Review

Jessica Fostekew's 'Wench' at the Edinburgh Fringe review

★★★★★
Jessica begins by telling her audience that the past two years of isolation have made her weird, before clarifying it’s made us all weird. 

Patrick McPherson at Edinburgh Fringe review | A colossal show

★★★★★
Patrick McPherson’s captivating one-man play about relationships, storytelling and acknowledging our true selves is hilarious, engrossing and surprising in equal measures.  

Rajiv Karia at the Edinburgh Fringe review | Gallivant

★★★★★
Whipsmart, yet relaxed, Rajiv Karia oozes confidence on stage. The millennial son of immigrants, he wonders if he’s too settled in his comfortable East London existence. 

Lucky Me review | We’re the lucky ones with Phoebe Green’s potent pop album

★★★★☆
Phoebe Green has created a record that manages to be both full of nostalgia and forward-thinking – and represents a shift from her indie-rock releases to a bold, new, pop-oriented sound.

Close to Home review | Aitch’s decent debut doesn’t do much new

★★★☆☆
Aitch’s eagerly-awaited debut album has moments of personal triumph, but on the whole lacks much in the way of originality.

Tessa Coates at Edinburgh Fringe review | Get your Tessa Coates - you've pulled!

★★★☆☆
Tessa Coates' new Fringe offering is quirky and amusing, but for a show so anecdotal, the stories feel a little bit more manufactured than is being let on.

Rouge at Edinburgh Fringe review | Sexy circus for grown ups

★★★★☆
What it lacks in narrative, Rouge makes up for in humour and song - and good looking people in scanty clothing twirling around in the sky.

Anaïs In Love review | An unacceptable glorification of tardiness

Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s directorial debut follows social 'bulldozer' Anaïs, whose self-centred worldview frustrates in a this smug romcom. 

Nick Helm Edinburgh Fringe review | What have we become?

Nick Helm’s What Have We Become? begins as something of a rage against civilisation, before gradually softening into a thoughtful tale of growth, set over the last three years.

Nope review | Jordan Peele’s grand return, or is it?

★★★☆☆
Jordan Peele, a modern master of horror and unnerving thrills, returns with a brand new, original film, but Nope might prove divisive.

The Alchemist’s Euphoria review | Kasabian find new space to explore

★★★★☆
A Tom Meighan-shaped hole hasn’t dampened the spirits of Kasabian on their seventh record, which twists and turns in all the right kind of ways.

Funk Wav Bounces Vol 2 review | Calvin Harris’s surprisingly tedious pool party

★★★☆☆
The second volume of Calvin Harris’ Funk Wav Bounces is a litany of bigshot features. Considering that, it becomes a surprisingly samey record.

Renaissance review | R&B’s newly self-assured goddess reaches apotheosis

★★★★☆
In 2016, Beyonce reaffirmed her pop culture dominance with the eclectic and overcoming Lemonade. Renaissance picks up in the aftermath of personal rediscovery, exhibiting the R&B titan at her most self-assured.

Surrender review | Maggie Rogers at her most authentic

★★★★☆
Maggie Rogers has found her inner rockstar. Three years after her polarising debut ‘Heard It in a Past Life’, the singer who first rose to prominence from a video featuring Pharrell, has settled into an identity after a nascent rise to pop stardom. She’s rid herself of the softness and often sanitised, benign aesthetic of her debut and launched into raucous rock, strutting blues riffs and unapologetic stadium pop hooks.

Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 review | A chilling autopsy of rock music’s deadliest weekend

★★★★★
Woodstock ’99 was meant to celebrate thirty years of love and counterculturalism. However, it quickly descended into a weekend of fires, riots and rapes. Jamie Crawford’s Netflix miniseries explores in powerful depth how a once-in-a-generation extravaganza imploded.

The Libertines at Wembley Arena review | A nostalgic sense of occasion

★★★★☆
The Libertines roll back the years at Wembley Arena to mark two decades since the release of their debut album, Up the Bracket – with flames, football chants and, surprisingly, Jamie T.

Joey Bada$$ '2000' review | Joey enters the 21st Century

★★★☆☆
Joey Bada$$ is back. 2000 lacks the bite of his debut mixtape, 1999, or the scope of his last studio album, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. Worth the wait? No. Still, it proves why he’s one of this generation’s leading lyricists.

Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time review | Endearing, thoughtful and unique

★★★★☆
From Robert E. Weide, comes Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time, the remarkable documentary made over four decades, shining a light on the wonderful, troubled brain of one of the 20th Century’s greatest authors. 

Robust review | Familiar odd-couple tale with problematic lead actor

★★★☆☆
Constance Meyer’s charming, but much too familiar film about an ageing film star and an aspiring wrestler is an uncomfortable watch.

Beatopia review | Dreamy tunes that let us into Beabadoobee’s world

★★★★☆
Beatrice Laus, aka beabadoobee, gives us floaty, coming-of-age feelings of love and harmony on her delicate second album.

The Other Side of Make-Believe review | Interpol in cruise control

★★★★☆
Post-punk listeners will always lend their ear to new music from Interpol because they know, like with this new album, their demands will be satisfied.

Wireless 2022 at Finsbury Park review | Chaotic fun in the sun

Three fiery females in Cardi B, SZA and Nicki Minaj headlined the Finsbury Park instalment of Wireless this weekend, to varying levels of success, amidst a backdrop of cancellations and crowd chaos.

PMQs June 29 review | A fiery affair missing the main attraction

★★★☆☆
This lunchtime, we went to the weekly performance that is Prime Minister’s Questions. We stuck to what we know, treating it as a gig, the review of which can be found below.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers at London Stadium review | As fiery as ever

★★★★☆
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers in the London Stadium, with their big Californian sound, blasting out hits for a night of all-consuming fun. 

Elvis review | Superficial bio-epic misses the mark

★★☆☆☆
Austin Butler impresses in a film that is both hurried and too long, relying solely on an intriguing storyline and an iconic soundtrack - though these, too, are done a disservice. 

The Best Albums of 2022… So Far

It’s the summer solstice and therefore, what better way to spend the longest day of the year listening to the best albums of the year… so far.

Birch Arising Festival review | Fun-for-all-ages festival makes a promising debut

★★★★☆
Are you a parent who still wants to go to festivals? This quaint new festival in Hertfordshire might be the perfect event for you – and for non-parents, too.

Chase & Status What Came Before Review: Tracks For the Summer, But Not a Coherent Whole

★★★☆☆
It’s little surprise the album cover for What Came Before, Chase & Status’ sixth studio album, depicts the mad flurry of a rave many of us will experience this summer. Now that we can once more, after all.

Sundance Film Festival London 2022: Hatching Review

★★★★☆
This Finnish horror is seriously impressive, thanks to its inventive use of puppetry and special effects, topped with incredible performances

Sundance Film Festival London 2022: Good Luck To You, Leo Grande Review

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande isn’t quite as raunchy as it could have been, but it’s a delightful step forward for sex positivity on screen.