Mr Robot
The TV drama for our tech-addled times returns, still as itchily watchable as ever. For the uninitiated, Rami Malek stars as Elliott, a computer whizz recruited by the eponymous Mr Robot (played by Christian Slater) to join a hacker network that wants to bring down capitalism itself. After some huge reveals during its first run, we’re expecting more surprises for season two.
On Amazon Prime from Wednesday
Daphne Sounds Expensive
It may seem like all you need to do to establish yourself as a comedy behemoth these days is to craft one exquisitely worded tweet. Actually, the traditional route in – via Cambridge Footlights, cramped comedy clubs and a Radio 4 series – continues to bear fruit. A case in point are buzzy young sketch trio Daphne, who showcase their leftfield skits on the station this Thursday at 11pm.
Clams Casino
His name sounds like it should appear in flashing Vegas lights but this US producer’s beats come from the bloggable underground. His new album 32 Levels pairs sparse, haunting hip-hop with rappers A$AP Rocky and Vince Staples, like a shadowier, chrome-plated Jamie xx.
Liverpool Biennial
If you thought that the biennale was a purely European phenomenon, like that union we decided to leave, think again: Liverpool has been staging its own since 1999. The 2016 outing, situated in galleries and public spaces across the city, is organised into six “episodes” documenting the city’s past, present and future and features everything from watercolours to a light installation in Toxteth reservoir.
Latitude festival
Latitude has carved itself a niche as a sort of mini-Glastonbury for people who really can’t be doing with that much mud and chaos. Certainly, its scale is now considerable with as much to enjoy for comedy, theatre and classical dance mavens (witness the festival’s impressive Waterfront arena) as music lovers. However, the music remains the main draw: this year’s highlights include louche folk balladeer Father John Misty, art-pop auteur Grimes and transcendent electronicist Pantha Du Prince.
First Night Of The Proms
Just the 91 concerts across 58 days for this year’s Proms. It all begins on Friday, with performances of Tchaikovsky and Elgar.
The Neon Demon
“You create something that might polarise, but you’re going to be thinking about it for a week”, is how The Neon Demon’s cinematographer, Natasha Braier, described Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest visual feast in last week’s Guide. So you can be sure that, even if you find fault with the film’s daft central premise – a young model embroiled in a fashion world that may or may not be filled with flesh-eating cannibals – you can be sure that the lurid shots, which barely move like a photography book and are full of symbolism, will give you plenty to chew on after.
I’m Not With The Band
It’s a ripe time for women-in-rock memoirs, from Carrie Brownstein to Chrissie Hynde. But Brit pop critic Sylvia Patterson’s autobiog details what happens to the rock hacks. It’s full of lively pop star encounters and the zinging frivolity of 90s mag culture. But underlining the larks and laffs is the bittersweet story of the demise of music journalism.
Young Chekhov
While most of us spent our 18th year negotiating Ucas forms and glugging White Lightning, Anton Chekhov was busy writing his first play, Platonov. It’s included in this season at the National Theatre: Olivier, which brings together a trio of his early efforts, also featuring the 1887 drama Ivanov and culminating in his first classic work The Seagull. You can watch the plays individually or in one eight-hour session.
National Theatre: Olivier, SE1
OJ: Made In America
If you reckon you’ve had enough of OJ Simpson for one lifetime, it’s worth making an exception for this ESPN series, which zooms out to look at the cultural and racial conditions that attended his rise and fall. Impeccably researched and artfully told, it’s a huge achievement in documentary making.
