Come rain or shine there are loads of events to keep you busy as we slide into the month of August. Cyclists will have the run of the Capital with FreeCycle, there are some massive Damien Hirst sculptures to view in and around Leeds and the Edinburgh Festival will be kicking off a few weeks of top entertainment. And that’s just for starters. Here’s The Weekly EDIT.
Nile Rodgers’ Meltdown (Southbank Centre, 3rd – 11th)
No, the CHIC founder is not throwing a massive tantrum, instead, this particular Meltdown is Mr Rogers curating the annual fest at the Southbank Centre. Here there will be exclusive collaborations, world-wide one-offs and unmissable nights.
Some of the headline acts are bassist and singer Thundercat, guitar icon Johnny Marr, Mali’s Songhoy Blues, and even Nile taking to the stage with CHIC for some prime disco funk. Don’t miss a vinyl-only Despacio night from James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and David and Stephen Dewaele aka 2manydjs.
Pulp Fiction Party (Bloomsbury Lanes, 2nd August)
Everyone’s favourite London bowling alley (ours at least) is playing host once again to the fourth edition of the Pulp Fiction Party. Fancy dress is wholeheartedly encouraged, with a band playing live music from the soundtrack, who’ll hope to get you twisting on the dancefloor like Travolta. With karaoke, games, DJ’s and giant pizza’s, Tarantino’s 90s classic will be brought to life in the best possible way.
Prudential Ride London 2019 (London, 3rd – 4th)
There’s plenty for cycling fans to enjoy in and around the capital this weekend. Pedal power enthusiasts can sign up for the family-friendly RideLondon-Surrey 19, which joins the final 19 miles of the London-Surrey 100 route between Sandown Park and Green Park. Or there’s also the FreeCycle event, a traffic-free 7-mile route through the streets of central London.
The Edinburgh Festival (2nd – 26th)
The Scottish capital turns into the entertainment centre of the world for three weeks every August with the best street performers, comedians and actors flooding the city. Among the highlights this year are the return of stand up icon Eddie Izzard performing a show based on Dickens’ Great Expectations.
New Yorker Desiree Burch on ‘self and everything else’ and The Shark is Broken, a play based on the diaries of the late English Jaws actor Robert Shaw, aka Quint, performed by Shaw’s son Ian.
Rory Lewis Photography Exhibition: Northerners (Wex photo Video, Manchester, August 1st – October 1st)
The man who has made a living from producing exquisite portraits of the world’s most famous faces will be touching down in Manchester for a return of his celebrated Northerners exhibition.
Rory Lewis’ collection features portraits from a cross-section of Northern celebrities from Sir Ian McKellen, Ian McShane and Sir Patrick Stewart, with around a hundred images on display.
Shard Sessions (The Shard, 3rd August till October 12th)
If you like to listen to your tunes 800ft up from the ground then the only music venue for you is View from the Shard. For the summer season you can enjoy a series of late-night concerts and DJ sets from the likes of DJ Luck & Mc Neat & Rickie & Melvin along with a complimentary glass of Moët & Chandon champagne included with your ticket. Cheers to that.
Damien Hirst at Yorkshire Sculpture International (Various locations, now till September 29th)
As part of the inaugural Yorkshire Sculpture International festival, taking place across Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds city centre and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, seven major Damien Hirst sculptures have been craned into place for your viewing pleasure. One of the most impressive sights is the former Turner Prize winners 10-metre tall The Virgin Mother (pictured) that dominates its countryside setting.
Gigs
Visions festival 2019 (Hackney, 3rd – 4th)
There’s lots to love about the Visions festival that will be taking place in Hackney next weekend. Gigs will be taking place in various venues throughout the day bringing you established acts and ones to watch out for.
This year White Denim will be headlining with other luminaries like brilliant Scottish electro composer Anna Meredith, forces of nature Squid and Brummie rockers Pigsx7 (pictured) all pitching up to make it a day to remember.
51st State (Trent Park, London, 3rd)
This year marks the event’s fifth birthday, it’s a huge one-day celebration of house music in all the genres various forms with a bit of garage, soul and disco thrown in. North London’s Trent Park is the place to be with seven stages loaded with the likes of Louie Vega and David Morales, Dimitri from Paris, Norman Jay, Joey Negro and many more. Let’s have it!
Eats & Drinks
Vegan Days (Brick Lane, 3rd – 4th)
It’s vegan food and fun at East London’s Brick Lane this weekend. Vegan Days is a free event featuring the best plant-based snackery in London, you’ll find an ethical market place, special wellness activities, different bars and lots of opportunities to hang out, socialise and wind the weekend away.
Cheltenham Cheese and Chilli Festival (Sanford Park, 3rd August)
Sanford Park in Cheltenham plays host to the Cheese and Chilli Festival, to spice up your early August weekend. With a ton of artisan food stalls, there’s plenty to get your teeth into. There’ll also be live music, chilli growing demonstrations, cookery classes and loads of beer.
Which might come in handy for those entering the chilli eating contest. There’s a load of stuff for the kids to get involved with also, which is good news now they’ll be tugging at your trousers for the next six weeks.
Turtle Bay Summer SoundClash Festival (Manchester, 1st – 4th August)
The travelling roadshow that is the Turtle Bay Summer Soundclash is a cornucopia of colour and cool vibes, which makes it’s way to Manchester for a four-day extravaganza of Caribbean tinged craziness this weekend.
There’s a bit of everything from fantastic food, booze (we’re talking rum people) and a host musical performers and DJs. Sure to be a blast.
New Podcast
Running from Cops – Headlong Season 3 (Headlong, Out Now)
Having focussed on fitness instructor Richard Simmonds and Y2K spelling the end of days in previous seasons, this time around documentarian Dan Taberski looks at American reality TV show Cops.
Conducting interviews with cops themselves and analysing hundreds of episodes as he zones in on the show’s cultural impact on policing in America. A fascinating insight into a strange world.
New Music
Tyler Childers – Country Squire (Rca, 2nd)
Former MALESTROM interviewee Tyler Childers is back with a much anticipated follow up to his excellent 2017 album Purgatory. Produced by Sturgill Simpson and David Ferguson, and recorded at the Butcher Shoppe in Nashville it features the expertly crafted songwriting we’ve come to know from the artist and some foot-stomping country tunes that thankfully aren’t quite as mental as the album cover suggests. Listen to single House Fire HERE.
Ty Segall – First Taste (Drag City, 2nd)
It’s a year and a half since the release of Ty Segall’s brilliantly titled Freedom’s Goblin, this new effort First Taste marks a more introspective set of songs as the unique singer reflects on family, re-encountering pasts and anticipating the future.
The record finds Segall experimenting with a variety of new instruments, including the bouzouki, harmonizer, mandolin & saxophone, with much of the LP also featuring TY and his longtime bandmate Charles Moothart on drums simultaneously. Watch the murderous video for single ‘Taste’ HERE.
New TV
This is Football: Season 1 (Amazon Prime, 2nd)
Amazon Prime’s new globe-spanning documentary series will tell six one hour stories about the global power of soccer. With titles including “Redemption,” “Love,” and “Pride”, episodes will look at football’s uplifting role in Rwanda after the genocide, the inspirational rise of the women’s game, and Barcelona and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi.
This Is Football shows that on this often troubled planet we live in, sport can unify people everywhere.
Der Pass (Sky Atlantic / NOW TV, 31st)
This Austrian cop drama set on the snowy German-Austria border gives us your typical world-weary detective bloke paired with a keen but naive female partner, but the case they’re looking into is far from the norm.
They have to investigate a series of strange ritual killings that more than hint that there are some dark pagan rituals taking place in this odd Alpine setting. German language with subtitles.
New Movies
Oldboy (4k Restoration) Limited release, 2nd
We’ve previously flagged Park Chan-wook’s sensationally violent masterpiece Oldboy, as one if not the ultimate revenge film. Here it gets a big screen re-release with a newly mastered 4K restoration. It tells the tale of Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), an alcoholic businessman who finds himself whisked away, kidnapped and imprisoned in a cell for fifteen years for a crime he’s never told about.
When he’s released back into society without explanation, he faces a race against the clock to track down his daughter and discover who his captor is. Warning, this one is seriously intense and brutal.
Heat of the Moment: Do The Right Thing (Barbican, 1st August)
To mark its 30th anniversary Spike Lee’s classic, yet relevant drama Do The Right Thing, that looks at racial tensions in Brooklyn, and stars Samuel L. Jackson and Martin Lawrence is heading to selected cinemas.
The screening at the Barbican looks of particular interest with live poetry from Anita Barton-Williams and the creation of a unique mural by street artist Triplezed inspired by views on Lee’s film all submitted by the audience.
Competition Time
WIN a Vango Stargrove Poled 600XL tent worth £500!
We’ve teamed up again with our good friends over at camping superstore Outdoor World Direct to offer the fantastic prize of this very desirable Vango tent, perfect for festivals and family camping trips.
For the chance of winning this great prize simply head to The MALESTROM HQ on Instagram – Then ‘FOLLOW’ Us & ‘LIKE’ our Outdoor World Direct tent competition post.
The Vango Stargrove Poled 600XL tent offers a perfect tent for the first-time family campers, wanting plenty of space, a reliable tent and value for money.
The Stargrove 600XL offers a spacious, three-zone tent ideal for sleeping four to six people. It features a pre-attached awning, perfect for storage and socialising, with the tents huge Diamond Clear windows allowing you to take in the beautiful views around you.
Made of 70 Denier polyester fabric, and with a 3000mm hydrostatic head (waterproofing), this tent is more than capable of performing in the changeable weather conditions the UK often throws at us.
OutdoorWorldDirect are one of the leading outdoor companies in the UK with decades of experience in the outdoor industry. They stock the finest equipment from the leading brands in the market such as Lichfield, Salomon, Coleman and of course Vango.
For more information about please visit: https://www.outdoorworlddirect.co.uk/
Best of luck!
Full Ts&Cs here: http://tiny.cc/us5s9y
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