I was first drawn to Essex pop-rock band The 1957 Tail Fin Fiasco, not just by their wonderful name, but by their Steely Dan-ish music, with influences from other ’70s bands, which many people of my age enjoy. So I was very pleased to hear they have a new album, The Harvard Tango, now available … Continue reading
Can you remember the first film you saw on colour TV? I can remember mine because, by pure luck, it was a spectacular timeless classic that had me glued to the screen – The Thief of Bagdad. It was a rainy August Bank Holiday in 1975. As a family, we were late adopters: for whatever … Continue reading
A new British horror movie, which has already scooped a string of awards for its script, has now launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the production budget. The Flock has won four awards for its script, most recently the 2019 Special Jury Prize at the Barcelona International Film Festival. Continue reading
The latest release from West Country-based horror production company Bad Blood Films will premiere in London next week. Sacrilege will screen at the Empire Cineworld, Leicester Square on Thursday 5th March (2020). The film follows four lifelong friends as they head to a remote lodge for a weekend of fun. What begins as an idyllic … Continue reading
Fans of brilliantly plotted crime fiction will be delighted that the latest DI Adam Fawley thriller has been published. I was doubly delighted because I got to go to the launch party. All The Rage by my ultra-talented friend Cara Hunter is out now from Penguin Books – the fourth in her Oxford-set Fawley series … Continue reading
Nicola Sanderson is an incredibly versatile British actor with a record of success on stage, screen and radio – from thrillers to soap operas to comedies. I was lucky enough to see her as Auntie Lou in the stage production of Agatha Christie’s Love From a Stranger last year [2018] and have thoroughly enjoyed her … Continue reading
A double bill of supernatural Shakespeare has been touring the UK, performed by the remarkable Watermill Ensemble. I don’t normally review plays on this blog (I normally review them for this hyperlocal site in Cardiff), but these exceptional productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth deserve exceptional treatment. Continue reading
Dawn Noel was the first performer I profiled in this blog – and three-and-half years on, it’s great to see she’s as busy as ever. We have kept in touch since that blog post in March 2016, and the Los Angeles-based actress, producer (and more) recently updated me on her latest projects. Continue reading
Swansea International Jazz Festival is back! It returns for the sixth consecutive year (October 2 – 6), but with a slightly different look. The event has grown to replace Brecon as Wales’s premier jazz festival, thanks in part to support from the Arts Council of Wales and Swansea City Council. But due to budget uncertainties … Continue reading
Adrian Charlton Hammer Film Productions created a wide variety of films, but the company will always be associated with its classic horrors of the 1950s-70s, which revived the great cinematic terrors in vivid colour. They were atmospheric, exciting, and (for their time) scary. But historical accuracy probably wasn’t high on the list of priorities. … Continue reading
