Top image: Still, ‘La Piscine’ (1969) © Avco Embassy

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 22nd APRIL – SUNDAY 24th APRIL 2016

Dive right in
If you got a chance to see this year’s A Bigger Splash, you’ll already have had your dose of Sicilian vitamin D. Craving more? Here’s your answer: Luca Guadagnino’s 2016 flick was actually a remake of Jacques Deray’s 1969 La Piscine, which is being shown at Hackney Picturehouse this weekend.

The epitome of 60s cinematic cool, La Piscine plots a love triangle between Alain Delon, Romy Schneider and Maurice Ronet, with a young Jane Birkin thrown into the sweaty mix. Like the 2016 remake, La Piscine‘s brilliance comes from the intense sexual tension that suffixes each suggestive word and a sun-kissed aesthetic that’ll have you grabbing for your trunks in an attempt to join in.

Think Closer but with brighter weather and darker motives, La Piscine is one big game of emotional chess with a killer checkmate.

La Piscine is being shown at Hackney Picturehouse on Sunday 24th at 12:30

“Some day I’m gonna call me up on the phone, so when I answer, I can tell myself to shut up.”

There’s a select group of musicians who can be credited with defining a sound, an era and a whole new way of approaching music. Undoubtably, Miles Davis is one of these visionaries.

As well as his musical credentials Davis also had a string of anecdotes to draw from like no other: like that time he got a nightstick over the head from a racist cop; or chasing his first wife Frances Taylor out of their apartment with a knife during a paranoid episode (we never said they were light-hearted tales). So it’s a real surprise that a Miles Davis biopic has not previously been made. Cue this weekend’s release of Miles Ahead.

A decade-in-the-making, Don Cheadle takes the title role, updating his wardrobe, Davis-style. Think 70s silk shirts and gold chains galore. Hitting all the right notes, Miles Ahead is certain to have you hitting up your local jazz bar in search of a similar pulse.

PS. If you’re into this, be sure to check out Ethan Hawke’s upcoming role as Chet Baker, the James Dean of blues.

Miles Ahead, 100 mins. Out now.

Sibling rhythmically

Kitty Daisy & Lewis are part of the current scene awakening Camden, London’s sleeping musical epicentre. The equivalent of a twin bell Newgate alarm clock: analogue, sleek and always in time – they start with a jolt and will leave your ears ringing.

But there’s no backwards thinking here, cut and pasting a diverse mix of genres into their sonic vision, the realised result is a unique contemporary beat. Need more proof? Their latest record, Third, was produced by The Clash’s Mick Jones – that’s North London’s equivalent of da Vinci wetting your paintbrushes for you, only with more safety pins and less facial hair.

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis play at The Lock Tavern, NW1 8AJ on Sunday 24th.

Sing it loud, sing it proud
Iconic album artwork can become just as timeless as the music it envelopes; think Warhol’s peeling banana for Velvet Underground & Nico, or Peter Blake’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band collage. Instantly recognisable classics.

Secret 7” is the annual project celebrating album artwork in all its splendour. What’s the concept? Well, first they gather together a curated list of culturally important artists, designers and creatives – this year’s line-up boasts Anish Kapoor, Jenny Holzer, Sir Paul Smith, Gavin Turk, Juno Calypso and Tatty Devine – then each one creates a bespoke one-of-a-kind sleeve design for seven iconic tracks.

This year’s tracks include, Etta James’ At Last, Jack Garratt’s Worry, CHVRCHES’s Clearest Blue, The Jam’s Art School, John Lennon’s Imagine, Max Richter’s Dream 3 and Tame Impala’s The Less I Know The Better.

Each record is then be pressed 100 times to vinyl and wrapped in it’s unique cover and, on 4th May, you have a chance to buy these covetable records: each one at the uniform price of £50. The catch? The buyer won’t know which record they are buying until they’ve handed over their cash. Now there’s a lucky dip we can really get behind.

On top of all this, there will also be a pop-up recording studio; warm up the vocal cords, nip in, belt it out, and leave with a copy of your recording cut to a 7″ single. So get practising those vocal scales and Diana Ross-esque shrieks. Here’s your chance to realise those rockstar aspirations.

Secret 7″ runs from 10th April through 3rd May at Somerset House
Check out the full programme here

Marble columns and chandeliers Vs fish finger sandwich 
Now that you’re a fully fledged recording artist with your debut single set to wax, a celebratory drink is in order. And drinks at Criterion’s new Savini restaurant and bar is a definite ‘Prince’ on the rockstar scale – luxe, clad in diamonds and always up for a good time.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson first met here. Verdi, Puccini, Callas and Sinatra came here to eat. This is creme de la creme material. Offering Italian fine dining and a drinks menu that can plug any size hole (ooh, matron), this eatery will have you feeling plush.

However, what is pleasant on the eye is not so friendly to the faithful ol’ wallet. So maybe just go in for a peek, try chat your way to a free drink and then nip round the corner to The Slaughtered Lamb for a fish finger sandwich and ice-cold pint. That’s our idea of luxury, we’ll be propping up the bar.

Savini at The Criterion is located at 22-24 Ely Place, EC1N 6TE