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London’s cultural highlights this month
Summer’s here, so take it by the horns and give it a good shake before everyone buggers off on holiday. From al fresco drinking and lazy Sunday brunches in the sunshine to art shows that’ll have tongues wagging and plays that’ll set hearts fluttering, the Month of May in London is shaping up to be ‘Summer: the prequel’. Let’s face it, come August the big smoke’s a ghost town so get your slice of the action while it’s hot. And if you want to beat the summertime air fare hike, jet off now and head stateside for an Alexander McQueen exhibition or soak up the beautiful Barcelonan sun at Sonar. Take your pick.
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INTERNATIONAL: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, SAVAGE BEAUTY
May 4 - July 31, Metropolitan Museum of Art, $20
1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10028-0198
Two things you will already know about UJ: we barely ever feel the need for a bonified ‘excuse’ when it comes to crossing the pond, and we’re always the first in any McQueen sample sale queue. So expect to see us walking up the famous Met steps in NYC this month for the Costume Institute’s tribute to the talent of the late great Alexander McQueen. Launched last night at the annual Met Ball, the exhibition features over 100 designs from the Brit designer’s 19 year long career. From splashes of tartan to Gaga’s gravity defying snakeskin alien boots, this is arse-bearing art (no really, dig out those bumsters), as well as fashion.
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THEATRE: PYGMALION
May 12 - September 3
Garrick Theatre, Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0HH
£28.50 - £55.50
Website
Seems real life is imitating art as Eastender’s star Kara Tointon takes her turn in the elocution hot seat of ‘Pygmalion’ with the ever-dapper Rupert Everett as her tutor. Swapping Albert Square for the stage, wince as Tointon morphs from wayward cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle to a cut-glass vowel sounding, fine frock wearing lady. What can we say, that Henry Higgins must be a good teacher (hell, we’d take whatever Everett’s dishing out). After being well and truly whipped into shape by the dapper Professor of Phonetics watch on as love blossoms despite speech impediments and Ascot arguments. Ah, might be worth telling the ladies of this year’s race-day to take a leaf out of Hepburn’s original book and dress demure if they want to pin a posh boy, it’s all the rage these days after all…
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ART: AI WEIWEI
May 13 - July 16
Lisson Gallery, 52-54 Bell Street, London, NW1 5DA
Free
Website
Sculptural and video works by renowned Chinese conceptual artist and cultural critic, Ai Weiwei go on show at Lisson Gallery this summer. The politically vocal artist has recently clocked up column inches both for his Unilever Series Commission in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall and due to the small matter of his detention by the Chinese government in April. Don’t miss the chance to ponder Weiwei’s beautifully crafted and considered series of work, which subtly speak of social ills in a far more acute and thought provoking manner than a speech from a podium ever could.
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LAUNCH: EAT: Bloom
May 13
Mon to Sat 8am - 11pm, Sun 10am - 10pm.
399 Fulham Palace Road, SW6 6TA
Website
Don those preppy popped collar polos and trek it down to Fulham Palace Village for good eats this Spring, where Bloom’s already tempting us with the promise of ricotta hot cakes with honeycomb butter on their (hopefully) sun drenched terrace surrounded by colourful plants and fragrant herbs. Opened by Fulham resident Terry Duncan and childhood friend Mark Casiraghi, Bloom places an emphasis on fresh ingredients (bacon and charcuterie come from the Observer Food Monthly awarded Tealy Farm), a chilled friendly atmosphere and hearty but healthy dinner options like seared red mullet with lemon fennel and saffron mayo. Soon they’ll also be a delicatessen area with artisan breads, foodie treats and gifts and freshly prepared take-home dishes. Bloom-in marvellous…
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ART: Tracey Emin: Love Is What You Want
May 18 - Aug 29
Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX.
£12
Website
Whether your opinion of UK artist Tracey Emin is overrated exhibitionist or soul-bearing visionary, there’s no denying the guts and gory detail that she puts into her art whether its unmade beds, unflinching writing or unnerving neon installations. This summer the South Bank’s Hayward Gallery is dedicating all two floors and two outdoor sculpture terraces to the first major London survey of Emin’s work set to feature a new large scale outdoor sculpture and new photographic works and neon signs seen for the first time. Eminently worth visiting.
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MUSIC: STAG AND DAGGER
May 19, £13.50
Various Venues
Website
You might think you’re a bit too, ahem, mature for the Dalston brigade’s unending carnival of ‘cool’, but this is a genuinely good opportunity to witness a night of the very best in up-and-coming musical talent. Pick up your access-all-entry wristbands and dot-to-dot your way around a whole host of venues on this East end jolly from XOYO to Village Underground. Musical offerings include Bango or Freakout, Ghostpoet, and New Young Pony Club. Leave the winkle pickers to the Dalstonites and go instead to boost your kudos in the ‘I heard of them first…’ stakes. If you’re tiring of the Camden Crawl’s ten year rule as venue-hopping music festival go-to, give this a try instead.
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ESCAPE: HAY FESTIVAL
May 26 - June 5
Hay-on-Wye, Various Prices
Website
If the last tome you read came with the Richard and Judy stamp of approval, it’s time to give those brain cells a little jolt. Panic not, pack that unopened Proust (keeping up the pretence of cleverness is half the work) and head for the Brecon Beacons National Park for Hay Festival. Now, while a literary heavy jamboree might seem a bit yawn-inducing for a summertime sojourn, bear with us. Give the nitty-gritty stuff a skip and see AC Grayling speak, stalk Cerys Matthews and hear Irish-French chanteuse, Camille O’Sullivan belt out Nick Cave. Listen to wise words from big name writers and comedians or get your philosophy and music fix over at HowTheLightGetsIn, which runs at the same time. Doesn’t that feel wholesomely good now? Oh you’re off to Bestival in a giant astronaut’s helmet are you…? Right.
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DRINK: SUMMER COURTYARD AT 51 BUCKINGHAM GATE
May - September
51 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AF
Website
The delightful Courtyard 51 flings open its gates for another summer of alfresco dining and late night cocktail sipping beneath the stars. Flit away the long balmy evening hours tucking into a three course meal while operatic arias sound out in the background. There’s a distinctly Moroccan theme to the proceedings- from the all day barbecue of Middle Eastern delights to the North African wine list and shisha pipes. If you like a little aural entertainment with your meal, book ahead for the summer music season in July — whilst we’re not massively sold on performances of West End musical classics, but sung live by opera stars (Soprano Bella, Cantabile-The London Quartet and Viva Live Music) we reckon ‘All That Jazz’, ‘I Feel Pretty’ and ‘Grease Lightning’ warbled into the night could be highly amusing… |
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BOOK AHEAD: MUSIC
Sónar, June 16-18
€39-€155
Website
The line-up at Sonar is so good this year that we’ve had our plane tickets to Barcelona booked for a good few weeks now. With dance-kings like headliners Underworld and Aphex Twin, critics’ darlings Cut Copy and Janelle Monae, feisty Londoner Dizzee Rascal and brilliant Berliner DJ Paul Kalkbrenner the acts this year really are a veritable smorgasbord of sound. We’re most excited about seeing James Murphy from the recently dissolved (sigh…) LCD Soundsystem as well as Buraka Som Sistema who are blazing the way forward for kudura, an adrenaline-fuelled musical style from Angola that has already impressed the likes of (fellow Sonar performer) M.I.A. Then of course there are the after-party festivities to indulge in; book ahead for RA’s annual shindig.
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LINK TO THESE FEATURES: ART & CULTURE
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