Arts & Culture
Originally published on Tuesday, 5th April 2016
The Culturist: April
Coats off! This month, we’re feeling the first rays of sunshine with a smoky barbecue, a floating bar and an island getaway. Party- wise, we’re hitting up Brixton for our electro fill and Brooklyn for the hip hop side of things. As for drinks, it’s all about wine, but not as you know it. Oh, and for you commuters out there, we’ve got an alternative to the dastardly train journey. Enjoy!
EAT: SMOKEY TAILS
April 22, Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, 2-4 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU
Is it a pop up? Is it permanent? It’s the question when it comes to Seth Troxler’s good times barbecue grill joint. Well, now it’s back for its third stint in London, and we can confirm, it’s here to stay. As with its previous residencies, the now permanent Smokey Tails at The Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen will be serving up a finger-lickin’ Midwest menu, from (apparently) Seth’s three-generation-old family recipe book. Think spicy sofrito smoked pork, apple wood smoked buffalo chicken wings, and honey chicken biscuit sliders. Dig in!
SEE I: THE CHAMP: MY YEAR WITH MUHAMMAD ALI
Until May 15, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH
Following on from the current major exhibition of Muhammad Ali at the 02, never-before-seen photographs of ‘The Champ’ in the later stages of his career between 1977-1978 will be on show at Proud Camden. Fans can expect to see (and buy) images of The Champ training, but also more personal pictures with friends, fans, and tender family portraits, all caught by Michael Gaffney – who was Ali’s personal photographer.
BOOK: OBONJAN
18 July through to 10 September, From €72 to €124 per night.
We have juice bars on every corner, a dedicated wellness festival joining the summer circuit (Goodroots), and now, Europe is set for its first dedicated arts and wellness island, Obonjan. Just off the Dalmation Coast, come July, the once-uninhabited Croatian island will be taken over with eight weeks of food, arts and music. From bands, DJs and musicians to vast food offerings, talks and workshops and even an underwater sculpture park, we’ve all but packed our bags.
DRINK: FLOATING BAR BY HACKNEY WICK’S CRATE BREWERY
Beers and cocktails in the sunshine are always good, but on a boat, they’re better. Which is why, this summer, you’ll find us on Alfred Leroy, a classic British Canal Boat that has been renovated and converted into a floating bar by Hackney Wick’s CRATE Brewery. Docked outside CRATE Brewery, this is Hackney-by-the-seaside: think CRATE’s craft brews and kombucha cocktails.
PARTY: MASQUERAVE
April 30, Tickets from £64.20, The Troxy, 490 Commercial Road, E1 0HX
Seth Troxler, Jamie XX, Jillionaire and Patrick Topping are just some of the DJs coming together for the black tie fundraising masquerave party in east London. Hosted by cancer charity One for the Boys, all proceeds go towards the fight against male cancer. So don your mask, straighten that bow tie, and dance… all in the name of charity. Win/win.
TRY: JETSHUTTLES
Forget about commuter trains. JetSmarter has launched JetShuttles – think UberPool for the sky. The first ‘single-seat’ private jet service will allow Londoners to book a single seat on any morning or evening private flight. Right now, the destinations include Paris, Geneva and Birmingham. Commuters take note: for an annual cost of £6,256 a year, frequent flyers can become JetSmarter members, which means unlimited JetShuttles flights. To put this into context, it’s cheaper than buying a 12-month rail travelcard between Birmingham and London, costing £10,628**. We’re hoping for an IBZ expansion.
WATCH: BLOOD ORANGE
April 29, 309 Regent Street, W1B 2UW, 7.30pm, £11
Old time rocker Iggy Pop has scored his first leading role in a feature film, Blood Orange. And if there were ever a movie after our own heart, this would be it. The plot: an aging rock star, Bill (Pop), lives a peaceful live with his wife in the hills of Ibiza, yet beneath this surface, dark secrets lie. If like us, you’re planning to see this psychological thriller, do so at its premier at Regent Street Cinema for the Q&A after.
DRINK: WHITE LYAN CELLARS
11-17 April, Lantana Cafe Shoreditch, Unit 2, Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road, EC1Y 1HQ
Just when you thing you’ve seen everything, wine, sans grapes, emerges. And, of course, it’s by cocktail mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana. Celebrating the new “sort of…wine” at White Lyan, Chetiyawardana will be hosting Lyan Cellars, a pop up wine bar and bottle shop at Lantana Café, paired with zero-waste dishes from the head chef of Brighton’s sustainable restaurant, Silo. Head in to find out more about these ‘wines’ that have been created by deconstructing the flavour profiles of wine…we’re curious, too.
INTERNATIONAL: BOOK NOW NOTORIOUS B.I.G TRIBUTE CONCERT
May 20, Brooklyn Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue, 11217, From $45
Commemorating the legend that is Notorious B.I.G, his friend and business partner P. Diddy (Puff Daddy, Sean Combs…we don’t know, either) is set to honour the icon with a ‘Bad Boy Reunion’ tribute concert in Brooklyn, playing “material spanning Bad Boy Entertainment’s 20 years as the driving force of hip hop music.” Confirmed for the line up are Jay Z, Mary J Blige, ‘lil Kim and, of course, Diddy himself.
DOLCE & GABBANA X SMEG
To enquire about purchasing from the Dolce & Gabbana and Smeg collection please contact Smeg on 0844 557 9907
Upgrade your run-of-the-mill white appliances. Dolce & Gabbana have given the fridge a La Dolce Vita makeover with their latest limited edition (only 100 are available) Smeg collab….at £30,000 a pop. Stock up on Limoncello, asap.
