You want plans? We got plans. Lots of juicy plans for you to fill up your weekend with. 

No paps, please!
Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck’s latest documentary is a whistle-stop tour of the camera, charting its development from its invention in 1816 to the selfie-obsessed paparazzi days of the 21st century. Questioning whether we’ve lost control of self-documentation or if the camera allows us to discover ourselves in a new light, the director duo dissect the camera’s ability to both delight and deceive across history.

Fantastic Machine is out in cinemas now. 

Beauty In Chaos
North London’s Hew Hood Gallery’s latest show is a group exhibit titled Beauty in Chaos, bringing together a lineup of up-and-coming artists whose practices meditate on the fundamental quirks of human nature. Preslav Kostov’s work engages with identity and the recollection of memory, while Solanne Bernard’s sculptures are designed with abstracted body parts in mind and Danilo Stojanović, Albie Romero and Scarlett Eliza Budden each present a series of large-scale paintings finding beauty in chaos. 

Beauty In Chaos will run at Hew Hood Gallery until May 5th and is located at 30 Thornhill Road, N1 1HW, more info here. 

Drag Queens, Rent Boys, Pick Pockets, Junkies
Our friends at Record 28 Books have just opened the doors to a new home on Hackney Road, jam-packed full of the rare books and ephemera we know and love them for. Founded by Nick Mennell in 2018, Record 28 Books has had a series of transient pop-ups across London but this one is here to stay. Nick has a knack for unearthing some real gems; we’re talking limited editions of cult works like Lee Black Childers’ Drag Queens, Rent Boys, Pick Pockets, Junkies, The Innocents by Taryn Simons and Robert Mapplethorpe’s Black Males – make sure to check it out.

Record 28 Books is located at 61 Hackney Road, E2 7NX, check out their Instagram here.

Deities and Demons
Soft Cell icon Marc Almond has swapped synths for collages, opening an exhibition of his artwork at Flitcroft St gallery. You’ve missed the opening night, which saw Almond perform a very intimate set (including a cover of Siouxsie and the Banshee’s Love In A Void) but you still have plenty of time to see the musician’s wonderful exhibition of Dadaesque works, titled Deities and Demons.

Deities and Demons runs until 2nd May.

What to watch
The fifth edition of the Queer East Film Festival is arriving in cinemas across London with a unique programme of features and shorts from across Asia. Screening in various venues including the Barbican, Genisis Cinema and Rich Mix, this weekend includes the UK Premiere of the Japanese series If It’s With You, a run of Hu Wei’s Long Time between Sunsets and Underground Waves at the Museum of the Home and a 50th anniversary screening of Isao Fujisawa’s Bye Bye Love at BFI Southbank.

Queer East Film Festival runs until April 29th, more info here. 

Hello sausage
Bangers has been curing hangovers across London for a while, and now the much-loved delivery concept is finally getting a permanent home in East London. Best known for their smashed sausage buns (hence the ‘Hello sausage’ tagline), bacon sarnies and hashbrowns, Bangers’ new breakfast bar will have bloody marys and coffee on tap alongside an extended menu of brekkie delights.

Bangers is located at 5 Leonard Circus, EC2A 4DQ, more info here.

Clear ya shelves
There’s never a better excuse than Record Store Day to add some new vinyl to your collection, and Next Door Records have a plethora of stock to choose from this weekend. The West London record store will be hosting guest DJ sets and performances throughout the day, while at night the spot transforms into a bar, so make sure you stick around for a pint.

Next Door Records is located at 304 Uxbridge Rd, W12 7LJ, more info here. 

Double whammy
Not one but two new outposts from Manteca’s David Carter have opened their doors in Borough Market this month. Agora has been designed to mimic Greece’s bustling markets with a menu that revolves around a charcoal rotisserie cooking chicken, lamb and pork alongside a menu of wood-fired flatbreads and a changing selection of seasonal, ingredient-led meze dishes. Meanwhile, Oma is serving an elevated selection of Agean dishes, ranging from Oxtail Giouvetsi and charred squid skewers to classic small plates of hummus and baba ganoush.

Oma and Agora are located at 2-4 Bedale Street, SE1 9AL, more info here.