27th Oct 2011 ⁄ South East ⁄ Having lived in Brighton a fair few months, it seemed almost criminal that I hadn't been down to The Brighton Sea Life Centre, the oldest operating aquarium in the WORLD. So when the chance to witness the first ever underwater photography...
22nd Aug 2011 ⁄ South East ⁄ This was my first ever BoomTown Fair, and boy was it a goodun'! The hype surrounding the festival started as soon as the earlybird tickets went online late last year, with the suspense of the secret location adding to the growing excitement. There was no way I was going to miss this...
8th Aug 2011 ⁄ East Midlands ⁄ Situated in the beautiful Peak District, the Y Not Festival could not be contained in better surroundings. The drive in is relaxing and refreshing, with rolling hills giving way to tall forests and rocky outcrops, navigated via winding roads with little traffic. I arrived at the festival feeling stress free and excited for what was to come...
5th Aug 2011 ⁄ East Midlands ⁄ It was a lovely English summer day for a very English kind of festival. On arrival at Indietracks at Butterley, one of the stations of the Midland Railway run by volunteers you get an old fashioned steam train one stop up the line to the festival site, which belongs to the Midland Railway Trust (Indietracks is a fun...
1st Aug 2011 ⁄ South West ⁄ This was my second time at Nozstock: The Hidden Valley, a perfect little family-friendly music festival down in Bromyard, Herefordshire. Recently recommended in my Best Small Festivals article, I had butterflies in my stomach as I turned off the M5 and started the short, winding journey to the event...
11th Jul 2011 ⁄ It was a lovely warm July Saturday evening when we made our way to Jodrell Bank in the heart of the beautiful Cheshire countryside to see the Flaming Lips and their space-influenced alternative and ground-breaking rock music.
There was a certain buzz in the air as we followed the crowds to the unusual arena, something that has been made availabl...
18th Mar 2011 ⁄ South West ⁄ Now it's been a long time since I enjoyed some good old electronic music, so when the chance to go to BLOC presented itself, I jumped at the opportunity, taking my younger brother Alex along for a treat. Loading up the car with enough food and drink to last us the weekend, we drove down to the Butlins Resort in Minehead where the three-day event wa...
29th Nov 2010 ⁄ Arriving on my desk much quicker than expected, I opened the package containing the Sequel to Phaidons best selling Century, with great excitement.
It was a challenge to prise Decade away from many intrigued hands. First it did the rounds in the office, next the pub then my housemates. It is impossible not to become engaged in the fascinatin...
25th Sep 2010 ⁄ East Midlands ⁄ Review of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake at Curve by Jemma Crowston.
13th Mar 2010 ⁄ East Midlands ⁄ More great news for Leicester Music, on Sunday evening I had the pleasure of attending the launch of a NEW local record label. Victoria Bourne (label manager) and Chris Harper (co founder) have launched A Lovely Coincidence...
27th Feb 2010 ⁄ I'm pretty ignorant of Australian music on the whole. I doubt I could name more than a handful of Australian acts or songs other than AC/DC, Kylie, Natalie Imbruglia and, of course, "that guy from Neighbours that released that song back in the 80's...". Oh, and Tim Minchin...
25th Jan 2010 ⁄ It's a cold and damp night in Somerset House, where hundreds of fans cram themselves around the vast ice rink, expectantly waiting for Vampire Weekend. The setting is spectacular. Surrounded by Sir William Chambers Neoclassical architecture, ice skaters...
"Isn't he supposed to wait until we've lost a penalty shoot-out?"
9th Feb 2012 ⁄ London ⁄ Integrated brand and marketing agency Pepper is kicking off the New Year with three new appointments following a successful 2011. The new starters will bolster the agency’s creative and account mana...
