April - the best month to check out meteor showers, astrology fans - is finally here, banishing the winter chills. So why not celebrate the equitability of indoor and outdoor temperatures with a trip to the hottest places in London: the interiors of West End theatres? Plenty of runs are coming to an end this month, so for your last chance to see The Unfriend, Medea or The Way Old Friends Do, check out the details below:
In April's artful adventures, explore Dickens' foggy London, Steve McQueen's Grenfell tribute, and the pioneers of abstract art.
With an output that reflects both hedonism and its aftermath in equal measure, Laurence Guy has risen the ranks through NTS slots, Rinse FM residencies and sold-out shows at Fabric. His forthcoming album Living Like There’s No Tomorrow, But Killing Yourself In The Process, set for release on 7 July via his own label Accidental Pieces, typifies a producer at the peak of their powers.
★★★★☆
Tetris tells the story behind one of the most famous videogames of all time. Read our review of Jon S. Baird’s latest film.
From video game festivals to espresso martinis, there's something for everyone in our pick of the best events in London this April.
With a new single out today, ‘Mirrors’, via So Young Records, we speak to Nightbus about how they formed, house parties, and balancing their ambitions for world domination with simply doing what they love – as part of our series on emerging artists.
★★★☆☆
Hasbro’s wildly popular role-playing game gets its fourth big screen treatment. Read our review of Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.
★★★★★
Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers are even better than the sum of their parts on boygenius’ debut album, The Record.
Adele has extended her Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace, with the singer now set to perform twice the number of shows originally scheduled.
★★★★☆ Electric Brixton welcomed Biig Piig with open arms last night, as the biiggest piiglets filled up the sold-out, 1500-capacity venue.
★★★☆☆ Léa Mysius blends fantasy, horror, and time travel but falls short with a convoluted narrative.
A sizeable week for new music sees fresh releases from FLO and Missy Elliott, Depeche Mode, Heartworms and, of course, Lana Del Rey. Check out our pick of the bunch below.
A pioneer of hip-hop-laden bedroom pop and sunny 70s-inspired beats, we speak to Benny Sings as he returns with his eighth album, Young Hearts.
With his debut EP, Poems To Dance To, out today, we speak to Antony for the next instalment of our series on rising artists that are increasingly demanding people’s attention.
★★★★☆
After the single release of ‘A&W’, we could tell Lana Del Rey’s world had changed. The full-length album Did you know that there are tunnels under Ocean blvd reminds us that her stunning poetry is a truly vital force.
★★★☆☆ 6LACK is back with his third studio album, Since I Have A Lover, a typically polished, contemplative record, but sorely lacking in bite. Read our 6LACK Since I Have A Lover review below.
★★★★☆
When you hear that country music’s biggest star – who also happens to be only 33, scandal free, happily married and a doting soon to be father-of-two – is going to release an 18-track album called Gettin’ Old there is, naturally, a sense of trepidation. The risk that Luke Combs’ new record had to descend into one big saccharine mass of sentimentality was high, to put it lightly.
From Arnold Schwarzenegger to Keanu Reeves, the Hollywood action hero has greatly evolved over the years. But why?
★★★☆☆
Depeche Mode have always battled with existentialism through Dave Gahan’s ominous baritone and gothic synths that blurred ecstasy and agony. But now, Memento Mori being their first album without longtime keyboardist Andy Fletcher (who died suddenly last year aged 60) their melancholy is etched with an added air of mourning.
★★★★☆
Alex G crafted a rapturous set at Roundhouse, with tunes from his most recent album, God Save The Animals, peppered with songs from his wide-ranging catalogue. Read our review.
This weekend, Britain will change the clocks under the guise of ‘daylight saving’, despite the benefits being non-existent and the consequences fatal.
Are mental health documentaries about celebrities authentic or are they manufactured, cashing in on modern society's compulsion to open up about mental health?
Loyle Carner’s latest album Hugo isn’t so much a concept album, as one that revolves more heavily than most around themes plucked personally and profoundly from the artist’s own life. Named after the number plate emblazoned on his dad’s car – in which Loyle Carner (aka Ben Coyle-Larner) learned to drive and, more importantly, forgive his dad during their driving lesson – there’s a physical, cinematic quality to the album as a whole.
★★★★☆
Award-winning filmmaker Charlie Lightening gives an honest appraisal of Louis Tomlinson in his new documentary All Of Those Voices – a film that extends beyond what it means to be an artist, but a down-to-earth human being too.
Ahead of the release of Lana Del Rey’s ninth studio album, Jessie Atkinson delves into her extensive songwriting catalogue, and outlines how the singer went from a writer of songs to a master of the full-length album.
Following his acclaimed 2019 documentary on Liam Gallagher As It Was, director Charlie Lightening turns his attention to Louis Tomlinson.
Pedro Pascal has become the internet’s “Daddy” but Emma Flint argues we should treat male actors with the same respect we demand for women.
Brokeback Mountain is now getting a stage adaptation and will run from 10 May to 12 August at Soho Place in London’s West End.
★★★★☆
Beartooth made it to Wembley Arena in slightly absurd circumstances. Sunday’s show was supposed to happen in Brixton Academy a year ago, but first, a certain spiky little virus got in the way, and second, the tragic incident at the original venue in December meant another venue had to be found.
For the first time since the huge Reputation tour of 2018, and following the devastating cancellation of the 2020 Lover Fest, Taylor Swift is back on tour, this time with her catalogue-spanning The Eras Tour.
