sit back and enjoy this divine buddy movie.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (Cinemas, 29th)
Kevin Smith’s new movie takes aim at the trend for reboots that’s been plaguing Hollywood by revisiting a couple of his most beloved characters. Yes, stoner icons Jay and Silent Bob (aka Jason Mewes & Smith himself) are back, this time heading on a cross country mission to Hollywood to stop filmmakers rebooting their old Bluntman and Chronic movie. This movie has it’s tongue so firmly in cheek it’s coming out of the other side and features more in jokes and cameos for fans than you can shake Ben Afleck at.
Competition Time
WIN one of two Exclusive Signed Bottles of Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ Great British Rum.
We’ve teamed up with the Legendary British explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, to offer you lucky readers the chance to win one of two exclusive bottles of his new premium rum signed by the great man himself.
For the chance of winning this great prize simply head to The MALESTROM on Facebook then ‘FOLLOW’ The MALESTROM & ‘LIKE’ & ‘SHARE’ the comp post & ‘TAG’ in a drinking partner.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ Great British Rum is created using small batch production techniques allowing much closer attention to detail. Triple distilled from 100% pure sugar cane molasses, the rum has an unbeatable rich flavour. Distilling three times helps to concentrate the flavours of the molasses and strip out the undesirable harsh elements of the alcohol to create a smooth and refined high-quality spirit.
The result is a truly unique golden rum with a distinctly British character. The flavour journeys through deep orange, caramel and spiced Christmas cake on the nose, with a hint of tobacco and vanilla, followed by a mix of milk and dark chocolate, then a final lick of golden liquorice.
For more information, please visit: https://www.sirranrum.com/
Best of luck!
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