Exhibitions
Roy Lichtenstein
Drawing from the Artist Rooms’ collection, this free exhibition at Tate Liverpool showcases 20 of Lichtenstein’s iconic pieces, moving from his early love of landscapes to his regularly “homaged” pop art paintings. Also on display will be his three-screen film installation, inspired by a two-week stint at Universal Pictures in 1969.
At Tate Liverpool, 22 September to 17 June
Basquiat: Boom for Real
Nearly 30 years after Jean-Michel Basquiat’s death from a heroin overdose, the first large-scale UK exhibition of his pioneering neo-expressionism opens. Featuring more than 100 works alongside rare photography, film and archive material, the exhibition will aim to showcase the gonzo spirit of the artist, DJ, poet, musician and Madonna’s former boyfriend. Best to book in advance.
At the Barbican, EC2, 21 September to 28 January
Music
LCD Soundsystem
Having assuaged fans’ fears of a dodgy reunion cash-in with the excellent album American Dream, James Murphy, Nancy Whang, Al Doyle et al arrive in the UK for a whistlestop tour, starting on 16 September at Manchester’s Warehouse Project. Save some energy for new song Emotional Haircut, basically this album’s Drunk Girls or North American Scum.
At Warehouse Project, Manchester, 16-17 September; Barrowlands, Glasgow, 19-20 September; Alexandra Palace, N22, 22-23 September
Dissect: A Serialized Music Podcast
Having closely analysed Kendrick Lemar’s To Pimp a Butterfly in season one, this properly geeky, exquisitely detailed podcast returns with an even more daunting task: unpacking every song on Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, an album that muses on the underbelly of fame and power and features nearly every musician on the planet.
dissectpodcast.com
The Horrors
The enigmatic Faris Badwan and his band of merry men return with their appropriately titled fifth album, V. Co-produced alongside Adele’s mate Paul Epworth, and featuring song titles such as Ghost, Point of No Reply and Weighed Down, it doesn’t sound as if they’ve lightened up much, to be honest. Wail along to the sky-scraping choruses while wearing a black blouse and drainpipe jeans from 22 September.
Comedy
Mae Martin
Fresh from the Edinburgh fringe, British-Canadian comedian Mae Martin takes her Dope tour (that’s the title, not a description) around the UK, starting in London’s Soho theatre.
At Soho theatre, W1, 18-30 September, then touring
Simon Amstell
After terrifying carnivores with this year’s vegan mockumentary Carnage, erstwhile Popworld presenter Simon Amstell returns (awkwardly, obviously) to the stage for his fifth standup tour, What Is This?. Apparently, the show focuses on beauty, intimacy, freedom, sex and love, ie all the themes he dealt with on Popworld.
At Leicester Square theatre, WC2, 22-23 September; Oxford Playhouse, 24 September; Leicester Square theatre, 27-28 September, then touring
Theatre
Le Grand Mort
Panto regular Julian Clary takes on a role written specially for him by the late four-time Olivier award-nominated writer Stephen Clark. Billed as a black comedy, it centres on an unsettling dinner party for two.
At Trafalgar Studios, SW1, 20 September to 28 October
Festivals
AND festival
Based in the heart of the Peak District, this bonkers biennial event showcases new cinema, digital culture and art via site-specific installations, field trips – weather-proof footwear and an open mind are required for some events – and cinema screenings (why not watch the terrifying The Descent – a film about flesh-eating, cave-dwelling creatures – in an actual cave?). The ambitious programme has five strands – Strata, Dis-location, Listening to the Dark, Deep Time and Freefall.
At various venues, Castleton, 21-24 September
Open House London
Nosey parkers assemble! This weekend, 800-odd venues not usually accessible to the general public fling open their doors and allow us plebs a chance to poke around. Buildings range from the Crossrail Place Roof Garden to the Thai-style Buddhapadipa Temple and a swing bridge in Greenwich.
openhouselondon.open-city.org.uk
