Croydon is a brutalist playground and a photographer’s dream August 15, 2024 I stand killing time on the platform of one of Croydon’s many decrepit railway stations. Like me, it’s seen better days, and again like me, its makeover has been on the cards for years. I do a lot of waiting and thinking here, mostly enforced. Norwood Junction: even the name sounds like a line from [...]
A Chorus line at Sadler’s Wells: A wonderful celebration of dance August 15, 2024 A Chorus Line is a musical about the craft and hardship of dancing for Broadway musicals, and what it takes to get there. It’s also about bullying, domestic violence, plastic surgery, popping pills, having a sideline as a stripper or drag artist to make ends meet, and finding oneself only through dance. Yet, tune out [...]
Hollywoodgate: Documentary behind the scenes of Taliban rule August 14, 2024 A year in Kabul offers up some startling footage in this documentary that goes behind the scenes of Taliban rule. Director Ibrahim Nash’at spends twelve months documenting the transition from US occupation in Afghanistan to Taliban control, focusing on alleged American military base Hollywood Gate. Taliban Air Force Commander Mawlawi Mansour discovers over $7billion of [...]
Swan Song is an affectionate documentary on the world of ballet August 14, 2024 Produced by Scream star and former dancer Neve Campbell, this affectionate documentary delves into the demanding and pressured world of ballet. Cameras follow the lead up to The National Ballet’s 2022 production of Swan Lake, intended to be the final work of artistic director Karen Kain, a hallowed figure in the ballet world. Having been [...]
Borderlands film review: Starry cast can’t save video game flop August 14, 2024 Horror maestro Eli Roth (Hostel) delves into the world of video game adaptations in this big screen version of Borderlands, the first-person shooter that has spawned many sequels and imitators. With the success of Uncharted, Super Mario Bros, and Five Nights At Freddy’s, the stigma attached to movies based on games isn’t as prominent as [...]
Electric Moke review: driving a reborn icon of the Swinging Sixties August 14, 2024 Question: what do The Beatles, Madonna, George Russell, Jennifer Lopez, The Beach Boys, Cher, Hunter S Thompson, Brigitte Bardot and Kate Moss all have in common? The answer, obviously, is that they have all been pictured in a Moke. First launched in 1964, the Moke simultaneously stuck two fingers up to fashion while being embraced [...]
5 clever ways to keep rooms cool in this hot London weather August 14, 2024 When it comes to keeping cool in the heat, there are plenty of misconceptions. Opening a window isn’t always a good idea, for instance, and with temperatures staying high and London weather climbing into the mid twenties over the next period, it’s useful to think about cooling down. Here are five ways to keep a [...]
Oktoberfest: This London bar is offering free beer if you wear lederhosen August 13, 2024 Dress in lederhosen or dirndl this Oktoberfest and get a complimentary stein this autumn from King’s Cross purveyors of all that is great about German culture, the German Gymnasium. Opened in 1865 by the German Gymnastics Society as an actual gym, the high-ceilinged building relaunched as a restaurant in 2015. They’ll be throwing Oktoberfest celebrations [...]
Best beer gardens in London from Lock Tavern to The Captain Kidd August 13, 2024 It's almost beer garden season but with the risk of a downpour, it better be a really good one: here are the best London has to offer
18 new London rooftop bars in London to enjoy in the sun August 13, 2024 11 new London rooftop bars for summer, from Shoreditch to the Square Mile and further afield, here's where to raise a glass