Must see: The Last Dinner Party
The Last Dinner Party’s star continues to rise as the glam rock queens take over the Eventim Apollo this week. The vibe (both on stage and in the crowd) could be described as David Bowie meets Marie Antoinette, and the band’s renditions of fan favourites like Nothing Matters and My Lady of Mercy are always performed at 110 per cent. Tuck in.
October 17 & 19, Eventim Apollo, eventimapollo.com
Art fix: Hew Locke
The BM is going through a period of soul searching, and with What Have We Here? the British-Guyanese artist Hew Locke explores the collection and what it says about British imperial power over the centuries. This is sure to be a fascinating look at history, ownership and identity through 150 objects from the collection, as well as some new sculptures from the artist whose work has appeared at Tate Britain and the Met in New York.
Until February 9, British Museum, britishmuseum.org
Hot table: Khao Bird
New at The Globe Tavern in Borough Market, Khao Bird is a Thai concept inspired by the night markets of Chiang Mai. Regional specialities are thrust into the spotlight here, with myriad flavours created by Thai ingredients and sustainable British produce. The residency opened last month and marks a London debut from restaurateur Mike Palmer, who has earned plaudits at his Brighton venue Lucky Khao. Expect warming curries, hot noodles, and canny use of offal and seafood.
Borough Market, khaobird.com
Screen gems:
Film: The Apprentice
Donald Trump may possibly be the most famous man on the planet, but this film, above, looks to fill in a bit of the backstory before he was a reality star-turned-president-turned-presidential nominee. Sebastian Stan plays Trump during his early years in New York when he was an ambitious property heir guided by brash powerbroker Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), and the film, above, asks: did this relationship turn Trump into the figure who now dominates the airwaves?
Out October 18, In cinemas
TV: Rivals
This gloriously camp adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s hit novel about scheming, backstabbing, bonking toffs in the Eighties starts as it means to go on with a couple having extremely loud rumpy-pumpy in an airplane toilet. Featuring a who’s who of British stars (including David Tennant, Katherine Parkinson, Danny Dyer and more) the tone is irreverent, the nudity plentiful and the behaviour knowingly arch. A guilty treat.
Out October 18, Disney+
The big read: The Place of Tides, James Rebanks
James Rebanks, a Lake District farmer, made his name with two best-selling books about life on the land (just don’t call them elegiac). His third, The Place of Tides, is about something rather different: Norwegian ducks. Rebanks journeys to near the Arctic Circle and spends time with the remarkable Anna Måsøy, a Norwegian lady in her seventies who keeps up the tradition of gathering eider duck feathers to make eiderdown. The resulting book is a profound reflection on the natural world.
Out now
Listen: Confidence Man, 3AM (La La La)
The ever-quirky Confidence Man are masters of maximalist electro pop, and their latest album dials it all up to 11. Come for the lairy tunes — which draw from the rave anthems of London’s queer club scene — and stay for the infuriatingly catchy earworms that will stay in your brain for weeks.
Out October 18
Book now: Barcelona
The leads in two Netflix blockbusters swap the screen for the stage as Emily in Paris’s Lily Collins and Money Heist’s Álvaro Morte make their West End debuts opposite each other later this month. In Bess Wohl’s Barcelona, above, an American tourist goes home with a handsome Spaniard, but what starts as a fun night takes a difficult and dangerous turn.
October 21 to January 11, Duke of York’s Theatre, thedukeofyorks.com
Don’t miss: Keanu Reeves
Unexpected renaissance man Keanu Reeves (film star! Soon to be Broadway actor! Documentarian! Writer!) is in town to talk about his and China Miéville’s novel The Book of Elsewhere, based on Reeves’ graphic novel BRZRKR. Don’t fancy books about immortal warriors? Who cares, it’s Keanu frickin’ Reeves, and he’s in London!
