Buerk! The Newsical

To many who didn’t live in the UK or weren’t old enough to remember the late Eighties and early Nineties, Michael Buerk is a “who the fuck?” figure (he’s a Brit George Negus if that helps). Yet the sheer outlandish lunacy of this history-re-imagining ‘newsical’ makes it fab fun.

Buerk was a newsreader whose life is drastically – with a willful disregard for the truth – reappropriated for this ‘inspired by’ production. Fantastically off the wall, whether you saw Buerk’s 999 emergency rescue docudrama TV show or not. 

£10, May 2-4, 7.30pm 
The Network Theatre,
246A Lower Road, SE1 8SF  
Tube | Waterloo  
buerkthenewsical.com 

 

London’s Brewing

The 100-plus beers from the 30 breweries that make up the London Brewery Alliance (LBA) are on tap for you to taste at this booze-fest at The Brewhouse, taking in everything from pale and amber ales, stouts and porters to lagers and specialty beers. If it was brewed in the capital, you can taste it. Cheers!

£5+. May 4 & 5,
12pm-5pm & 6pm-11pm E8 3SB
Station | London Fields  
londonsbrewing.co.uk

Wandsworth Arts Festival

This south London borough puts on a festival taking in art, music and live performance. Our picks include The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (May 3-11), full of local young artists, and Silent Movie Magic – Music For Buster Keaton, a roaring Twenties-influenced live music cinematic experience.

Free, May 3-19, various times 
Various venues across town 
Station | Wandsworth Town  
wandsworthartsfestival.com

 

Make Believe Festival

This fest would make Terry Gilliam squeal with delight as it transports you to a land full of fairytales and steampunk mentalness, where cabaret theatre, art and live music combine across three days with themes Clockwork Underworld (May 3), Goblin King’s Masquerade Ball (May 4) and Make Believe Market (May 5).  

£5, May 3 & 4, 8pm-3am. 
May 5, 12pm-8pm 
Islington Metal Works, EC1V 1NQ  
Tube | Angel  
makebeliever.info

Spin London 

Two wheels with some serious style at this urban cycling festival and show: think fixie bikes and low-slung skinny jeans. There’ll be exhibitions, static cycle racing, a pedal-powered cinema (obvs), maintenance workshops and live DJs.

Not to mention loads of bikes and accessories to splash your cash on. So go on, why not ditch the travel card, commute on two wheels and get it sorted here with some class, too? 

Free, May 3, 5pm-8pm 
May 4, 10am-7pm; May 5, 10.30am-6.30pm 
The Old Truman Brewery, E1 6QL  
Tube | Liverpool Street 
spinldn.com 

A fete worse than death

It’s a British May Day fete, complete with Morris dancers, a Maypole, fancy dress and a bandstand cranking out bluesy-folky tunes. Add to this a load of cider and food courtesy of The Foragers, who head out into the wild to find their grub by, you know, foraging. Just cross your fingers it doesn’t rain!

May 5, 12pm-9pm 
The Book Club, EC2A 4RH 
Tube | Liverpool Street 
wearetbc.com

 

The Great British Quiz

TV presenter, broadcaster and all-round foodie Hardeep Singh Kohli – who recently cooked a curry live on stage in the time it took for a takeaway to arrive – will cook for 70 diners before testing their knowledge on all things British. It’ll be a full-on culinary and grey-cell-challenging feast for all. 

£35, May 1, 7.30pm-10.30pm 
The Princess of Wales,
22 Chalcot Rd, NW1 8LL
Tube | Chalk Farm  
lovetheprincess.com

 

Photos: Samuel Payne, facebook.com/TheBookClubEC2, twitter.com/wandsworth_arts