Against the backdrop of 1950’s Kenya a young boy returns to his village after studying at the prestigious Alliance boarding school to find his family and home has vanished. This young boy, Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o, […]
Books: New Review: Waiting For Sunrise by William Boyd
Like any novel with William Boyd’s name on it, Waiting For Sunrise oozes class and sophistication. Those eleven little letters on the front of the novel are, for many readers, enough to know it is […]
Books: New Review: A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks
There are a few authors who inspire complete confidence; unless something has gone horribly wrong, their newest offering will be brilliant. Sebastian Faulks is – one of those authors, but even he admits A […]
Books: New Review: Mo Said She Was Quirky by James Kelman
“Mo said she was quirky, but it was more than that.” ‘She’ is Helen, a Glaswegian living in London and working night-shifts at a casino. ‘Mo’ is her new boyfriend, a British-Pakistani working in […]
Books: Halloween Classic of the Week: Trilby by George Du Maurier
Now this is a novel soaked with cultural history. Trilby inspired Leroux’s The Phantom of The Opera, coined the term Svengali, now forever to denote a hypnotic and controlling young gentleman, and turned the […]
Top Five: Creepy Tales for Halloween
Isobel Miller investigates the best books for a haunting Halloween in. The Collector by John Fowles Pre-meditating The Lovely Bones, this is a chilling tale about a lonely man who captures […]
The Interview: Kelvin Swaby: "Albums are like Tattoos"
Lead singer of The Heavy, Kelvin Swaby, talks to Lucy Holden this week about a new album inspired by 70s horror, old-school influences, and time spent too close to the fire. When the FaceTime […]
What's On: Homeland
Intelligentsia: Claire Danes as Carrie Matheson in Homeland. Image: Channel Four. Caitlin Williams watches the start of US thriller, Homeland’s, second series, with baited breath. The start of the second season of Homeland […]
The Soapbox: “They’ll only pay me Shrapnel”
Never let it be said that the student paper has lost its knack for Daily Mail-esque reporting. The light-hearted, slightly satirical story of a reporter which covered the student protest at the BAE stand at […]
This Week's Singles
The Stranglers – ‘Mercury Rising’ (Coursegood) Post-punk veterans release second single from new album Giant. Serrated metallic guitar over frenetic synth is comfortingly typical Stranglers. However, it’s quickly let down by a combination of badly-judged semi-rap and worryingly […]
Album Review // Tracey Thorn – Tinsel & Lights
As Christmas encroaches, out crawl the opportunistic money makers ready to flog Quality Street tins, roasted chestnuts and line our record stores with tasteless festive albums. Tracey Thorn, one half of Everything But The Girl unashamedly […]
Album Review // Cemeteries – 'The Wilderness'
Having gazed into the forest near his home in Buffalo, Kyle J Reigle (aka Cemeteries) decided to write music in an attempt to escape his bleak urban surroundings. Six months recording in his spare room […]