The Guardian - UK (2022-04-30)

The Guardian | 30.04.22 | SATURDAY | 51

CULTURE

From a spot of Quadrophenia to

a theatrical take on cricket, our

critics suggest the best use of

your free time this May Day

Theatre

The English Game

Early May coincides

with the beginning of

the cricket season and,

weather permitting, the

bank holiday allows for

a long weekend of dozing

off in the spring sun

with a paperback in one

hand and a lukewarm

pint in the other. Richard

Bean’s The English

Game  has far more to

it, however, with the

Sunday afternoon clash

between the amateurish

Nightwatchmen and

their more talented (and

diverse) opposition

providing the focus for

a darkly funny

exploration of migration,

religion and the long

shadow of empire that

appears additionally

prescient in the wake

of Brexit. Alex Mistlin

B o o k s

A s s e m b l y

Natasha Brown’s debut

n o v e l c a p t u r e s t h e

internal monologue of

a successful Black British

woman as she prepares

to attend her boyfriend’s

family’s lavish garden

party in the English

countryside on a

weekend trip. T he

unnamed narrator walks

through her life leading

up to the “special” social

event; from growing up

poor, to dealing with

her corporate bank

co-workers who loathe

workplace diversity,

to the utopian liberal

politics of her white

partner. It’s only 100

pages long but it’s

packed with poetic

lamentations, cold

truths and electrifying

aphorisms about

class, race and love.

Kadish Morris

Music

The English Riviera

A bank holiday isn’t

necessarily long enough

to get abroad, but it can

off er the perfect window

of homegrown escapism,

an insight into what the

UK could be if we kept

our sun-hat camaraderie

all year round. A love

letter to south -west

coastlines, Metronomy’s

2011 album is pure

summer on wax –

nostalgic and evocative

in its easy, breezy

beats. Press play on

The Look and try not to

immediately picture

yourself swooping down

a helter-skelter with a

sandy ice-cream in hand.

I sn’t life much better

with your out-of-offi ce

on? Jenessa Williams

Film

Quadrophenia

Bomb down to Brighton

with your mates, take

drugs, go dancing, sleep

rough, have sex, have

a massive fi ght, get

arrested – you couldn’t

ask for much more out of

a bank holiday weekend

than Phil Daniels gets

in this cult favourite,

even if there’s quite

a comedown in store.

Adapted from the

Who’s  1973 concept

album, inspired by the

real-life 1960s mods v

rockers beach battles,

and packed with

now-familiar faces,

Q u a d r o p h e n i a g i v e s y o u

all the buzz of the big

weekend, but also the

harsh reality of a youth

culture that’s often

viewed through rose-

tinted John Lennon

glasses. Steve Rose

THE CULTURAL PRESCRIPTION FOR ...

T V

Top Boy

The latest season of the

London gang drama is as

heavy and gritty as ever.

Murders are frequent

and brutal, a pregnant

woman attempts to

fl ee domestic abuse in

Liverpool, and the walls

begin to close in on a

criminal empire, with

drug kingpins begging

for retirement while

struggling to keep their

own noses clean. Series

four takes the action to

Morocco, and features

beautifully shot scenes

of Jamie (Micheal Ward,

pictured top) staring out

at the Mediterranean

coastline, young boys

running around the

beach, and yachts’ bows

caressing the ocean’s

waves. Between storms,

there are moments of

gentle sunlight that will

make you want to jet

away (though hopefully

not to oversee the

transportation of drugs).

Jason Okundaye

Yo u r l o n g

we ekend

KEITH PATTISON; COLLECTION CHRISTOPHEL/ALAMY; NETFLIX

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