Louder Than War - Indoor Festival

There’s very little that John Robb doesn’t know about the alternative music scene.

Ripon Theatre Festival 2026: Celebrating Five Years Of Culture, Colour And Community Spirit

Ripon Theatre Festival (RTF) launches its 2026 programme on 27 March, promising a summer to look forward to. Firmly established as a key date in the region’s cultural calendar, this year’s festival runs 5-12 July with 8 days and nights of performances and activities.

The Brand New Heavies - The Heavyweights Return

York fans of The Brand New Heavies have had to be patient – the acid jazz band last appeared in the city over fifteen years ago. The nucleus of the group is guitarist Simon Bartholomew, bassist Andrew Levy, and vocalist Angela Ricci in an outfit that mixes pop, jazz, and soul into a cohesive force that had the York fans up and out of their seats at the Barbican.

Alison Moyet Adds Bradford And Another York Date To Autumn Tour

Demand for Alison Moyet’s ‘Songs of Yazoo, the minutes & Other’ tour has been huge. 20 shows across the UK and Ireland sold out within days, as did nights in Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam, with many others set to follow in the near future.

The Gondoliers

If you fancy an evening’s entertainment that is full of fun and frivolity, then the English Touring Opera’s performance of The Gondoliers is definitely the show for you. From the moment the curtain was raised, the stage was filled with colour, energy, humour and joy.

“I Knew That I Was Put On This Earth To Communicate Through Music”

The world’s only one-handed professional concert pianist – Nicholas McCarthy – makes his much-anticipated Harrogate International Festivals debut this month. Over the past 60 years, the Festivals have brought some of the most gifted, boundary-shaping classical musicians to Harrogate, with Nicholas the latest iconic star to grace the Festivals’ stage.

Eurovision 26: Lithuania's Lion Ceccah

Lithuania has come a very long way since they debuted at Eurovision in 1994- After entering with the song Lopšinė mylimai, Ovidijus Vyšniauskas sadly saw the country's debut achieve nul points. Having since appeared another 24 times, they have an impressive qualification record - with 18 to date.

Albums: The Black Crowes – A Pound Of Feathers

Can a rock band who are well into their careers have a renaissance? The answer is a resounding yes if you happen to be The Black Crowes, who have returned with one of their best albums to date.

Classical Music: Holst & Bax

Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra make an impressive case for The Planets on this new LSO Live release, bringing to Holst's visionary suite both interpretative authority and the kind of orchestral finish that makes every movement feel freshly considered.

Classical Music: Through The Centuries - Songs Of Madeleine Dring

Whether or not you count yourself among devotees of the song recital, there is something here to give pause. English mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately turns her attention to Madeleine Dring, a composer whose relative neglect remains one of the more puzzling anomalies of the British music revival.

Classical Music: Benjamin Woodgates The System Made Me Do It

In the hands of Calum Huggan and Angela Wai Nok Hui, the two marimbas function simultaneously as engines and echo chambers. Every struck note blooms and fades; its resonance trails behind it like an afterthought— or an alibi. The instrument's characteristic decay becomes the music's central argument: nothing here simply ends; it reverberates, recurs, and resurfaces. Repetition is not monotony but the very texture of the system itself, the pendulum swing of patterns that Ledeneva identifies in Russian public life.

Simply The Best - Tina Turner The Musical Leeds Grand

What a show this was! Opening night of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical had the sell-out audience hooked from the word go. The show is dedicated to the life of global superstar Tina Turner: her heartbreaking upbringing, her fight for survival in an abusive relationship, the rebuilding of her career from nothing and ultimately becoming one of the most renowned female artists in history.

From Fray Bentos To Grenfell: Sheffield's Ordinary Lives, Extraordinarily Told

Set in the living room of a house on Burngreave Road, Sheffield, young Kathy and Brian settle to make their forever home. With young love in the air and babies on the way the world is their oyster, but over the sixty years that the play spans, inevitably life gets in the way.

Poland's Alicja

Poland has appeared in Eurovision 27 times since their 1994 debut, with 17 of those entries having made their way through to the grand final. However, it was back in 1994 that they achieved their highest ranking to date – with Edyta Gorniak finishing in 2nd place behind Ireland's Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan.

Jason Donovan On Tour

Last year Jason Donovan took to the road for a celebratory tour looking back over the various chapters of his career. Entitled Doin' Fine 25, the tour effortlessly captured the hearts and imaginations of his fans, and they flocked to the concerts to join his retrospective glance.

Small Island Big Story

Taking us on a journey from the sun-drenched island of Jamaica to war-torn Britain and beyond, Small Island is a story of love, belonging, identity, and entitlement. The story is filled with humour, serving as a reflection of ourselves and our attitudes.

Gorillaz - Uncaged In Bradford

Bradford Live is fast becoming the venue for being a launching pad for big tours; a month ago Kaiser Chiefs began their British tour from the venue, and now an even bigger proposition: Gorillaz started their worldwide tour from the former cinema building.

The Spy WHO Nodded At Me

She has worked alongside British intelligence, been befriended — and duped — by a real spy, and watched her government blow up buildings in the Welsh countryside. Now, with her latest thriller, The Hiding Season, Ava Glass is bringing the shadowy world of espionage to Yorkshire.

Classical Music: Puccini: Orchestral Works

Across these fourteen pieces, all relatively compact, Puccini reveals himself as a born storyteller in music, deploying orchestration not merely for colour but to delve into emotional terrain. Wilson brings out the fine detail, nuance and subtlety with the same keen-eared authority he has applied so consistently in his Sinfonia of London series for Chandos.

Ralph Davis Talks About Playing The Title Role In The RSC’s Touring Production Of Hamlet

The Royal Shakespeare Company returns to Blackpool Grand Theatre with a ‘must-see’ (Guardian) new production of Hamlet. Hamlet’s mother has married his uncle, and at a less than decent interval since the death of his father. As he pulls at the threads of his not-so-happy new family, Hamlet unravels a web of deceit and immorality that leads to the ultimate crisis of conscience.

In Conversation With Rising UK Pop Artist Charlie Aky

Rising UK pop artist Charlie Aky returns with his new single Perfume Regret, a gentle yet emotionally resonant track inspired by a fleeting moment of memory and scent. Built around delicate melodies and intimate vocals, the song reflects on how small triggers can unexpectedly bring the past rushing back.

Albums: MF Robots: III (Part One)

MF Robots: III (Part One) That’s The Way; Children Of The World; The Pressure; Glide; Lay It Back; Hello Sunshine; Through The Pain; Show Us The Way Good People Records MF Robots return with a blend of soul and funk mixed with a touch of acid jazz; the latter genre is not surprising, as Jan Kincaid was the drummer, vocalist and co-write…

Classical Music: Mahler: Symphony No. 5

Runnicles confidently judges the pace from the stark severity of the opening Trauermarsch, which features well-phrased trumpet solos. Runnicles is a conductor who paints in broad strokes without sacrificing detail, and each section of the orchestra phrases with evident care. The drama is conveyed with real conviction, and he shifts mood with the kind of assurance that comes from long acquaintance with this music.

Classical Music: Laurence Osborn TOMB!

Here is a disc that will unsettle and beguile in equal measure, and listeners who approach it with an open mind will find themselves richly rewarded. Laurence Osborn is a composer with a strong and distinctive voice—one that ranges from the arch and ironic to the deadly serious—and this collection of four pieces, engaging with classical music's heritage culture, the bold imaginative world of childhood, and the sometimes vertiginous boundary between the mechanical and the human, constitutes a powerful statement about where contemporary music can travel when it is in genuinely fearless hands.

Albums: Asia - Live In England

Only Time Will Tell still sounds fresh and relevant forty-four years on from its first incarnation, whilst Wildest Dreams still sounds like a mix of early Buggles coming with a guitar solo straight out of a Yes song courtesy of Steve Howe.

Likkle Lit Fest On The Road Heads To Huddersfield

Following the success of Likkle Lit Fest, Out of Many People’s first festival of Black literature for children held in Leeds last month, the arts and heritage organisation is delighted to announce that Likkle Lit Fest On The Road is heading to Kirklees.

English Heritage Uncovers Lost Cold War Bunker At Scarborough Castle

A lost Cold War lookout post has been re-discovered at Scarborough Castle. An archaeological dig uncovered the forgotten post, which would have been used by the Royal Observer Corps to plot nuclear bombs falling across Britain. Experts from the Heritage Charity have opened the entrance and have lowered cameras into the chamber below to assess its condition.

Radio1’s Big Weekend Comes To Sunderland

Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026 will be held in Herrington Country Park, Sunderland, from Friday 22 May - Sunday 24 May 2026. Over the course of the weekend, around 100 acts will perform - from the biggest names in music to exciting new and emerging artists. With around 80,000 music fans expected to attend, the event promises to be an unforgettable start to the UK’s festival season.

AI In Music: A Viewpoint From Vasily Petrenko RPO Music Director

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) commissioned new research to explore the public’s views on AI in Music – a chance for the Orchestra to listen to the audience and to involve them in the ongoing industry debate.

Curlew Exhibition, Keswick Museum Community Gallery

Keswick Museum is hosting a new exhibition in the Community Gallery. The exhibition, ‘Curlew Recovery - Helping Curlews Thrive in the Cocker Valley’, is open daily, 10am - 4pm, from Monday 16th March to the end of April. Entrance to the Community Gallery is free, but there is a charge for Museum exhibitions.

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