“Welcome to the US, 80s, 90s”, Mark E Smith once chanted. We’re firmly entrenched in both decades in Los Angeles singer-songwriter and musician Josh da Costa’s rather charming debut solo album. Easy breezy jangle like ‘Proving Me Right’ and ‘Cordelia’ shimmer like cinematic Cadillacs on hazy highways, and ‘Skygirl’ and ‘Hospital Clown’ bounce like 90sContinue reading “Album Review: Josh da Costa- New Wave Graveyard”
Tag Archives: 2026
Our Bodies Are Not Trends
The recent trend for mega-skinny bodies is really concerning to me. When I was a teen and up until my early thirties, I was slender, and have never been particularly overweight, until the last six years when I’ve been disabled. So it was horrible to see that, yet again, the twig look was starting toContinue reading “Our Bodies Are Not Trends”
Social Media Is The Latest Scapegoat
Sir Keir Starmer has followed Australia and today implemented a blanket ban on social media for anyone under the age of sixteen. A group of parents who had lost their children spearheaded the campaign. Whilst I obviously feel for the families who lost their children, social media is not the issue- there are many problemsContinue reading “Social Media Is The Latest Scapegoat”
Album Review : Horse Lords- Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive!
Originally from Baltimore and now based in Germany, Horse Lords cut an experimental swathe through the indie music scene. This new album sees them expand their sound even further. The title track is as though Battles got together with Steve Reich, and created alien funk. Blips and beeps build into looping percussion and vocals. It’sContinue reading “Album Review : Horse Lords- Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive!”
Mark E Smith : His Part In My Downfall
The audition had been bloody. Smith had various band members by the lapels, shaking them like human piñatas, waiting for ideas to just fall out. Smith kept screaming, for reasons best known to himself, “Peters and Lee!” A new musical detour for us to consider, no doubt. There had been dark mutterings in the ranksContinue reading “Mark E Smith : His Part In My Downfall”
Film Review : Billy Idol Should Be Dead
When I was a kid, Billy Idol epitomised the naughty boy we all fancied. He was always a bit cheeky, but we knew that. What we didn’t know was that he was also a heroin addict. Jonas Akerlund’s documentary about the former William Broad, who grew up in Bromley and reinvented himself as “punk” singerContinue reading “Film Review : Billy Idol Should Be Dead”
TV Review: Falling Part 2
I’m prepared to contradict my initial impression. It’s been a couple of weeks since my last confession. ‘Falling’ is getting better since its first two episodes. Now, we’re getting into the ethics of the series, the meat, a heavy juxtaposition of forbidden love and devout faith, it’s a slow -burning, rather good series, actually. JasonContinue reading “TV Review: Falling Part 2”
Theatre Review: Educating Rita, Dundee Rep Theatre
Dundee Rep Theatre, May 28th, 2026. In a week that saw a bitter row erupt within the BBC regarding men taking on women’s stories (four hundred female writers signed an open letter against Jeff Pope doing a dramatisation of Sarah Everard’s murder) questions still remain about the authorship of female experience. But there’s no suchContinue reading “Theatre Review: Educating Rita, Dundee Rep Theatre”
Half Man Is Half-Baked…
In his trailblazing novel ‘1984’, George Orwell wrote, “Imagine a boot stamping on a human face-forever”. Well, now we don’t have to imagine, we’ve got ‘Half Man’. Yay. Hot on the heels of the success of his drama series ‘Baby Reindeer’, writer and actor Richard Gadd announced the release of a follow-up drama series, whichContinue reading “Half Man Is Half-Baked…”
TV Review: Falling
Series 1, Episode 1. Jack Thorne’s brand new series stars Keeley Hawes as Anna, a nun who falls for priest Father David (Paapa Essiedu). This notion of renouncing religion for desire has of course been covered many times: think of classic film ‘Black Narcissus ‘ ; the TV series ‘The Thorn Birds’ , or moreContinue reading “TV Review: Falling”
Hit The North 