We bring you our guide to living well in the world’s capitals, from exhibitions to cinema, food, drink, fashion, music and beyond. Just call it culture and take it, it’s yours.

LONDON, FRIDAY 9th OCTOBER – MONDAY 11th OCTOBER 2015

Something wicked this way comes
What better way to kickstart the weekend than with mud, gore and warfare, all shrouded in Highland mist.

Michael Fassbender is the latest actor to take on Shakespeare’s future king of Scotland, in Director Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth film adaptation, and he does it with rugged aplomb.

Kurzel’s interpretation taps into those aspects of human psychology which are difficult to accept, themes Shakespeare himself was so fascinated by, delving into the inner psyche and exploring our darkest impulses.

Marion Cotillard’s Lady Macbeth is no longer the driving force behind the bloody deeds, more a crushed partner in crime. Grief-stricken by the death of her child her mental state unravels into a vulnerable state of despair whilst she watches her husband unfold into anguished sadism.

The story of Macbeth has been told numerous times before, yet this adaptation manages to add a fresh spin to the tale, and it’s quite the epic.

Macbeth, 113 mins, in cinemas now

Revel in the sludge
Since 1983, masters of sludge The Melvins have inspired countless musicians by carving out a path that is entirely their own.

Take Nirvana, for instance, having become friends with Melvins’ frontman Buzz Osborne at school, Kurt Cobain was an avid fan of the group. In fact, Osborne introduced Cobain and Krist Novoselic to Dave Grohl, creating the iconic line up. “I always think it’s funny that people say he roadied for us. Look at him! He couldn’t lift himself out of bed. You think he could roadie for someone?” Laughed Osborne in an interview with Guitar World.

Thirty years after forming The Melvins continue to knock imitators for six. With a prolific back catalogue to draw from – 25-plus studio albums – the Seattle band are on the road and performing at Camden’s Electric Ballroom this Saturday.

The Melvins play at the Electric Ballroom, Camden on Saturday 10th, tickets here

Oh my Goya!
Often referred to as the father of modern art, throughout the 18th and early 19th century Francisco Goya’s was the man to hit up for a portrait. This week the National Gallery unveils a new exhibition devoted entirely to Goya’s portraiture, consisting of 70 paintings on loan from across the world.

In 1789 Goya was made court painter to Charles IV and in 1799 was appointed First Court Painter with a salary of 50,000 reales and 500 ducats for a coach – the 18th Century equivalent of a Mercedes company car.

Throughout his oeuvre Goya’s subject matter ranged from royalty to major historical events, to the artist’s personal nightmares (after going deaf his paintings become considerably darker, known as his ‘black paintings’ – the self explanatory Saturn Devouring His Son, for instance).

For Goya the devil was in the detail, quite literally in some cases. Take a close look.

Goya: The portraits runs til 10th January at the National Gallery

Inner sanctum 

“I write for the bedroom. That’s the aspiration – to be part of that lineage of people who write about the outside from inside.” Bill Ryder-Jones

A new exhibition titled A Portrait Of British Songwriting lets us glimpse into the sacred haven that is ‘the artist’s studio’, exploring the idiosyncratic ways in which musicians create.

Photographer Rachel King has taken a series of artist portraits alongside their equipment – whether that be amp stacks or a simple piano – featuring the likes of Bill Ryder-Jones, Kate Tempest, Eugene McGuinness, Jon Hopkins and composer Luke Abbott (who scored The Goob earlier this year.

Head down early on Friday to hear the excellent Bill Ryder-Jones open the exhibition with an intimate set.

A Portrait Of British Songwriting runs from 8th october through 25th october at Sonos Studios, E2 7EY

Rudie can’t fail
All that running around calls for a weekend jerk… chicken.

At Rudie’s, a new Jamaican joint in Dalston, authenticity is key. Chicken comes marinated for 24 hours in the house blend of herbs and spices, smoked over pimento and sweet wood then cooked over coals in traditional jerk drums. YUM.

Reggae and Jamaican beats blast out of the sound system while rum flows freely, neck a few Appleton Estates and Wray & Nephews for a night to remember (or not).

Rudie’s is located at N16 7XB