This document provides a summary of cultural and sporting events happening in the UK in 2015. Some of the key events mentioned include: 1) Exhibitions at the V&A Museum on shoes throughout history ("Shoes: Pleasure and Pain") and on fashion designer Alexander McQueen ("Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty"). 2) An exhibition at the Science Museum called "Churchill's Scientists" commemorating Winston Churchill and British scientific advances during World War 2. 3) The Rugby World Cup being held in various UK cities culminating in the final in London, and the World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow. 4) Upcoming tours by promising new UK music acts All We Are and Years &

1. THE ACTUARY • January 201526 January 2015 • THE ACTUARY 27
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At the back
Arts
Mainpicture:Paintthetown
anycolouryoudesireat
theAlexanderMcQueen:
SavageBeautyexhibition
Left:Ifshoesareyoursole
desire,thenbeatapathto
theV&A
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This year is a
celebration of both
the old and the new.
Anastasia Aboim
selects some of the
cultural and sporting
highlights coming up
in 2015 in the UK.
SCIENCE MUSEUM
Sure, you’ll be waiting for the return of the
Large Hadron Collider, the launch of the Apple
Watch and commemorating the bicentenary of
the Battle of Waterloo along with the rest of
them, but, besides the obvious, here’s some of
the events that will leave your 2015 calendar
packed with things to do.
Shoes: Pleasure and Pain
The V&A has two must-see exhibitions for
fashion fanatics, starting with Shoes: Pleasure
and Pain. If you ever bent yourself backwards
for the shoes of your dreams, it’s nothing
compared to what some of the owners of the
pieces on display would have endured.
Spanning the bizarre, the shocking and the just
plain impractical, this exhibition has brought
shoes from across the globe, including ancient
Egyptian sandals and hi-tech ones created by a
3D printer. More conventional creations include
pieces owned by icons from Queen Victoria to
Marilyn Monroe. A unique look into how
footwear floats between necessity and
obsession. No Crocs allowed!
Exhibitionopens13June2015–31 January2016
Alexander McQueen:
Savage Beauty
In March, the V&A will bring Alexander
McQueen: Savage Beauty – the successful
exhibition about the most talked-about
designer in a generation – from New York to
LET’S CALL IT A DATEChurchill’s Scientists
The Science Museum kicks off
Churchill 2015, a unique programme of
events to commemorate British
wartime prime minister Winston
Churchill’s life, work and achievements,
with the Churchill’s Scientists exhibition.
In honour of the 50th anniversary of his
death and the scientific breakthroughs
that occurred during his leadership, the
exhibition will tell the many remarkable
stories showing how science helped Britain to
win the war.
Original archive film footage, letters and
photographs will shed light onto how Robert
Watson-Watt invented radar, how the Tube
Alloys project made a home-grown atomic
bomb and on the powerful high-speed camera
built to film the first seconds of detonation.
There were also breakthroughs in medicine
with the production of penicillin and
antibiotics and in nutrition with the pioneering
work of Elsie Widdowson. Her research into the
war diet, compiled in the book The Composition
of Foods, is still referred to today. But these
developments may not have happened without
Churchill’s fascination with and
encouragement of science. Visitors can also see
Churchill’s personal items, including one of his
many famous cigars – smoked upon hearing he
had been re-elected in 1951.
Exhibitionopens23January
Sport
Three years after the Olympic Games upped the
ante in British sport, fans won’t be disappointed
by what’s lined up this year.
l The Rugby World Cup is coming to our
shores in the autumn. The six-week-long clash
between 20 nations will be held in 13 venues
across 11 cities, including Newcastle,
Manchester, Cardiff and London. The final will
take place at the home of rugby, the
Twickenham Stadium, on 31 October.
Around half a million international visitors
are expected, and with prices starting at £15
per ticket it’s accessible for rugby novices to
soak up a great atmosphere while watching
great sport.
Thetournamentopenson18September
the capital. The collection will be presented in
themes, from McQueen’s graduate collection to
his unfinished collection for Autumn/Winter
2010. Described as having dramatic staging
resembling his catwalk shows, this exhibition
will journey through the life of the man who
invented the bumster trouser, revived skull
print and who wowed his audience to the very
end. This is bound to be a stunning exhibition
with the works of a true original.
Exhibitionopens14March–19July2015
Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire
and Revolution
One of the most famous diary-keepers gets a
nod from the National Maritime Museum in
Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire and Revolution. This
will offer an interesting insight into the
turbulent period between the execution of
Charles I in 1649 and the Glorious Revolution
of 1688, narrated by Pepys himself, and with
200 paintings and objects.
Exhibitionopens20November2015–28March2016
l Scotland may be missing out on hosting the
Ruby World Cup (it did host last year’s
Commonwealth Games after all), but Glasgow
will get its hands on the World Gymnastics
Championships this autumn. Olympic
medallist Louis Smith and other familiar faces
will be back to consolidate past successes, and,
no doubt, the recently retired record-breaking
British gymnast Beth Tweddle will make
an appearance.
Thechampionshipstakeplacefrom23Octoberto
1 November
Music
Leading a spurt of new blood are two bands,
both trios, one from the north and the other
from the south.
l All We Are delivers a sound from LA via
Liverpool. Based in the latter, Guro, Rich and
Luís have a mix of funky guitars, Beatles-
inspired hooks and daydream harmonies up
their sleeves.
The slow, lovesick shuffle of Utmost Good is
a lo-fi soul-rock sound and their own haunting
harmonies are akin to bands like Metronomy
and Haim. The strength of the tracks on offer
online, however, hints that All We Are could
carve a path of their own. Anyone that
describes their sound as “the Bee Gees on
diazepam” is certainly worth a listen. Catch
them on tour in March.
UK/Irishtourfrom9–17March,playingManchester,
Brighton,London,Cork,DublinandGlasgow
l Another hotly tipped act, Years & Years, has
been described as ’90s R&B left out in the
Ibizan sun. In the running for the BBC’s Sound
of 2015 list, the Londoners’ singles Take Shelter
and Desire have futuristic synths, bouncing
steel drums and addictive pop melodies
peppered with soulful yet innocent vocals
from lead Olly Alexander, who abandoned
acting to conquer UK dancefloors with mates
Mikey and Emre. With the current buzz
around them and anticipation
of their album, look forward to
futuristic and more mature
dance music coming out of
your speakers. Years & Years
begins its UK tour in February.
UKtourfrom26 February–
7 March,playingDigbeth,
Manchester,Nottingham,Bristol,
Glasgow,LondonandBrighton