Gigwise • 19th October 2022

Album Review: Loyle Carner - hugo | Gigwise

It’s difficult to comprehend Loyle Carner’s journey since the release of his debut album, Yesterday’s Gone, back in 2017. Five years later and the British rap icon has released his third album, hugo. The ten-track album marks a clear turning point in Carner’s work – it’s noticeably different in tone from his sophomore album Not Waving, But Drowning. hugo is simultaneously political and personal. It highlights the complex relationship between race, fame and Carner’s new identity as a father.

Gigwise • 29th September 2022

EP Review: dodie - Hot Mess | Gigwise

A new era of experimentation and excellence

It’s been a hectic couple of years for singer-songwriter dodie. After releasing her debut album, Build A Problem, in May 2021, she’s balanced going on a highly anticipated tour, posting monthly videos to YouTube, and writing new music. The latter has resulted in Hot Mess. The four track EP encapsulates nearly everything about life in your mid-twenties, from dating and relationships to loneliness and regret.

Hot Mess calls for a new era in dodie’s car

Gigwise • 26th September 2022

Sad Girl Autumn: An Audio History | Gigwise

As the days gradually get shorter, there’s a new indie aesthetic to fixate on. That’s right, sad girl autumn is upon us.

Gigwise • 23rd August 2022

Album Review: Laufey - Everything I Know About Love | Gigwise

Since she released her debut single ‘Street by Steet’ back in 2020, Laufey has been fine-tuning her redefinition of jazz for a Gen-Z audience. Influenced by the likes of Chet Baker and Ella Fitzgerald, Laufey’s deep alto voice, rich harmonies and heartfelt lyrics make her debut album, Everything I Know About Love, a standout insight into her unique musical style.

With several of the album’s tracks already released this year, previous fan favourites are perfectly slotted into a well-structured d

DIVA • 15th August 2022

Why we still need LGBTQI bookshops (and five to visit around the UK)

From providing safe spaces for queer readers to uplifting writers and publishing houses not commonly found on the high street, these shops are vital

The moment lockdown was lifted marked a sigh of relief for independent bookshops, especially for those focused on supporting LGBTQI communities and stories. There’s a long history of LGBTQI bookshops across the UK.

The Indiependent • 12th August 2022

'Emily' Trailer Places Emily Brontë On The Big Screen

Emma Mackey shines as the Wuthering Heights author in the new biopic directed by Frances O’Connor. The wild, windswept Yorkshire moors are captured in the film’s official trailer.

Frances O’Connor is making her debut as a writer-director with Emily, a biopic aiming to explore the life of Emily Brontë, author of Wuthering Heights. Emma Mackey, star of Sex Education, Eiffel and Greta Gerwig’s upcoming film Barbie will play Brontë. Alongside Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen will play William Weightman

DIVA • 4th August 2022

How King Princess has cemented her unique style in Hold On Baby

The queer icon’s second album is all about self-discovery

Since Mikaela Straus’ breakout single 1950, her music’s been on a constant journey of growth and refinement. Back in 2018, Straus, known by her stage name King Princess, probably couldn’t have anticipated future collaborations with the likes of Mark Ronson, Ethan Gruska, Fiona Apple and the late Taylor Hawkins. What becomes apparent when listening to the 23-year-old artist’s second fully fledged album, Hold On Baby, is how cleverly she i

Gigwise • 20th April 2022

Why Is Hollywood So Obsessed With Music Biopics? | Gigwise

From the Sex Pistols to Bob Dylan, no artist is safe from the movie treatment these days

2022 seems to be the year for biopics. This year’s Oscar nominations reflect this, with King Richard (about Serena and Venus Williams' father), Tick, Tick…Boom! (focusing on Rent penman Jonathan Larson) and The Eyes of Tammy Faye (self-explanatory) all receiving nominations in a range of the big-hitter categories. There’s already news of a number of music biopics soon-to-be-released or in-production this ye

Palatinate • 10th March 2022

Step into spring with Studio Ghibli

I was first introduced to the entrancing world of Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki when I was around eight-years-old. As was typical of my early 2010s childhood, most weekends my sister and I would be allowed to pick a DVD to rent from our local LoveFilm. Over the course of the weekend, we’d play our chosen disc at least three to four times, promptly exchanging it for a new film the following weekend. One weekend we happened to select the Studio Ghibli classic The Secret World of Arrietty. A

DIVA • 22nd September 2022

Frida Kahlo: artist, activist, bi icon

Born in 1907, Frida Kahlo is known as one of the world’s most infamous artists. Insisting she was actually born in 1910, to align with the start of the Mexican Revolution and therefore the symbolic founding of modern Mexico, Frida is remembered for her revolutionary politics, disability activism and obviously her incredible art.