Albums: Embrace - Avalanche
Yorkshire band Embrace, currently celebrating their thirtieth anniversary, release their new album, Avalanche, with a set of ten tracks that do not disappoint.
Now You See It, Now You Don’t: GRQ By Steven Bernstein
A change is as good as a rest they say and this novella is certainly a change. If you need waking up, this is the book for you, with its short chapters and fast pace. Despite the narrator’s protestations, it is not an advice manual, not a manual of good advice, at least.
Classical Music: Messe Modale: Upper Voices Music For Mass
The singing itself is the chief pleasure here. Just fifteen sopranos and altos produce a remarkably well-blended sound under Searles' direction, the tone consistently lovely and the diction unusually clean for a choir working in such a resonant space. Phrasing throughout is intelligent and unforced.
Classic Music: Saxophobia - Celebrating the Sax Craze of the 1920s
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I defy anyone not to start moving their legs in Charleston fashion with this seductive celebration of 1920s glamour. Nostalgia and a hearkening back to an age of nightclubs, novelty and no small amount of nerve.
There is a moment, early in the opening track, Sax-O-Trix, when you realise Chad Smith is not so much playing the saxophone as interrogating it. The virtuosity is immediate and slightly alarming — watch him perform, and you may find yourself short of breath on his behalf.
Albums: Madonna Confessions II
Reuniting with Stuart Price proves to be the masterstroke. Their chemistry remains extraordinary, creating a seamless collection of club music that feels both classic and contemporary. House, disco, electro and synth-pop flow effortlessly into one another, with every transition designed to keep the energy moving. It's a record built to be experienced as a whole rather than dissected into individual streaming moments—a rarity in modern pop.
Albums: Sienna Spiro The Visitor
Few debut artists arrive with as much goodwill as Sienna Spiro. Ever since her powerhouse covers began circulating online, comparisons to Adele and Amy Winehouse have followed her at every turn. While those labels always felt premature, they were understandable: Spiro possesses one of the most naturally commanding voices to emerge from British pop in years. The Visitor confirms that beyond any doubt. What it doesn't quite confirm is whether she has the songs to match.
Calendar Girls: The Musical
July may well prove to be the standout month in this year's theatrical calendar, as the ever-popular Calendar Girls: The Musical arrives at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre. With its unique blend of Yorkshire humour, heartfelt emotion and unforgettably dramatic moments, this latest production is a must-see theatrical treat.
Sir Stephen Hough To Lead Leeds Piano Competition Into Radical New Era
Applications have opened for the 2027 Leeds International Piano Competition, and with them came the most sweeping set of reforms in the event's 64-year history. Sir Stephen Hough, one of the most admired pianists of his generation, has been appointed Artistic Director and Chair of the Jury — and he has used the role to tear up the rulebook.
Stairwell To Heaven: York’s Most Passionate Indie Publisher Turns Twenty One This Year
Since its birth in a stairwell in Connecticut, it’s been quite a ride! Stairwell Books founders Rose Drew and Alan Gillott reflect on how it all began… ‘It was 1994 and I was a single mum living in a house in Connecticut, about 45 minutes from New York City,’ remembers Rose Drew, the editorial half of the team.
Former Young Carer Returns As Filmmaker To Tell Story Of Yorkshire Dales Youth Project
A former young carer from Leeds who found freedom and confidence in the Yorkshire Dales is premiering a new documentary about the power of nature, friendship and time away from screens.
V&A's Bowie Archive Begins Historic Tour Of The North
Highlights from the V&A's landmark David Bowie archive are to tour the North of England for the first time, with major venues in Scotland, Lancashire, County Durham and Yorkshire all hosting the collection before it moves further south. David Bowie: On Tour will open at V&A Dundee in November 2026, before arriving at Blackpool's Showtown from 30 June to 26 September 2027.
Curtain Up: Yorkshire Throws Open The Doors On Its Own Fringe
A county-wide fringe festival is landing in Yorkshire this July — unfunded, unincorporated, and already boasting more shows than Edinburgh managed in its first year. Tyler Pickles, one of the seven volunteers behind it, talks us through how you build a fringe from nothing but an email and a room full of mind maps.
A Vintage Tale Of True Yorkshire Grit
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It’s 30 years ago since the iconic film Brassed Off first hit the cinema screens, and two years later Mark Herman’s screenplay was adapted for the stage as a play with music by Paul Allen. Now this Yorkshire ‘classic’ has been reimagined, refreshed and given a new sense of purpose by director Amy Leach.
In Conversation With Bella Cutts
Your new single Curious is about modern dating. Is the song written from personal experience? Yes, absolutely. However, it would be incorrect to say the song is written about one particular person but more a series of experiences. We've all experienced relationships, romantic or otherwise, that feel very one-sided.
In Conversation: Velazquez
With his upcoming single Space Invaders, Velazquez looks poised to make the leap from rising talent to mainstream contender. Blending infectious hooks, bold creativity and a sound that feels both contemporary and distinctive, he has been steadily building momentum and attracting attention beyond his core fanbase.
Foo Fighters Score High At Anfield
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When Bruce Springsteen played a three-hour set at Liverpool FC last year, he set the bar high for others to follow. The American rock band Foo Fighters picked up the gauntlet admirably on the second night at Anfield on what was their only British date on a short European tour where the band were at their bulldozing best.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - The Musical
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Hot, hot, hot is the only way to describe this show! Based on the 1994 cult classic film, this musical is a jukebox joyride and a surprisingly tender road story. We are introduced to two drag queens and a trans woman who, for reasons that later become apparent, trek across the Australian desert to perform at a small-town holiday resort.
Curtain Rises On Milestone Fifth Ripon Theatre Festival With Two Powerful New Plays
The countdown is on for Ripon's fabulous Theatre Festival, which opens its milestone fifth season this coming weekend and runs until July 12 — and this year's programme promises something for everyone, from folklore on the riverbank to a thought-provoking journey into the past.
Acclaimed Cumbrian Musician Collaborating With The CBSO
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Amateur musicians of all ages will get the chance to rehearse and perform with award-winning saxophonist and CBSO Collaborative Artist Jess Gillam as part of ‘CBSO in the City’ which will bring free performances to iconic spaces across Birmingham this summer (27-31 August) for the third year.
In Conversation: TĀLĀ
British-Iranian singer, songwriter and producer TĀLĀ returns with her powerful new single, 11-11 (We Are), available everywhere now. The track is the latest preview of her forthcoming album 11, due on 11th July, and follows acclaimed releases Ghosts and I Need It, which earned support from COLORS, Headliner Magazine and Wordplay.
You Never Really Know: Sinfonia's Stories From Harrogate Review
Harrogate residents stepped into the spotlight at the weekend as local people aged 60 and took over the stage in a new production built from their own memories, experiences and stories. As arts correspondent, Fiona Bennett found out at the weekend, Sinfonia: Stories from Harrogate, presented by The Performance Ensemble at Harrogate Theatre, was a big hit.
In Conversation: Scott Quinn
Few artists capture the complexities of human emotion quite like Scott Quinn. The British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist returns with his poignant new single, Places in London, a heartfelt reflection on the hidden losses that linger after heartbreak.
Album: The Veils Fragile World
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Across an extensive catalogue, Andrews has explored themes of longing, vulnerability, faith, grief, and human connection through songs that often feel more like carefully crafted narratives than conventional indie compositions.
Their latest release, Fragile World, continues that tradition while presenting a collection that feels remarkably immediate, intimate, and unguarded.
Albums: Zaska - Nectar
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The Papez comes with an R&B and hip hop courtesy of jarjarjr on a number that shows that there are more colours on Zaska's palette than first imagined.
Albums: Bird (Janie Price) On Held Here Together
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Classical Music: Carl Orff: Carmina Burana
That opening 'O Fortuna' is electrifying — dynamics are observed with real precision rather than mere brute force. Anyone of a certain age will recall its rather unlikely second life soundtracking a men's aftershave advert in the 1970s and '80s, which says something about how a single thrilling fragment can eclipse a far richer whole in the popular imagination. It's a pattern that feels uncomfortably familiar in other walks of life too – not least, dare I say, in the way British politics now rewards the soundbite over substance. Orff's wheel of fortune deserves more than fifteen seconds of fame.
Discovering The Slave's Ghost Letter That Became A Cathedral Play
Next month, the transept of Ripon Cathedral will come to life with a 1723 plea for freedom, written by an anonymous enslaved Virginian and almost certainly addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury himself. The story behind its rediscovery is, in its own way, as remarkable as the play it inspired.
Review: There's No 'F' In Wonderful By Bill Broady
Few writers are able to nail the retrospective surreality of a place and time in history with the elegant efficiency of Bill Broady. Set against the backdrop of a seedy, institutionally misogynistic and terminally necrotic Leeds of the 1970s, the unnamed narrator of There’s No ‘F’ In Wonderful is a knowing flâneur, a recorder of the sociocultural zeitgeist.
Sunshine On A Sheffield Stage
The deckchairs were out on the beach in Tudor Square, the buckets and spades ready in the sand, the sun shone brightly and the sky was blue – close your eyes and you could imagine that you were on your summer holidays, both inside the theatre and beyond.
Rob Jones & The Restless Dream
Rob Jones & The Restless Dream is the project of UK singer-songwriter Rob Jones, a former teacher turned full-time musician, whose songs blend big choruses, rich instrumentation, and a storyteller’s eye for life’s detours. Rooted in classic songwriting and narrative-driven lyrics, Rob’s work draws influence from artists like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty.