HOT LIST: 06/11/2024

Our weekly Hot List is here, and sapphic cinema on an old cargo ship, experimental music, and performances pushing the boundaries of technology or involving 75 litres of fake blood are just a few of the events it features this time. Keep reading to ensure you don't miss out on London's hottest upcoming cultural experiences!

THEATRE

GOING FOR GOLD

PARK THEATRE

Finsbury Park I 6 November to 30 November

A riveting drama inspired by the true story of Frankie Lucas, a young black boxer navigating the vibrant yet challenging world of 1970s London, Going for Gold explores the profound questions of what we fight for and what we hold onto. Frankie's story delves deep into themes of identity, belonging, and the meaning of success. This powerful narrative invites audiences to reflect on the meaning of home, the bonds of family, the enduring spirit of perseverance and what we leave behind.

Find all details and tickets here.

MUSIC & DJS

TAKUYA NAKAMURA

PECKHAM AUDIO

Peckham I 7 November 19:30 - 23:00

Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Takuya Nakamura moved to the United States in 1990 to study under the legendary jazz theorist and composer George Russell at the New England Conservatory of Music. In '94 Nakamura moved to New York City, where he quickly became a staple in the vibrant Jungle scene. His versatility as a musician allowed him to collaborate with an impressive array of artists across different genres. Takuya Nakamura continues to push the boundaries of music, constantly exploring new sounds and techniques. His dedication to his craft and his ability to transcend genres make him a true pioneer in contemporary music.

Book your tickets here.

AVANT-GARDE ELECTRONIC MUSIC

ICA AND EMULSION PRESENT: HALCYON VEIL

ICA

Charing Cross I 9 November 19:00-22:30

The Institute of Contemporary Arts hosts a seminal event highlighting the groundbreaking Halcyon Veil. The event is a collaborative curatorial effort between Houston-based multidisciplinary artist Rabit and Mikey Opie O’Grady of Emulsion, the London-based DIY art magazine collective. Several prominent artists signed to Halcyon Veil will perform live, alongside freeform contributions from special guests and friends of the label, celebrating the fluid approach that it is renowned for. The event will be headlined by affiliates Lol K, Bapari, Rat Section, and IVVVO—with each artist bringing a unique approach to electronic music. From jagged, industrial beats to haunting melodic soundscapes, the lineup embodies the label’s pioneering sound.

Get tickets and more information here.

GROUP EXHIBITION

A DOORWAY TO A VOICE

UNIT 7, 1 DARNLEY ROAD

Hackney Central I 8 November to 10 November

The record label Halcyon Veil is also curating a group exhibition featuring Ewa Poniatowska, Nina Cristante, Viktor Naumovski and Tom Schneider. Halcyon Veil states: "We are promoting a world that is non-sectarian, supporting creative work and representing a place where universal minds, regardless of creeds or dogmas, may abide, attuned with such vibratory forces within as make for love, goodness, justice, and peace, that Nature may continue her creation without interruption or interference."

SHOW OPENING

LOG 3: INTERCEPTOR

PLICNIK SPACE INITIATIVE

Deptford I Private view 8 November 18:00-21:00

You are invited to LOG 3: Interceptor, with works by Beatrice Vorster, Szilvia Bolla, Sabrina Ratté, and Evangelia Dimitrakopoulou. The events in LOG 1 through 3 are based on the experiences of an unknown agent, following the traces of a lost entity through spacetime, profiling its trajectory in the process. It has reconstructed this moment within its limited ability, piecing together fragments to form a whole. Housed in a site-specific AI-assisted mise en scène, the exhibition aims to open questions on data harvesting, digital profiling, contemporary mass categorisation, and the resulting data chimera. This show is the final in a three-part story; an experimental curatorial project led by Melle Nieling and Amélie Mckee.

Find all details here.

PERFORMANCE

IKLECTIK: STAR & SHADOW

SAINT JAMES HATCHAM CHURCH

New Cross Gate I 9 November 19:30

Co-curated by IKLECTIK, CSTC and Gustav Thomas, a live event will take place SIMULTANEOUSLY at Star & Shadow in Newcastle and at Goldsmiths in London, celebrating once again IKLECTIK’s 10th anniversary of pushing boundaries in experimental music and arts. The event will feature three remote collaborative performances using JackTrip technology, a revolutionary low-latency tool that enables real-time, multi-channel performances across distances. Audiences in Newcastle and London will witness artists from both cities performing together as though they were in the same room, showcasing the power of technology to create new forms of live artistic expression.

You can find all details and purchase your tickets here.

FILM + DISCUSSION

REDEYE SCREENING: YOUNG SOUL REBELS

JUMBI

Peckham I 10 November 19:00 – 22:30

REDEYE, the film club looking to encourage young, underrepresented voices to enrich creative conversations with their perspectives, is hosting a special screening and discussion at Jumbi, a sound bar and restaurant celebrating the sounds and flavours of the African-Caribbean diaspora. Young Soul Rebels is Isaac Julien’s delightfully rebellious 1991 debut feature about sex, politics, music, and friendship during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, London. DJ duo Chris (Valentine Nonyela) and Caz (Mo Sesay) host a pirate radio show. Chris is keen to make it big on the radio but Caz is feeling the brunt of being Black and queer. The tensions burst when the pair become implicated in the murder of a mutual friend.

See all information and register for free here.

FILM + LIVE MUSIC

JUNIPER TREE WITH LIVE SCORE

RIO CINEMA

Dalston I 10 November 18:00

Filmed in Iceland's striking landscape in spectacular black-and-white, this feminist retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairytale stars a young Björk. A deeply atmospheric film, and a potent allegory for misogyny and its attendant tragedies, The Juniper Tree is a major rediscovery for art house audiences. An ensemble of eight musicians will perform the film's medieval and folk-inspired score live alongside the screening.

Find out more and book your tickets here.

PERFORMANCE

OCEAN HESTER STEFAN CHILLINGWORTH: BLOOD SHOW

BATTERSEA ARTS CENTRE

Clapham Junction I 12 November to 23 November

In a cyclical feat of endurance and precision, Blood Show is a raw, euphoric choreography between three figures and 75 litres of fake blood. A call to action to put what’s inside on the outside and defend against a violent gaze, Blood Show questions rebirth and how we all carry our ghosts with us. The show is part of artist Ocean Hester Stefan Chillingworth’s The Extinction Trilogy. Three works (Monster Show, Blood Show and Nature Show) present a slow experiment in masking performers and trying to delete humans from the stage, in order to make us think more about our curiosity into what people ‘really’ look like.

Content trigger warning: simulated violence and fake blood.

More information and tickets available here.

FILM + Q&A

SAPPHIC CINEMA: LOVE LIES BLEEDING

THEATRESHIP

Canary Wharf I 12 November 19:00 - 23:00

Abi Asisa's Sapphic Cinema is dedicated to highlighting FLINTA (femme, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, trans) stories within queer cinema, prioritising people of colour, and they put on monthly movie nights at Theatreship, a performing arts space and vibrant community hub on a historic ship in the old docks of Canary Wharf. In the film Love Lies Bleeding, reclusive gym manager Lou becomes enamoured with Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder hitchhiking to Las Vegas to chase her dreams. When their passionate romance sparks a wave of violence, they become increasingly entangled in the dangerous world of Lou's criminal family. Alongside the film, there will be a live Q&A with Max Disgrace, a London-based film director, weightlifting coach/PT, trans man of Chinese descent and proud pervert. Max’s work focuses on queer desire and sexual intimacies, inhabiting realms of mischievousness, playfulness, resistance, sensuality, leather and pleasure.

Find all details and get your tickets here.