See our archive of Weekend Combos →

FRIDAY 4th December – SUNDAY 6th December 2020

How to write the best film ever made
It’s the weekend, you’re dying to get back to the warm sense of sanctuary that only a darkened auditorium can offer but you don’t know what film to go for. We’re here for you. Head over to the Barbican, a fail-safe bet at the worst of times, and settle down to David Fincher‘s latest Oscar front-runner Mank, starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried.

Based on the making of Citizen Kane, specifically the writing of its lauded screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz, Fincher treads on this hallowed turf with an assured touch, delivering a hugely ambitious film on the Golden Age of studio Hollywood (for those unfamiliar with Citizen Kane, we’ve written a convenient bio here). Shot in black and white, with a superbly delivered, razor sharp dialogue that is Fincher’s raison d’etre, it’s the perfect excuse to indulge in highest form of cinema at a time when it needs your love and appreciation more than ever.

Mank is screening at Barbican all weekend. Find screen times and ticket info here. 

Evil cherubs and fairies in litter-strewn alleys
Galleries and museums have re-opened meaning you can forget that virtual hoola this weekend (for now, anyway) and head down to Tate Britain, where a dazzling display of lights will greet you at the entrance. Inside things are even better. As part of a new display dedicated to fairy painting, British artist Mat Collishaw has been invited to add his contemporary interpretation of the mythical creatures alongside those of William Black and Richard Dadd.

Collishaw has been obsessed with fairy paintings since he emerged as a member of the YBA’s alongside Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, tapping into their precarious separation of beauty and horror. This balance of opposing polarities runs through much of Collishaw’s work, most notably in his zoetropes that initially appear nice but climax as rather nasty. As Oscar Wilde said, “Beauty has the seeds of its own destruction within.”

The fairy display is on at Tate Britain until August 2021.

Read our interview will Collishaw here.

Virtually perfect
It’s the third year of Fred Perry’s annual All Our Tomorrows weekender – the brand’s celebration of new British music and culture – and it’s one unlike any other. Whereas before the British label would pack out the 100 Club with crowds ready for some lovely live music, this year it’s gone digital. But while we won’t quite be the same, it does mean plenty of additional content: expect artist interviews, podcasts on music production and in-depth panel talks.

Headlining the event are some of the best and brightest young UK talent, with Jockstrap and Working Mens Club headlining alongside the likes of PVA, Louis Culture, KDvsGoliath and Salmon Cat. If you hear anybody complaining about a lack of new bands, send their stupidity this way.

We know you’re all missing live music. Us too. Lucky for you we’re taking our annual weekender online for 2020, so you can catch all the action, wherever you are. This weekend let us transport you to the @100clublondon with two days of music and conversation.

— Fred Perry (@fredperry) December 1, 2020

All Our Tomorrows will take place on 5th and 6th December, find out more here.

Treat ya’sen
Pubs are back open, and to get your hands on a beer you have to order a substantial meal. Now quit debating the substance of a scotch egg and learn the real meaning of substantial at Homerton pub The Plough, where they have a new residency by London duo Hot 4 U. Formed by Matthew Scott (or Cub fame) and Eddy Tejada (of St John fame), the duo are rustling up some of the best food in the capital, and they’ve landed at The Plough to do pub grub their way.

With rotating menus, these two lads are straight out of Anthony Bourdain’s school of ‘eat everything, try everything and cook it fucking well’. There’s oysters with green glitter sabayon, grilled salsify in romesco aged cheese, beef grilled flatbread and chicken offal skewers in smoked mayo. Oh, and the tour de force: the pair’s bone marrow whisky luge. Wash it all down with a pint of Guinness and you’ll know the real meaning of substantial.

Hot 4 U are currently in residency at The Plough, 23-25 Homerton High St, E9 6JP