Hello, and welcome back for another week of exciting new recommendations.
If May was all about movie mania with Cannes, June marks the beginning of a music festival frenzy. While Glastonbury might be the most notable, Europe is brimming with other, lesser-known events that have equally incredible line-ups and even more unique atmospheres. One such example is Lyon’s Nuits de Fourvière, which begins next weekend at a stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site (more on that below).
In other music-related news, two major albums drop this Friday: Little Simz’s ‘Lotus’ and Pulp’s ‘More’, with new releases from HAIM, Lorde and Barbra Streisand also on the horizon.
Lastly, between the bloodthirsty pirouettes of Ballerina and wayward whimsy of The Phoenician Scheme, be sure to add It Was Just an Accident to your watch list. Our critic David Mouriquand called it a “richly deserved Palme d’Or winner” that’s “taut, gripping and utterly engrossing.” Find out more about the movie and its Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi in our latest Culture catch-up.
Here’s what to look out for over the next seven days…
Exhibitions
Anselm Reyle: Sunrise Mission
Where: The Opera Gallery (London,UK)
When: 4 June – 3 July 2025
Pop-coloured paint, scrunched-up foil and scrap metal sculptures — Berlin-based artist Anselm Reyle plays with texture in endlessly tactile ways. For this expansive new exhibition at London’s Opera Gallery, he showcases a number of ongoing series, including his chrome brushstroke paintings, ceramics and neon installations. A collection of stools made in collaboration with Austrian artist Franz West will also be present, highlighting Reyle’s passion for furniture design, and repurposing materials to creatively commentate on mass-production and consumerist culture.
Museum of Contemporary Palestinian Art
Where: Edinburgh, Scotland
When: Open now
The first ever European museum dedicated to contemporary Palestinian art, it spotlights a powerful breadth of artistic mediums — from embroidery to paintings; sculptures and filmmaking — all of which capture the lived experiences of Palestinians who have either been exiled or remain under occupation. Founded by entrepreneur Faisal Saleh, the project exists as a way to make Palestinian voices heard, highlighting their resilience, creativity and humanity.
Events
Nuits de Fourvière
Where: Lyon, France
When: 2 June – 26 July 2025
Nuits de Fourvière is a music festival gem within Europe’s cultural calendar. Firstly, its setting is shrouded in a rich historical ambience, taking place among the ruins of the Théâtre Antique de Fourvière, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Secondly, its line-up is always an excitingly eclectic mix of genres and artists. This year will include performances from 90s’ hip-hop faves Cypress Hill, Portishead lead Beth Gibbons, psychedelic punk band La Femme, neoclassical composer Max Richter, Dublin quintet Fontaines D.C. — and that’s just a taster! Find out more about the festival here.
Primavera Sound Barcelona
Where: Barcelona, Spain
When: 4 – 8 June 2025
Also about to kick-off on the music festival circuit is one of the continent’s most renowned: Primavera Barcelona. For five days of sun, sea and sonic jubilation, the Parc del Fòrum will play host to some of the world’s biggest artists like Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, FKA Twigs, Caribou and Beach House. And if you can’t make this one, Primavera Sound Porto is set to take place shortly after, from 12 – 14 June.
Movies
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
Where: Most European cinemas
When: 6 June 2025
“People keep asking if I’m back, and I haven’t had an answer. But yeah, I’m thinking that I’m back.” Indeed, everyone’s favourite dog-avenging hitman, John Wick (Keanu Reeves), is returning to the big screen — sort of. No longer just the star of an action franchise, John Wick has spawned his very own cinematic universe. Two years ago, this brought us spin-off series ‘The Continental’, and now: a revenge romp centred around orphan turned bad-ass ballerina, Eeve Macarro (Ana de Armas). Don’t set the barre too high on this one — a total popcorn (pirouettes and pow pow pow) movie. Stay tuned for our full review this week.
The Phoenician Scheme
Where: UK cinemas
When: Out now
Still rolling out across European cinemas, Wes Anderson’s latest offering is a frenzied family adventure of troubled fathers, bejeweled pipes and eccentric entomologists. Set in the 1950s, we follow businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) and his trainee nun daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton) as they repair familial bonds while attempting to secure investments for a fictional place called Phoenicia — avoiding repeated assasination attempts in the process. As usual, an all-star cast including Michael Cera, Benedict Cumberbatch and Scarlett Johansson are the beating heart of Anserson’s surreal, stylised world of slapstick shenanigans. Our critic David Mouriquand reviewed it here.
Television
Stick
Where: Apple TV+
When: 4 June 2025
Golf usually isn’t taken very seriously in films and TV. Most will think of Adam Sandler’s goofy Happy Gilmore, or Larry David’s use of the sport as a setting for social mishaps and swan deaths in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Otherwise, it’s most often sidelined as a character detail for middle-aged company executives. But that’s about to change with Stick, a show about an ex-golfer named Pryce Cahill (Owen Wilson) who finds a renewed sense of purpose in coaching troubled teenager Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager). It’s a format that’s par for the course in sports-themed narratives, but leads with heartwarming intent similar to AppleTeeV+’s popular sitcom Ted Lasso. It’s also just great to see Wilson back on screen in a starring role (we’ve missed him).
Kaizen
Where: Disney+
When: Now
Earlier this year, we spoke to Inoxtag: the 23-year-old French YouTuber that has a total of over 20 million subscribers across all his social media platforms. In other words — if you haven’t heard of him, there’s a high chance your kids/friends’ kids have. However, unlike many other gaming influencers, Inoxtag has utilised his online popularity as a platform for launching bold projects, like an eSports team named Croûton (before he’d even finished school!) His latest adventure might be the most ambitious yet, though. Over the course of a year, Kaizen follows the YouTuber’s journey to climbing Mount Everest in a riveting and life-affirming documentary that reminds us to dream big and digitally disconnect.
Music
Little Simz: Lotus
When: 6 June 2025
She’s back! The multi-award decorated British rapper that is Little Simz (who’s also curating the upcoming Meltdown festival in London). It’s been three years since her last full-length release, ‘No Thank You’, which followed the Mercury Prize-winning ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’. This ninth offering includes lead singles ‘Flood’ and ‘Free’, which suggest we’re in for some life-changing melodic meanderings on growth and new beginnings. It also features some seriously impressive guest collaborators, including Yussef Dayes, Obongjayar, Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano, and Muchael Kiwanuka (whose album ‘Small Changes’ made our best of 2024). Is it Friday yet?
Pulp: More
When: 6 June 2025
Last year was a big one for Britpop resurgence — namely due to Oasis announcing a sell-out reunion tour and that brilliant use of Blur’s ‘The Universal’ in Andrea Arnold’s Bird. Now, fellow icons of the era Pulp are about to drop their eighth studio album — the first in almost 24 years since ‘We Love Life’. Its synth-spangled singles like ‘Spike Island’ tingle with 90s nostalgia, while Jarvis Cocker’s distinctive vocals are instantly transportive to a time of bucket hats, oversized coats and catchy anthems.