They say that crossroads are places filled with mysterious significance that involve fate and decision. Football teams, pop groups and superhero franchises all reach a point where they adapt or die and London is a place where careers and creativity can be tested to the limit. Actors, musicians and sportspeople may come and go but their ideas and actions remain with us.
Fans of sitting in a meadow listening to trippy sounds waft over from a distant stage need to steer clear. Field Day is a bit of a different proposition from what it’s name implies. The bill is full of cutting edge urban talent, sharp and sassy R’n’B singers and underground DJs. The action is up close and personal and nothing less than total commitment is required.
Local hero, Skepta tops the bill and other headline acts include Jorja Smith and original Afrobeat pioneer, Femi Kuti from Nigeria. The action is spread over two nights and there will plenty of food stalls, bars and merchandise points on hand should you need a quick meal or a hoodie celebrating your favourite grime star.
The second tier of English football may lack the big-name international signings that grace the Premier League, but a case could be made that it provides a much more competitive spectacle. You can rarely buy lasting success in the Championship. Teams are more equally matched and any a top four place isn’t a mark of achievement as it is in the upper tier.
Only the top two qualify automatically. The third place is decided via dogfight between four other teams that culminates in a climatic Wembley duel to see who goes up. This year’s contenders have big ambitions and fans of clubs like Leeds Utd will believe that they belong in the top flight. Prepare for war!
http://www.wembleystadium.com/events/2019/sky-bet-championship-play-off-final
The climatic event of a decade-long series of blockbuster movies that has established the Marvel universe as a world-embracing phenomenon hits the multiplexes of London with a (ahem) vengeance. Drawing all the story arcs of Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk and Thor together, Endgame features their final showdown with Thanos, the intergalactic villain who snapped half the universe out of existence at the end of Infinity War – the penultimate part of the Avengers franchise.
The film, which seems to be paving the way for a series of reboots in the coming decade, has smashed all box office records, grossing over a billion dollars worldwide in its first weekend. Although the different narratives can be complex, Marvel productions, which are best appreciated on London’s imax mega screens, can be enjoyed as standalone events. The sheer Hollywood star power on show in these movies is reminiscent of how, over two hours, Harry Potter seemed to showcase the entire British film industry.
https://mobi.odeon.co.uk/cinemas/bfi_imax/211/
Thirty years ago, pop entrepreneur, Nigel Martin Smith herded five fresh faced youths into a rehearsal studio and showed them a picture of American boyband New Kids On The Block. A lot of hits, sellout tours and meltdowns have followed, but the three remaining members of Take That are still a massive draw all over the UK with millions of fans, an incredible achievement in these times of “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” celebrity and equally instant obscurity.
Take That can do cheesy. They can also do moody. What they excel at, however, is an unwavering focus on pleasing their fans that rarely exists outside the rarified pressure cabin, inhabited by pure pop acts. It’s a greatest hits tour and that’s what the fans will get. Take That don’t “reimagine” or “reinterpret” their songs. They put them out there in all their bombastic glory. If you want gloomy introspection, go visit the London Dungeon.
https://www.theo2.co.uk/events/detail/take-that-greatest-hits-live
