The old saying is that you never know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. That can be applied to any number of people, things and situations and it should make us more appreciative of the time we have. This Summer, London will say farewell to a couple of sporting legends and it is fitting that people will get the chance to see them one last time. On a more sombre note, anyone visiting the Whale exhibition in South Kensington will be mindful of how we nearly lost a magnificent species due to basic human greed.
Foxlow – Chiswick
Brought to you by the people behind the Hawksmoor brand, Foxlow offer the same expert sourcing and cooking of the finest quality steaks. The menu is a carnivore’s dream with all the most popular cuts available like hanger, ribeye and fillet. Prices are kept at a reasonable level and there are some well-considered chicken dishes available in case customers need a break from red meat.The opening of the Foxlow restaurant in Chiswick has been a welcome addition to an already thriving culinary scene. It’s tucked away from the main drag and therefore manages to be intimate, yet still family friendly. The cocktail bar is an attraction in its own right and the Sunday roasts have become something of a W4 institution.
IAAF World Athletics Championships – London Stadium
London hosts the biannual gathering of elite track and field performers and spectators can expect to witness some almighty battles as Britain’s athletes vie for top honours. Memories of the “Super Saturday” of the 2012 Olympics will no doubt come flooding back as the runners, jumpers and throwers step up to the global spotlight.All eyes will be on two titans of sport. Britain’s Mo Farah has dominated long distance running for six years and will be looking to bow out of the 5,000 and 10,000 metres unbeaten. However, there is one swan song that will be even more emotional. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt will finally bring the curtain down on what must be one of the most star-studded careers in sporting history. Bolt is up there with Muhammad Ali, Maradona and Serena Williams as, not only a supreme sportsperson, but as an all-round cultural icon. We may not see his like again.
Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical – London Coliseum
If ever a piece of popular music cried out for a West End dramatisation, it must be this sprawling ambitious work. Birthed in the fevered imagination of Jim Steinman, Bat Out Of Hell took Springsteen’s American storytelling and added gothic overkill and extra guitars. Steinman had all the storylines worked out even before an unknown journeyman named Meat Loaf was drafted in to front the project.Fifty million album sales later and Steinman is now a live spectacular. The story of teen angst, forbidden love and power ballads is set in a dystopian near future where young rebels must prove their worth in order to break free from the system. All Meat Loaf’s hits are included and sung with as much air punching gusto as the youthful cast and enthusiastic audience can muster.
https://londoncoliseum.org/whats-on/bat-out-of-hell/
Whales: Beneath the Surface – Natural History Museum
When the most famous science museum in the world decided to relocate its most famous exhibit, there was quite a bit of pushback as dinosaur fans wanted the massive Diplodocus skeleton to remain in the main lobby. It took something rather spectacular to persuade them otherwise and that something was a 75-foot Blue Whale skeleton. Everything about whales is awe inspiring. Their size, variety, intelligence and resilience always draw us in and the Natural History Museum have pulled out all the stops in this exhibition.The show plots the evolution of the species from land mammals to giants of the deep with preserved examples of their incredible anatomy. Graphics, watercolours and interactive installations give us a sense of the sheer size and capability of these precious animals that were once almost hunted to the brink of extinction.
