Our weekly drop of the hottest cultural events in London is here. Check out the must-see events curated by our team and grab your tickets before they’re gone.
EXHIBITION
I'M NOT OKAY: AN EMO RETROSPECTIVE
BARBICAN MUSIC LIBRARY
Barbican I 26 September to 15 January
A pilot exhibition exploring the rise of Britain’s Y2K lost subculture: Emo. The exhibition highlights a pivotal era when bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Finch sparked a transatlantic exchange, fuelling a distinct UK movement led by acts such as Funeral for a Friend. Featuring personal photos snapped on early digital and mid-00s phone cameras, content for this exhibition has been digitally unearthed by the Museum of Youth Culture from old hard drives and Photobucket accounts.
All event information here.
SCREENING
REBEL REBEL CINE CLUB: SALAD DAYS + TALK + DJ
100 CLUB
Soho I 14 October 19:00
A documentary that delves into the influential DIY punk scene in the nation’s capital during the 1980s. This was an era when pioneering bands broke away from the constraints of major record labels and mainstream media. They created their own music, booked their own shows, and cultivated a thriving underground movement. Thirty years later, DC's original DIY ethos stands as a testament to the optimism of youth, the power of community, and the enduring strength of conviction.
Stay after the film for a live DJ set from Pam Hogg and an exclusive Q&A with writer director Scott Crawford.
All event information and tickets here.
SCREENING
THE NICKEL CINEMA: DIRTY TALK!!
ALL IS JOY STUDIOS
Soho I 18 October 19:00 - 00:00
Nickel Cinema is London's new independent grindhouse cinema, dedicated to offbeat, underseen film.giving audiences the chance to see rare and historic 16mm film prints projected, alongside VHS and digital.
On Friday 18 October, they're screening a smutty double bill of X-rated and rarely screened gems involving obscene telephone calls, right in the heart of the red light district. Along with sordid surprises, including rare public access TV footage, prank calls, video DJs, trailers and shorts.
All event information and tickets here.
ART GALLERY
AUSTIN LEE: DIVINE FOOL
CARL KOSTYAL
Mayfair I 7 October to 9 November
In Divine Fool, Las Vegas-born, New York based artist Austin Lee blends the sacred with the absurd. The exhibition asks viewers to consider the figure the fool, not only as the court jester or idiot savant of old, but its present day, perhaps gentler, incarnation – a figure who embodies both wisdom and innocence. Lee is known for his digital-to-physical process, using 3D software to create compositions that he transfers to canvas through airbrushing, giving his works a soft, glowing energy.
All event information here.
EROTICA MAGAZINE: LAUNCH PARTY
LOVER PRESENTS: SENSORED 03 LAUNCH PARTY
28 PETER STREET
Soho I 19 October 18:30 - 21:30
Sensored, London’s art erotica magazine, is launching its third issue in collaboration with Lover Management. Set in an atmospheric empty sex shop in the heart of Soho, this event will bring together art, culture, and sex positivity in an intimate space. Join for a unique night featuring guest speakers Ajamu X and Tom Selmon, alongside performances from Electric Adam.
All event information and tickets here.
FASHION CREATIVE PROCESS IMMERSION
(THE) WARM METAL PROCESS
PHOTOBOOK CAFE
Old Street I 12 October to 13 October
Immerse yourself in Warm Metal fashion creative process: from concept through finished product, with workshops and discussions exploring the messy, chaotic – but beautiful – world of process.
For two days, the café gallery will transform into Warm Metal’s studio space – showcasing work-in-progress clothing, moodboards, and sketches.
All event information here.
MUSIC
THE AGE OF CONSENT 40 REIMAGINED
+ POST-SHOW AFTER-PARTY
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
19 October 18:30 or 21:30 + party until 01:00
The Chateau presents this piece of musical and political history from 1980s Britain, live and reimagined through the voices of ground-breaking queer and trans contemporary artists. This music acted as a beacon of hope for a generation of disenfranchised LGBTQIA+ youth under Thatcher’s repressive Conservative government, against the backdrop of the miners’ strike and the early onset of the AIDS crisis. The Age of Consent is presented 40 years on, with its message still more relevant than ever.
All event information and tickets here.
PREVIEW SCREENING
LAYLA + Q&A WITH DIRECTOR AMROU AL-KADHI
BFI
Southbank I 23 October 18:00
Amrou Al-Kadhi’s first feature considers the relationship between Palestinian-British drag performer Layla and their white, straightlaced new love interest, Max. Set against the backdrop of Feathers (a larger-than-life fictional queer space threatened by – the very real – spectre of gentrification), the pair meet when Layla performs an outrageous act at a drab corporate event.
What does it mean to love someone? How much are you willing to compromise? And in the messy negotiation of tradition, gender presentation and differing communities, who gains and who must leave a part of themselves behind?
All event information and tickets here.