Five for your radar: Music, books, film — top tips for the week ahead
Kojaque and Dolly Anderton: among the arts highlights of the week
Author and journalist Dolly Alderton has a way with words - which given her job is a very good thing. But she has a distinctive voice that a generation of women strongly identify with. Her bestselling memoir Everything I Know About Love tells tales of friendship, heartbreak, and survival with a sharp wit and beautiful insight. She has earned comparisons with the likes of Helen Fielding and the iconic Nora Ephron. Her new novel, Good Material, follows newly single Andy who is trying to make sense of his heartbreak and piece his life back together.
David Fincher, king of the dark thriller, is back with yet another slick, visually appealing offering. The Killer sees the director team up with Kerryman Michael Fassbender who plays the titular killer. Based on the French comic book series, Le Tueur, Fassbender plays an assassin who ends up in a battle with his employers and on an international manhunt. The story of a brooding outsider is textbook for the Zodiac director. This isn't Fincher's best work but it is an enjoyable ride and ticks the boxes. Following a limited cinema release, The Killer is available on Netflix from Friday.
Cork Fleischmann Symphony Orchestra's annual concert is this weekend and it will be an absolute treat for music-lovers. It is the perfect way to spend a chilly, dark November evening. Opening the show will be George Butterworth's The Banks of the Green Willow. This year, conductor Keith Pascoe and leader Eithne Willis will be joined by legendary Portuguese pianist Artur Pizarro for Edvar Grieg's piano concerto. The concert will come to a close with Antonin Dvorák's popular New World Symphony. This concert is a wonderful chance for classical music novices to dip their toes into a new genre.
Kevin Smith, the man behind Kojaque, is a triple-threat - rapper, visual artist and filmmaker. He has cultivated a huge following since he arrived on the scene back in 2018. Building on the success of his first two albums - both nominated for the Choice Music Prize - Kojaque has returned with another phenomenal album. This record packs an emotional punch as it grapples with grief, love, depression, and what it is to be young and facing an uncertain future. Kojaque seems destined for greatness so you won't want to miss this chance to see him in an intimate venue.
Part one of The Crown's final season will drop this week marking the beginning of the end of one of Netflix's most popular shows. Since 2016, fans have been glued to the story of the British royal family as interpreted by Peter Morgan. The first four episodes will see the Golden Globe-winning series depict the tragic crash that claimed the lives of Diana and Dodi Fayed and the grief that consumed not just Diana's family but all of Great Britain. It will be interesting to see how The Crown deals with this historic incident. No doubt critics of the show are waiting in the wings to voice their opinions.
