London

July | August | September

Clint Eastwood BFI season

FILM Clint Eastwood BFI season
BFI Southbank is laying on a two-month celebration of the work of Hollywood’s foremost on-screen tough guy, late-blooming director and Oscar darling, Clint Eastwood, who received plaudits for his recent period chiller ‘The Changeling’ at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The season launches on Aug 1 with a re-release of Sergio Leone’s ‘The Good The Bad and The Ugly’ (new print), followed by a rundown of pretty much Clint’s entire screen oeuvre – even ‘The Eiger Sanction’ – and special events including a screening of an episode of ‘Rawhide’ and an ‘Arena’ documentary on the life and work of the great man. Throughout Aug and Sept, BFI Southbank.

MUSIC Guns N’ Roses album
Now mentioned more often as a punchline to jokes about lazy/tardy/dead people, after 12 long years in gestation (you could have six elephants in that amount of time) Guns N’ Roses’s ‘Chinese Democracy’ is finally ready for release. Its recent leakage on to the internet, albeit in unmastered form, suggests it’s at least good, if not great. Released Aug (DV).

TV God On Trial
Longtime Michael Winterbottom collaborator Frank Cottrell Boyce returns to TV for this everyone-baiting drama in which Auschwitz victims put God on trial for breaking his covenant to protect them. Antony Sher, Dominic Cooper and Stellan Skarsgard star. Aug, BBC2.

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MUSIC The Streets album
Mike Skinner has promised that this is the penultimate release from The Streets. A poppier proposition than 2006’s ‘The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living’, it marks a return to the less confrontational, more widely liked sound of his first two albums. Released Aug.

SPORT Motor Sport: Superbike World Championship
The appeal of superbikes is that they’re finely tuned versions of regular road-going machines, with four-cylinder 1,000cc engines delivering extraordinary power. Unlike Formula 1, it’s easier to relate to the kind of bike that might zoom past you in the outside lane of the M4. Whether you’re a dedicated petrolhead or a casual motorsports fan, two-wheeled action doesn’t come any better than this. Aug 2-3, Brands Hatch.

CLUBS Defected in the House
Soulful house music label Defected reflects the ongoing globalisation of dance music by bringing together DJs from all five continents. Familiar names like USA’s Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez of the Masters At Work meet India’s DJ Pearl, Australia’s Wei Shen (Those Usual Suspects), Tomoki Tamura and DJ-production duo Studio Apartment from Japan and Vinny Da Vinci from South Africa. Many will be making their DJ debuts here, but, given the huge number of international clubbers in London, they’ll hardly be unknown. Claude Monnet from France and London’s Aaron Ross represent Europe, and there’s also live painting by Japanese artist Dragon. Aug 2, Ministry of Sound, SE1.

Fashion v Sport at the V&A (© Catwalking.com)

AROUND TOWN Fashion v Sport
The relationship between contemporary fashion and global sportswear brands is the subject of this exhibition. It looks at both high-end fashion designers like Stella McCartney, who have designed sportswear ranges, and others, such as Bernard Wilhelm, who have incorporated sportswear styles into catwalk fashion. Customisation is a key theme, with examples of the ways in which independent designers have in some instances been embraced by global superbrands. Aug 5-Dec 14, V&A.

SPORT Cricket: England v South Africa
After a solid start to the summer against New Zealand, Michael Vaughan’s developing England squad can expect a far tougher challenge from South Africa. The second and third days of this fourth and final Test are sold out but seats are available for the others – which should show why, in spite of the current mania for Twenty20 cricket, the longest form of the game remains the pinnacle for any ambitious player. Aug 7-11, Brit Oval.

AROUND TOWN Trafalgar Square Festival
Fourth year for this annual outdoor bash. Three weeks of free events at the foot of Nelson's Column with (inevitably) a Chinese/Olympic theme. Aug 7-23, Trafalgar Square.

KIDS Underage Festival
Last year’s Underage Festival was a roaring (well, squealing) success, and we’re delighted that it’s returning. No adults are allowed, though there’s catering outside the site where accompanying grown-ups can pass the time while their charges live it up. Five stages and a DJ tent showcase music from bands including Gallows, Foals, The Horrors, The Rascals, Bonde Do Rolê and The Maccabees. There’s a limit of 7,500 teenagers and a soft-drinks-only bar. Age 14-18. Aug 8, Victoria Park, E9.

CLUBS Tiësto presents In Search of Sunrise 7: Asia
Dutch trance star Tiësto played to a worldwide audience at the opening of the Athens Olympics in 2004, but on the night that the five-ring circus starts in Beijing he’ll be the first DJ to host the O2 Arena in London. His only UK date in 2007 was at Alexandra Palace; this year he’ll go larger with an audio-visual spectacular inspired by his tour of Thailand and Asia in the spring. Naturally, there’s an eponymous double-disc mix CD which he’ll be performing tracks from during a five-hour set, with support from Tiësto-selected acts First State and Airbase. Aug 8, O2 Arena, SE10.

MUSIC Field Day
Barely 12 hours after the kids have part-demolished Victoria Park, Field Day (basically Underage for adults) gets underway. According to the organisers, the noise-abatement difficulties which drew criticism last year have been ironed out with the local authority. Acts include Foals (again), Simian Mobile Disco, Laura Marling, Les Savy Fav and Mystery Jets. There’ll also be more bars and toilets this year – a double win for micturition fans. Age 18+. Aug 9, Victoria Park, E9.

Unit 7 (© Dave Swindells)

CLUBS Circuit 12/12
Taking their inspiration from the round-the-clock parties in Berlin, Circuit takes over this stylish former factory space and carries on for 12 hours from 12midnight on Saturday until 12noon on Sunday. It features headline sets by Superfreq’s Mr C (The End) and Matthias Tanzmann, the Dirt Crew and Shur-I-Kan from Germany, and the music will range from the minimal and electro-techy beats you’d expect to hear at 6am to deep house and wonky disco. Worried about how you’ll last the stretch? There’ll be hairdressers and make-up artists in the Circuit Boutique chill-out area to freshen up the ravers. They don’t have that in Berlin! Aug 10, Unit 7, E1.

CLUBS Drum & Bass Arena Gold
Gold One of the biggest drum ’n’ bass line-ups of the summer hits, as the D&B Arena crew celebrate their move to the Scala with three rooms of junglist and jump-up action plus a London debut live set by an all-star combo: A Band Called Gerald, featuring A Guy Called Gerald, The Jungle Drummer, Diane Charlemagne and Stamina MC. Goldie and Doc Scott play back to back alongside Sub Focus and Hazard; Marcus Intalex, Commix, AI and Lynx head up the Liquid Funk room and the D&B Arena Forum Heroes take over in the Bar. Aug 15, The Scala, N1.

KIDS Free Time
This annual festival for families with children of all ages runs over four circus-themed days, with performances by Gandini Juggling Project, circus skills lessons from Circus Space Youth Company and a participatory installation in the courtyard led by JoNny Stockbridge. There are also drawing workshops and storytelling sessions in the Courtauld Gallery, which will offer free admission for the duration. Aug 15-18, Somerset House.

FILM Serpentine Park Nights
The summer evening screenings outside the Hyde Park exhibition centre are always an annual highlight – weather permitting. This year programmer Richard Prince has been audacious in his choice of two great early-1970s independents to project on to the open-air, 50-foot screen: Monte Hellman’s acid-freak road-race movie ‘Two-Lane Blacktop’ on the Friday night and Leonard Castle’s killer-spree movie ‘The Honeymoon Killers’ on the Saturday. Aug 15-16, Serpentine Gallery, Hyde Park.

KIDS Kids Week in the West End
This annual promotion means that one child (aged five to 16) can go free to any participating production when accompanied by an adult paying full price – and another two children can get in for half price. Most of the London shows that are suitable for children are taking part this year (including ‘Billy Elliot’, ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Into the Hoods’) but ticket numbers are limited, so it’s worth booking early. In addition, there’s a programme of associated workshops, activities and Q&A sessions. Aug 15-29, various West End venues.

SPORT Football: England v Czech Republic
After a few relatively meaningless friendlies, things now get serious for England manager Fabio Capello. With World Cup qualifiers kicking off in September, this game against one of Euro 2008’s underachievers is his last chance to experiment. Aug 20, Wembley Stadium.

ART Roger Hiorns – Seizure
Artist Roger Hiorns transforms modernist architecture into a sparkling blue environment for the latest Jerwood Artangel commission. Hiorns has covered objects including engine parts, architectural models and thistles in copper-sulphate solution and watched it turn into a casing of bright-blue crystals, but this is the first time he will be creating a similar work on a human scale. Using a bare apartment on an empty estate near the Elephant and Castle, Hiorns has been working with scientists and surveyors to create a solution with which to coat the flat’s walls and create walk-through interior decor that you won’t find in the Ikea catalogue. Aug 22-Oct 26, Artangel at Harper Rd.

Carl Cox at South West Four

CLUBS South West Four
An amazing in-association-with-Time Out festival weekend on Clapham Common kicks off with a world-class selection of top DJs playing out on four stages and arenas. The kings of house, trance and booming electro-techno beats feature here, from DJ Magazine’s No 1 DJ, Armin van Buuren, to Body & Soul’s Francois K, Cocoon legend Sven Väth, South London’s local-hero-turned-global-mixmaster Carl Cox, Subliminal main man Erick Morillo, chart-bothering Fedde le Grand, John Digweed, NYC and Ibiza DJ don Danny Tenaglia. You want more names? How about Tiefschwarz, Green Velvet, Sander Van Doorn, Markus Schulz, Nic Fanciulli, Claude VonStroke, Sister Bliss and the SOS Collective? Go to www.southwestfour.com to see the full line-up, and check out the Time Out Festivals microsite for discounted tickets. Naturally there’s an after-party at Brixton Academy, so you can carry on raving all night! Aug 23, Clapham Common, SW4.

MUSIC Seth Lakeman
The Mercury Award nominee, BBC‘Folk Singer Of The Year and, more importantly, Time Out fave, Lakeman plays the appropriately timeless Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park. Aug 24, Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park.

AROUND TOWN Olympic Handover celebrations
Handover London officially becomes host of the 2012 Olympic Games when the mayor of Beijing hands over the Olympic flag to Boris Johnson at the Olympic Games’ closing ceremony in Beijing. To celebrate this, there’s a party in front of Buckingham Palace with bands and special guests. Tickets were allocated in June, but you can still watch the event at one of the big screens erected in Trafalgar Square, Canary Wharf, Notting Hill and Walthamstow. For full details of the line-up, visit the website: www.london2012.com. (The Paralympic Games handover is on September 17.) Aug 24, The Mall.

MUSIC Get Loaded in the Park
You already know about Kate Nash but there’s plenty more to get excited about at the second of the in-association-with-Time Out festivals on Clapham Common this weekend. The Gossip, Soulwax, The Presets, Mylo, Boys Noize and Metronomy draw the electro-rockin’ fans to the Together and Time Out Stage. The main stage has legends like Iggy & The Stooges, Supergrass and Gogol Bordello to scare up the front rows, plus The Hives, The Holloways, Plastic Little and the dancehall crunk of Toddla T. XFM’s stage corrals Kate Nash, Reverend and the Makers, The Maccabees, Wiley, Ipso Facto and hot Aussie electronica act Midnight Juggernauts while breaks and electrotech fans will head for Finger Lickin’s arena where they’ll find Plump DJs, DJ Yoda, Krafty Kutz, The Nextmen, Utah Saints and Beardyman getting busy. The improbably talented Beardyman will also host the main stage, which is ideal, as he’ll never be short of fresh beats if there’s a pause in the action. www.timeout.com/festivals, www.getloadedinthepark.com. Aug 24, Clapham Common, SW4.

SPORT Rugby Union: O2 Scrum on the Beach
A chance to meet some of England’s top players, test your oval-ball skills and play tag rugby on Trafalgar Square’s Urban Beach. Aug 27, Trafalgar Square.

COMEDY Pimm’s Summerfest
Fantastic alfresco comedy for a week from Jenny Eclair, Jeremy Hardy, Rhona Cameron, Lucy Porter, Jo Brand, Russell Howard, Russell Kane, Stephen Lynch, Robin Ince, Kevin Eldon and Puppetry of the Penis. Presented under the beautiful, canopied, open-sided, 1,000-seater Theatre at Holland Park, all performances take place in a weatherproof and state-of-the-art marquee, in the heart of one of the loveliest parks in the capital. Aug 27-31, Holland Park Theatre.

MUSIC Big Star
They’re the legendary cult band who’ve influenced REM, Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements and The Bangles, despite the fact most people have only ever heard them as covered by Cheap Trick on the credits for ‘That ’70s Show’. Now the reformed and re-energised Big Star are touring the globe to lap up all the adulation that was denied them during their bell-bottom-era heyday. Support comes the equally legendary Robyn Hitchcock. Aug 28, Shepherd's Bush Empire.

Portobello Film Festival gets prehistoric

FILM Portobello Film Festival
Three weeks of features, short films, documentaries and music videos, a total of 700 new works from across the globe form the centrepiece of this intriguing, expansive and, amazingly, free festival. Details are still sketchy, but confirmed screenings include Ben Kingsley as a pot-fuelled professor in ‘The Wackness’ and Sadie Frost dancing with Kelly Osbourne in Ben Charles Edwards’s glitzy ‘The Town that Boars Me’, alongside the debut film from music legend Tricky, a history of the Alternative Miss World featuring Derek Jarman, and a full day of discussions and screenings on Caribbean culture in London. Something for everyone, then. Aug 28-Sept 14, various venues.

AROUND TOWN Liberty
This is the UK’s largest disability-rights festival, and on the bill are deaf and disabled performers, street arts, comedy and cabaret, visual arts and film, aerial and circus acts, a carnival, children’s arts, music, dance, stalls and displays. Naturally, facilities will be stepped up to accommodate disabled visitors, and will include BSL interpretation and audio description. For full details visit the website: london.gov.uk/mayor/equalities/liberty. Aug 30, Trafalgar Square.

KIDS Lang Lang and 'Little Mozart'
Family-friendly BBC prom with Chinese superstar pianist Lang Lang performing some perennial favourites as well as a duet with the 9-year-old pianist he has dubbed 'little Mozart', Marc Yu. Aug 31, Royal Albert Hall.
See all Proms listings.

July | August | September