Annoyingly, this weekend isn’t four days long and we’re pretty bummed about it, but below are some things that might make the two days a little more bearable while we all wait for the next bank holiday to roll around. 

Retribution and revenge
Monkey Man is a revenge tale of epic proportions, directed by and starring Dev Patel, the British actor revels in a bloody tale of torment. Patel’s protagonist is an anonymous young man on a campaign for vengeance, after making a living in an underground fight club where skilled fighters repeatedly beat him for cash, he finds a way to infiltrate the elite and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Monkey Man is out in cinemas now. 

Living Room
While the majority of photographs of working-class Britain in the late 80s and early 90s depicted a sullen side of society in black and white, Nick Waplington was showing it in technicolour. First published in 1991, his monograph titled Living Room documented the lives of friends, families, and neighbours on the Broxtowe housing estate in Nottingham. Now, Hamilton’s Gallery is exhibiting a collection of previously unseen images from Waplington’s beloved series, showing the same families in a whole new light.

Nick Waplington: Living Room runs at Hamilton’s Gallery until May 25th, more info here. 

Bargains!
The menswear brand headed by Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto aptly known as JORDANLUCA is having a sample sale in London this weekend. Merging Italian craftsmanship and heritage with a punk spirit, head on down to grab some distressed knitwear or spiked tailoring.

The story of the other Brontë sister, no, the other other one
Poor Anne Brontë. Despite being an acclaimed novelist in her day, her legacy has been completely overshadowed by that of her sisters Charlotte and Emily and their novels, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights respectively. But Underdog: The Other Other Brontë may just change that. Premiering on the Dorfman Stage at the National Theatre this week, Sarah Gordon’s new play is an irreverent retelling of the life and legend of the Brontë sisters, and the story of the sibling power dynamics that shaped their uneven rise to fame.

Tickets for Underdog: The Other Other Brontë can be bought here.

Tower House
Matthias Groebel’s debut solo exhibition has arrived at Gathering, compiled of works produced between 2003 and 2006 with the distinctive machine-assisted painting technique he began to develop in 1989 using computer-guided airbrush dispensers and repurposed electronic parts to transfer video footage onto canvas. Capturing footage of Whitechapel in the early 00s, Groebel focused on Tower House, a hostel built in response to the housing crisis of the 1880s. The footage has been repurposed into a series of works documenting the strangers who inhabit the city, nameless faces appearing as phantoms in the artist’s practice.

Matthia Groebel: Phantoms All Around Me runs at Gathering until April 20th, more info here. 

A bitter drag queen gives you her take on things
One of the most legendary drag queens ever, Miss Coco Peru is touching down in the King’s Head Theatre with her one-woman show that was originally meant to tour just before Covid briefly decided to end everything. And after everything that’s been going on in the world, Coco is ready to unleash her thoughts about the past, present and future. Do NOT expect deathdrops.

Tickets for Coco Peru: Bitter Bothered & Beyond can be booked here with HERO readers being able to avail of a 40% off discount code, just enter the code BEYONDCOCO at checkout.

Italian comforts
A cosy little spot on Morning Lane, Dalla is a white table-clothed Italian outpost serving up homestyle cooking at its best. Mitchell Damota, the ex-head chef at P Franco and Naples native Gianmarco Leone have curated a menu which transports to Amalfi Coast summers, offering dishes such as stinging nettle risotto, grilled sirloin and gnocchi ala nerano.

Dalla is located at 120-122 Morning Ln, E9 6LH, more info here. 

Posh pies
This Sunday, celebrate one of London’s most famous delicacies: pies. Taking place at M.Manze Peckham, London’s oldest-running pie and mash shop, food curation platform Sera has arranged a one-off treat, with ‘King of Pies’ Calum Franklin and trailblazing wild food-focused chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes taking over the venue for a very special three-pie menu. Not your typical steak and ale, the duo’s three fillings are Ox Cheek & Oyster, Masala Spiced Dauphinois, and Stargazey with Chicken, Leek & Scottish Langoustine.

If I had a… Pie & Mash Shop with Calum Franklin & Ivan Tisdall-Downes takes place on Sunday April 7th at M.Manze Peckham. Book here through Sera.