Going out: Cinema
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out now. The sequel to No Way Home continues to focus on Spider-Man's city-protecting day job. New characters include crime boss Tombstone, played by Marvin Jones III, who, like his character, is an African American with albinism.
Ish, also out now, is the debut feature from artist and director Imran Perretta. The black-and-white film draws on his childhood experiences with the police and follows two 12-year-olds in Luton. It won a prize at Venice's critics week. Leads Farhan Hasnat and Yahya Kitana are non-professional actors and real-life friends.
Wham! 10 Days in China is out now. In 1985, Wham! became the first western band allowed to play in communist China. Lindsay Anderson, known for If...., was invited to film the trip but fell out with the group, who then released their own version. A new feature-length documentary uses archive footage and interviews.
No Strings Attached: Puppets on Film runs at BFI Southbank and Imax, London, until 31 August. The BFI season covers marionettes, dummies, dolls and figurines in films including The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Crystal and The Muppets Take Manhattan.
Going out: Gigs
Summer Walker plays The O2, London, on 1 and 2 August. The Atlanta R&B star performs her trilogy of breakup albums: 2019's Over It, 2021's Still Over It and last year's Finally Over It.
Brecon Jazz Festival takes place at various venues in mid Wales from 6 to 9 August. Saxophonist Courtney Pine headlines on 6 August, with trumpeter Tomos Williams's jazz/ambient take on Welsh folk and rootsy pianist-singer Liane Carroll both on 7 August.
Boardmasters runs in Newquay from 5 to 9 August, promising music, wellness and surfing. The lineup mixes Kasabian, Fatboy Slim and Example with newer acts including Rose Gray, Jacob Alon and Joy Crookes.
Mahler's First By Heart is at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 1 and 2 August. The Aurora Orchestra's BBC Proms pairing features a dramatised exploration of a major symphonic work and a performance played entirely from memory. This year, Nicholas Collon conducts Mahler's Symphony No 1.
Going out: Art
Chardchakaj Waikawee is at Graces Mews, London, until 19 September. The Thai artist's analogue, hand-printed photographs document people living on the margins of Bangkok society, creating portraits of youth marked by poverty, struggle and endurance.
Gwen John opens at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh on 1 August and runs to 4 January. The retrospective showcases the quiet, austere and minimal portraiture of arguably Wales's most important painter, with works inspired by her religious beliefs and early French modernism.
Reflections: Sangat and the Self is at The Whitworth, Manchester, until 29 August 2027. Artists Jasmir Creed and Roo Dhissou pair up for a participatory exhibition rooted in Sikh philosophy, also featuring pieces from the Whitworth's collection, all centred on community, healing, care and spiritual practice.
Kawaii Art & Culture is at Wolverhampton Arts Centre until 9 August. Curated by artist Tamla Pearce, the show explores how Japanese kawaii art, fashion, toys, animation, food and design spread around the world.
Going out: Stage
The Silence of the Lambs is at Curve theatre, Leicester, from 1 to 15 August. TV writer and playwright Gina Gionfriddo adapts Thomas Harris's thriller, drawing the audience into the warped relationship between FBI trainee Clarice Starling and murderer Hannibal Lecter, played by John Partridge.
Cats runs at Regent's Park Open Air theatre until 19 September. Choreographer and director Drew McOnie's production brings the musical to the outdoor venue, joining recent London stagings of Jesus Christ Superstar and Starlight Express in Andrew Lloyd Webber's renewed spotlight.
Freddie Meredith performs at Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, from 5 to 30 August. The comedian (known for Such Brave Girls and Make That Movie) presents his debut hour Need a Light?, revolving around his smoking-area-philosopher alter ego.
Carlos Acosta: Myths and Modern Masters is at the Royal Opera House, London, from 5 to 9 August. The 53-year-old dancer, who has had more farewell tours than the Rolling Stones, appears in the gala show, including a piece set to the Stones' music in Christopher Bruce's Rooster.
Staying in: Streaming
Ted Lasso returns on Apple TV on 5 August. After season three ended in 2023, Jason Sudeikis's wholesome coach returns to Britain to work his optimistic magic on a struggling women's team.
Alley Cats arrives on Netflix on 7 August. Ricky Gervais reunites his After Life castmates Tom Basden, Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman, Tony Way and David Earl for an ensemble comedy featuring a group of cartoon cats.
The Shards streams on Disney+ from 6 August. This adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's autofictional high-school horror about 1980s LA teens and a suspected murderer in their midst has nepo-baby leads Homer Gere and Kaia Gerber, with Ryan Murphy as co-creator.
Possession, on Sky Atlantic and Now from 6 August at 9pm, follows a British lawyer who goes to Jamaica to investigate an inheritance claim only to realise she has seen the property before in her nightmares. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jonny Lee Miller star in Karla Crome's thriller.
Staying in: Games
Big Walk is out on PC, Switch 2 and PS5 on 4 August. From the creators of Untitled Goose Game, it is inspired by the Australian outback, with puzzles, challenges and discoveries, but mostly walking and talking with between one and 11 friends.
Beast of Reincarnation launches on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on 4 August. Set in a post-apocalyptic Japan corrupted by a mythical beast, humanity's hopes rest on a young woman with a blade named Emma, who has a dog for company.
Staying in: Albums
Ariana Grande – Petal is out now. The star's eighth album arrives after her time in Oz, executive produced alongside Max Martin acolyte Ilya (Sam Smith, Tate McRae). Lead single Hate That I Made You Love Me is gently combative.
Shaboozey – The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales is out now. The crossover country star, known for A Bar Song (Tipsy) and work on Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter, delivers a concept album in which Cherie Lee vows to avenge her father's murder, with songs including Born to Die.
The Durutti Column – Renascent is out now. Following renewed interest from Harry Styles, Blood Orange, Frank Ocean and Yung Lean after last year's reissue of their 1980 debut, the Manchester post-punk act release their 28th album. Lead single Liars features tactile beats and wiry guitar figures.
Lucia & the Best Boys – Picking Petals is out now. The band's second album of decadent art-rock was recorded at Mogwai's Castle of Doom studio. Chvrches' Lauren Mayberry appears on Lonely Girl, and Last Dinner Party's Abigail Morris adds drama to Big Romance.
Staying in: Brain food
Lives Less Ordinary: Love Stories is a podcast series starting 3 August. The BBC programme recounts real-life romances, including a Lebanese journalist and a Syrian cameraman who met while covering the siege of Aleppo.
The Art World Couldn't Understand William Blake is a YouTube video from Nerdwriter. It examines the political implications of Blake's self-designed printmaking and etching techniques, used for his illustrated pamphlets.
The Real Truth continues on PBS America on 7 August. The six-part series analyses wellbeing myths that shape buying and behaviour. The opener looks at marketing tactics that disguise sugar in food labelling.
