Things to do in London this week

What to do and see in London this week, Wednesday 9th to Wednesday 16th July: The coolest, cultural, current events in London as selected by the Culture Whisper team.    

1.  Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Hyde Park, 12 July 2014

We can think of few better ways to spend Saturday afternoon than listening to folk-rock icon Neil Young in Hyde Park with his band, Crazy Horse (it’ll be warmish but light showers are forecast, so bring an umbrella and waterproof rug). The Canadian superstar, now nearly 70, continues to innovate, with his latest album, "A Letter Home" recorded on equipment dating from the 1940s, and this is sure to be one of the best london concerts of the Summer.

2.  Ram Place Fashion Market, Hackney, 12-20 July 2014

Supported by the Barbican and arts charity Create, this London fashion fair will feature stalls from young designers, talks, tours, a bar and more. 

3. Power of Summer, Battersea Power Station, 10 July –31 August

Film events in London are everywhere this summer, and at everyone’s favourite industrial ruin, the Battersea Power Station revival is in motion, much to the delight of South Londoners. For the Power of Summer outdoor cinema festival it has teamed up with Everyman Cinema to bring you a programme of films including, on Saturday 12 July for example, The Jungle Book (1995), The Wolf of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio and Wayne’s World.

4. The Events, The Young Vic, 8 July – 2 August 2014

In this new play from David Greig, The Events examines the aftermath of a mass shooting wowed critics last year and returns to the Young Vic for a short run before heading to further glory in New York. Harrowing and brilliant.

5. Porgy and Bess , Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, 7July - 23 August 2014

Of all open air concerts, opera is perhaps the most magnificent. Rufus Bonds Jr. and Nicola Hughes (Olivier Award-nominated for her role in Trevor Nunn’s 2006 production) play the leads in the Gershwins’ tragic story of love and betrayal, in the glorious setting of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.  

6. Virginia Woolf, National Portrait Gallery, 10 July –26 October 2014

The Bloomsbury Group are back, with a fascinating collection of portraits and archival material subtitled Art, Life and Vision and centred on novelist and public intellectual Virginia Woolf. Curated by her biographer Frances Spalding, the show also includes portraits of Vanessa Bell and Roger Fry, and others in her circle.

7. Malevich, Tate Modern 16 July – 26 October 2014

The first UK retrospective of the painter the Tate are calling a ‘revolutionary of Russian Art’, the  Kazimir Malevich exhibition will be a blockbuster. Malevich was the inventor of ‘suprematism’, which deployed abstract geometry and a primary palette to powerful effect. 

8. Gloria, Royal Opera House 16 Jul 2014 – 19 Jul 2014

H. K. Gruber ’s musical extravaganza Gloria – A Pigtale joyfully mixes musical genres and stars Canadian soprano Gillian Keith star in the title role. Not exactly opera for kids, but undoubtedly a family-friendly performance in the ROH’s intimate Linbury Studio Theatre.

9. Summer Comes to Struie Road, Clerkenwell, 18 July 2014 and monthly until December 2014

Book ahead for this pop-up restaurant event which brings together the Workshop Coffee Co and the Wild Game Co (Struie Road being the name of the highland path which winds through Wild Game proprietor Andy Waugh’s Scottish estate). £49 buys you seven courses of wild deliciousness. 

10. Richard Long, Lisson Gallery, until 12th July 2014

This exhibition devoted to the founding father of Land Art closes on Saturday. Don’t miss your opportunity to see photographs and other works inspired by wildernesses like the Antarctic as well as locations closer to home in the British Isles.

Want to read more? Members enjoy full access to all Culture Whisper's arts previews, exclusives and features. Click here to take our cultural quiz and get a month's free trial.