Gig: Split Dogs
I have surely discovered the best band that you could ever want to see on a Friday night. If you finish work for the week, want to let your hair down and get a wiggle on, then Split Dogs are the band to rock your world. After upbeat, empowering and powerful support from Helle and Wench, the Split Dogs came roaring out onto the stage like rottweilers chasing raw meat.
To See Or Not To See - Hamlet By The RSC
Hamlet has never been for the faint hearted. This production’s descent into carnage is made more chilling by blood red numbers on a clock which counts down to a stage strewn with dead bodies as vengeance and betrayal wreak havoc.
Power, Passion and Pointe Work: Northern Ballet Does Anne Lister Justice
Familiar to many thanks to the television series of the same name starring Suranne Jones, the story of Ann Lister has once again been brought to life by Northern Ballet. Set in the 1830s, the plot follows the unconventional life and loves of Anne Lister, who, being a prolific writer, maintained diaries which run to approximately five million words, a proportion of which were written in code.
On Top Of The Wold
As a born and bred Yorkshire lass, and having married into a farming family at Barmby Moor, in the East Riding nearly fifty years ago, I, along with a packed local audience, could totally relate to the world premiere of Top of the Wold at Pocklington Arts Centre, which explored fascinating stories from the East Riding.
2:22 - A Ghost Story
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Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something strange and frightening feels close, so they’re going to stay up... until 2:22... and then they’ll know.
Carol Decker: 'I'm 40 Years Older And A Lot Less Naive — But I Still Want To Be Wonderful'
With a voice that defined an era and a catalogue packed with timeless hits, Carol Decker remains one of British rock’s most distinctive and enduring performers. As the frontwoman of T'Pau, she helped shape the sound of the late ’80s with chart-topping classics like China In Your Hand and Heart and Soul — and now, she’s back with something new to say.
Woody Cook At Lakefest
As Lakefest prepares to return to the stunning grounds of Eastnor Castle from 5–9 August, the line-up promises a vibrant mix of nostalgia, dancefloor energy and eclectic talent. Alongside acts including The Charlatans, Bananarama, Soul II Soul, Madness and The Lightning Seeds, DJ and producer Woody Cook is set to bring his infectious, free-flowing energy to the festival crowd.
Eurovision26: Senhit
Few countries in the Eurovision Song Contest have carved out as distinctive a narrative as San Marino. The tiny nation has long punched above its weight, delivering cult favourites, surprise qualifiers and unforgettable personalities despite the odds.
In Conversation: Sarah Jane Morris
Few artists embody resilience and creative independence quite like Sarah Jane Morris. First emerging through theatre before forging a distinctive musical career, Morris has long been celebrated for her powerful, soulful voice and her refusal to follow convention.
The Skids - Still Winning The Game
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Back in the late seventies and early eighties, Scottish punk band The Skids brought a sense of melody and mischief to the charts with their blend of powerful and energetic music punctuated with the distinctive vocals of Richard Jonson and the unmistakable guitar sound of guitarist Stuart Adamson.
New Appointments Announced As Leeds Venue Shares Ambitious Plans For The Future
The Howard Assembly Room, part of Leeds cultural life, has announced four key appointments to its core team. They join Tony Green, who took on the role of general manager and lead programmer last year. With a background in national broadsheet journalism and the charitable sector, Michael Wilkinson becomes Director of Strategy and Commercial for both Opera North and the Howard Assembly Room.
Small City, Big Landscape: Ripon Theatre Festival At Five
Five years in, Ripon Theatre Festival has grown from promising newcomer to cultural cornerstone — and this year it's bigger, bolder, and more inclusive than ever. There are festivals that happen to a city, and there are festivals that happen with one.
Full Service History: Matt Miller's Joyful Solo Show Gets Right Under The Bonnet
There is a phrase that recurs in Fixing like a mechanic's mantra: 'holistic car care, going on a journey — together'. By the time Matt Miller's 75 minutes are up, you realise that sentence has done rather a lot of quiet, patient work. The Ripon Theatre Festival could hardly have wished for a more propitious launch event.
Albums:(Feels Like) Heaven 1978- 1985
When punk rock and disco music had a hold of the singles charts in 1978, something more adventurous and new was waiting in the wings that would change the face of popular music – the arrival of the synthesiser.
Albums: Robyn Sexistential
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Sexistential feels like the latest, and perhaps boldest, chapter in that evolution. Now deep into a career spanning decades, she turns inward without losing her instinct for rhythm. The result is a body of work that doesn’t chase immediacy but rewards patience—something she’s long prioritised, even as others like Beverley Knight and Calum Scott have carried her compositions into broader chart success. Where they amplify her songwriting, she refines it, ensuring each release stands as a precise reflection of her current state.
AI In Music – A Personal View From Sarah Bardwell, Managing Director At The RPO
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The industry debate on AI in music is gathering momentum but we felt it was vital to plug the audience view into the industry discussion. For any performing ensemble, we are nothing without our audience and supporters, so hearing their views on AI was very important to us.
Classical Music: Arise Shine
After nine years at the helm of the Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Anna Lapwood has produced in Arise, Shine an album that is at once a valediction and a celebration — meticulous in conception, deeply personal in spirit, and glowing with the kind of affectionate musicianship that only comes when a director and choir have truly grown together.
Classical Music: Fireworks And Fanfares
On this ebulliently programmed St Patrick's Day release on the Regent label, he deploys the historic Willis instrument – four manuals, eighty-one speaking stops, some four thousand pipes – as a kind of one-building orchestra, ranging freely from the Appalachians to the Super Bowl, from Tin Pan Alley to a galaxy far, far away.
In Conversation: Clare Grogan
Few artists have balanced pop success and acting acclaim as seamlessly as Clare Grogan. As the frontwoman of Altered Images, she helped define the early ’80s with bright, infectious hits, while also carving out an impressive screen career—from her breakout role in Gregory's Girl to appearances in cult favourites like Father Ted and Skins.
Albums: Squeeze Trixies
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Releasing their first new album in eight years, Squeeze return with Trixies. The collection of songs is set in a fictional nightclub named Trixies and was written by the group’s founders Chris Difford and Glen Tilbrook at the very start of their songwriting partnership when they were aged nineteen and sixteen respectively.
Classical Music: Edmund Rubbra Crucifixus Pro Nobis: Choral Music
For many, Edmund Rubbra will be an unfamiliar name. For those immersed in the English choral tradition, he is known chiefly for his contribution to the office of Evensong — the Evening Service in A flat, with its finger-testing demands on the accompanist. However, as Alexandra Coghlan highlights in her insightful liner notes, Adrian Boult was the one who truly understood Rubbra, noting that he "never made any effort to popularise anything he has done but continues to create masterpieces".
Deer Shed Festival And EMI North Seek Emerging Artists For 2026 Lineup
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North Yorkshire's Deer Shed Festival has reopened its 'Apply to Play' artist development programme in partnership with EMI North, offering emerging musicians the chance to perform at this summer's event.
Rock N Roll Circus Completes Sheffield 2026 Line-Up With Babyshambles, Gurriers And Cruz Beckham
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Rock N Roll Circus has completed its Sheffield 2026 bill, with a wave of new additions cementing what organisers are calling the festival's most ambitious line-up to date. Babyshambles, the cult band fronted by Peter Doherty, will headline Friday night alongside The Streets, who will perform their landmark album A Grand Don't Come For Free in full.
People Yorkshire And The Humber Believe Music Is The UK’s Greatest Export To The World
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People in Yorkshire and the Humber are more likely than anyone else in the UK to regard music as Britain’s greatest export to the world, according to new research from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), with 81% of adults saying they have a relationship with orchestral music.
Eurovision 26: Veronica Fusaro
Few countries can claim a Eurovision legacy as rich and varied as Switzerland. From winning the very first contest in 1956 to producing global icons like Celine Dion, Switzerland’s journey has been one of quiet influence punctuated by standout triumphs.
2026 Northern Aldborough Festival Tickets Go On Sale
Tickets for one of Yorkshire’s music festivals, the Northern Aldborough Festival, go on sale this Saturday 28 March. Now in its 32nd year, the Northern Aldborough Festival puts the North Yorkshire village at the epicentre of classical music for ten days, from 18 to 27 June, 2026.
Halifax Chamber Choir's Spring Concert
Halifax Chamber Choir are really looking forward to celebrating the spring season with our next concert on Saturday 25th April at 7:30pm at Holy Trinity and St Jude's Church in Savile Park, Halifax (HX1 2XE). Join us as we perform Palestrina's "Missa Brevis" and assorted sacred motets from Orlando di Lasso, Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms and Bob Chilcott.
Kenny Thomas - Still Outstanding
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Back in the late eighties and early nineties a new generation of blue eyed soul singers emerged from the country, the most famous being Rick Astley whose pop songs tinged with a touch of soul elevated him to the top of the singles and album charts. Following an even more soulful path was Kenny Thomas who before finding fame was an amateur boxer.
Crime Writer Leads Children’s Storytelling Workshops
Children in six Harrogate and Knaresborough schools are getting the opportunity to hone their storytelling skills thanks to a series of workshops led by crime fiction writer Rachael Blok.
Kim Wilde Announces Her Singles Tour – March 2027 With Support From Tiffany
Kim Wilde Singles Tour Dates March 2027. 13th Liverpool Philharmonic 14th Gateshead Glasshouse 16th Edinburgh Usher Hall 17th Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 19th Manchester Bridgewater Hall 26th Nottingham Royal Concert Hall 27th Sheffield City Hall 28th York BarbicanKim Wilde has graced our screens and stages for four and a half decades.