FRIDAY 15th April – MONDAY 18th April

Yes, you read that correctly, it’s a bumper Easter bank holiday weekend. So gorge on culture, and chocolate. Yum.

Not for the faint-hearted
Begin the weekend with an epic: Robert Eggers’ incredible Viking thrill ride, The Northman. Everything ramped up to bone-rattlin’ levels, this is a Scandi revenge noir that’ll leave you well and truly shuck. Alexander Skarsgård is Amleth, our hirsute, musclebound protagonist on a mission to avenge the murder of his father. Dark to the core, with violence unchained, the story flickers with brooding mythicism as Skarsgård is joined by Willem Dafoe as a capering jester, a witchy Bjork, Nicole Kidman as an ethereal queen, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy and Bill Skarsgård, to name a few. Like Eggers’ incredible 2019 film, The Lighthouse, this is something to immerse yourself in – an empty cinema room would be ideal, or a Viking longboat.

The Northman is in cinemas now.

Let them eat cake
Olivia Sterling has been causing quite a stir with her reputation for tackling hard-hitting issues via a vibrant colour palette and cartoon-like flair. Her latest exhibition at Guts Gallery is a brilliant showcase challenging the hierarchal systems of power by reversing the oppressor’s role, in particular addressing violence against women and more specifically women of colour. Caricatured cannibalism takes centre stage as she turns the archetypal white man into the victim of a woman’s knife and fork.

Olivia Sterling: Manslaughter runs at Guts Gallery until 28th April, more info here.

Balenciaga pop-up alert
The French fashion house have set up stall on London’s Mount Street with a special pop-up celebrating their Le Cagole line, featuring bags, wallets and shoe styles inspired by maximalist It Bags. (FYI, Le Cagole is French slang for an over-the-top attitude – tattoo it on us.)

Impossible to miss, the store is fully decorated in bright pink fake fur, like a mishap at the Muppets factory, and offers visitors the chance to customise their purchases with either foil-stamped or crystal-studded initials.

Balenciaga’s Le Cagole pop-up is located at 12 Mount Street, W1K 2RD and runs until 8th May.

Virtual eggs are just as good as chocolate ones
Fully in the Easter spirit, French fashion house AMI have organised a virtual Egg Hunt taking place across several days in the following cities: Paris, New York, London, Milan, Hamburg, Los Angeles, Miami, Seoul and Tokyo, as well as throughout mainland China.

But what does this mean, we hear you ask? Similar to Pokémon GO (remember that?) participants will play on their smartphones, hunting down as many hidden virtual eggs as they can. And here’s the incentive, eggs mean prizes – unlocking a variety of rewards including AMI goodies, an AMI x Yann Couvreur chocolate egg and – drum roll – a single golden egg that, once cracked open, reveals an invitation to attend AMI’s SS23 runway show in Paris.

So log in and get hunting!

AMI’s Egg Hunt runs until Sunday 24th April, find more information here.

Easter, but make it quaffable
Speaking of egg hunts, London wine legends Top Cuvée have set up their own with a lovely boozy twist. Teaming up with their pals from the London food scene – including Yard Sale Pizza, Jolene, Supa Ya Ramen, Patty & Bun, Brindisa, amongst others – the event takes place on Clissold Park in Stoke Newington, where participants will gather at noon on Easter Sunday and the hunting shall begin. Find QR codes around the park for the chance to win prizes that range from wine to chocolate and in-store discounts. Warning, we will be there, we come to win.

Sign up for the Top Cuvée egg hunt here.

Mad men gone mad
A giant pack of fags, 60s advertising cuttings, Looney Tunes covered in bling and Scooby-Doo characters lost in a Kool-Aid binge are just some of the things you can expect to see at Too Much Of A Good Thing, the new exhibition by UK artist Charlotte Rose. Toying with classic marketing iconography and iconic brands, Rose subverts our consumer culture, peeking behind the curtain to reveal the reality behind the billboards.

Intrigued? Go to the HERO Instagram page for an exclusive tour of the exhibition by Rose.

Too Much Of A Good Thing runs at Noho Studios until 17th April – follow Charlotte Rose on Instagram.

This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us
The Sparks brothers arrive in London with their beautifully named A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip show. And a steady drip it has been, as the LA duo were meant to play London’s Roundhouse many moons ago, but had to reschedule to this weekend due to something called Covid. But now’s the time, and it’s going to be special. Theatrical, fun and downright odd, the brothers put on a show like no other. And if you’re scratching your head at the name Sparks, just check out Edgar Wright’s recent documentary (currently on Netflix) about the band and you’ll be as knowledgeable as you are sold – trailer below.

Sparks play London’s Roundhouse on Sunday 17th April – tickets are still available.

An escape from the masses
Alternatively, if you’d rather hide away from the Easter holiday madness with a perfect glass of wine as company, listen up. The team behind The Sun Tavern and Discount Suit Company have a new joint open in E2. Named Umbrella Workshop, this tiny venue-slash-shop seats just twelve and offers a bountiful range of whiskies, cocktails and wines. And if you want to keep the party going, their bottled cocktails are available to take home – avoid the offy this Easter and treat yourself to a real good time.

Umbrella Workshop is located at Unit 10, Cleeve Workshops, E2 7JD.