Annie: Pinning Today’s Hopes And Dreams On A Brighter Tomorrow
Like the 1982 film, the current version of Annie is based on a feisty, eleven year old orphan with an unwavering belief that her parents will return for her – and her life will be transformed forever.
A Right Royal Handbagging In Scarborough
Moira Buffini's Olivier Award-winning Handbagged is a witty, intelligent and sharply-observed political comedy which imagines the private conversations between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher during the latter's eleven years as Prime Minister.
1980s Soundtrack In Conversation With Tom Bailey
Few artists are as closely associated with the soundtrack of the 1980s as Tom Bailey. As the frontman of the Thompson Twins, he helped define an era with a string of timeless synth-pop classics, yet his relationship with that legacy has always been measured rather than nostalgic.
Huddersfield Choral Youth Choirs Is Calling For Young Singers To Come Along To A Fun, Musical Day Out On 25 August
The Summer Singers Holiday Club will take place on Tuesday 25 August from 9.30am to 3.30pm at Lindley Methodist Church. The event is open to children aged seven and over and costs £25 per child. Organised by Huddersfield Choral Youth Choirs, the one-day club promises a lively mix of songs, games and music-making in a friendly, supportive setting.
Local Performing Arts Business Named Finalist In National Awards
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Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA) York, Scarborough, Beverley, and Hull has been named a finalist in the Scaling Business of the Year category at The Class Business Awards 2026. The Class Business Awards recognise businesses and individuals delivering outstanding experiences through classes, clubs and activities across the UK.
Big Names Headlining Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival 2026
Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival is back with a bang this autumn featuring a host of national treasures and literary stars. The Literature Festival, sponsored by Raworths Solicitors, is one of the biggest dates in the country’s literary calendar taking place across two action-packed weeks (11 – 25 October) in the North Yorkshire spa town.
Double Bill For Mighty Wurlitzer As Two Organists Share Saltaire Console
August brings something a little different to Victoria Hall, Saltaire, where two organists will share the console of the Mighty Wurlitzer for a single afternoon concert on Sunday 9th August at 2.30pm. Two players, of course, means two personalities — and audiences can expect two distinct takes on this extraordinary instrument.
From Alpine Roots To Global Stages: How Oesch’s Die Dritten Keep Tradition Alive
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In the rolling green valleys of Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland, where yodelling once carried messages from mountain to mountain, a family ensemble has spent nearly three decades proving that tradition need not stand still to survive.
Gin, Ghosts And Greasepaint: Harrogate Theatre Uncorks A Bumper Autumn
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Andrew Palmer was among the guests toasting a sparkling season launch, complete with a bespoke theatre gin, mini cupcakes and a season ranging from Hitchcock and Michael Morpurgo to the surreal comic genius of Daniel Kitson There are worse ways to spend an evening than being handed a gin and prosecco cocktail and a mini cupcake before the house lights have even dimmed.
Chris Murphy: Songs From The Trees,
With his new album Songs From The Trees, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Murphy has created a record that feels both timeless and adventurous.
A Sting In The Tail - Nice Jazz Festival
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At the heart of the summer season on the Côte d’Azur the Nice Jazz Festival returned for three evenings of open air concerts featuring the very best of jazz and contemporary music.
Albums: Bachelor Girl Waiting For The Day: Artist Sessions
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Far too often, anniversary albums feel like contractual obligations or exercises in nostalgia. Waiting for the Day: Artist Sessions is neither. It breathes new life into an already exceptional collection of songs while introducing them to a new generation through some of Australia's finest artists. More importantly, it serves as a reminder that Bachelor Girl's songwriting has always deserved to be spoken about alongside the very best pop of its era.
Crossover Albums: Revival: The New Album by Reductio
The textures throughout are stunning, and the resonance and reverberation are captured with real skill—this is a beautifully engineered record, not just a gimmick with a good story. What next—a bishop or dean DJing the gospel reading to a four-on-the-floor beat? Whatever it takes to draw new audiences into our cathedrals and abbeys, let's try it.
I love its difference. I love its challenging nature. I love the disco beat. And for a critic over 60, I thoroughly enjoyed every irreverent, reverberating minute of it. Try it—and dare yourself to like it.
Albums: Now That’s What I Call Soft Rock & Power Pop Anthems
This new compilation brings together some of the biggest commercial rock songs of the last fifty years over a set of four CDs or three blue vinyl albums.
The Power Of One Voice: Camino Ghosts By John Grisham
When in any doubt or perhaps when facing too much choice, it’s a safe bet to reach for an old faithful, so I did just that when I picked this Grisham from the TBR pile by the bed. For the uninitiated, TBR means To Be Read or should that be BTBR – Begging To Be Read.
“I’ve Had To Step Back From Social Media For My Mental Health"
Hot Flash cast members Elios Douglas, Roz Gemma and Matt Jameson on acting, identity, and barriers to success. Elios: The biggest difficulty I’ve faced as a trans actor is simply that there aren’t many trans roles. They’re not being written, and when they are, loads of us go up for them, so the chances are tiny. Without an agent or a first credit, breaking in is even harder.
Albums: Ariana Grande Petal
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If Eternal Sunshine hinted at a more reflective Ariana, Petal fully embraces that direction. These songs unfold gently, rewarding patience rather than demanding attention. The production is smooth and understated, blending soft pop with contemporary R&B textures that give the record a dreamy, almost weightless feel.
The CBSO Launches 'First Listen' – A Three-Part Concert Series For New Audiences, With Tickets Just £5 Each
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The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) has announced ‘First Listen’, a new three-part concert series at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall which has been created to introduce orchestral music to a new audience. At one hour each, and with tickets costing just £5, each concert in the series is designed to be the ideal introduction to seeing a symphony orchestra live.
Classical Music: Contemporary Uzbek Music for Clarinet and Piano
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Contemporary Uzbek Music for Clarinet and Piano is the first commercial recording given over wholly to this repertoire, and it arrives with several works written for and dedicated to its soloist.
Sayyod Mirzomurodov, an international soloist, chamber musician, and educator, is about as well placed as any clarinettist could be to bring this music to disc: several of the pieces exist because he does.
Classical Music: Vienna Philharmonic Sommernachtskonzert Schönbrunn 2026
The world's largest annual open-air classical concert needs no introduction, but Schönbrunn's Baroque park still supplies one every June: torchlit gardens standing in for a concert hall and a Viennese audience with the best seats in Europe. This year's instalment, recorded on 19 June, brought two Summer Night Concert debuts of consequence — Lorenzo Viotti on the podium and Sir Bryn Terfel as soloist, despite decades of prior collaboration with the orchestra. It hardly sounds like a first date.
Aardman In Concert Arrives At York Barbican
Families across York and North Yorkshire are invited to enjoy an unforgettable afternoon of film and live music over the August Bank Holiday weekend, as Carrot Productions brings Aardman in Concert to York Barbican. On Saturday 29 August 2026, audiences can celebrate 50 years of the iconic animation studio with a spectacular live experience built around some of Britain's best-loved characters.
HENGE Prepare To Beam Down Across 17 Countries On Biggest Mission Yet
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After a decade of steadily expanding their reach across the UK and Europe, Manchester's self-proclaimed intergalactic travellers HENGE are preparing for their biggest Earth mission to date. The band have announced a 75-date world tour spanning 17 countries – with more still to come – marking not only their most ambitious run yet but also their long-awaited first shows across North America.
Rock Heavyweights To Play Piece Hall In Halifax
Global titans Opeth will top the bill at The Piece Hall in Halifax on Saturday 1st August, joined by local heroes Paradise Lost — returning to their hometown for a rare homecoming show — and Katatonia, back in Yorkshire for the first time in over nine years. It marks the first time these three influential figures of progressive and gothic metal have shared a stage.
La Voix Announces Biggest Ever UK Theatre Tour
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Fresh from waltzing into the nation's hearts on Strictly Come Dancing, La Voix is taking her glamour, wit and unmistakable red hair back on the road with her biggest live tour to date. La Voix Live opens at BEAM: Hertford on 5 March 2027, before touring UK theatres through March and April.
The Bodyguard: A High Energy, Musical Powerhouse
I spilt my drink and screamed in horror when a deafening shotgun blast reverberated from a screen with silhouettes immersed in smoke and engaged in conflict. An explosive opening set the pace for a high-octane musical - a fusion of genres creatively integrating gripping cinematic effects with a pop concert bursting with pizazz.
Dream Performance: Primary Schools Smash Shakespearean Comedy
Hundreds of primary school pupils from nine North East schools have come together to re-enact Shakespeare’s illustrious comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Led by Theatre Royal associate artists, the feast of creativity from almost four hundred nine and ten year olds comprised a series of classroom workshops across Newcastle’s West End.
Mighty Wurlitzer To Roar Back To Life At Saltaire Open Day
Saltaire's Victoria Hall throws open its doors on Thursday 6th August for a day dedicated to one of the great survivors of the silent-cinema age: the Mighty Wurlitzer. Between 11am and 4pm, visitors can get up close to the theatre pipe organ and hear it played not once but repeatedly, as a rotating cast of organists takes the console throughout the day.
Albums: Little Miss Twain Shania Twain
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Perhaps the biggest surprise arrives with Faded Blue Jeans, featuring Josh Homme. It's an unlikely pairing that somehow makes complete sense, with Homme's gravelly vocals adding a rugged edge to a song that blurs the boundaries between country, blues and rock. Their chemistry is effortless, and the result is one of the album's most memorable collaborations
Albums: Amy Shark Soft Pop
Amy Shark has always excelled at turning life's awkward, painful and complicated moments into memorable songs, but soft pop feels different. Stripped back and refreshingly uncomplicated, this is an album that places her voice and innermost thoughts front and centre, allowing the emotion to do the heavy lifting. The production rarely gets in the way, creating the feeling that you're sitting with Shark as she quietly unpacks her experiences without fear, shame or pretence.
Follow Your Gut, Don't Rush, Don't Compromise: Shawn Colvin On 30 Years Of A Few Small Repairs
Over the course of more than three decades, Shawn Colvin has established herself as one of America's most captivating performers and revered storytellers.