What's On North 15-22 Jun: Africa Oyé

Each week The Skinny team hand-pick a selection of the best events from the North's cultural calendar to provide you with this 'ere top ten guide to the most exciting goings-on for the week ahead. From gigs, plays and exhibitions to spoken word, pop-up foodie events and one-off film screenings, we give you the insider's guide to things to do in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds every Thursday morning.

Africa Oyé 

We're gonna go out on a limb and say that you could really do with some light-hearted, good-natured, sun-kissed fun. Beer in hand and music pumping, all underpinned by a positive Afro-centric message... That's exactly what you're after, isn't it?

Well, with the fate of truly good timing this weekend sees the UK's largest free celebration of African music and culture, Africa Oyé! Marking its 25th anniversary, this year's festival invites favourite names from previous years' bills to return, including Dizzy Mandjeku & Odemba OK Allstars, Jupiter & Okwess International (pictured), Mokoomba, Dobet Gnahoré and Bonga.

Get the dancing shoes on, pray to the sun gods and head on down to Liverpool's Sefton Park on 17 and 18 June for a free weekend of goodness.

WE'LL SEE YOU THERE.

Edgar Wright on car chase thriller Baby Driver

With his 'Cornetto Trilogy' done, Edgar Wright heads stateside for Baby Driver, a car chase movie powered by a killer playlist. We speak to him about stunts, his legendary director pals, and his deep love of Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise.

Salford University Degree Show 2017 review

A trip to Salford's Create at Salford degree show reveals students with a strong visual language, and in the New Adelphi Building, a space in which these artists' creativity has been allowed to thrive. Artwork: Tara Collette

The Final Countdown: Food and Brexit

As we enter our second year circling the Brexit drain, we take a look at what this all means for our food and drink. It should all be fine; just kidding, we’re completely fucked... Illustration: Raj Dunnha

Also This Week:

Eat North
North Brewing Co., Leeds. Sat 17 Jun, 12pm

This week the brilliant team behind Leeds Indie Food are launching EatNorth, a new weekly food fair at the North Brewing Co taproom. Having earned their stripes with one of the North's leading food and drink festivals, we're expecting stellar stuff from them, with promises of Little Red Food Truck, Blue Caribou Canteen, Dukkha, Baltzersen's and Laynes Espresso to kick this off for the first Saturday. Photo: Tom Joy

Summer Arts Market
Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool. Sat 17 Jun, 10am

The Cathedral gets filled with the wares of 200 exhibitors this weekend for Open Culture's always-ace Summer Arts Market. Expect ceramics, painting, screen printing, illustration, jewellery, homewares, beauty products, candles, textiles, taxidermy and everything in between (check out who'll be there here), along with a vintage fair, food fair, a craft lab and live music.

Advertisement | RNCM Big Band with Laurence Cottle: Portrait of Jaco
Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. Wed 28 Jun, 6.30pm

The RNCM Big Band and Laurence Cottle pay tribute to the legendary American bassist Jaco Pastorius on the 30th anniversary of his death. Best known for his work with Weather Report, Pastorius revolutionised how the bass guitar is played. Cottle is a commanding presence on (fretless) bass himself, having worked with the likes of Brian Eno and Clark Tracey. This gig will include Cottle’s Big Band arrangements of Pastorius classics including Weather Report’s Birdland. Read more and buy tickets here.

Choose Love Manchester
Gorilla, Manchester. Sat 17 Jun, 5pm

Bringing together some of the city's favourite DJs, Choose Love Manchester will take over Gorilla's bar and studio on Sat 17 Jun to pay respect to those lost, injured and otherwise affected by the recent terror attack at Manchester Arena, while also celebrating the Manchester music scene and spreading love in the face of terror. Find out who's playing here, before entering the raffle here.

Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival
First Direct Arena, Leeds. Sat 17 Jun, 11am

The biannual Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival brings together food, ethical products and live entertainment to promote the vegan life as one that's not only kinder to animals and the environment, but also healthy, affordable and fun. Expect everything from vegan marshmallows, soy candles and organic skincare to yoga classes, cookery demos and speed dating. Illustration: Lucy Letherland

Looking ahead: Pilcrow's Summer Beer Thing

'Ere mate, you like beer festivals, don't you? Course you do, you bloody love 'em! No doubt, then, you'll be game for Pilcrow's Summer Beer Thing the weekend after next (30 Jun-2 Jul), which welcomes big guns like Runaway, Marble, Track, Cloudwater, Blackjack, Northern Monk, Magic Rock, Mad Hatter, Sore Feet, Omnipollo, Pohjala, Beerbliotek, To Øl, Mikkeller, Ilkley, Dugges, and more, plus street food, DJs, talks and workshops. Photo: Sam Needham