Going out: Cinema
Unmoored
Out now
The debut feature from Caroline Ingvarsson, this adaptation of the 2015 novel The Living and the Dead in Winsford by Håkan Nesser demonstrates that cinema still has an appetite for Nordic noir, although this time the psychological suspense unfolds not only in Sweden but also the wilds of Exmoor in the UK.
Materialists
Out now
Those who loved Celine Song’s wistful, romantic Past Lives have been waiting eagerly for her follow-up, and here it is. Starring Chris Evans, Dakota Johnson and man of the moment Pedro Pascal, it follows a trio of New Yorkers caught in a love triangle.
Together
Out now
Following a buzzy premiere at Sundance, this body horror sees a school teacher and a would-be musician (played by real life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie) move to a remote rural area, where a very literal form of togetherness awaits them.
Aaaaaaaah!
BFI Southbank, London, 20 August
Steve Oram’s Aaaaaaaah! is one of the great cult films of the 21st century, and to celebrate its 10th anniversary, it’s screening at the BFI, with a cast and crew Q&A. Filmed in an ape language without captions, the cast, including Julian Barratt, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Toyah Willcox, give it their all to create a work of bizarre, low-budget brilliance. Catherine Bray
***
Going out: Gigs
Big Feastival
22 to 24 August, Kingham, nr Chipping Norton
Occasional Blur bassist Alex James opens the gates of his farm again for more music and Michelin-starred chefs. Doing the singing while others scoff their street food will be the likes of Nelly Furtado, Mabel and Travis, while James’s old pal Graham Coxon will also be there with his project the Waeve. Michael Cragg
Enhypen
The O2, London, 22 August; AO Arena, Manchester, 25 August
The seven-man K-pop juggernaut arrive in the UK as part of their year-long world tour in support of last year’s Romance: Untold album (the best-selling K-pop of 2024, fact fans). Expect songs from that, alongside this year’s slinky English-language single, Loose. MC
Chris Montague/Ant Law Quartet
Vortex Jazz Club, London, 22 August
In the 2020s, two formidable young jazz guitarists separately surfaced on the UK scene: Chris Montague in pianist Kit Downes’s powerful Troyka trio, and Ant Law as an innovator of contemporary guitar-led fusion. Their combined resources meet on this quartet gig with bassist Conor Chaplin and Jazz Warriors drums legend Mark Mondesir. John Fordham
Suor Angelica
Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 16 August; Royal Albert Hall, London, 19 August
Antonio Pappano conducts the LSO in concert performances of Puccini’s one-act tearjerker, with Carolina López Moreno in the title role. In Edinburgh he precedes it with more Puccini, the Capriccio Sinfonico, and Victor de Sabata’s tone poem Juventus; while at the Albert Hall it’s paired with the “symphonic fantasy” from Richard Strauss’s opera Die Frau ohne Schatten. Andrew Clements
***
Going out: Art
Aubrey Levinthal
Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, to 13 September
Paintings of everyday life in contemporary Philadelphia by an American artist getting her first significant British exhibition. Levinthal is an introspective, low-key artist who sees the world in misted, ambiguous colours. She likes to look over rooftops, at flowers, or friends in the street. Goes well with festival hangovers.
Andy Warhol
Lightbox Gallery, Woking, to 2 November
Was Warhol the prophet or a symptom of US cultural and political decline? It’s hard not to wonder with Trump taking the nation to new lows. Warhol saw everything coming: cheap celebrity, media shallowness, junk food. But he also saw the soul inside the machine. He shows us America, darkly.
Makers of Modern Gothic
V&A South Kensington, London, to 26 October
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was one of Britain’s great idiosyncratic visionaries. This Victorian architect and designer wanted to literally resurrect the middle ages. Pugin’s obsessive study and reinvention of the gothic style can be seen up close in this free display of his drawings, which also looks at his collaborators.
Francesca Woodman
Tate Modern, London, ongoing
This display from the Artist Rooms collection takes you into the eerie world of photographer Francesca Woodman. In her sensual, mysterious black-and-white photographs staged in run-down buildings in Providence, Rhode Island as well as Venice and Rome, Woodman explores her haunted moods and fantasies. An elusive genius. Jonathan Jones
***
Going out: Stage
Breaking Bach
Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 20 August
Bach meets hip-hop in this premiere from choreographer Kim Brandstrup and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Bach’s music, including the Double Violin Concerto and third Brandenburg Concerto, is brought to life by professional dancers and the raw talent of students from Acland Burghley School in London. Lyndsey Winship
Adam Kay
19 August to 2 October; tour starts Peebles
First, a tour in support of his murder mystery novel A Particularly Nasty Case, then doctor turned comedian Kay takes his hit 2023 standup show Undoctored on a nationwide jaunt (27 September to 13 February). This Is Going to Hurt fans will know what to expect: gallows humour and medical anecdotes not for the faint-hearted. Rachel Aroesti
Alice in Wonderland
Kew Gardens, London, to 31 August
The Australian Shakespeare Company return to Kew Gardens with a trio of shows – including an interactive and family-friendly take on Lewis Carroll’s deliciously absurd adventure. Dressing up is actively encouraged (for ages 5+). Miriam Gillinson
Hedda Gabler
Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath, to 23 August
Your last chance to catch Lily Allen in the title role of Ibsen’s fiercely intense classic. Suffocated by her life, can Hedda find a release? Directed by Matthew Dunster and with cast including Imogen Stubbs and Brendan Coyle. MG
***
Staying in: Streaming
Hostage
Netflix, 21 August
A Netflix nailbiter of a slightly higher order courtesy of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Matt Charman. Under the shadow of a spate of deadly Channel crossings, an immigration summit between the British prime minister (Suranne Jones) and the French president (Julie Delpy) is interrupted when the former’s husband is abducted by bereaved refugees.
Confessions of a Brain Surgeon
BBC Two & iPlayer, 18 August, 9pm
In the minds of many – including his own – Henry Marsh was once a superhero: a trailblazing neurosurgeon who pioneered the practice of operating while the patient was conscious. Now retired and dealing with cancer, the 75-year-old looks back on his career as he is confronted by parents who blame him for the death of their son.
Murder Case: The Vanishing Cyclist
BBC Two & iPlayer, 17 August, 9pm
This Scottish true-crime series returns to untangle the tragic fate of 63-year-old grandfather Tony Parsons, who went missing during a charity bike ride through the Highlands. His whereabouts remained a mystery until a local man decided to confess his guilt to a new girlfriend.
Mudtown
U&Alibi, 20 August, 9pm
Filmed back to back in Welsh and English – the former version aired on S4C late last year – this Newport-set drama follows Claire (Gotham’s Erin Richards), a magistrate whose professional duties begin conflicting with her maternal instincts when her teenage daughter falls in with a criminal crowd. The Gold’s Tom Cullen co-stars. RA
***
Staying in: Games
Sword of the Sea
Out 19 August; PC, PS5
Explore a desolate world on a hoverboard, pulling tricks while bringing back life to the beautifully drawn landscapes. The latest from Giant Squid, creator of the award-winning exploration game Abzû, promises a cross between 1080° Snowboarding and the seminal PlayStation title Journey.
Discounty
Out 21 August; PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
This cosy life sim has you running a supermarket in the faded seaside town of Blomkest, managing your inventory as well as testy relationships with the gossiping locals. The visuals are cute and the story will keep you intrigued as you stack those shelves. Keith Stuart
***
Staying in: Albums
Alison Goldfrapp – Flux
Out now
Partly created in Sweden, pop maven Alison Goldfrapp’s second solo album, the follow-up to 2023’s clubbier The Love Invention, reflects the wonders of its birthplace. Songs such as the tactile Strange Things Happen and the laser-guided Sound & Light feel ripe for soundtracking the northern lights, for example.
Conan Gray – Wishbone
Out now
Initially created in secret while Gray was touring 2024’s Found Heaven, Wishbone eschews that record’s 80s-tinged power pop in favour of something quieter. Produced by Dan Nigro (Lorde, Chappell Roan), love lost single Vodka Cranberry gently flutters around a folksy musical backbone.
Rise Against – Ricochet
Out now
Ten albums in, the Chicago punk band haven’t lost any of their power. Ricochet finds the quartet exploring ideas around interconnectedness, with muscular lead single Nod looking at where shared anger needs to be placed, while Prizefighter dissects the band’s relationship with their fanbase.
Billianne – Modes of Transportation
Out now
After going viral in 2021 with her cover of Tina Turner’s The Best, Canadian singer-songwriter Billianne releases her debut album. On the galloping soft-pop of Baby Blue she gives 1989-era Taylor Swift a run for her money, while the cute Crush is a romcom theme song in waiting. MC
***
Staying in: Brain food
The C-Word
Podcast
Lena Dunham and writer Alissa Bennett’s incisive series about the misunderstood women of history has recently been taken from behind its paywall. Highlights include a deep dive into the life and career of Amy Winehouse.
Close Reading Poetry
YouTube
Harvard academic Dr Adam Walker’s YouTube channel not only analyses work by western canonical poets but also delivers engaging insights into the poeticism of authors such as Tolkien plus country music songwriters.
Rare Earth
Radio 4, 22 August, 12.04pm
In a world increasingly struck by fires, floods and other consequences of the climate crisis, what role does insurance play? That is the question posed in this fascinating six-part series, opening with the 2024 LA wildfires. Ammar Kalia
