THE JOURNAL
The impressive interior at German Gymnasium, London. Photograph D&D London
Snap out of your holiday languor with help from Mr Al Pacino, Mr Frank Sinatra, Massive Attack and more .
’Tis the season for staying in. Everything about this time of year, and the midwinter feast-festival at its heart, seems geared towards remaining indoors, with feet up and hands on newly bought stuff. This is all well and good up to a point, but we say this: get out and do something. Put your new winter wardrobe to use, out in the conditions it was made for, and walk off that holiday excess. Drink in the new bar on Savile Row, buy some art or see out the year at a music festival at the end of the world. With exhibitions, new hotels and restaurants, Mr Quentin Tarantino’s latest film and England’s Boxing Day test match in the South African sun, there’s a reason for everyone to flee the nesting at least once this holiday season.
1. THE SPORTING EVENT
South Africa v England
Day three of the third Investec Test match between England and South Africa at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, 18 August 2012. Photograph by Gareth Copley/ Getty Images
Upgrade a dreary Boxing Day buffet to a sun-kissed braai (South African for barbecue) while watching England play South Africa in Durban, the first of a four-test-match series. To beat the world’s best, and finish a rollercoaster year (first-round World Cup exit, Ashes victory) on a high, England will require much from star players Messrs Joe Root and James Anderson. The first test starts in Durban on 26 December.
2. THE ART FAIR
London Art Fair
London Art Fair at the Business Design Centre, Islington. Photograph by James Champion
The first long weekend marked on the international art world’s calendar every year is the increasingly influential London Art Fair. About 100 British galleries, showcasing art from the past 115 years, will show alongside Photo50, a guest-curated photography exhibition, and Dialogues, a collaboration between five European galleries. There will be crowds, but see this as January sales for the discerning eye. At the Business Design Centre from 20 to 24 January.
3. THE APARTMENTS
Six Senses Residences Courchevel
Understated luxury at this exclusive alpine location. Photograph Six Senses Residences & Spa Courchevel
Courchevel 1850, the most exclusive of the four Courchevel towns that boast the best skiing in the Alps, has its first fully serviced apartment building linked to 53 superb ski bases. While the name sounds like some porntastic couple’s retreat, Six Senses actually includes 10 up-to-five-bedroom duplex penthouses, all of which have private treatment rooms; useful if it’s been an especially tough day on the slopes. Best of all is the private and concierged ski-in, ski-out service, which gives ahead-of-the-herd access to the resort’s 165 lifts. From December to April.
4. THE GIG
Massive Attack
Massive Attack perform to a sell-out crowd at The Greek in LA, 2014. Photograph by UVA
Never on Best Live Bands lists – even though they deserve to be – Bristol’s trip-hop pioneers have evolved to become a touchstone of electronic musicianship, while learning how to put on a cracking show. Mr Grant “Daddy G” Marshall and Mr Robert “3D” Del Naja will be joined on their European tour – from Dublin to Paris via Manchester, Milan and more – by Mr Adrian “Tricky” Thaws, who rapped on the band’s debut album Blue Lines. From 19 January to 27 February.
**5. THE SHOW **
China Doll
Mr Al Pacino onstage in China Doll at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York. Photograph by Jeremy Daniel
Mr Al Pacino starring in the role Mr David Mamet (_Glengarry Glen Ross) _wrote specially for him is one of Broadway’s hottest, yet controversial, tickets. Sure, it’s had mixed reviews (The New York Times called it “saggy”, and we’ve heard rumours of a few audience walkouts), but how many opportunities are you going to get to see the legendary Mr Pacino (now age 75) spew the words of the equally esteemed Mr Mamet? Mr Pacino began his career on stage, and has taken more than a dozen theatrical roles alongside his film work. In this latest starring role he is all but alone on stage for two hours, embodying a cynical billionaire politician-fixer. Until 31 January.
6. THE FILM
The Hateful Eight
Mr Samuel L Jackson stars as Major Marquis Warren in The Hateful Eight. Photograph by Andrew Cooper, SMPSP/ © 2015 The Weinstein Company. All Rights Reserved
Mr Quentin Tarantino’s eighth movie is a Western whodunnit led by Mr Samuel L Jackson. It’s the pair’s sixth collaboration, and the director’s increasingly cinematic style shows no sign of waning. Try to see the Roadshow Cut, a version in the spectacular, ultra-widescreen 70mm format that has 12 extra minutes that you won’t find at the multiplex. Out on 25 December in the US and 8 January in the UK.
7. THE EXHIBITION
Sinatra at 100: A Century in the Making
Mr Frank Sinatra, Miami Beach, 1968. Photograph by © Terry O’Neill
The new exhibition at Proud Chelsea on the King’s Road, London, is among the best of the many events marking the centenary of Mr Frank Sinatra’s birth on 12 December. These photos, ranging from the 1930s to the 1980s, come from both the slew of professional photos taken of the great man, and his family archive, including “selfies” taken by Mr Sinatra himself. Until 10 January.
8. THE RESTAURANT
German Gymnasium
Give your taste buds a work-out at German Gymnasium. Photograph D&D London
Before heading into Europe on the train from London St Pancras, a taste of the continent awaits in a former Victorian gym across the street. It’s extremely spacious, with two bars, a restaurant and the all-day ground-floor Grand Café, but this is no Euro-themed dining hall. From Berliner doughnuts at breakfast to a schnitzel supper, this is authentically Mittel European, and already winning plaudits after a late November launch.
9. THE FESTIVAL
Rhythm and Vines
Rounding off the year at Rhythm and Vines, Gisborne, New Zealand, 2014. Photograph by Jared Donkin
The Gisborne District, on the northeastern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, is notable 362 days of the year for its excellent wines, especially Chardonnay. For the last three days of the year, since 2008, one of its leading estates hosts a music festival topped by a New Year’s Eve party. This year, successors to previous headliners Public Enemy, LCD Soundsystem and Mr Tinie Tempah include Nero, RL Grime and Pendulum. 29 to 31 December.
10. THE BAR
Libare
Italian flair graces Libare at Sartoria. Photograph D&D London
There’s a lot to love about Libare, the new addition to the recently rebooted Sartoria – not least its understated yet distinctly bold Italian flair. Here roughly halfway down Savile Row, expect to find cocktails fixed with boutique Italian liquor in a restaurant with a cicchetti (Venetian tapas) counter and private dining rooms. The snacks and sups of aperitivo have never been so stylish.