Going out: Cinema
Migration
Out now
From the people who brought us Minions, this family animation focuses on birds, rather than … whatever Minions are. Voicing the various feathered friends is a fun cast including Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito and David Mitchell.
The Zone of Interest
Out now
One of the best films of this or any other year, Jonathan Glazer’s extraordinary work underlines how ordinary people are capable of dehumanising others. Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller deliver chilling performances as a couple living next door to Auschwitz.
American Fiction
Out now
Thelonious “Monk” Ellison is a black academic frustrated by the sales of his books and the success of bestseller We’s Lives in da Ghetto, which he believes panders to stereotypes. In a fit of pique, he writes a fake memoir involving gang violence and drugs, only to receive a huge advance and interest from movie producers. Comic drama starring Jeffrey Wright.
Argylle
Out now
Whether this one is a must-see will largely depend on whether you click with director Matthew Vaughn’s button-pushing humour. If Kick-Ass and the Kingsman films floated your boat, this spy caper should be up your alley. Starring Henry Cavill and Bryce Dallas Howard. Catherine Bray
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Going out: Gigs
Noname
Manchester, 4 February; London, 6 February
The Chicago rapper, poet and producer arrives in the UK in support of jazz-inflected second album Sundial. A deftly layered, often disruptive opus – Beyoncé, Rihanna and Obama are all in her firing line – it should be even more powerful live. Michael Cragg
Myele Manzanza
Nottingham, 3 February; London, 8 February; Norwich, 9 February
New Zealand-raised, London-resident drummer Myele Manzanza brings his thrilling rhythmic drive to a fine acoustic jazz trio here – but the deep legacy of his Congolese percussionist father, and rich experiences in hip-hop, house, electronics and more, make him an unpredictably fascinating newcomer.
Louis Lortie
Cardiff, 4 February; London, 5 February
Music by Gabriel Fauré dominates the Canadian pianist’s recital. In the first half, Fauré’s Preludes Op 103 are interleaved with works written in homage to him by composers including Ravel, Enescu and Koechlin, while after the interval Lortie plays Fauré’s Pavane Op 50, Ballade Op 19 and the Theme and Variations Op 73. Andrew Clements
Ladyhawke
4 to 19 February; starts Glasgow
On this rescheduled tour, “Pip” Brown celebrates her self-titled 2008 debut. As well as playing it in full – My Delirium, Back of the Van and Magic remain stone-cold bangers – expect a smattering of songs from 2021’s fourth album, Time Flies. MC
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Going out: Art
Frank Auerbach
Courtauld Gallery, London, 9 to 27 May
The early art of Frank Auerbach is a shock to the system. These faces drawn in charcoal in the 1950s and early 1960s have a profundity that marks your soul. Auerbach had come to Britain from Berlin as a child and lost his parents to the Holocaust. Every shadow is a ghost.
For the Curious and Interested
Down County Museum, Downpatrick, to 13 April
This touring exhibition from the British Museum explores the collections of its benefactor Hans Sloane. This enthusiastic naturalist left his wonders, from rare books to crushed mummy flesh used as medicine, to the nation when he died in 1753. He helped spark the Enlightenment yet his mind was pre-modern and magical.
Beyond Form
Turner Contemporary, Margate, to 6 May
Do women do abstract art in a fundamentally different way to men? This exhibition takes the period when abstraction dominated modern art, from 1950 to 70, and tells it as a feminist story starring Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse and more, while ignoring Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
Entangled Pasts: 1768–Now
The Royal Academy, London, to 28 April
What does the story of British art look like if slavery and empire are central to our past? This survey ranges from Reynolds and Turner to Yinka Shonibare and Hew Locke. It starts with the foundation of the Royal Academy in the Georgian era when slavery was fuelling Britain’s economic takeoff. Jonathan Jones
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Going out: Stage
Fin Taylor
Y theatre, Leicester, 9 February; touring to 13 June
If you’re of the opinion that standup has misplaced its wicked sense of humour, give Taylor a try. His topics tend to be zeitgeisty – parenting, mental health – yet his trick is to gild these with a transgression that walks the fine line between provocation and unpleasantness. Rachel Aroesti
King Lear
Almeida theatre, London, 8 February to 30 March
Yael Farber’s shows have a muscular intensity – so this King Lear should enthral. She directs Danny Sapani (Killing Eve) in Shakespeare’s bruising tragedy.
A Family Business
Tobacco Factory theatre, Bristol, 7 & 8 February; touring to 2 March
The final part in Chris Thorpe’s and Rachel Chavkin’s trilogy of shows that look at pressing global issues from an individual perspective. With his trademark emotional clarity and urgency, Thorpe explores the human stories behind the struggle for nuclear disarmament. Miriam Gillinson
Birmingham Royal Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, 8 to 10 February, touring to 27 April
Birmingham Royal Ballet tours, arguably, the ultimate classical ballet, featuring the famous Rose Adagio and Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score. Lyndsey Winship
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Staying in: Streaming
One Day
Netflix, 8 February
David Nicholls’ 2009 novel about potential soulmates Emma and Dexter was a masterpiece of pop literature, yet the 2011 film version with Anne Hathaway was a Hollywoodised disappointment. This TV adaptation led by Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall looks to be a more faithful take on their thwarted romance.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Now & Sky Comedy, 5 February, 10.15pm
The world has changed over the past 24 years, but we’ve had one constant: Larry David’s perennially aggrieved contrarian. But the end is nigh. Savour every petty rant and ridiculous complaint as David’s cringe comedy returns for its 12th and final season.
Another Body: My AI Porn Nightmare
iPlayer & BBC Four, 6 February, 10pm
The singularity may be a way off, but AI can already ruin lives. This doc tells the horrifying story of a 22-year-old student who discovers her face has been digitally transferred into hardcore pornography. Facing disinterest from the police, she races to track down the perpetrator.
G’wed
ITVX, 5 February
Comedies about working-class youngsters aren’t 10-a-penny, so props to ITV for commissioning this sitcom from first-time writer Danny Kenny about a group of Merseyside teens. Central to the action is gobby provocateur Reece, but don’t expect a walking cliche; our protagonist is an erudite Steinbeck fan with emotional intelligence to spare. RA
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Staying in: Games
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, out now
The developer behind the Batman Arkham series, Rocksteady Studios, returns with an incendiary take on the anarchic DC Comics antiheroes. An open-world adventure set in a vast metropolis with frantic combat and Harley Quinn, it’s going to set February alight.
Persona 3 Reload
PS4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X/S, PC, out now
A remake of the acclaimed role-playing adventure about high school students dealing with all the usual worries: romance, friendship and monstrous hell demons. The wealth of visual and gameplay updates promise a genuinely heartfelt reimagining. Keith Stuart
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Staying in: Albums
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy
Out now
The Brit award-winning, BBC Sound of 2024 poll-topping art-rockers capitalise on the immense hype – and yes, there’s been a backlash – with this James Ford-produced debut. Nothing Matters is Abba by way of Camden Town, while recent single Caesar on a TV Screen is shape-shifting baroque pop meets Bridgerton.
L Devine – Digital Heartifacts
Out now
After a string of excellent big pop EPs and mixtapes, Whitley Bay’s Olivia Devine finally releases an album. Digital Heartifacts finds her settling into a more guitar-led sound, specifically on the raging Push It Down. Slippin Away, meanwhile, is an emotionally wrought, scuffed-up ballad.
Brittany Howard – What Now
Out now
Created during the pandemic and shortly after a divorce, Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard’s second solo LP grapples with emotional upheaval and the peace of solitude. Produced with Shawn Everett (the Killers, Big Thief), the title track is a groove-led behemoth that perfectly showcases Howard’s lyrical gifts.
J Mascis – What Do We Do Now
Out now
The Dinosaur Jr singer, guitarist and chief songwriter steps out alone for this fourth solo album, the follow-up to 2018’s acclaimed Elastic Days. Full of crumpled melodies, lovelorn lyrics and Mascis’ guitar wizardry, it’s a more full-band effort than his previous solitary endeavours. MC
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Staying in: Brain food
Queer the Music
Podcast
Singer Jake Shears fronts this lively series celebrating music’s greatest queer anthems. With the help of guests including Peaches and Self Esteem, Shears delves into the legacy of floorfillers such as Sylvester’s You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).
The Royal Society
YouTube
With some of the world’s most eminent thinkers in its ranks, the Royal Society has a perfect platform for knowledge-sharing. Its YouTube channel features hundreds of informative videos, including Prof Brian Cox on snowflake science.
A Cold War of Spies
PBS America, 5 February, 7.35pm
This detailed series, continuing nightly until Thursday, examines the paranoia and secrecy of cold war spy rings in the US and Soviet Union. Packed with archive footage, it follows the story of defectors and double agents. Ammar Kalia
