What's On
Rock ‘n’ roll jewellery store The Great Frog, founded by Carol Lehtonen and Paterson Riley in 1972, has always had a close relationship with musicians, including Patti Smith and this weekend the brand is hosting a spesh Patti pop-up. Musician, activist and Patti Smith’s granddaughter Jesse Paris Smith is hosting the pop-up at The Great Frog in Soho, which’ll be stocked with super limited signed merch, including designs for the 50th anniversary of Horses, plus new pieces created for Patti’s recent Brighton shows and for the pop-up itself. Everything, like a new version of Patti’s ‘Fuck the Clock’ tee, has been designed by Jesse and Patti and hand screen-printed in Cardiff.
Known as the Tricycle Theatre from 1980 until it was renovated and re-opened under its new name in 2018, the Kiln Theatre is a real reflection of Kilburn and its diversity. Home to a 292-seat theatre, a 291-seat cinema and two rehearsal spaces, plus a bar and restaurant, Kiln is space that welcomes the whole community, nurtures talent and removes barriers to world-class theatre, both in therms who gets to make it and who gets to see it. It’s produced plays by the likes of Lolita Chakrabarti, Colman Domingo, Florian Zeller, Zadie Smith, Alexi Kaye Campbell and Abi Morgan.
Underbelly Boulevard in Soho is the first permanent theatre from Underbelly, the live entertainment company known for its annual festival. Originally opened as a sister site to the Raymond Revuebar in the 1950s, it became the Boulevard Theatre in the 70s, before closing in the 1990s. After a regeneration of the Walker’s Court area, the theatre was reopened in 2019, with Underbelly taking over the operation in 2023. It’s now a hub for an eclectic programme of theatre, variety, comedy and cabaret.
Built in 1932, the Grade II-listed Broadway Theatre in Catford has been entertaining Lewisham locals for almost a century, even hosting the likes of The Four Tops and Dizzy Gillespie, and it’s still home to the original Compton organ that was installed back in the 30s. Today the venue hosts a range of events, from drag bingo and stand-up comedy to musicals and plays.
Soho Theatre on Dean Street is one of the best places to catch comedy, cabaret, panto and theatre in town. Drawing from its roots as the radical Soho Poly in the early 70s, Soho Theatre puts on a wide-ranging programme that champions voices from outside the mainstream, and includes works from emerging theatre companies, comedians, and artists making their London debuts. The theatre bar is also one of the best places for a drink in the area, and worth stopping by whether you’ve got tickets to a show or not.
Brixton House is a pioneering fringe theatre known for supporting experimental theatre companies that developed from the rich history of Ovalhouse, which was an inclusive theatre space set up for young people in the 1960s and which has seen the likes of David Hare, Piece Brosnan, Salman Rushdie and Tamsin Greig pass through. Now a purpose-built theatre, Brixton House’s mission is to be representative of its neighbourhood and the diverse people who live in it, and to platform voices not heard in mainstream culture.
Opened in 2010, this 80-seat theatre in Regent’s Place, is a pioneering venue that’s become a home for the country’s best independent companies and ensembles. It’s won multiple awards in that time and has had its produced and commissioned works tour nationally and internationally, with acclaimed productions like Operation Mincemeat and For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy having premieres at the theatre.
If you want to see new voices and radical ideas, Camden People’s Theatre is the place to do it. The venue has been championing early-career and underrepresented artists for more than 30 years, providing mentoring, resources and the stage they need to flourish. The programme is always a real mix, featuring everything from new work to urgent political voices, Brazilian sci-fi to theatre performances in a box, and all projects are designed with accessibility in mind.
Explore What the Future Could Look Like at This Barbican Exhibition
Filmmaker, artist and speculative futurist Liam Young is taking over the Barbican to imagine what the future of humanity could look like. With In Other Worlds, his first major UK solo exhibition, Young will be transforming the Silk Street Entrance, The Curve and Car Park 5 into an immersive experience blending world-building, fiction, design and climate science. Created in collaboration with leading voices from film, TV, literature and science, the show features a range of films, audio stories, tapestries, soundscapes and costumes, and constructs a series of imagined futures for our planet, rooted in the consequences and opportunities of the decisions we make today.
The V&A Is Hosting a Landmark Exhibition on Art From the Asia Pacific Region
Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific at the V&A, in partnership with Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), is a landmark exhibition bringing together the work of more than 40 artists from 25 countries across the Asia Pacific region. The show will draw on the more than 30 years of QAGOMA’s Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art to showcase the creative landscape of the region. Over 70 works across sculpture, photography, painting, ceramics, weaving and body adornment – many of which have not been shown outside of the region – will be on display, foregrounding First Nations perspectives, highlighting both the commonality and diversity in art making, reflecting local traditions and faith systems, and exploring how artists respond to social and political upheaval.
This Is the First-Ever Museum Exhibition on NIGO Outside of Japan
The Design Museum is hosting NIGO: From Japan With Love, the first ever museum retrospective and exhibition outside of Japan that showcases the career and life of the Japanese creative director, NIGO. One of the first creatives to bridge the gap between streetwear and luxury fashion, NIGO (who founded A Bathing Ape and is artistic director of Kenzo) has defined trends in modern fashion. The show, featuring over 700 objects, including pieces from his vintage clothing collection, ceramics, rare designs, a recreation of his teenage bedroom, and a life-size glass tea house, will highlight his ability to draw on wide-ranging disciplines and cultural references, create iconic brands, and influence the worlds of fashion, music, architecture and interior design.
The National Theatre is a landmark for its architecture as much as the productions it puts on – the brutalist complex on the Southbank is one of London’s most recognisable buildings. The theatre company was founded by Sir Laurence Olivier, over a decade before construction of the building was completed in 1976, and it’s remained a premiere destination for actors, directors and audiences ever since. World-class productions featuring a who’s who of global talent are staged across the NT’s three theatre spaces. Since 2009, the theatre has also been broadcasting its productions in cinemas and online through the NT Live programme, making theatre even more accessible.
Shop Vintage Posters at This South London Pop-Up Shop
Sylwia from Projekt 26 is back with another vintage poster market at Gipsy Hill Brewery this May. Six traders, including Projekt 26, CoolWalls, The Movie Poster Show, Room 12a, Grafix and Poptique, will be at the market selling movie posters from Soviet-era Poland and Czechoslovakia; post-war transport ads; Japanese designs promoting 70s cinema; Bauhaus prints; original music posters and more. Entry is FREE, the venue is dog-friendly, and there’ll be coffee, food and beer from the Gipsy Hill Taproom on offer.
A Louis Vuitton Hotel Has Landed in London
London is no stranger to immersive pop-up experiences from big name fashion houses and now Louis Vuitton is getting in on the act by opening a pop-up hotel in Mayfair. The brand is celebrating 130 years of its iconic monogram and you can see a lot of it throughout the hotel. There’s a Keepall Lobby, a nod to the travel bag that was first introduced in 1930, where you can take your own items in for care and repair; the Speedy Room, dedicated to another famous LV bag, where Pharrell Williams’ latest reinterpretation is also on show; and the Neverfull Gym, showcasing the carry-all’s strength, rather than a place for you to work out. You’ll work up an appetite browsing all those bags, so it’a a good thing there’s a cafe and bar on-site. Cafe Alma is serving afternoon tea and a set menu, with cocktails and champagne on offer in Bar Noé,
A Magazine Pop-Up Has Come to Selfridges
Beloved Clerkenwell magazine shop magCulture is popping up at Selfridges for a six-week residency as part of the department store’s Club Culture programme, celebrating the clubs and communities that bring people together. The pop-up references the design language of the Clerkenwell shop and is stocked with a selection of 200 magazines, including titles like MacGuffin, Interview, Scary Boots, Toothsome and our very own Sausage Press.
A Pop-Up Beach Is Coming to Walthamstow
You don’t need to go to the seaside this summer (well, unless you want to of course) because it’s coming to you. Walthamstow is becoming Walthamstow-on-Sea as the Big Penny Beach Club rolls into the neighbourhood. Big Penny Social is transforming its terrace into a beach club kitted out with an on-site gelateria, a spritz bar, beach volleyball, a DJ stage, and plenty of frozen cocktails and fish & chips.
Perk is a fitness studio based in Stoke Newington and genuinely the most The Substance-like fitness class we’ve ever done. The studio was founded by Bahar Tafti who has worked as a trainer in LA, Australia and is now inspiring a crew of women with her buns of steel. After having less time to dedicate to different kinds of workouts, she decided to combine a number of disciplines into a one-hour session that consistently delivered results, and so Perk was born. Each signature class combines barre, resistance, cardio, plyometrics and flexibility into one high-octane full-body workout set to a soundtrack of killer tunes. The sessions target posture, muscle tone, strength, mobility and endurance, and the workouts are switched up weekly to avoid boredom and burnout.
