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 1st May – MONDAY 3rd 2015

Here’s an extended bumper bank holiday Weekend Combo for y’all. Instead of obliging to British tradition and heading to the seaside in a rickety old caravan, stay in London and follow our guide to the weekend.

Metaphysical mindfuck
This weekend feast your eyes on a cinematic masterpiece, Fellini’s 1963 seminal work, 8 ½. (Movie buff fact: The title refers to the fact that it would be Fellini’s eight-and-a-half film; he’d made six features, and three collaborative films which he counted as halves).

The sprawling audacity of the film carves it deep into the cinematic canon. As fantasy and reality are mixed in a seamless blend the plot follows a director struggling with a creative block and a host of romantic and existential neuroses. Guided by a stream-of-consciousness narrative and audacious camera work, in 8 ½ Fellini translates his existential musings to the big screen.

The film’s influence has never let up, David Lynch, Terry Gilliam and Woody Allen all cite the film as a source of inspiration; and notice the similarities between a 8 ½ dance scene and that iconic twist scene in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. 

Find 8 ½ towards the peak of any ‘must-see’ lists. As progressive today as it was when first released.

8 ½ is being screened at BFI Southbank between May 1st-8th, buy tickets here

Everybody, everybody in the House of Vans
A stone’s throw from BFI Southbank, deep beneath Waterloo station sits House of Vans, London’s only indoor skatepark – a skate nirvana kitted out to the max, complete with ‘carve-till-you-drop’ concrete bowl.

Every now and again House of Vans treat us to one of their Skate Fry-Days, this basically consists of DJs, tons of skaters and – here’s the clincher – fried chicken and beers on the house. Yeah, you heard. Well this is your lucky week, as this Friday marks the return of Skate Fry-days.

Plus, for all you next level skaters, Vans will be giving away cash for tricks.

Skate Fry-day takes place on Friday 6pm-10pm at House of Vans, SE1 8SW
Admission is free

Point and shoot
Two legendary music photographers are vying for your attention this weekend in London. Forget Rock, Paper, Scissors, we’ve made the decision easy for you, go see both.

Baron Wolman
Camden’s Proud Gallery are currently exhibiting a curated selection of Baron Wolman’s impressive oeuvre.

As chief Photographer for Rolling Stone magazine from 1967 to 1970, Baron Wolman’s lens was pointed directly towards the height of the evolving musical zeitgeist, his tenure at Rolling Stone may have only lasted three years. But, if you had to pick any city and any three-year period in popular music, San Francisco and 1967-70 would have to be the one.

Clock the iconic shot of Mick Jagger on the set of iconic 60s flick Performance (if you haven’t seen this film cancel all your plans and head to your nearest video store).

Ross Halfin
Over at The Great Frog (the ultimate go-to jewellery maker for bikers and rockers) in Soho they’re exhibiting the work of British photographer Ross Halfin.

Halfin began his career working for Sounds magazine, shooting a who’s who of British Punk, including The Clash, The Sex Pistols and The Jam. He later went on to establish Kerrang! magazine and having toured with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, KISS, Motley Crue and Queens of the Stone Age Haflin’s Rock ’n’ Roll credentials are on par with The Great Frog’s own.

The Rolling Stone Years by Baron Wolman at Proud Gallery, Camden is on until 24th May
Ross Halfin‘s exhibition at The Great Frog, W1F 7QR is ongoing

Kick it into gear
One Warehouse, four thriller bands and one Fat White Family member on the decks for good measure; the ingredients for a night that’s guaranteed to transform you into a stumbling hungover mess for the next 24 hours; water on drip, blinds 100% shut.

Three piece girl band The Abjects take up headlining duties with their blend of shoegaze surf fuzz. Total mindmelt. But don’t sit around at the local boozer waiting for the headliners, head down early to catch Fruit Tones, Slim Customers, The Kneecaps and the musical musings of Fat White Family’s Saul on DJ duties. We’ll see you at the front. Dig it.

P.S. RSVP on Facebook to access the secret BYOB after party.

The Abjects play at New River Studios, N4 1DN on May 1st
Buy tickets here

Bargain Hunt
If you ever needed an excuse to get your mitts on some quality clobber (no excuses are needed tbh) then here’s the perfect incentive, a Christopher Shannon sample sale to rifle through.

From now until May 3rd Christopher Shannon is flogging his goods at Old Street station, unit 5. There’ll be a ton of current season and archive pieces up for grabs at discounted prices, including those cigarette jumpers. Smoking hot.

Christopher Shannon Pop it Shop it sample sale runs until May 3rd at Unit 5, Old Street Station

Livin’ the high life
It’s thirsty work all this culture seeking, top yourself up at the annual summer launch of Netil360, Hoxton.

It’s a bumper, bank holiday weekend and Netil360 have catered to your every need. The rooftop space boasts panoramic views across London and a programme fit to burst.

Between Friday and Monday there’s DJs, massages, yoga, Reggae, free coffee, art workshops, twister, giant jenga, booze on tap, enough Caribbean food to fill you for a week and even a rooftop screening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s cult classic Boogie Nights. And breathe.

Netil360 relaunches this weekend, check out the programme here
1 Westgate Street, E8 3RL

TOP GALLERY IMAGE CREDITS:
1. Still, 8 ½ 1963 © The Criterion Collection
2. Still, 8 ½ 1963 © The Criterion Collection
3. House of Vans. 2014 Image courtesy of Vans
4. Jim Morrison. 1967 photo by Baron Wolman
5. George Harrison, 1968 photo by Baron Wolman
6. The Who 1978 photo by Ross Halfin
7. Christopher Shannon FW14, photo by Harry Carr
8.  The Abjects photo by Alex Charilaou
9. Fat White Family on the sofa. Photograph by Louise Haywood Schiefer
10. netil360, image courtesy of Netil House