exhibition

Art By Animals

I got rather overexcited a couple of years ago when the BBC announced it was showing the first film made by chimps. It was a bit of a let-down. It promised to give me an insight into the way chimps see the world. Well, yeah, it did that. This doesn’t stop me getting all fired up for Art by Animals, though. Ever the optimist, I’ll be there with high expectations of this art that zoos have apparently been encouraging animals to do since the mid-50s. The danger is that it feeds the arguments of those who love to say about pieces of modern art: ‘a monkey could do that.’ I feel an important distinction is that this exhibition considers the art that animals can and cannot do rather than art that could or could not have been down by animals. / Delaina Haslam

festival

Felt Book Launch and Q&A

OK, this is going to mean nothing to most of you. If the names Felt, Lawrence or Denim don't set your heart beating a little faster then just move along now, nothing to see here. For those of you left, probably about eight of you, this is kinda big deal. All the original members of Felt (yes, the Primitive Painters line-up) are going to be in the house for the launch of Felt - The Book - a huge limited edition book documenting the band's career with never-seen photographs from the archives and text by Lawrence himself. There will be some clips from Paul Kelly's heartbreaking feature-film look at Lawrence's post-Felt troubles, Lawrence of Belgravia, a Q&A, a signing and then a DJ session. There's no mention of them actually playing live though - a crying shame. / Rob Valid

festival

Student Film Festival

Software editing suites, hand-held HD cameras, stills cameras that shoot beautiful video: there's never been a better time to be a student film-maker. Equipment is getting so cheap, and so practical, that the actual making of decent film is suddenly not just in the hands of a very rich few (though of course student fees and the costs of getting your film actually out there mean that it's no socialist utopia just yet). But a great time for an international student film festival eh? Well the people at the LCC thought so, and even the briefest of glimpses at some of the clips online  - animated snails, horror stories, sex, duels and Occupy docs - should convince you too. The three-day festival is a treasure trove of bright young work, and the workshops, parties and masterclasses bode well for the next generation of London film-making talent. / Rob Valid

festival

Teenage Wasteland

Ways in which this event is great, number 1: the choice of 'teen' films being shown through the day is im-bloody-peccable. I mean, Ten Things I Hate About You? Election? Mallrats? Frat Party? On the same day? Count me in dude. Number 2: the guest presenters. Any event that has the Guardian's Grace Dent, Emmy the Great, Joe Dunthorne and DJs from the Popjustice site all competing for your attention is going to win big, right? Number 3: the always entertaining-in-a-cringing-with-embarrassment-kinda-way Teen Confessions event, where comedians and writers relive their most gawky teenage experiences, often with the help of their diaries, which this week features the writer of this year's best new TV comedy Fresh Meat, Rose Heiney, and one-time le cool contributor (and the Times' resident expert on The Archers and gin),  Kat Brown. Number 4: it's named after the sixth best track on Scary Monsters. Unmissable. / Rob Valid

cinema

Blue Velvet

Pretty much everyone’s heard of David Lynch; pretty much everyone will pretend to know something about his films; but very few – generally speaking – have actually seen any of them. Of course, there is a reason for this: non-linear narratives, weird sex and surrealism’s never going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But it does make him the most intriguing and beguiling director of our time. So, if you either weren’t an adult in 1986, or didn’t fancy it back then, why not watch his most accessible (and Oscar-nominated) feature on the big screen? You will get Dennis Hopper on fine freak-out form, luscious visuals and a journey into the dark heart of American suburbia for your troubles. Still a classic, it’s not to be missed. / Matthew Lewis

dance

Flamenco Festival London

Originating from the maze of hilly streets in the one-time Moorish citadel of Granada, soulful flamenco travels well through time and space. Here, in the ordered surrounds of Sadler’s Wells theatre it holds you in a visceral grip and beguiles you with its graceful power. Championing the musical genre in both its traditional and contemporary forms, the Flamenco Festival London plays host to a range of Spanish stars. As good to watch as to listen to, it keeps tension high and pulses racing with an art form that is inherently dramatic. Highpoints include leading flamenco guitarists Gerardo Núñez and Vicente Amigo and gypsy dancer Carmen Cortés. Sadler’s Wells likes updating a genre with an exciting twist and the two-week festival has plenty including examples of the Olga Pericet dance company’s awe-inspiring athleticism and alternative group La Shica who splice the Andalucian sound with both hip-hop and pop. / Maeve Hosea

exhibition

Stuart Pearson Wright

Every now and then you pop in on an exhibition which just feels right, feels like it's in a genre of its own. That was the feeling I got on first seeing Stuart Pearson Wright's Together in Electric Dreams. At first glance there should be no obvious connection between his subjects and style. Hugely tattooed musclemen and gym chicks are painted heroically on wonky china cups. Beauty queen types in ornate frames sit next to scratchy line drawings of skulls. Suburban homes rub shoulders with tower blocks. But somehow it all hangs together, transforming the space at Riflemakers into a glorious peak into another, much much odder world. / Rob Valid

le other

Abu Zaad

You may have guessed by my name that I’m not 100% English. Born and bred here with an English mother and Syrian father; I was raised on a diet that included some of the delightful culinary offerings the Middle East has brought into this fine world. And every so often my taste buds alert my brain that I require a good fill of said home comforts and I’m drawn to Little Beirut. Situated up on Edgware Road it’s filled with shisha shops, Arab eateries and halal fast-food joints. One of particular note is Abu Zaad. Syrian in origin, it’s tasty and cheap and perfect if you’re wanting to avoid the booze. You may only know a few of the dishes but the foul mukalla, fattoush or the regular hummus are exceptional; give the cheese sambousek a whirl, taste the intriguing kibbeh mezze dish and then finish on their delightfully tasty, not to mention thrifty, range of shawarmas. Cheap, tasty and a sure-fire winner. / Firas Waez

exhibition

Robert Montgomery

Robert Montgomery’s billboards grabbed my attention this morning from the side of the road. Situated where Old Street meets Shoreditch High St, they’re three simple yet poignant billboards that display Montgomery’s poetry and feelings in response to what he sees as a moral failure of capitalism. It Turned Out This Way Cos You Dreamed It This Way exists to capture your imagination when you least expect it. In the past he’s hijacked the sides of trucks in Istanbul, set fire to words in Paris and lit up the skies of Brooklyn. The Occupy movement gets a quick name check; fittingly so having just taken over the nearby Shoreditch Courthouse.  His work is heavily influenced by Debord’s “The Society of the Spectacle” which argues many things, one of them being that this spectacular society we’ve inherited has affected how we perceive and hindered our critical thought. An interesting message in an important world time. / Firas Waez

talk

All Ears

Need a shake up? There are certain things that’ll do the trick: traveling, getting the sack, having kids, and tonight’s event at the Old Queen’s Head. All Ears is a smack in the face (in a lovely way) with some really real, real-life stories. The three speakers are homeless person Vijay Jagun, sex industry worker Madam Becky, and my mother’s favourite Beefeater and YouTube sensation Bill Callaghan. I don’t know about you, but Susie really digs that guy. So for her sake, I’m in. But aside from that, sometimes I just want to leave the pub with a spring in my step and new thoughts sparkling around in my head, instead of stumbling home with the single thought that is: kebab. Let tonight be that night. Inspire me London! / Lou Whitehead

talk

A Short Guide to Deathstyle

It’s one helluva thought : how can I die well? Not exactly a question you should proffer in the pub with your mates as you’ll probably be clouted with the morbid sticker and sent home to dice with your dark thoughts alone. However therein lies the problem, we don’t think about the end because we’d rather not contemplate what a lot of us feel we have no control over. WRONG. There’s a lot you can do to live life to the fullest, how to design your life around your demise, what we can learn from those people, cultures and religions obsessed with death. One such place these macabre thoughts can sparkle is at the School of Life this Wednesday for Deathstyle 101 with faculty member Roman Krznaric, who will delve into the folds of our impermanence for a more balls-on approach to it. / Sofi Goddard

gig

Friends

Another week, another tasty offering to be had in the belly of XOYO. Last time I fronted the roundabout it was for a Bugged Out party. And it was my birthday. Oh what a dangerous mix that turned out to be! Now I return for Friends – the band fronted by the seriously hot Samantha Urbani, whose lyrics alone ooze sexy defiance. And yes, I have been singing ‘I’m His Girl’ in the mirror lately. This five-piece band from Brooklyn (I know, yet another band from Brooklyn!) have been been mentioned in the same breath as names such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Warpaint and Tom Tom Club. Tonight, being a school night, may be a little more restrained than my last XOYO escapade. But with a band this hot, I’m going at it like a birthday girl inside. / Lou Whitehead