Another bank holiday so soon after the last one?? And it’s boiling in London? Oh, we’ll take that. 

Italian heat
Paolo Sorrentino, along with Luca Guadagnino and Alice Rohrwacher, is one of Italy’s most acclaimed directors. His early works include his breakthrough film The Consequences of Love (2004), which led to a succession of international hits such as Il divo (2008), The Great Beauty (2013) and HBO’s The Young Pope starring Jude Law. His latest film, Parthenope, which premiered at Cannes last May, is finally making its way to UK cinemas this weekend.

Parthenope is a coming-of-age drama that traces the life of its titular heroine from her birth in 1950s Naples to the present day. Named after the mythical siren said to have founded the city, the film features Celeste Dalla Porta in the breakout lead role with performances by Italian cinema legend Stefania Sandrelli and Gary Oldman. It’s a captivating film with the most beautiful of scenery – prepare to book a spontaneous holiday to the Mediterranean coast immediately after watching.

Parthenope is out in selected cinemas around the UK now

Skins nostalgia
The effortlessly cool British photographer Ewen Spencer will be signing copies of his new photobook, One Night in Watford, this Saturday at Record 28 Books on Hackney Road. spanning 84 pages, the book captures the night that first brought the cast of Skins together. Featuring mostly never-before-seen images, it offers a rare glimpse of Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel, and Daniel Kaluuya just before their rise to fame.

More info here.

Richard Hunt retrospective
The White Cube is hosting the first posthumous retrospective dedicated to Richard Hunt, one of the most celebrated modern American sculptors. Tracing his six decade career, the exhibition showcases the evolution of his craft, from figuration to abstraction, transforming found metal – often automotive scrap – into incredible forms exploring themes of liberation, community, and social justice.

Richard Hunt: Metamorphosis – A Retrospective runs until 29th June at White Cube Bermondsey.

Go to church
This Friday, kick off your bank holiday weekend with a transformative experience and go see Laura-Mary Carter perform at the St Pancras Old Church. Having first established herself as one-half of Blood Red Shoes, now Carter has embraced a solo career that sees her tune into an introspective and nostalgic-tinted sound. Veering towards an Americana tone inspired by time spent on the West Coast, her latest track, 777, is sadly too late for the Twin Peaks Roadhouse, but would’ve been perfect under those dimmed, smokey lights. It’ll also sound idyllic in the atmospheric St Pancras Old Church.

Laura-Mary Carter plays at the St Pancras Old Church on Friday 2nd May.

Best looking bar in town
Close Ties in Canary Wharf is the kind of place a Nicolas Winding Refn protagonist would go to order a straight up martini after a long day of being incredibly noir and incredibly cool. Conceived by Kricket co-founders Rik Campbell and Will Bowlby, the bar is utterly stylish – there’s a lounge area cast in giallo red and a speakeasy bar area constructed using the most aesthetic of shapes – imagine if Mondrian somehow existed in Blade Runner. As for the drinks, inspired by authentic Indian flavours, cocktails offer twists on familiar favourites. There’s a martini with carraway vermouth, a margarita mixed with chaat masala, and a Long Island iced Darjeeling tea.

Soma is located at 6 Frobisher Passage, London E14 5HA.