A National Portrait Gallery exhibition on film star and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn, Bastille Day and the open air Somerset House Summer Series are some of the best events in London in July 2015.
Having already been the subject of a West End musical back in 2011, the Shrek saga is now the inspiration behind a new London attraction which opens in July. A partnership between DreamWorks Animation and Merlin Entertainments - the company behind the London Eye, London Aquarium and London Dungeon - Shrek's Adventure is a walk-and-ride attraction on the South Bank. Visitors are invited to jump aboard a magical 4D bus, with Donkey as the tour guide, and embark on a journey through ten live fairytale-themed shows. You'll be able to visit Shrek's swamp, find your fortune in the crystal ball, get lost in the mirror maze and meet Shrek and his pals, as well as characters from other DreamWorks films such as Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon.
The Gruffalo is a classic that kiddies just love and this Tall Stories adaptation of the picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is "A fine piece of children's theatre," says The Sunday Times; "Monstrous fun," says The Daily Mail. The plot which begins with the loveable little mouse taking a 'stroll through the deep, dark wood' is enchantingly told by Tall Stories with a winning simplicity. Threatened by various predators, a snake, an owl and a gruffalo with ''terrible tusks and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws'', the mouse outwits them all. The cast of three manage to transform the stage with remarkably few props and a host of infectiously catchy songs, not to mention some superb dance routines and non-stop drama. Many of the memorable lines become catchphrases and are repeated throughout the show in a bid to appeal to the innate 'again, again' approach favoured by children. By the end of the show they can raucously join in with their favourite bits.
A celebration of the life and work of the legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, The Four Fridas is a spectacular, outdoor theatre production and the centerpiece to this year's Greenwich and Docklands International Festival. Performed by a creative team led by the festival's artistic director, Bradley Hemmings (who co-directed the Opening Ceremony to the London 2012 Paralympic Games), the outdoor performance integrates elements of ritual, music, narration, contemporary dance and aerial choreography, played out against stunning video projections in the sky. A group of young indigenous women from the remote village of Xochiapulcho in Sierra Puebla will enact the flight of the Voladores giving London audiences a rare opportunity to see the ceremonial ritual.
Handel scholar Ellen Harris explores the domestic life of the composer for new exhibition Handel: A Life With Friends at the Handel House Museum. With loans from national, local and private collections, the exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the public and private lives of some of his closest friends.
Marking 65 years since Audrey Hepburn performed at renowned West End nightclub Ciro's - the space now occupied by the National Portrait Gallery's public Archive - NPG presents a major photography exhibition on the film star. Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon will follow Hepburn's rise to fame, from her early years in Holland to becoming a stage and screen icon, through a series of rarely seen photographs. Highlights of the exhibition will be family photographs of Hepburn practising ballet as a young woman, as well as examples of her early work in London as a fashion model. There will also be a rarely seen series by Mark Shaw, taken during the making of Sabrina in 1953, and a number of vintage magazine spreads, from the Picturegoer in 1952 to the front cover of Life magazine, which featured Hepburn in Givenchy for her role in Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961, taken by Howell Conant.
Wireless Festival 2015
Drake finally makes an appearance after dropping out in 2014.
After dropping out in 2014 due to sickness - thus subjecting audiences to two nights of Kanye West and some unwelcome ranting - Drake will finally perform at Wireless this year. Taking to the stage on Friday, he will be joined on the line-up by Labrinth, Nero, Duke Dumont and Fuse ODG. Headliners on Saturday are Avicii and Kendrick Lamar while Sunday sees David Guetta and Nicki Minaj top the bill. Returning to Finsbury Park for a second year, Wireless has firmly established itself as one of London's major large scale live music events, attracting crowds of over 20,000 for each of the three days.
Meet Michelin star chefs, see live demonstrations and sample food from London's top restaurants at the Foodies Festival, taking place at Alexandra Palace for the first time, from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July 2015. Aldo Zilli is host at the chef theatre where Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite, The Cinnamon Club's head chef Rakesh, and The Chamberlain, and Chef Patron Arnaud Stevens at SixtyOne are among the top chefs taking part. Sample signature dishes from well known restaurants, build up your baking expertise in the Bake and Cake Theatre and keep young ones busy in the Children's Theatre or take part in daily tea dances. It's summer so why not brush up on your BBQ skills in the outdoor BBQ arena and relax on hay bales on the real ale and cider farm while enjoying live music.
Foodies Festival in London - 2015 dates: The festival will take place at Syon Park over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th May, Alexandra Palace from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July and Clapham Common from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th July 2015.
The second of three free, live outdoor screening direct from the Royal Opera House to Trafalgar Square over the summer, Kasper Holten's production of Don Giovanni is played out by an excellent cast including Christopher Maltman as Mozart's timeless anti-hero. The "handsome" (Telegraph) set by Es Devlin puts a staircase split house centre stage, providing an eye catching backdrop against which Dorothea Roschmann, Rolando Villazon and Albina Shagimuratova sing.
Forget bog standard bacon and sausages, porky pop-up Oink celebrates the many facets of the resplendent pig with some delicious swine dining. Launched by James Purdie, who had an ongoing craving for pork while living in Dubai, the weekend residence at Crisis Café, Shoreditch encourages communal dining with shareable starter plates and dig-in main dishes, all with pork as the main feature. Guests can expect dishes such as pig's cheek and black pudding nuggets, crispy shredded pig's ear, pulled pork shoulder, and sweet and sour glazed chilli ribs. Drinks include real ciders, craft beers and a selection of wines.
Hard Rock Calling became Calling Festival in 2014 and moved from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to Clapham Common where it remains for 2015 when Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds headline the classic rock festival. The line-up for the multi-stage festival also includes Ryan Adams And The Shining, The Hives, Echo & The Bunnymen, Washington six-piece Modest Mouse and North Londoners Wolf Alice. Last year the Calling Festival played host to more than 80,000 festival goers who got to see Stevie Wonder and Aerosmith play live.
Nearly 35 years since Joseph Cornell's last solo show in the UK, the Royal Academy of Arts presents his glass-fronted shadow boxes, now seen as some of the most seminal art of the 20th century, according to Jonathan Safran writing in The Guardian. Revealing the American artist's fascination with astronomy, cinema, literature, ornithology and European culture, the exhibition 'Wanderlust' brings together 80 of Cornell's works, some never before seen outside the US.
Through Kites from Kabul, an exhibition of handmade kites inspired by Afghan and Islamic designs, the entrance lobby at the V & A Museum of Childhood will be transformed with a colourful display of paper kites in flight. The kites, made by children in Murad Khani, in the Old City district of Kabul, are displayed alongside photographs taken by Australian photojournalist Andrew Quilty at kite flying sites around Kabul and Bamiyan. There will also be a video by filmmaker and writer Lalage Snow, giving a glimpse into the lives of children living in the Old Town.
Paloma Faith, Caro Emerald, UB40, The Specials and Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra are on the Kew the Music line-up when it returns for more summer concerts in July 2015. The series of outdoor picnic concerts set against the backdrop of the Victorian Temperate House at Kew Gardens has been running for five years now and its sixth year is set to be just as magical. For the ultimate package there is also the option to VIP your evening with picnic hampers, a BBQ at the Pavilion Restaurant and reserved seating.
A new play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love. Duncan Macmillan's Every Brilliant Thing is "a touching, surprisingly uplifting show about living with depression", says Laura Barnett in The Telegraph. Already a hit at the Edinburgh Festival and off-Broadway, Jonny Donahoe stars in this piece which is "pretty much guaranteed to keep your eyes brimming" (New York Times), presented by Paignes Plough in the award-winning pop-up theatre Roundabout.
The Dutch National Ballet company presents a brand new ballet influenced by the Brothers Grimm story of Cinderella and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. Wheeldon has created an enchanting ballet set to Prokofiev's magnificent score but it's the "enthralling" sets (New York Times) by Julian Crouch which make Act 1 a "triumph of fantasy" in which "Cinderella's slipper rises into the air and hovers, dreamlike". There are twists on the traditional narrative with a fleshed out backstory for the lead characters. And the result is a "winningly charming" production; the "most dramatically convincing Cinderella in ballet, a triumph of storytelling and stage design firmly in touch with the 21st century" says the Financial Times.
Bringing together music and art, Soundscapes sees a number of acclaimed musicians and sound artists create pieces in response to the paintings in the National Gallery, encouraging visitors to 'hear' the paintings and 'see' the sound. DJ, music producer and member of The xx, Jamie xx has chosen Théo Van Rysselberghe's pointillist Coastal Scene while Oscar-winning composer Gabriel Yared has prepared a piece in response to Cézanne's Bathers. Other contributors include Turner Prize-winning sound artist Susan Phillipsz OBE, composer Nico Muhly and wildlife programme-maker Chris Watson, who has chosen one of the gallery's most popular works: Akseli Gallen-Kallela's Lake Keitele.
Jewish Lebanese Montreal duo Chromeo kicks the Somerset House Summer Series off on Thursday 9th July while Jessie J plays the closing party on Sunday 19th July 2015. George Ezra, Gary Clark Jr., Belle and Sebastian and Angus & Julia Stone are just some of the live acts dropping into the central courtyard of Somerset House for this year's Summer Series, an idyllic, intimate, calming, escapist location for a concert on a summer's evening. As a breeze drifts in off the Thames you'll forget the city bustle outside and tune into some great music, surrounded by one of eighteenth century London's most spectacular buildings. For detailed information on this year's festival go to our Somerset House Summer Series feature.
A decade after they first came onto the scene Chromeo open the Somerset HouseSummer Series with their infectious disco-funk laced with irony. The Jewish/Lebanese Montreal duo, singer/guitarist Dave 1 and keyboardist/vocoder P-Thugg, "have built up a sizeable cult following" (The Guardian) in the last ten years. At this open air concert they're expected to fill the courtyard with their modern dance pop and recent tracks fresh from their fourth album, White Women, which has everything from "smooth Chic guitar joints" to "flourishes of Euro hi-NRG" (NME).
Delibes's three-act opera, best known for it's flower duet, features Fflur Wyn as the title character and Robert Murray as Gerald. While most of us know the flower duet - familiar because of its use by a well-known airline company - there's more to Lakme than this. Set during British rule in India, the story tells of officer Gerald who "stumbles on the sacred garden of a militant Brahmin priest opposed to the foreign occupiers and falls in love with his daughter, Lakme" - The Guardian. Last shown here at Holland Park Opera seven years ago when it was well recieved, this is a new production of an opera which remains a relative rarity in London. The performance on Monday 27th July sees the return of the highly successful Christine Collins Young Artists, when all but the two lead roles are played by young performers.
Virtual Control - Security and The Urban Imagination is an exhibition by artist and photographer Max Colson that explores surveillance technology and the ownership of public space. Taking place at RIBA, the exhibition focuses on privatized public spaces - urban environments which are nominally public but owned and managed by commercial entities. Images displayed throughout the show explore how carefully camouflaged surveillance technology is used to monitor these areas and perhaps even manipulate behavior.
Bringing modern blues and soul to a new generation, twenty-eight year old Gary Clark Jr. exploded onto the international music scene when he delivered an incredible performance at Eric Clapton's 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival. Born and raised in Austin, Texas Clark began playing guitar at age 12. He made a name for himself across the globe with the release of his critically-acclaimed 2012 major label debut Blak and Blu, and kicked off 2013 with a performance for President and Mrs. Obama at The White House. Last year he toured with the Foo Fighters and in 2015 he comes to Somerset House to play a Friday night open air gig in the famous courtyard.
A centenary celebration of ol' Blue Eyes, this multimedia concert marks 100 years since Frank Sinatra's birth. Rare and never before seen footage of the legendary singer and actor is screened while a 24-piece orchestra plays many of his greatest hits including 'Come Fly With Me', 'Fly Me To The Moon', 'New York, New York' and 'My Way'. The show incorporates live dancing on the London Palladium stage, the very place where Sinatra made his UK debut 65 years ago.
Back for its third year, Camden Market presents Lock Live, a free event with music from Stealing Sheep, the Cuban Brothers and legendary DJ Norman Jay who'll be performing across four stages within the famous north London market. Heralded by Time Out as one of the top 15 bands to watch this year, Stealing Sheep - a psychedelic female Liverpudlian trio - play chant-like, sometimes choral and pop. As well as live music there'll be street entertainment, dance workshops, international food and drink stalls as well as independent shops and designer makers across the whole of Camden Market from the top of the beautiful, cobbled Stables Market to the edge of the canalside Camden Lock.
Over 120 original illustrations from classic Ladybird titles go on display in celebration of 100 years of Ladybird Books in this special exhibition at the House of Illustration, which itself celebrates one year since it opened. Publishing books for children since 1915, Ladybird stands out as one of the most iconic and well-known children's brands. Their full-colour, full-page illustrations were commissioned from well-known illustrators such as Charles Tunnicliffe, and Harry Wingfield who illustrated more than 65 titles including Ladybird's Key Words Reading Scheme and its Junior Science series. Selection was rigorous, with only the best commercial illustrators commissioned but the books were widely available and sold cheaply and their appeal endures today.
Michael Rosenberg, better known by his stage name Passenger, is the Brighton-based folk-rock singer-songwriter whose breakup tune Let Her Go was one of the biggest singles of 2013. Since then, Mike has gone on to make an emphatic imprint in the music industry, reaching number 1 in over 20 countries and playing sold out shows throughout the world from San Francisco to Cape Town. A troubadour for the 21st century, Passenger plays Somerset House as one of only two UK gigs fitted in between numerous festival appearances across Europe this summer.
London's largest biennial festival of Arab culture, the 16-day Shubbak Festival kicks off with Hafla on the Square, a free family-friendly afternoon of live music, art and drop-in workshops at Chelsea Theatre. Celebrating the best in contemporary culture from across the Arabic world, events take place at some of London's best fringe theatres including the Young Vic, Arcola Theatre, Bush Theatre, Rich Mix and the Cockpit Theatre where London-based El-Alfy Theatre Company presents the absurdist The Tree Climber by Tawfik Al Hakeem, Egypt's renowned playwright of the 20th century. Shubbak (the Arabic word for 'window') gives audiences a chance to discover new talent from the Arab world whether that's the work of young Syrian filmmaker Reem Karssli whose 'Now Is The Time To Say Nothing' at the Young Vic explores the ongoing conflict in Syria, or Sevan K. Greene's 'Nahda' (Awakening) - a collection of four short plays on themes of consumerism and displacement at the Bush Theatre.
King Richard exiles Henry Bolingbroke and seizes his father's vast estates to rule by divine right but Bolingbroke returns to England during an Irish rebellion to recover his rightful property in Shakespeare's history play about the thirst for power. Simon Godwin directs award winning actor Charles Edwards - who most recently starred in Blithe Spirit opposite Angela Lansbury - in the demanding title role.
Can Andy Murray do it again? The home crowd will be hoping he can and will be expecting to see the Scot in the finals again this year, aiming to regain the title he won in 2013, a year after he won Olympic gold. The Wimbledon Finals Weekend, a highlight of the sporting year in London, begins with the ladies' final on Saturday, followed by the men's match on Sunday, both played out on Centre Court, now covered by a roof so there's no risk of seeing Cliff Richard entertaining the crowds when the weather refuses to play ball. Tickets are like gold dust but anyone can get tickets via the ballot - enter before December to be in with a chance.
Expect a proper dose of roots, rock and reggae when Chronixx plays Somerset House on Sunday 12th July for the 2015 Summer Series. Jamaica's James Rolando McNaughton Jr (aka Chronixx) was helped by his father, Chronicle, a veteran reggae artist who he describes as the "original dancehall father" and surrounded by Burro Barton, Norris Man and Gregory Isaacs during his formative years who have inspired him to become the reggae artist we see today. Celebrity fans including Rolling Stone's Mick Jagger who celebrated his birthday by attending the 20 year old's recent concert in New York's Central Park.
Bastille Day, 14th July, falls on a Tuesday this year so London celebrates France's national day with a free festival on Sunday 12th. Taking place at Borough Market and the surrounding streets, the Bastille Day Festival, a celebration of all things French, gives us Londoners an excuse to enjoy the culinary heritage of our French friends (yum) through tastings and a French themed demonstration kitchen. A fun filled programme of activities includes street entertainment, a traditional 14th July Waiters' Race, Petanque, an artisan craft market selling gifts and books, creative workshops, party games, bi-lingual storytelling, face painting and (in the true spirit of the French revolution) a guillotine provided by The London Tombs. Festivities will continue into the night with the Bal Populaire, a traditional French style open air party, until 10pm.
Twenty five years after their first hit single Swedish pop-rock group Roxette prove they still have what it takes with a live performance at London's massive O2 arena. The duo of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle have sold over 75 million albums and gave the world hit songs including Joyride, Listen to Your Heart and It Must Have Been Love and are still producing new music - their latest album 'Charm School' includes the single 'She's Got Nothing On (But The Radio)'. In July 2015 they perform at a one-off London gig, part of a global tour taking in Australia, New Zealand and 18 European countries. This tour will conclude during Roxette's 30th anniversary in 2016 which explains the name: 'The XXX Anniversary Tour'.
Fifteen years since its premiere, Matthew Bourne's "sweaty, oil-spattered version of Carmen" (The Guardian) is back. The internationally acclaimed award-winning dance thriller is loosely based on Bizet's popular opera with one of the most instantly recognisable scores in New Adventures' repertory, arranged by Terry Davies. Described as "vivid, shocking, speedy" by The Guardian, the set design by Lez Brotherston recreates small-town America where a stranger, Luca, arrives and takes a job as a car mechanic at Dino's garage.
He has clocked up two Mercury Prize nominations - first in 2008 with his former band Portico Quartet and again in 2014 as a solo artist - and in 2015 Nick Mulvey plays two high profile gigs at London's Roundhouse and Somerset House. The talented London-based singer-songwriter is British but moved to Cuba at the age of 19 to study music and returned to London to study at the School of Oriental and African Studies. Having spent six years with Portico Quartet making "unusual yet accessible modern jazz" (The Guardian), his solo output has a completely different "folk-rooted" (Independent) sound. Both have served him well.
The American singer-songwriter, well known for hits like 'Sweet Caroline' and 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers', comes to The O2 to perform hits from his huge back catalogue of songs from the 1960s up to the present day. Not one to rest on his laurels, Neil Diamond may have sold more than 125 million records worldwide - making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time - but he's still producing new music. The 74-year-old, who married for the third time in 2012, says happiness with his new bride fuelled his work on 'Melody Road', released in October last year. As well as his own songs 'America', 'Cracklin' Rosie', 'If You Know What I Mean' and 'Heartlight' he was also behind 'I'm A Believer' for The Monkees, and 'Red, Red Wine' for UB40 in 1983.
"The coolest brother and sister in the world" (The Times) Australian brother-sister duo Angus and Julia Stone visit London's Somerset House for one night as part of the Summer Series, the only London gig they're playing in 2015 ahead of two UK festival appearances at the Somersault Festival and Secret Garden Party. Rolling Stone describes their sound as "sweet, sun-drenched folk-pop with a sparse, moody lyrical edge". 2014 single 'A Heartbreak' is the perfect example of their songwriting style: "California folk-pop that sounds sweet until you realize they're singing about how your home life is a lie" (Rolling Stone).
The Cartoon Museum continues the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with Alice in Cartoonland, looking at how artists have portrayed the heroine and the curious creatures from Lewis Carroll's topsy-turvy world over the years. When Carroll was seeking an illustrator for Alice he chose John Tenniel, the leading cartoonist of his day due to the appearance of his caricatures of Victorian politicians and celebrities in the pages of Punch magazine. This exhibition displays how cartoonists, caricaturists, satirists, animators and graphic artists have since created parodies and pastiches, jibes, jokes and gags of Alice's adventures.
"At last, Ed Sheeran and Jake Bugg have some real competition" wrote John Aizlewood in the Evening Standard, reviewing James Bay's live show at London's Scala in late December last year. The 24-year-old Hitchin-based singer-songwriter who has an incredible 8 million views on YouTube has gained prominence since being announced as the winner of the 2015 Brits Critics Choice award and now heads for the big time with a Somerset House concert this July. Known for his catchy, guitar-based ballads, Bay performs his indie-pop tunes Let It Go, stadium anthem Hold Back the River and Sparks - "not the only nod to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean" (Standard).
The swashbuckling musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, originally a 1954 Hollywood film, comes to the Open Air Theatre this summer. Expect big production numbers with music by Gene De Paul and lyrics by Johnny Mercer and songs like 'Bless Your Beautiful Hide', and the acrobatic 'Barn Dance', a highlight of the original movie. This open air stage version is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh with choreography by Alistair David. The pair last collaborated on the 2013 production of The Sound of Music at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre which won Best Musical Revival at the WhatsOnStage Awards.
South London born and raised soul singer Kwabs (aka Kwabena Adjepong) "possesses a voice to be reckoned with" (BBC) and his soulful take on 'synth&B' has seen him christened "the new Seal" by The Guardian. The Telegraph goes as far as saying, "his earth-shattering baritone simply has no equal." He won a coveted place to study at the Royal Academy of Music but his music career really took off after a YouTube cover of James Blake's The Wilhelm Scream came to the attention of Atlantic Records. Having recently sold out Camden's KOKO, bagged a Number 1 record and now with this Somerset HouseSummer Series concert, Kwabs is fast becoming one of 2015's breakout acts.
Pete Tong joins Mozart and Beethoven for the Proms in 2015, showing how the classical music concert series caters for music lovers young and old. Held yearly at the Royal Albert Hall, the Proms is arguably the most popular season of classical music the world over, featuring a varied but accessible programme of 92 concerts in eight weeks, concluding on the fabled Last Night where seas of Union flag-waving Brits belt out classics such as Jerusalem and the national anthem. The aim, for the past 120 years, has been to mix the popular and familiar with the surprising and innovative, so if you go to a concert to hear some favourite piece, you may leave having discovered a whole new composer. Between 500 and 1,400 standing tickets are available for each Prom on the door for just five pounds, so top international orchestras and soloists, programmes that mix the adventurous and the accessible, and a real sense of fun can all be had for half the price of a central London cinema ticket. There are also chamber music concerts and Saturday matinees in nearby Cadogan Hall and outdoor events throughout the country. The world-famous Last Night of the Proms brings everything to a thrilling finale - and tickets are like gold dust. Alternatively, join Terry Wogan and thousands of revellers in the annual Proms in the Park closing party in Hyde Park.
The two-month-long Proms 2015 festival at the Royal Albert Hall kicks off on Friday 17th July with pianist Lars Vogt and baritone Christopher Maltman as the soloists performing a programme that includes two exotic musical retellings of the story of the Babylonian king Belshazzar - one Walton's choral masterpiece 'Belshazzar's Feast' and the other by Sibelius. They are joined by the BBC Singers, BBC National Chorus of Wales, BBC Symphony Chorus and BBC Symphony Orchestra. Other musical pieces are Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20, Nielsen's Maskarade overture 5, and Dadaville c6 by British composer Gary Carpenter who spearheads the 32 premieres in this year's Proms season.
A Dance Gala feature an all-star line-up opens with the world premiere of Zeitgeist, choreographed by the Royal Ballet's Alastair Marriott and starring Natalia Osipova and Edward Watson, reunited following the recent success of Marriott's Connectome. The special Ardani 25 evening also includes performances by Ivan Vasiliev, Marcelo Gomes, Denis Matvienko, Joaquín De Luz and Friedemann Vogel in three diverse contemporary pieces. Finishing the bill is Arthur Pita's Facada, which was seen here at the Coliseum in Solo for Two in August last year, prompting The Guardian's Judith Mackrell to write, "It's the kind of satisfying revenge no classical ballet heroine is ever allowed, and Osipova makes it look like a world of fun."
Introspective indie-pop from the Glaswegian septet fronted by lead singer Stuart Murdoch who formed in the mid 1990s and received an Outstanding Contribution To Music Award at the 2014 NME Awards. In a career spanning eighteen years the band, who won the "Best Newcomers" BRIT award in 1999, has produced their ninth album, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, eight years in the making. With this new albumn the "indie darlings" Belle and Sebastian "are finally in danger of shaking off the stereotype" ran a recent Guardian headline. "A very weird album, but a very intriguing one too" says NME, "a confident, expansive record injected with disco and synthpop" says The Guardian.
First Wives Club actress and multiple Grammy Award-winning singer not to mention legendary performer Bette Midler returns to the UK stage for the first time in 35 years. The Divine Miss M embarks on her 2015 tour of the country, stopping by London's O2 on Saturday 18th July 2015, paying tribute to girl groups through the ages, from the swing sounds of the Andrews Sisters, the harmonies of the Supremes, to more contemporary combos, such as TLC.
If you've ever fancied the challenge of swimming in the Thames then this is your chance. The Great London Swim challenges you to swim one mile or half a mile as fast as you can and it's open to all, no matter how adept you are at front crawl. The successful introduction last year of a first 'family wave', where swimmers from 12 years and up can take on a slightly shorter half a mile course, is repeated in 2015. Swimmers take the plunge in the Royal Victoria Dock, in the shadow of the O2 Arena and Canary Wharf, swimming alongside the ExCeL centre. If you've already been making use of London's lakes and lidos, this is a great way to supplement your outdoor swimming, safe in the knowledge that expert kayakers and safety boats are alongside the entire way. Entry is £40 for the full mile course and includes an event pack, medal and t-shirt. Get your wetsuit out and get involved.
Bombay Bicycle Club and Ben Howard headline a brand new festival for London, the Citadel Festival which takes place at Victoria Park this July. The event, with the tagline 'A Mirror To The City', includes a side line of gastronomic and literary events away from the live music programme. There's a series of long table Sunday dining experiences, and the Sunday Papers Live where the Secret Productions team will host a tent of literary talks, spoken word performances and debates. A great mix of live music, dining and theatre for summer.
Jessie J, the BRIT award-winning singer-songwriter and former The Voice judge will be treating audiences to hit songs like number 1 UK single 'Bang Bang' and 'Sweet Talker' which made it into the top 10 albums of the US Billboard Top 100. Jessie has earned her stripes as one of the UK's most successful female vocalists of recent years. Her recent live shows have included the 2014 iTunes Festival at London's Roundhouse and now she plays the high profile last night of the Somerset House Summer Series.
The Great Newham London Run, an entry level run in which anyone can take part, staged over 10K on Sunday 19th July, will be the first event to take place in the former Olympic Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park since the transformation of the stadium began. Legendary runner Paula Radcliffe - who set a world record for the marathon in 2003 which still stands today - has been training six women for the event. Work on the Olympic Stadium is due to be completed in spring 2015 ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2015 which sees five matches staged at the famous east London stadium.
Following a successful visit to London in 2012 as part of the Globe to Globe Festival, The National Theatre of China once again presents their production of Richard III at Shakespeare's Globe. The company is known for working with the finest playwrights and directors in China and producing trailblazing productions that lead the way in 21st century Chinese theatre. Now, they present their take on the historic tale of the rise and fall of the paranoid 16th century Duke of Gloucester, performing it in Mandarin.
Created with cognitive neuroscientist Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Brainstorm draws on the life experiences of the cast, an ensemble of 11 to 19 year old theatre-makers, and explores the most frustrating, chaotic and exhilarating changes that will ever happen to us. The show, created by Islington Community Theatre and presented at the National's Temporary Theatre, is part of Call to Create, a global collective of over 80 cultural organisations coming together to reveal the great art young people make.
John Simm leads the cast of the National Theatre's production of Three Days in the Country, adpated for the London stage by Closer playwright Patrick Marber whose new work The Red Lion plays in the Dorfman from 3rd June. Simm, known for stage and screen roles in Code of a Killer, The Village, Life on Mars, The Hothouse and Betrayal, stars alongside former EastEnders actress Amanda Drew (Curious Incident, Apollo Theatre), Gawn Grainger - aka Mr Zoe Wanamaker (The Recruiting Officer, Donmar Warehouse) and Cherrelle Skeete (The Amen Corner, NT) in the drama set in mid-19th century Russia. The scene is set when a handsome tutor brings reckless romantic desire to an eccentric household in Ivan Turgenev's melancholic, moving comedy.
Set within the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich Music Time is a four-day series of al fresco concerts. Returning for its second year, it moves from the August bank holiday weekend to the end of July and this year welcomes world platinum selling artists the Gipsy Kings, legendary Kinks frontman Ray Davies, Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones and 10-time Grammy Award-winning George Benson as its headliners. More support acts are also still to be announced.
Internationally-acclaimed artist Alice Anderson presents more than 100 sculptures mummified in copper threads for Memory Movement Memory Objects, a major exhibition at the Wellcome Collection. Inspired in part by her research into the psychology collections of the Wellcome Library, Anderson explores the central role of memory in our lives and offers a consideration of how human beings construct memories that define ideas about the past. Sculptures made from objects the artist has collected from her personal history will be displayed - including previous artworks as well as everyday things including a computer, a piano, chairs and tables and books. These sculptures use a process of 'mummifying' which entails binding the objects with a copper thread. Collaboration is central to Anderson's practice, so members of the public will be invited to join her human 'Factory' in order to collectively create a work of art that will evolve throughout the duration of the show.
Set within the stunning Kew Gardens, Kew the Movies sees the beautiful botanical gardens of southwest London host a pleasant pop-up cinema beneath the stars over two consecutive nights. In 2015 Kew the Movies extends its programme adding a July weekend to its usual September slot. On Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd July you can see last year's Oscar-winning smash hit Wes Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' and excellent adventure film 'Back to the Future'. And in late summer, on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September, the classic love story 'Casablanca' is paired with fun film 'Mamma Mia!'. All the screenings are hosted by Luna Cinema and set against the beautiful backdrop of Kew Palace within Kew Gardens, a grand backdrop to the giant screen. Guests are invited to bring picnics to spread out on the lawns. Just cross your fingers the rain keeps away - and the Kew queues aren't too long.
This bespoke version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is the first collaboration between Garsington Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Incorporating speeches from the play along with Mendelssohn's gorgeous score, the production staged at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, offers a rare opportunity to see a performance of the dreamy romantic comedy alongside music by Mendelssohn, played and sung by the Garsington Opera orchestra and chorus.
The world's top riders take part in the London round of the international Global Champions Tour Show Jumping event this summer, one of 15 events held worldwide. Competing for a slice of the £360,000 prize fund, the biggest prize of the year in British showjumping, the London competition takes place just five events before the 2015 season thunders towards a climactic close. It will be hard to beat the drama of last year - the London event proved a turning point for eventual winner, Team GB gold medallist and world number one, Scott Brash who's a hot favourite going into this year's Grand Prix.
NOTE: Horse Guards Parade was the venue for 2014 but the exact London location in 2015 has yet to be confirmed.
Last year The Gipsy Kings, the veteran ensemble from France, marked their 25th anniversary with a special performance at the Royal Albert Hall and in 2015 they return to London for a one-off special for Greenwich Music Time, performing in front of the historic Old Royal Naval College. The band plays their signature sound - an irresistible blend of traditional flamenco styles with Western pop and Latin rhythms.
The Foodies Festival celebrates 10 years with two London festivals this July, both north and south of the river at Alexandra Palace on 3rd to 5th July and Clapham Common from Friday 24th until Sunday 26th July. Top chefs including Aldo Zilli, Saltyard's Ben Tish, Jacques Fourie from Ember Yard and last year's MasterChef Winner Ping Coombes all descend on Clapham Common South (opposite Clapham South Station) to cook live in the chef's theatre. Tens-of-thousands of visitors are expected to come to this culinary celebration with tastings and tea dances, culinary activities and cocktails. Explore the latest food trends and find out about foodie activities like oyster shucking, mushroom foraging and bee keeping. Kids can learn to cook too at this family friendly event where the feasting tent at the heart with its long banqueting tables is the social hub. A winning combination of sampling, slurping and learning, all in the open air.
Foodies Festival in London - 2015 dates: The festival will take place at Syon House over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th May, Alexandra Palace from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July and Clapham Common from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th July 2015.
Where Christians have Christmas, Muslims have Eid - which gives you an idea of how big the celebrations are. It's certainly a major event in London - and since 2006 there has been a mass gathering in Trafalgar Square organised by the Mayor of London and Muslim groups in the capital. The free event which marks the end of Ramadan includes live music and performances, children's activities such as face-painting, henna, calligraphy and sports, plus a food festival including Malaysian, Turkish, South Asian, Egyptian, Lebanese, Indonesian and Arabic cuisine.
We've had great, gory fun with Horrible Histories - Barmy Britain Parts One & Two, but now the Birmingham Stage Company returns to the Garrick Theatre with the brand new Horrible Histories - Barmy Britain - Part Three. Terry Deary and Neal Foster, co-authors of the bestselling Horrible Histories books, bring the barmiest bits of British history to the stage, including a special sketch with King John to celebrate the 800th year of the signing of the Magna Carta. The Great Fire of London, crazy King Charles, Admiral Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, the vile Victorians and the First World War all get the Horrible History treatment.
Bryn Terfel sings the part of Tevye, the village milkman, when Hampshire's Grange Park Opera makes its Proms debut with a semi-staged production of Fiddler On The Roof with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Brimming with toe tapping numbers such as 'If I were a rich man', the marriage procession song 'Sunrise, sunset' and love song 'Miracle of Miracles', the story is set in pre-Revolutionary Russia with Tevye trying, in vain, to bring up his five daughters within the confines of Jewish tradition.
This summer Madison rooftop hosts one of the more exclusive cinema screenings in town with Sunday night cult classics courtesy of Luna Cinema. Against the spectacular backdrop of St Paul's, you can see screenings of Birdman, In Bruges and Groundhog Day and enjoy a 3 course movie goers menu and glass of champagne on select Sundays between Sunday 26th July and 20th September 2015. The meal takes place in the rooftop restaurant before the film and there's popcorn, pizza by the slice and Jude's ice cream on offer to sate those cinema cravings. For the final film, shown on Sunday 20th September 2015, it's '80s night when the film is decided by public vote.
Welsh pop-rock, blues and soul singer Sir Tom Jones, well known for his hits It's Not Unusual and What's New Pussycat as well as being the most respected judge on The Voice, plays at The Old Royal Naval College as part of this year's Greenwich Music Time festival. Due to phenomenal demand, Sir Tom has added a second night on Monday 27th July in addition to the sold-out headline slot on Sunday 26th. He lines up alongside Grammy Award-winning singer and guitarist George Benson (25th July), the multi-million-selling Flamenco superstars Gipsy Kings (23rd July) and legendary Kinks frontman Ray Davies who plays on Friday 24th July.
A showcase of grand stage illusions, up-close magic, death-defying escapology and trickery, Impossible brings eight world-leading performers together live on-stage for the very first time. Promising to be "the biggest magic show in decades", Impossible hits London's West End this summer at the Noel Coward Theatre. We have modern-day Houdini, daredevil and TV escapologist Jonathan Goodwin, mind-reader Chris Cox, magical mentalist Katherine Mills, boundary breaking magician Ben Hart, spell-binding digital marvel Jamie Allan, break-dancing street magician Magical Bones, escapologist and expert magician Ali Cook and grand illusionist Luis de Matos. If watching Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell on the box has stirred up your interest in magic, this is a chance to see it live with no TV trickery.
Singers and music industry players come together to pay tribute to pop impresario Pete Waterman, the man who wrote more than 100 UK top 40 hits and selling 40 million records as one third of prolific songwriting partnership Stock Aitken Waterman. For one night only, on Wednesday 29th July, stars gather to reminisce about the man who helped Kylie Minogue, Donna Summer, Jason Donovan, Bananarama and Steps to success. Hear anecdotes and stories at this special evening as Michael Grade interviews the legendary music mogul live on stage.
Swapping Ibiza for London, veteran British DJ Pete Tong presents a line-up of live artists, including Jess Glynne, to perform a homage to the dance tracks which put the Balearic isle on the map. Prom 16, the Late Night With BBC Radio 1, also stars Jules Buckley and his Heritage Orchestra who'll play live alongside individual artists. "Finally, a chance to cut some moves, to 'stack some shelves'" at The Proms says The Guardian. Expect reinterpetations of classic dancefloor fillers like Rhythm is Rhythm's 'Strings of Life' and Stardust's 'Music Sounds Better with You' says The Telegraph. We say: with Pete Tong you can't go wrong.
The ICA looks at the importance of Austrian Bau Magazine among UK planners with its exhibition Everything Is Architecture: Bau Magazine From The 60s And 70s. The first significant presentation in the UK of the influential Vienna-based architectural magazine, the display includes original issues published between 1965 and 1970, a period when a group of influential Austrian architects and artists took over its editorship. Among the artists involved were Hans Hollein, Walter Pichler, Gunther Feuerstein and Oswald Oberhuber. The exhibition will showcase how the groundbreaking magazine became a platform for experimental new ideas which considered architecture beyond mere concrete and instead ventured into the realms of art and politics.
A new production of Helen Edmundson's critically-acclaimed The Heresy of Love will be staged at Shakespeare's Globe this July. Taking place in the late 1600s in a convent in Mexico, it's based on a gifted and progressive writer who finds herself at the centre of a fatal struggle between two Princes of the Church. The play is inspired by the life of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, writer of The Houses of Desires, and uses all the devices of Spanish Golden Age Theatre - intrigue and danger, passion and politics, comedy and tragedy.
Back for a third year, London Beach Rugby began in Covent Garden and moves from Canary Wharf to Finsbury Square this year. Creating a special sand pitch, 5-a-side teams play for seven minutes with players allowed up to three touches/tackles before the ball is turned over to the opposition - and given the size of the pitch (just 25m by 18m, and surrounded by an inflatable perimeter) it's very much a game of skill, attrition, tactics and speed - as well as a good way to raise money for charity. Sponsored by the delightful refreshing Cornish ale Doom Bar, the tournament is free for the public to watch and also includes a sports stand and the Doom Bar Experience where you can race on rowing machines or just sample some beer.