Got your Christmas tree up yet? Cellotaped that bit of tinsel you keep under the bed onto the wall? Sorted, it’s officially December! 

Shakespeare in Grand Theft Auto
We all went a little bit mad during lockdown. Some of us distracted ourselves with banana bread or attempting to read War and Peace, but for actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, they had a much more unique idea — why not stage Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Grand Theft Auto? Grand Theft Hamlet is a documentary film that takes place entirely in Grand Theft Auto and charts, via voice-over, Crane and Oosterveen’s lockdown madness. Joined by Crane’s wife Pinny Grylls, the film sees players from around the world audition for Hamlet, all people who are in equally as bleak situations just trying to pass the hours away. The result is a film that shows the resilience of creativity, even in the worst possible circumstances.

Grand Theft Hamlet is in a limited number of cinemas now. 

No Signal take over Tate Britain
Coinciding with Tate Britain’s current The 80s: Photographing Britain exhibition, No Signal are staging a Late at Tate Britain takeover. The evening promises to “explore the impact of Black British sounds on creative and cultural spaces across time from the Eighties to today.” With a stacked line-up of DJs, craft events, cultural talks and dance, this will be the place to be on Friday night. No booking or tickets are necessary, just rock up.

Late at Tate Britain x No Signal will take place from 18:00 to 22:00 on Friday, 6th December. More info here.

White Denim in Rough Trade
Psychy, bluesy, proggy, soul maestro White Denim (aka James Petralli & co) is in London for a special performance at Rough Trade East, where he’ll be signing his excellent new LP, 12, released via Bella Union. This latest work sees White Denim get light and airy, dialling down the distortion, and switching up the blissfulness. A master of weaving in and out of sounds, genres and influences, 12 catches White Denim on best form – and the chance to hear him play it inside Rough Trade’s intimate venue is a chance not to be missed.

White Denim will be performing and signing records at Rough Trade East on Friday 6th at 19:00 – buy tickets here.

Jeff Wall at White Cube
Canadian visionary Jeff Wall has taken over Bermondsey’s White Cube with a career-defining retrospective to mark 30 years of collaboration between Wall and the gallery. Spanning film, photography and contemporary art, the showcase charts the evolution of Wall’s artistic practice ranging from the experimental lightbox transparencies of his early years to the minutely detailed visions of his more current compositional artifice images. Alongside Wall’s iconic imagery, the exhibition sees the launch of a new short film commissioned by White Cube and presented and co-written by the broadcaster and art historian Dr James Fox. Pick up a copy of the new HERO Winter Annual 2024 for a deep-dive interview between Wall and Hans Ulrich Obrist.

Jeff Wall Life in Pictures runs at White Cube until January 12th, more info here. 

Fill your boots
Following its runway debut at London Fashion Week, Skepta’s MAINS is back for the first drop of its season two collection. Now synonymous with elevated streetwear silhouettes, the British-Nigerian musician, producer and filmmaker’s brand has become an extension of his artistry. To celebrate the launch, select pieces from the collection will be available at the MAINS pop-up store on Rathbone Street for this weekend only – mark your calendars!

The MAINS pop-up store is open until Monday 9th December at 49-51 Rathbone Street, W1T 1NW.

Fire cooking
Following on from the success of a series of residencies across the capital, Greek-Australian kitchen essi is now taking over the kitchen at The Adam & Eve pub in Homerton. Cooking up modern takes on traditional Greek cuisine with a focus on fire cooking, dishes include twice fire-cooked lamb ribs served with olive oil mashed potato, smokey aubergine with pomegranate and fried peanuts and octopus bolognese. On Sundays, Greek fire cooking translates into a roast dinner format where you can choose from pork shoulder, Suffolk lamb, chicken thighs or BBQ mushrooms served with all the trimmings.

essi is located at The Adam & Eve, 155 Homerton High Street, E9 6AS, more info here. 

Sing for ya supper!
Cult Taiwanese restaurant BAO has opened its doors to a new outpost in the city, boasting a menu featuring classic BAO dishes including fried chicken, daikon and pork buns, Dan Dan noodles and 40-day aged beef rice. Unlike any other of BAO’s London eateries, this new location is home to two karaoke rooms complete with a catalogue of over 300,000 songs and a banquette table laden with mini BAOs, fried chicken buckets topped with caviar, and fries drizzled with BAO’s infamous curry sauce.

BAO City is located at 2 -8 Bloomberg Arcade, EC4N 8AR, more info here.