It’s with a heavy heart that we all cancel our Sunday pub bookings, but just because the World Cup isn’t coming home, it doesn’t mean you have to stay inside – go out and drown your sorrows with culture.

The epic of all epics
It’s been three years since Christopher Nolan caused box office chaos with Oppenheimer, earning a string of accolades in the award season that followed. This weekend, Nolan returns with his hotly anticipated adaptation of The Odyssey, an ambitious task that only someone with the auteur’s back catalogue could attempt to realise. Matt Damon steps into the lead role of Odysseus, taking on the fated ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after a decade fighting the Trojan War. Alongside Damon, Tom Holland takes on the role of his son, Telemachus, and Anne Hathaway is his long-suffering wife, Penelope, joined by an ensemble cast of Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong’o.

The Odyssey is out in cinemas now. 

Portrait of Japan
A landmark exhibition has arrived at The Photographers’ Gallery, celebrating the work of Japanese women photographers – charting the trajectory of 27 women working from the 1950s to today. An often overlooked subgenre of photographers, many female artists working in Japan over the past seven decades have been integral to shaping the way the country sees itself, documenting popular culture, domesticated living and all the pockets which exist between.

Japanese Women Photographers: From 1950s to Now runs at The Photographers’ Gallery until 27th September, more info here. 

Time travel mayhem
If you’d prefer to go down a more absurd movie route, maybe Nirvanna the Band the Show: The Movie is the one for you. A slacker-style mockumentary born from the mind of Canadian comic and director Matt Johnson, who stars alongside Jay McCarrol, the plot centres around two friends with one simple goal: get their band, Nirvanna the Band, a slot at Toronto’s legendary Rivoli Theatre. What follows is a wild, Back to the Future-inspired ride that involves skydiving stunts, an RV time machine, trilbys, and a series of increasingly ridiculous dead-end schemes.

Fuzz forever
Having already ripped up the venue the previous night, John Dwyer and his Osees return to Hackney’s EartH for their second show. One of the most thrilling, intense live bands around, they’re bringing tracks from their latest album, OFF COURSE, alongside a set packed with career-spanning classics. The new record marks the West Coast band’s 30th album since releasing their first full-length studio album, The Cool Death of Island Raiders, in 2006. Missed them the first time? Here’s your second chance in as many nights. Don’t mess it up.

Osees will play at EartH on Friday 17th July, more info here. 

Film scoop
The latest episode of the MUBI Podcast has landed, this time turning its attention to Shane Meadows’ cult classic This Is England. Exploring the film’s depiction of British youth culture and its deep-rooted connection to Two Tone and ska, the episode features interviews with stars Jack O’Connell and Andrew Shim, alongside The Specials legend Neville Staple, who reflects on the music and movement that shaped the film’s world.

Wine + dine
A new spot is opening its doors in Queen’s Park this weekend. Nestled inside a converted stable on Lonsdale Road mews, Bar Blondie takes its cues from the casual ease of European wine bar culture. The interiors are reminiscent of a mid-century artist’s living room, an inviting spot to sit and nurse a bottle from the extensive wine list – curated by award-winning sommelier Alexandra Price – while on the food front, a menu fusing French and Italian cuisines offers dishes such as Wagyu bresaola, fazzoletti with Devon crab, artichoke alla giudia with pecorino and olive oil, and ricotta cake to finish.

Bar Blondie is located at 19-21 Lonsdale Rd, NW6 6RA, more info here. 

Tokyo in Soho
Not one but two new openings in the capital this weekend, as Miokuru is the latest eatery to open its doors on Warwick Street. A Tokyo-inspired twenty-seater counter dining restaurant refashioning British seafood with Japanese techniques, expect dishes like pressed scallops, seasonal house pickles and seared chalkstream trout sashimi. Alongside an extensive seafood offering, a selection of made-to-order handrolls includes Cornish white crab with wild garlic mayo, glazed and pickled mushrooms and bry–aged beef tartare with wasabi mustard.

Miokuru is located at 7 – 8 Warwick St, W1B 5LU, more info here.