Dua Lipa and Olivia Dean drive UK music boom despite fragile backdrop Media The UK recorded music industry chalked up an 11th consecutive year of growth this year, thanks to a new generation of British artists breaking through at home and overseas. The sector wins come despite mounting pressures that threaten its grassroots foundations. Figures published by industry body BPI show total recorded music consumption rose 4.9 per [...]
Mud, music and magic at End of the Road festival 2025 Life&Style On Thursday night at End of the Road, the couple in front of me in the queue for food turned to each other and said: “We’re back in the best place in the world.” A handful of other festivals might complain, but there’s no doubt that EOTR is vying for the crown of the UK’s [...]
We Out Here festival review: Dorset isn’t supposed to be this cool Life&Style We Out Here festival programmes a line-up of jazz-inflected music. Its diversity is exciting, says Adam Bloodworth Over fifty festivals have shuttered in the past year. Shockingly, turning a patch of rural grass into a temporary metropolis for the weekend doesn’t chime well with the cost of living crisis. For a midsize event, upfront fees [...]
Wilderness festival review: silliness and beauty combine to offer five-star escapism August 7, 2025 Around a quarter of the people who attended Wilderness festival this year glamped, swerving the surely horrifying idea of pitching their own tent, and they quaffed champagne at banquet feasts and from lakeside hot tubs. There is no getting around it: Wilderness attracts what the festival likes to call a “bouji” crowd (bosses don’t like [...]
A massive burger festival is coming to London – and you can vote for the UK’s best bun July 31, 2025 “London, get ready to loosen your belts,” is the message from the team at Burger Fest UK, taking place at Signature Brew in east London on 13 and 14 September, with dozens of traders showing off what they believe are the UK’s very best pattys in buns. So far, nine revered burger makers have confirmed [...]
The Bowls Club is the best summer event in the City June 25, 2025 If ramming the car full with tents and wellies and trekking the countryside sounds like too much hard work, stay in the City this summer for a dose of festival spirit – the new Bowls Club in Finsbury Square feels like the City’s own little music festival. There’s a live DJ every night, and some [...]
BfI Flare 2025: Everything to know as London LGBTQ film festival returns this week with mega line-up March 17, 2025 One of the world’s leading LGBTQ culture events returns to London this week as BFI Flare 2025 welcomes a host of new film-making to the capital. 34 films will receive their world premieres at BFI Flare 2025, and the films have been split into three categories: Hearts, Bodies and Minds. They herald from 41 countries [...]
5 reasons why Green Man festival is absolutely amazing August 21, 2024 With music, science, craft beer and traditional dancing high in the picturesque Brecon Beacons, the Green Man festival has become a staple of the UK music festival scene over the past 20 years. More than music, it has developed a reputation for its friendly atmosphere, but the wide variety of folk and live acts, and [...]
How the Light Gets In founder: Bankers! Of course they need philosophy May 9, 2024 Philosopher Hilary Lawson on why you should spend your May bank holiday at Britain's first festival of ‘ideas’