Going out: Cinema
Christy
Out now
Following a prize-winning premiere at the Berlinale, this Irish drama starring Danny Power has been feted as an auspicious feature debut for director Brendan Canty. Telling the tale of two estranged brothers in Knocknaheeny, Cork, it’s a social-realist breakout hit.
On Swift Horses
Out now
Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Lee (Will Poulter) are newlyweds who move from Kansas to California in the 1950s, with Lee’s brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi). A bond emerges between Muriel and Julius – however, this isn’t a typical love triangle, but an exploration of same-sex attraction in a time and place where that could be life-threatening.
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Out now
Something wicked this way comes: the ninth and (allegedly) final instalment of the Conjuring franchise, based on the (alleged) exploits of paranormal experts Lorraine and Ed Warren, played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, who are investigating the Smurl hauntings of Pennsylvania.
The Courageous
Out now
In the picturesque Swiss canton of Valais, an eccentric single mother living on the margins attempts to put a brave face on things for her children. What’s a shoplifted birthday cake between family? Swiss-American director Jasmin Gordon’s fiction debut offers lead actor Ophélia Kolb a knotty lead role to get her teeth into. Catherine Bray
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Going out: Gigs
Belinda Carlisle
9 to 13 September; tour starts Edinburgh
Alongside her latest album, Once Upon a Time in California, Carlisle will use this tour to celebrate her near 40-year solo career. Expect a jukebox’s worth of 80s MOR classics including Circle in the Sand, Leave a Light On and Heaven Is a Place on Earth. Michael Cragg
Post Malone
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, 7 & 8 September
As the title suggests, tattoo experimentalist Post Malone’s Big Ass Stadium Tour involves some of the planet’s largest venues. The UK stop features two nights at the north London enormodome, soundtracked by a mix of Postys’s hip-hop and, more recently, country-tinged bangers. MC
Shear Brass
Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham, 6 September
The vivacious music of pianist George Shearing, one of the few UK jazz artists to become a legend in the US, is celebrated by this A-list British band, led by his great-nephew, drummer, writer and producer Carl Gorham. Shearing’s much-loved hits of the 1940s and 50s – and some rarities too – spring back to life. John Fordham
Tosca
Royal Ballet and Opera, London, 11 September to 7 October
The new Puccini production that opens the Royal Opera season will be Jakub Hrůša’s first as music director. But the advance publicity has been all about the casting of the Russian Anna Netrebko in the title role. Andrew Clements
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Going out: Art
Suzanne Song
White Cube Mason’s Yard, London, to 3 October
This New York-based abstract artist creates extraordinarily disciplined paintings in which every detail looks calculated. She plays with illusions of spatial depth in patterns of zigzags, lozenges, triangles and cubes that fool and seduce your eyes even as you recognise their flatness. There are echoes of Bridget Riley.
Paul McCartney
Gagosian Davies Street, London, to 4 October
A few months in midwinter, from December 1963 to February 1964, photographed by a young man who happened to be in the world’s biggest pop group. Here, McCartney reveals what it was like to be a Beatle as Beatlemania grew, including a self-portrait in the attic where he’d write Yesterday.
John Moores Painting Prize
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 6 September today to 1 March
This longrunning prize for painting has an astonishing track record of rewarding true excellence. Since it started in 1957, first prize has gone to such inspired and long-lasting artists as David Hockney, Rose Wylie, Peter Blake and Peter Doig. See this year’s artists and spot the next stars.
Schroder Gallery
The Holburne Museum, Bath, from 11 September
A Renaissance wunderkammer (room of wonders) is recreated by this luxurious new permanent gallery of strange, spectacular treasures. An intricate silver model of a sailing ship complete with a tiny crew, a mechanical model of the universe and suchlike curiosities co-star with paintings by the likes of Holbein and Cranach. Jonathan Jones
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Going out: Stage
Josie Long
6 September to 12 December; tour starts Mull
As you might expect, Now Is the Time of Monsters – the new show from this thoughtful comedian – riffs on politics. Less predictably, it also covers actual beasts: the prehistoric predators she studies with her kids, a hobby that helps Long find hope amid turmoil both global and personal. Rachel Aroesti
Romans, a Novel
Almeida theatre, London, to 11 October
Alice Birch’s writing is always deeply theatrical and full of fire. Her latest is a kaleidoscopic portrait of masculinity from the 19th century to the present day, starring Kyle Soller. Miriam Gillinson
Emma
Theatre Royal Bath, 11 to 20 September then touring
Where better to mark Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary than Bath? Ryan Craig’s new adaptation stars India Shaw-Smith as meddling matchmaker Emma. MG
Murmuration Level 2
Peacock theatre, London, 10 to 20 September
French dancer Sadeck Berrabah’s career was launched by a YouTube video and led to him choreographing the Tokyo-Paris Olympic handover ceremony. His style leans on tutting: intricate hand and arm movements that look a bit like hieroglyphics, which he uses en masse to striking visual effect. Lyndsey Winship
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Staying in: Streaming
The Girlfriend
Prime Video, 10 September
Starring and co-directed by Robin Wright, this UK-set psychological thriller about a woman who grows suspicious of her son’s new partner (Olivia Cooke) cleaves to the current trend for luxury lifestyle-based drama. Can sinister twists and class commentary pierce the glossy surface?
Task
Sky Atlantic & Now, 8 September, 9pm
This new drama from the Mare of Easttown creator, Brad Ingelsby, has the same dark, painfully realistic energy as his previous hit police procedural. Led by Mark Ruffalo, Task follows an FBI agent investigating a series of violent home invasions in a working-class Philadelphia suburb.
Only Murders in the Building
Disney+, 9 September
Somehow, we have already made it to season five of this hilarious comedy-drama, which merges brainteasing mysteries with intergenerational humour. This time our podcasting odd throuple investigate the death of their doorman as starry cameos (Renée Zellweger, Dianne Wiest, Beanie Feldstein, Christoph Waltz) abound.
Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams: Ultimate Test
BBC One/iPlayer, 7 September, 8.10pm
Initially a feelgood documentary about a cricket team for disadvantaged youngsters, this series soon became a moving portrait of Flintoff’s recovery from life-changing injuries. Now, however, the focus is back on sport as the cricketer franchises his original idea across the north-west. RA
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Staying in: Games
Baby Steps
Out 8 September; PC, PS5
An unemployed brat who never leaves the sofa is forced to get up and explore his alien world in one of the autumn’s weirdest releases. Players control each limb independently, meaning that any progress is challenging and rife with pratfalls.
Borderlands 4
Out 12 September; PS5, Xbox, PC
The cartoon “looter shooter” returns, promising a frenzy of guns, guts and grappling hooks as players battle a ruthless space dictator and his army of alien monsters. With a new planet to explore and a vast array of randomised weapons (apparently there are 30bn combinations), it’s going to be carnage. Keith Stuart
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Staying in: Albums
David Byrne – Who Is the Sky?
Out now
Assisted by producer Kid Harpoon, and a guest list that includes the Ghost Train Orchestra and Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Talking Heads legend David Byrne delivers a big dollop of DayGlo art-pop on his new solo album. Single Everybody Laughs is like swallowing a huge gulp of sunshine.
Big Thief – Double Infinity
Out now
On their first album as a trio following the departure of bassist Max Oleartchik, the Brooklyn indie-folk band continue to craft careworn epics that feel undeniable. Songs such as All Night All Day and Los Angeles sparkle like lost classics, while Adrianne Lenker’s warm voice anchors their emotional pull.
Metronomy – Greatest Hits
Out now
With seven albums, including two UK Top 10s, under their belts, the British alt-pop practitioners have collected their shiniest singles on this greatest hits collection. Why not sashay to the slinky The Look, or do an awkward robot to the crunchy electronics of Heartbreaker?
Saint Etienne – International
Out now
Keen not to trundle on indefinitely, Saint Etienne – AKA Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs – have announced this 13th album will be their last. It’s a worthy swansong, full of intriguing collaborations, including the Orbital-assisted dance behemoth Take Me to the Pilot, and the 90s throwback Brand New Me, featuring Confidence Man. MC
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Staying in: Brain food
The Secret Life of Songs
Podcast
Anthony T Jackson’s series about the art and context of songwriting takes on the 70s and 80s in a new run. It considers the queer dancefloor influences in Donna Summer’s I Feel Love and Kate Bush’s psychoanalytic references.
Embassy of the Free Mind
Online
Amsterdam’s Ritman Library has recently digitised more than 2,000 books on occultism. From Latin tracts on alchemy to the English philosophy of Henry More and beautiful illustrations of flora and fauna, there is plenty to flick through.
Music Uncovered: David Bowie – Changeling
BBC Sounds, 10 September
Exploring David Bowie’s evolution in the first half of the 70s, from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke, this eight-part series features fascinating archive interviews with Bowie, as well as testimony from his collaborators. Ammar Kalia
