It’s all part of the Spike is 60 film festival which kicks off with Mo Better Blues (a day before Spike’s actual birthday on the 20th) then runs across the year before wrapping up with a screening of Chiraq in November. Find out more about Sunday’s event and the festival here.

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This explosion of energy is just the beginning; for the next hour and a half, Fuerzabruta’s electric blend of modern dance and theatrical performance will have the whole audience gazing up in wonder.  It’s an amazing show: and almost seven years ago, Fuerzabruta inaugurated the newly-opened Roundhouse as a performing space. Since then, the show has toured the globe, with a 5-year stop in New York. The show is still luring people into the chaos of dancing limbs, gravity-defying pools of water and the chance to walk on air as one of the talented performers pulls you through his or her “cloud in the sky.”

For 100 nights, visitors will find themselves huddled into the centre of the Roundshouse’s main hall wondering how performers are able to defy gravity with such ease. After a bit of neck strain comes on, the show suddenly turns into a bit of a night club. Loud music pulses through the room as visitors are encouraged to dance and smile. The show’s name means “brute force”, and the performers want visitors to not just see this force through their performances, but to also feel it and share it with others. (Words: Barbara Cole)
Fuerzabruta is playing until the 2nd March 2014 at the Roundhouse. There’s also a special New Year’s Eve show featuring the NYC Downlow DJs. For more info, visit: www.roundhouse.org.uk/fuerzabruta

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Late at Tate Britain takes place on selected Friday every two months and features a range of events including music and performances, exhibitions and art talks. Warp x Tate will be held on December 6th from 6pm -10pm (final admission 9pm). Oh, and there isn’t a need for tickets as entry is completely free! (Words: Nadeena Kaur) 

For more info, visit: www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/performance-and-music/late-tate-britain-december-2013

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It tells the story of a young MC facing a world of temptations, and with choreography coming from hip-hop pioneer Jonzi D, it’s little wonder critics are calling it “mindblowing” in its clever take on  The Seven Deadly Sins and Dante’s Inferno. It’s only got a short run though (wraps up October 5th), so don’t miss this chance to see this mighty man and his sax in action.

For more info, visit:  www.thealbany.org.uk

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Photo by Simon Goyne

Despite its popularity in the US, bourbon (and its fellow American whiskies) hasn’t found much popularity in the UK. The Stateside design firm Teroforma wants to change that by spotlighting these American spirits at its Colonial Common pop-up during the London Design Festival. Running for nine days,  Teroforma bills Colonial Common as “a filling station” where visitors can experience American bourbon and whiskies in many ways. The Common is bound to be a design-laden experience too. The Shoreditch space will feature a speakeasy-type bar setup, as well as a culinary tasting room and product showcase featuring Teroforma’s famous Whisky Stones, as well as other limited edition pieces designed specifically for the Colonial Common.

Photo by Simon Goyne

The pop-up will also include live bluegrass from bands such as the Lands End Trio and The Barker Band (pictured). Food and cocktails will be available from vendors specialising in American Southern fare such as Beard to Tail, Joe’s Southern Chicken, and Anna Mae’s while the whiskey and bourbon tasting will be conducted by bartenders from Aqua at the Shard, Lockhard, Milk and Honey and Social Eating House.
The Colonial Common is running in conjunction with London Design Festival until September 22nd and is free to enter. It is located at 1 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, E2 8DA from 4-9pm. For more info, visit: http://www.colonialcommon.com/

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Now that the medals have all been given out and the crowds have gone home, the newly-christened Queen Elizabeth Park is opening its doors once again to Londoners with the first Open East Festival. Visitors have the chance to catch over a dozen live musical acts along the River Lea, including the Waterboys, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 and Amadou & Mariam. Attendees can also visit the newly redesigned Floating Cinema and take in a screening or hunt for a masterpiece at the Art Car Boot Fair.

It will be difficult to go hungry, with the Real Food Festival featuring international food vendors and the Banquet Over the Bridge allowing visitors to mingle over a communal meal. To complete the experience, the Ten Mile Beer Festival will offer beers which have all been sourced from within 10 miles of the Park.

Kids can play in the House of Fairy Tales or meet Joey from the National Theatre’s production of War Horse. Parents and children alike can also enjoy Charlie Dark’s hip-hop poetry and puppet show, aimed at entertaining all age groups.

Festival planners have ensured that, once again, there will be enough to attract everyone to Stratford to spend a few hours (or days!) exploring what the Queen Elizabeth Park has to offer.  (Words: Barbara Cole)

The Open East Festival takes place on July 27-28. For more info, visit: www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/events

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A Good Day for Cyclists, British Pavilion 2013

In 2011, the biennale came under fire for its excessive opulence and downright commercialism, so this year the central pavilion has taken on a more sombre, humble tone. Organised under the title of ‘Encyclopaedic Palace’ and curated by Massimiliano Gioni, the central exhibition is a wealth of information, drawing on a fantastically diverse range of artefacts from Carl Jung’s sketches to Aleister Crowley’s redesign of tarot cards.
If you haven’t heard, Jeremy Deller has taken on the duties of the British Pavilion, in the form of ‘English Magic’. Now that Wales and Scotland have developed their own space, Deller has taken it upon himself to focus his artwork on ‘Englishness’ – in only the way his skill to observe and connect with the quirks of culture can. Deller corrects moments of injustice in the pavilion. Murals line the walls: a giant Hen Harrier crushes a Range Rover, a colossal William Morris throws Roman Abramovich’s pesky Superyacht out of the Venice harbour and the sound of Voodoo Ray by the brass band echoes through the gallery. The pavilion is alive and oozing English charm, complete with a tea bar for those who can’t find a decent brew around the town.

Eva Kotatkova

There is a little upheaval throughout the national pavilions. France has this year been swapped with Germany. And, Germany has employed the skills of Chinese rebel artist Ai Weiwei. New ‘nations’ include the Vatican, Catalonia and Angola, who have won the National Pavilion award for their Angola in Motion piece. There is so much to see, and it will take days to get through. While the event itself is often sneered at for its drama, theatre and pomposity, this time the politically charged works are what make this Biennale all the more interesting. Chile’s pavilion in the Arsenale criticises the nature of inclusion and exclusion at the Biennale and Greece’s pavilion ponders its own economy zero situation. This is a biennale of political reflection. And, if you can get a chance to experience it, you won’t be disappointed. (Words: Laura Thornley)

The  55th Venice Biennale runs until  24 November 2013. For more info, visit: www.labiennale.org/en/art

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Opening this year’s festival with the latest cinematic adventures of Astérix and Obélix,was undoubtedly a crowd-pleasing choice. Uderzo and Goscinny’s comic characters are much loved by generations of readers who grew up with the stories about the little Gallic village that resisted the roman occupation and the previous four film adaptations were all box-office hits. Add to this the exciting premise behind the title of the new entry in the franchise –  Astérix and Obélix: God Save Britannia –  and the intriguing casting of legendary actress Catherine Deneuve in the role of the Queen of England and you have a definite winner.

Ducoboo is also based on a popular comic series whose titular character is an eleven-year-old dunce who finds inventive ways to cheat during school exams but always gets caught in the end. For the definite capture of children’s mischiefs however, look no further than War of the Buttons, the latest film adaptation of the classic novel by Louis Pergaud about two rival kid gangs in a little village of post-war France who cut off the buttons from the clothes of their adversaries and keep them as combat trophies.
Various films in this year’s FFF reminds us French cinema’s knack for producing delightful and sophisticated romantic films. Happiness Never Comes Alone (pictured) offers the winning combo of the sublime beauty of Sophie Marceau and the timeless soulful melodies of classic Motown hits, while Paris- Manhattan is a love letter to the genius of Woody Allen. A hopelessly romantic pharmacist is obsessed with the works and general philosophy of the New York auteur and much like the typical Woody character, she is unlucky in love. As for My Worst Nightmare, the names behind and in front of the camera (the film is directed by Anne Fontaine, responsible for BAFTA-nominated Coco Before Chanel, and stars Isabelle Huppert, winner of two Best Actress awards at Cannes) should be enough to attract every cinephile’s interest.
Mathieu Kassovitz, whose uncompromising film La Haine still lingers in the mind of everyone who’s seen it, returns with Rebellion that tackles another controversial subject, the 1988 Ouvéa cave hostage taking incident. Elsewhere, the fest sees The Minister, another gripping political thriller. Having won 2 Cesar awards (for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor) as well as the 2011 FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes, it should make for essential viewing.

The FFF  not only highlights the extremely healthy and exciting state of contemporary French cinema but also reminds us about its glorious past. The whimsical universe of Jacques Demy is celebrated with the screening of five of his most beautiful films (the academy award nominated musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is his most famous work but Bay of Angels is arguably his finest masterpiece). Then there are two bonafide classics that you do not see often on the big screens: Georges Franju’s atmospheric horror film Eyes Without a Face and René Clément’s extremely touching Forbidden Games. Finally, there is Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon, the 1902 film that is regarded by many as the first ever science fiction film and whose use of state-of-the-art effects paved the way for all those Hollywood’s special effect-heavy blockbusters like Star Wars and Avatar – another example of how something small can grow up into something huge. (Words: Apostolos Kostoulas)
The 20th French Film Festival UK runs until December 2nd  2012 in various cities across the UK. For more information go to www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk/FFF2012

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