Work by Lina Iris Viktor at the Hayward Gallery
(Picture: Lina Iris Viktor)THE ALBUM
Since being on season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2015, self proclaimed ‘Justin Bieber of the drag world’ Trixie Mattel has released not one, not two but three studio albums — with a fourth double album about to drop. The Blonde & Pink records include the already released singles ‘C’mon Loretta’ and ‘Hello Hello’, and feature plenty of eccentric, Sixties-inspired summer singalongs with a touch of intimate vulnerability. And sashay.
Out 24 Jun
THE GIG
After Sir Elton was admitted to Windsor Castle for a Jubilee performance for the Queen, it’s now our turn to be amused. So follow the Yellow Brick Road to Hyde Park for Elton John’s epic farewell tour. The piano acrobatics might be a little more subdued these days, but the sunglasses and magic are still there. Don’t go breaking my heart and go be a tiny dancer.
Tickets from £95. 24 Jun (london-24-06-2022/event/37005B2289211A27">ticketmaster.co.uk)
THE FILM
To say that the reactions thus far to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis have been mixed is an understatement. The accents of both Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, who play the King and the Colonel, have copped some flack, but basically, if you like Luhrmann, you’ll like it. If not there is still ‘Suspicious Minds’ and ‘Hound Dog’, played loud.
In cinemas 24 Jun
THE PLAY
If you missed Jodie Comer’s West End debut at the Harold Pinter Theatre, fear not: hot on her heels to the same stage comes another superstar first. Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke has hopped off her dragon to play Nina in Anya Reiss’s reboot of Chekhov’s The Seagull. Flappety-flap your plastic sharpish to bag a decent seat.
From £15. 29 Jun to 10 Sep (haroldpintertheatre.co.uk)
THE TOURNAMENT
Seven-time champ Serena Williams is set to stage a comeback at Wimbledon next week. If that’s not enough to get you snapping up a rare last-minute Championships ticket, UK teen tennis hero Emma Raducanu is also back on form for the planet’s top tennis tourney. Pimm’s at the ready.
27 Jun to 10 Jul (wimbledon.com)
THE EXHIBITION
Curated by writer, journalist and broadcaster Ekow Eshun and featuring the likes of Ellen Gallagher, Hew Locke, Wangechi Mutu and Chris Ofili, the show-stopping In the Black Fantastic looks at how artists across the African diaspora are creating a new form of Afrofuturism. Myth, folklore, spiritual tradition, carnival and science-fiction are sampled and reimagined, as fantasy is used to address social injustice and racism by disrupting our understanding of the past and envisaging new ways of being.
Hayward Gallery. 28 Jun to 18 Sep (southbankcentre.co.uk)
THE SERIES
American Black comedy-drama Atlanta sure knows how to do surreal, so prepare to have your mind bent by its third season. Creator Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, proclaimed seasons three and four will be ‘the best television ever made’. We’ll be the judge of that.
Streaming on Disney+ from 29 Jun
And finally... THE SCHEDULE
24th June: Be ready for another chain reaction because the OG diva — that’s Diana Ross, duh — will be bringing some of her legendary magic to the O2. Tickets from £76 (theo2.co.uk)
25th June: Get down to the Design District to take in artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s Let Me Hold You at Queercircle, London’s brilliant new LGBTQIA+ inclusive space. (queercircle.org)
26th June: The Eagles are flying back to London for ‘one of these nights’ you cannot miss at British Summer Time, Hyde Park. Tickets from £95 (bst-hydepark.com)
27th June: Laugh your way to the end of Pride Month with Chris Hall and Mark Bittlestone’s stand-up comedy show, Two Sour Gays: A Work In Progress, at Village Soho. Tickets £6 (outsavvy.com)
28th June: It’s the 25th birthday of TLC’s CrazySexyCool and the girl group is taking to the stage at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush to celebrate the iconic album. Tickets from £61 (ticketmaster.co.uk)
29th June: Make like Dame Judi Dench and snatch tickets for an outdoor rendition of The Tempest directed by Sioned Jones in Charterhouse Square. Tickets from £15.76 (eventbrite.co.uk)
30th June: Good news, creatures of the night: Roof East is hosting an outdoor screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show alongside street food and cocktails. Tickets £18.85 (roofeast.com)
