We’re just about leaving our dark room of post-fashion week recovery. Just peaking through the crack of the door to see what London is offering in terms of cultural highlights.

A different kind of ghost story
The promo for Andrew Haigh’s sophomore feature, All of Us Strangers, has been going on for so long that we’re sure you probably already feel like you’ve seen the film, but it’s officially hitting cinemas this weekend. Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal star in Haigh’s gut-wrenching portrayal of love and loss, portraying two neighbours whose lives become irrevocably intertwined. Inspired by Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel Strangers, when Scott’s character heads to the home of his deceased parents, a liminal world of past and present begins to unfold and boundaries of reality and fantasy blur.

All of Us Strangers is out in cinemas now. 

The Blush Upon Her Cheek
Restoration Court painter Sir Peter Lely’s 1660s Windsor Beauties, a series of eleven portraits capturing ladies of the court of King Charles II, provide the starting point for Studio West’s latest exhibition. A trio of contemporary artists examine and deconstruct problematic notions of traditional beauty, as Leo Costelloe’s sculptural pieces speak to the relationship between gender and adornment, Florence Reekie dissects the classical role of drapery and Ki Yoong’s delicate portraits revise Lely’s original set in a contemporary manner.

The Blush Upon Her Cheek runs at Studio West Gallery until 22nd February, more info here. 

Let’s get loud
This Friday, slunk down to the Sebright Arms for a night of new music courtesy of the lovely folks at Plastic Factory. Irish five-piece Basht are on headline duty, while MYNK and Louis O’Bryen (you’ll know him from his band Sorry) are providing support. All three are excellent, so get down early and fight your way to the front.

If you need any more reason to go, tickets are free. Zero pounds. 

A celebratory bao bun
In celebration of the Lunar New Year, BAO is popping up at London’s Dover Street Market with a series of limited-edition collaborations, joining forces with designers including Carhartt WIP and Simone Rocha on a range of tees and accessories. But, this pop-up isn’t just all about the clothes. On the food front, BAO favourites from the Convni store such as noodles, sake and a limited number of Year of the Dragon buns filled with molten chocolate and cherry.

DSM x BAO will run until 11th February, more info here. 

Tribal Mark
Skepta is a man of many talents and now he’s adding director to his arsenal with the release of his debut film Tribal Mark. Telling the story of a young Nigerian immigrant’s life in London, themes of youth identity and systemic oppression populate the narrative of Skepta’s collaborative coming-of-age short film. With a 90 percent minority ethnic cast and production team, a first of its kind in British cinema, the film was created to highlight societal issues such as racial prejudice, as well as the increased mental health problems for non-EU migrants. The film is also soundtracked to unreleased music from Skepta’s new album, Knife and Fork – even more reason to give it a watch.

Tribal Mark is out in cinemas now. 

We are the champions
On Saturday 13 July 1985, Live Aid took place simultaneously in London and Philadelphia, raising $127 million for Ethiopian famine relief. Now, the story of how the legendary gig came to be has been translated into a musical. Written by John O’Farrell, author of Mrs Doubtfire and Something Rotten, Just For One Day features music from the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, U2, Queen, and Diana Ross. In support of the mission behind the origin of the show, ten percent of proceeds from each ticket will be donated to The Band Aid Charitable Trust, which has continued to work on the prevention or relief of poverty and famine across Africa since 1984.

Just For One Day will run at The Old Vic until 30th March, more info here.

Something for everyone
London’s BAFTA and BIFA qualifying Short Film Festival is back for its 21st edition and it’s bigger than ever before, taking over more venues than in previous years, including the ICA, Rich Mix, Rio and Genesis. Alongside the shorts, there’ll be Q&As, talks and live performances, with highlights this weekend being British Lives, which shows a series of films documenting life outside of the M25 across the rest of the UK, the films of Ian Pons Jewell and the winners ceremony.

London’s Short Film Festival runs until 28th January, more info here.

W is for wine
Following the success of last year’s A to Z of Italy, Jacob Kenedy and Rachel Roddy are bringing it back to chef-founder Kenedy’s Soho joint Bocca di Lupo. This time, the focus is on Italian wines, each bottle is carefully chosen by the restaurant’s head sommelier and paired with a signature dish from the same region. For example, Z is for Zibibbo, a Sicilian grape used to make a dessert wine and has been paired with classic cannoli Siciliani for a sweet finale to your meal. It’s only running until the end of January, so it’s your last weekend to try Bocca’s perfectly paired Italian menu.

Bocca di Lupo is located at 12 Archer St, W1D 7BB, more info here.