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The Devil Wears Prada 2 to Lenny Henry: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead | Culture
Going out: Cinema
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Out now
Sequels, for spring? Groundbreaking. OK, but this just happens to be one of the most anticipated sequels of the last decade, with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt returning to their respective roles of high-fashion supervillain Miranda Priestly, journalist Andy Sachs and type-A nightmare Emily Charlton.
Hokum
Out now
Adam Scott (Severance) stars in this Irish-set haunted-house horror about a man whose journey to spread his parents’ ashes involves some unexpectedly spooky twists and turns. Irish former electrician Damian McCarthy writes and directs his first Hollywood feature after a couple of lower-budget homegrown hits.
Wild Foxes
Out now
Valéry Carnoy directs this French coming-of-age drama which premiered at Cannes last year to prize-winning effect. Set at a sport-focused boarding school, it concerns the aftermath of a near fatal accident for young boxer Camille (Samuel Kircher) who is rescued by his best friend, Matteo, (Faycal Anaflous).
That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime: Tears of the Azure Sea
Out now
A beach vacation at a private resort is disrupted by Yura, an underseas priestess who is after some help in dealing with the potential awakening of a dormant Aqua Dragon. This adventure bridges the gap between the third and fourth series of the popular animated Japanese TV show. Catherine Bray
Going out: Gigs
Tsatsamis
Manchester, 2 May; London, 8 May
London-based artist and producer Tsatsamis released his mixtape Tsycophant last month and showcases its lithe electropop on this mini tour. Keep an ear out for the pensive, George Michael-esque Secret Boyfriend and the sweaty strut of Angelina, which sounds like Hurts wrestling with Years & Years. Michael Cragg
Tame Impala
7 to 13 May; tour starts London
Kevin Parker tours his psych-pop outfit around arenas in support of last year’s Deadbeat album. Perfect timing, given that the album’s third single, Dracula, has gone viral on TikTok and has nestled itself in the upper echelons of charts worldwide thanks to a remix with Blackpink’s Jennie. MC
Courtney Pine
Cheltenham Town Hall, 3 May; Ronnie Scott’s, London, 7 & 8 May
Four decades ago, this sax-playing descendent of the Windrush generation helped spark a revolution across the 1980s UK jazz scene and way beyond. Pine’s Out of the Ghetto: A Modern Day Jazz Story tour celebrates the vision that fuelled a new sound, and a still-growing new audience. John Fordham
Tectonics festival
City Halls and Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, 2 & 3 May
Tectonics is an annual feast for the ears, showcasing composers and performers working at classical music’s cutting edge. Virtuoso tuba playing from Danielle Price and Frédéric Le Junter’s experimental sound machines are among this year’s major premieres. Flora Willson
Going out: Art
Aleksandra Kasuba
Tate St Ives, 2 May to 4 October
Long before immersive art was even really a thing, Lithuanian American artist Aleksandra Kasuba was creating “spatial environments” for viewers to inhabit. This St Ives show – the first of her work in the UK – will feature early paintings and mosaics alongside proto-immersive installations all about utopian ideals of social harmony and communal living.
Zurbarán
National Gallery, London, 2 May to 23 August
Gazing saints, bowls of lemons, loads of magi and a circumcision: the so-called Spanish Caravaggio took on a huge variety of subject matter, but always with a singular intensity and sense of heightened drama. Francisco de Zurbarán was a giant of 17th-century art, a proper master of the baroque, and this exhibition will be a serious art blockbuster.
Genuine Fake Premium Economy
ICA, London, to 5 July
Three millennial artists – Jenna Bliss, Buck Ellison and Jasmine Gregory – come together in this show at the ICA to try to make sense of how the hell any of us survived the 2008 financial crisis. How do we live, love, work and survive in a world of massive inequality and capitalist greed? Maybe the film, photography and painting here will provide answers.
Rose Finn-Kelcey
Arts Collective, Northampton, to 1 August
Pioneering feminist performance conceptualist and Northampton native Rose Finn-Kelcey died in 2014. Her work dealt with ideas of architecture, spirituality, the domestic and the mundane, all with humour and biting satire. This show inaugurates the Art Collective complex, a brand new art space for Northampton. Eddy Frankel
Going out: Stage
Lenny Henry
Touring to 3 November
First came the glut of stage shows based on classic sitcoms, now the comedy giants of the 80s and 90s are reliving their greatest hits. Following in Harry Enfield’s recent footsteps, the Comic Relief co-founder embarks on a tour that fuses standup with stories about his best-loved roles. Rachel Aroesti
Sherlock Holmes
Regent’s Park Open Air theatre, London, 2 May to 6 June
In this new adventure, Sherlock’s world collapses into chaos with the arrival of an unknown woman and mysterious jewel at 221b Baker Street. It’s penned by Joel Horwood (The Ocean at the End of the Lane), directed by the always-mischievous Sean Holmes and stars Joshua James as Sherlock and Jyuddah Jaymes as Watson. Miriam Gillinson
Sweat
Citizens theatre, Glasgow, to 16 May; Royal Lyceum theatre, Edinburgh, 3 to 20 June
This co-production of Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer-winning play is based on extensive interviews with the residents of Reading, Pennsylvania, where industrial decline is devastating the factory workers’ way of life. MG
Return to the Forest
Aviva Studios, Manchester, 7 to 10 May; touring to 27 June
South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma reunites with puppetry company Theatre-Rites (following 2021’s The Global Playground) for a new show where a magical forest comes alive. Theatre-Rites, celebrating its 30th anniversary, has a great track record for creating imaginative, experimental kids’ theatre blending puppetry and dance. Lyndsey Winship
Staying in: Streaming
Legends
Netflix, 2 May
With The Gold, Neil Forsyth turned one of Britain’s most notorious heists into a quality retro drama. Now he’s found inspiration in a more obscure crime story: an ambitious operation by undercover customs officers to stop the heroin trade. Steve Coogan, Tom Burke and Hayley Squires star.
Amandaland
BBC iPlayer & BBC One, 6 May, 9pm
As a sitcom, Motherland was mostly about parenthood and a bit about class – its spin-off is mostly about class and a bit about parenthood. Having weathered humiliations involving campsite toilets and a celebrity chef, series two reunites us with Lucy Punch’s inveterate social climber.
Fallen
ITVX, 3 May
American source material, a primarily British cast, German and Swiss producers and a Brazilian broadcaster: this adaptation of Lauren Kate’s inordinately successful YA romantasy fiction is the result of a dizzyingly globalised TV industry. Now the show – which won an international Emmy last year – finally airs in the UK.
Berlusconi – Condemned to Win
BBC iPlayer & BBC Four, 5 May, 10pm
Everyone knows that Silvio Berlusconi parlayed his status as a media tycoon into a long career at the top of Italian politics. But this ESPN doc puts a lesser-known element of his empire under the microscope: examining how his ownership of AC Milan helped him become prime minister. RA
Staying in: Games
Wax Heads
Xbox, PS5, PC, Switch, out 2 May
Ever fancied running a record shop, picking out recommendations and getting to know 100+ fictional bands? Well this grungy little game has invented all of this for your amusement.
inKonbini
PC, Xbox, Switch, PS5, out now
Alternatively, in 1990s Japan, here you are a college student who’s taken a job stacking shelves at one of the country’s squillions of quaint convenience stores. Sounds like a drudgery simulator, but things get more interesting as you get to know your customers. Keza MacDonald
Staying in: Albums
Tori Amos – In Times of Dragons
Out now
A metaphorical story based around a desperate fight for democracy in the face of a “billionaire Lizard Demon” forms the backbone of the 18th album by the US singer-songwriter. On the epic six-minute opener, Shush, Amos spotlights a coercive patriarchy, before eventually reaching a sense of hope on Stronger Together.
Kacey Musgraves – Middle of Nowhere
Out now
The country music superstar attempts to settle into singledom on her seventh album. On the title track that means enjoying the freedom of being undefined, while a certain lack of intimacy (“ain’t nobody’s tool up in my shed”) is bemoaned on the playful single, Dry Spell.
Zara Larsson – Midnight Sun: Girls Trip
Out now
Originally released last September, Zara Larsson’s excellent fifth album, Midnight Sun, was a surprising flop. Since then, however, she’s scored a US Top 10 single alongside PinkPantheress, and watched her 2015 bop Lush Life re-enter the charts worldwide. Hence this repack, with a remix album featuring a global roster of female guests.
American Football – American Football
Out now
Seven years after their last album, also called American Football, the midwest emo quartet return with 10 more songs to cry to. Focusing on topics such as suicide, divorce and addiction, songs such as Bad Moons and No Feeling, with Turnstile’s Brendan Yates, make sadness seem quite pretty. MC
Staying in: Brain food
Aadam Jacobs Archive
Online
Chicago’s Aadam Jacobs is an obsessive chronicler of the city’s music scene and this fascinating archive features live recordings of early shows by the likes of Nirvana, Depeche Mode and Sonic Youth, plus contextual info.
Darknet Diaries
Podcast
Tech expert Jack Rhysider’s engrossing series analyses developments in the shadowy world of cybercrime, from the hacking groups destabilising national security to bot farms gaming the music charts.
The Safe Box
BBC World Service, Tuesday, 8.06pm
Marking World Press Freedom Day, presenter Myra Anubi’s investigation into the French organisation Forbidden Stories explores how journalists aim to continue the sensitive work of colleagues who have been killed or who are at risk. Ammar Kalia
Native oysters (Ostrea edulis) have been harvested from Chichester Harbour since Roman times, but due to overfishing, disease, pollution and competition from invasive Pacific oysters (Magallana gigas), the population has declined by 96% over the past century.
The Solent Oyster Restoration Project is working to restore reefs by reseeding them with juveniles and installing cages containing a high density of mature broodstock beneath pontoons, to facilitate the release of millions of larvae.
Because the oysters are sourced from the River Fal in Cornwall and grown on in Anglesey, any parasites or non-native organisms that could pose a threat to the Solent’s flora and fauna must be removed before their deployment. I was one of 260 “biosecurity volunteers” recruited to give the 20,000 oysters destined for the UK’s largest subtidal native oyster reef a pre-release spa day.
After a briefing, we donned lab coats and nitrile gloves and gathered our supplies – buckets of water, brushes and forceps. Crates of oysters were deposited on each bench, and we set to work. First, scrubbing off silt and algae, paying special attention to the hinges, which trap debris, then inspecting for hitchhikers.
Most were encrusted with calcareous tubeworms (Spirobranchus triqueter), their chalky white casts cemented to the shells like dental calculus. There was something oddly satisfying about cracking them off, especially when they came away in one piece. Slipper limpets (Crepidula fornicata) were more difficult to prise loose. Some had fused to the oysters’ growth plates, forming composite structures.
Not every oyster made the cut. Those that failed to close when squeezed three times were presumed dead and set aside to be ground down to “cultch”, which is spread on the seabed for oyster larvae to settle on and attach. One gaping shell revealed a stowaway juvenile shore crab, which was feasting on the mollusc’s rotting flesh.
By lunchtime, the benches were slick with seawater and shell fragments, and a faint briny odour clung to our clothes. While we sat outside, eating pizza and watching a pair of fox cubs standing on their hind legs to peer into the holding tanks, the oysters soaked in a chlorine bath to eliminate any microscopic pathogens before being weighed, measured and boxed up for their final boat journey.
The papers focus on a three-year-old boy, who was who was left with critical injuries after ending up a crocodile enclosure in a Cambridgeshire zoo.
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Key events
78 mins: Brilliant from Hwang Hee-chan in midfield, collecting the clearance on the volley on the turn, twisting out of the Mexican press, driving forward, and swapping passes with Oh. With Mexico retreating Lee shoots from range but it is miles off target.
77 mins: Hong throws on Cho Gue-sung up front and brings off the industrious Paik Seung-ho.
76 mins: Yang thinks he’s created a goalscoring cross on the right flank but he is flagged offside, as many Koreans have before him tonight.
75 mins: Save! Quinones does well on the left again and curls over a cross that finds Jimenez at the far post. His first touch brings the ball down nicely and allows him to shoot on the stretching half-volley from a tight angle but Kim is out quickly to save. That was almost game set and match Mexico.
74 mins: That stoppage facilitates a decent couple of minutes for Mexico to attack down the left with Gaalrado and Quinones to the fore.
72 mins: South Korea attempt a long throw but Mexico deal with it comfortably in the air. Javier Aguirre then gestures theatrically at Yang who went down during a collision for which he was penalised.
70 mins: Two subs at the final drinks break for both teams. Mexico freshen up their midfield with Orbelin Pineda and Obed Vargas replacing Gutierrez and Romo. For Korea it’s the two wingbacks who are swapped out for Eom Ji-sung and Yang Hyun-jun.
Mexico might be leading but Space Purple is definitely going to be the winner on the day.
Here is that final hydration break. What has Hong got up his sleeve?
“This might be the worst game of football I’ve ever seen… and I’ve spent forty years supporting Derby County,” bemoans Ben Goodge. Before adding: “Your correspondents are quite right that only the combination of red/green kits could make it worse for me. But! Is a life of mockery and confusion for being colour blind worth it for the joy of discovering Space Purple? Absolutely.”
67 mins: Both teams have some possession in the final third. Mexico’s is sporadic, Korea’s is more controlled, but it stalls on the edge of the penalty area with the combinations that worked so well against Czechia failing to click.
66 mins: Mexico are doing just as the need, remaining calm, taking no risks. Gutierrez does well to spin on the half-turn in midfield and advance his team downfield, but there is little support with El Tri happy to slow everything down and defend their lead.
64 mins: The final hydration break is going to be crucial for Korea. Hong needs to shake things up. His trio of central defenders are being allowed all the time in the world on the ball, they need the more creative midfielders to come deep and accept that responsibility.
62 mins: An offside and some physical contact slow the play down, give Mexico chance to reset. They now look to be defending in more of a 5-4-1 out of possession, denying Korea any room in behind.
60 mins: South Korea have done well to settle things down following the goal, making their changes, circulating possession. Now they need to find some penetration from somewhere against an already well organised Mexican side now happy to sit back and protect a lead.
59 mins: It may be fitness-related but that is a clear indication of Son’s diminishing impact on the Taeguk Warriors.
57 mins: Here come the subs for Korea, and they are interesting ones. Hwang Hee-chan and Oh Hyeon-gyu come on… Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung make way.
And there’s a deserved yellow card for Paik for a late tackle.
55 mins: South Korea have some rare touches in the penalty area with Son benefiting from a high turnover. The skipper tries to fashion room but he’s too tightly marked and Lee does not attempt to shoot first time from the offload and Mexico clear.
54 mins: The match should open up now as Korea will be forced to chase the game. Surely it won’t be long before Hong utilises his bench.
52 mins: Romo plays his club football in this stadium and the fans that idolise him domestically go wild in celebration. It really was an awful moment for the Korean goalkeeper.
Quinones does well to curl over a cross from the left that Jimenez heads up into the air. Kim Seung-gyu comes out to claim in – and looks to have done a good job – but lands on top of Lee Gi-hyuk and in so doing spills the ball to the feet of Romo who stabs home into the empty net.
GOAL! Mexico 1-0 South Korea (Romo, 50)
Calamity for Kim and Korea!
48 mins: Adding to the sense of deja vu, Korea try the lofted throughball over the Mexican defence for a runner, but it’s attempted from too deep and poses no threat. And Mexico return to their hits, releasing Gallardo overlapping on the left but the fullback is forced wide and ends up shooting harmlessly wide.
47 mins: Korea dominated possession in the latter stages of the first half and they are back on the ball after the interval. Again the conservative stuff is not a problem but heading forward is problematic. Also continuing the theme of the first half both teams are willing in midfield with Romo robbed in possession then quick to win it back.
46 mins: No changes at the break.
The teams are back out for the second half as drone shots highlight how stunning this venue is, floating like a glowing UFO at the foothills of the Jalisco mountains.
Half-time stats:
End of stats.
“Interesting to see West Ham‘s forgotten man Edson Alvarez captaining Mexico again and clearing off his line, still on loan at Fenerbache,” emails Neill McGowan. “Strange that the Hammers never thought he could help with their defensive problems, insisting on playing him in midfield. No mention of him either in the list of players they might unload to avoid a points deduction due to consecutive years in the red.”
While I freshen up, enjoy this meandering dispatch from Jonathan Liew, who, like most of you, is not following the World Cup professionally.
The winner of this group will play in the round of 32 at the Azteca, which for El Tri would seem like a major incentive. However, as Saxon Baird points out, “if Mexico finishes second they play at SoFi for the round of 32 which will be essentially a home match.”
Back to the kits.
“What’s wrong with Mexico in green and South Korea in red?” asks Shaun T.
As Chris Rodgers has emailed in to suggest, I’m pretty sure it’s a red v green colourblindness / visual impairment issue.
Earlier, Joshua Reynolds commented on the shade of Korean purple. Ronald Stack would like it confirmed that is not THE Joshua Reynolds, 18th century portraitist and a man who know a thing or two about colours.
Oh wow. Massive boos ringing around Estadio Akron as the two teams walk off for half-time. The crowd was not treated to a spectacle of champagne football.
Half-time: Mexico-0-0 South Korea
Both teams seem happy with a draw and safe passage to the knockout phase ahead of a final round shootout to decide who finishes top.
45+2 mins: Has this been a good 0-0? It’s been tactical and intense. Or has it been a poor 0-0? It has lacked in goalmoouth action and neither side seems eager to take any risks that might open them up defensively on the counter.
45 mins: The ref comes over to have a word with Javier Aguirre. It’s all laughs and back pats. Meanwhile, Korea find some room on the right and a magnificent early cross catches Mexico flat footed. Lee Jae-sung just can’t get a touch to his despairing dive in the six-yard box.
44 mins: This is cagier than Donal Trump’s understanding of a gazebo on the front lawn.
43 mins: One of those long diagonals from earlier reaches Seol on the left to set Korea in motion again, but play is recycled into midfield and Mexico stagger 11 men behind the ball.
42 mins: Korea benefit from a ricochet and can slip Seol in behind but from a narrow angle his shot is wild. Technically I think that might pad the risible xG stats.
39 mins: Was this always going to be so risk averse? It makes sense given the state of the group, but I expected Mexico to be hell bent on victory in front of their home fans. As it is, South Korea have now enjoyed about five minutes of near unbroken possession with all the intensity of a mindfulness podcast.
Photograph: Héctor Vivas/FIFA/Getty Images
38 mins: Mexico’s players are content to watch the Space Purple possession eaters do their thing, focussing instead on covering the turf in their defensive web, denying passing lanes and tracking runners. Eventually the Asian powerhouses are forced to go back to Kim and start from scratch.
36 mins: For the first time all half Mexico drop off and allow Korea some concerted possession in the final third. They circulate the ball from one side to the other, check back then come out the other way, time and again, looking for the vertical pass. The crowd turns a gentle smattering of boos into a caterwaul of frustration.
35 mins: Yeah, this match has stalled. Hopefully there’s a rev-up at half-time and the introduction of a dribbler or two to take the game on.
34 mins: “Korea’s jerseys are a colour I associate with nose tissue containers,” correctly observes Joshua Reynolds.
33 mins: I’m starting to err away from being complimentary to the two defences towards being critical of the two attacks. The absence of any fluidity from either team is making this a jarring watch. So many misplaced passes and poorly timed runs.
31 mins: Mexico catch South Korea offside again. Unlike against Czechia, Korea’s throughballs are coming from deeper areas, allowing the defensive line greater visibility to track both ball and runner.
30 mins: Mexico let the ball do the work for a passage and invite Gallardo to cross from the left, but his centring delivery is overhit and El Tri have to recycle.
29 mins: Another marginal Korean offside. Lee Kang-in delivered a lovely lofted throughball but Lee Jae-sung had just sprung too soon. Mexico’s defensive line has been razor sharp.
27 mins: “Unfortunately this is one of those games in which 0-0 suits both sides,” emails Gary Stover. I guess, but Mexico will be very keen to finish top of the group and enjoy the easier route into the round of 32 and a return to the Azteca.
26 mins: The urgency of both sides in midfield means the ball has spent a considerable amount of time in dispute around halfway. This is fun for people like me, who grew up idolising Bryan Robson, but not ideal for free-flowing football.
James, like me, is under the misapprehension Korea are playing in Lavender, when it is in fact Space Purple.
“Can’t agree with you about the kits,” emails James Humphries, “iirc red (Korea) v green (Mexico) is a bad combination for some visual impairments, so fair enough, but I can’t believe black/lavender is the only plausible alternative for these teams with some cracking colours. Something to ponder during the ad – I mean water – break, no doubt.”
23 mins: Mexico are now playing the greater urgency and forcing the issue but they are struggling to move the ball cleanly in the final third against a committed Korean defence.
Time for some ads.
21 mins: Joshua Reynolds has perfectly described El Tri. “Mexico really excel at being boring, boring, boring, NOT BORING AT ALL”.
20 mins: Save! Superb play from Alvarado on the right, cutting in onto his left and curling over a wonderful cross that Quinones attacks on the penalty spot and directs a decent header that Kim is forced to dive to his right and save. Not only that, he holds onto the effort for good measure.
19 mins: Korea have made a couple of errors in possession across defence that haven’t cost them yet, but they need to be careful.
17 mins: Now Sanchez is offside on the overlap for Mexico. Lots of jabbing and attempted combinations so far but nothing is landing.
16 mins: Offside! But that was one of the all-time great World Cup goalline saves from Alvarez. Son thought he had sprung the offside trap, found by the vertical pass, and the LA man lofted a half-volley over the onrushing keeper and seemingly into the far corner, only for Alvarez to hurtle towards his own net and acrobatically volley clear. All moot once the offside flag is raise.
15 mins: Korea drop into a compact 5-3-2 structure and allow Mexico to dictate terms. El Tri are patient, looking for triangles to unleash Gallardo on the left, but the execution is off. It is very willing in midfield.
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