May’s Cultural Roundup
ALBUM: The Black Keys – Delta Kream
After an extended break, Grammy-winning rockers The Black Keys are firmly back on the scene. Their second album since aying tribute to the Mississippi hill country acts that first inspired them, the collection of tracks covers 11 traditional blues songs with the band’s distinctively contemporary spin. The first single, a cover of John Lee Hooker’s Crawling Kingsnake, was released in April. Listen to it here.
Out 14th May
Visit TheBlackKeys.com
FILM: Monster
Having premiered three years ago at the Sundance festival, Monster is finally set for its global release next month. The drama follows 17-year-old student Steve Harmon, a smart and likeable teen who looks set for a bright future. Then he’s charged with felony murder, throwing Steve and his family into an intense legal battle that raises an existential threat to that future. Expect a poignant exploration of race, masculinity and innocence.
Out 7th May
Visit Netflix.com
BOOK: Michael Lewis – The Premonition
The author of era-defining bestsellers like Moneyball and The Big Short has turned his attention to the coronavirus. At the start of last year, when people in Wuhan suddenly started dying of a highly infectious virus, few of us knew much about the likely magnitude of the pandemic that was to engulf the world and the lives of everyone in it. However, one small group of maverick scientists had spent much of their lives obsessing about exactly how these types of viruses spread, and knew just how likely a pandemic was, given global society’s failure to prepare for one. The Premonition promises to be another extraordinary story from Michael Lewis.
Out 4th May
Visit Waterstones.com
SERIES: The Underground Railroad
From Barry Jenkins, the Oscar-winning director of Moonlight, this remarkable new series drops on Amazon Prime in May. Based on the Pulitzer-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad tells the story of Cora Randall, a woman in a desperate bid to flee a life of slavery in America’s antebellum South. Escaping a plantation in Georgia, she discovers a network of trains and tracks beneath the southern soil that may be her ticket to freedom.
Out 14th May
Visit Amazon.co.uk
COFFEE-TABLE BOOK: Anton Corbijn – Depeche Mode
Anton Corbijn has been creative director of Depeche Mode’s visual output ever since the band officially recruited the photographer in 1986. He’s been instrumental in building the group’s brooding aesthetic and cool reputation. Created in full collaboration with the band, this collection features over 500 photos from Corbijn’s personal archives (many never before seen), as well as sketches, set designs and personal observations from behind the scenes. A must-have for fans of the world’s biggest cult band.
Out 25th May
Visit Taschen.com
DOCUMENTARY: Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In
Among the greatest football managers of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United in four decades, winning 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues along the way. Charting a road to success that begins in a small working-class district in Glasgow, this film – directed by his son Jason – celebrates the life and career of a footballing icon. The family connection promises to make it an intimate account, including archive footage and interviews from family and former players.
Out 27th May in cinemas / 29th May on Amazon Prime
Visit Amazon.co.uk
EXHIBITION: The Art Of Banksy
With lockdown restrictions scheduled to ease further, art galleries are gearing up for their return. The plan for The Art of Banksy is to take over a warehouse off Covent Garden, using it to host the world’s largest exhibition of privately owned Banksy pieces. Showcasing prints, canvases and sculptures, it looks a great way to welcome back exhibitions.
From 20th May
50 Earlham Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9LJ
Visit ArtOfBanksy.co.uk
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