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Featured on BBC Introducing North East, META by Pearly Gates is a song every young person needs to hear. Released as a ‘TED talk on the internet’, Tom Hunt describes META as a commentary on how in a world full of ‘endless’ content and discourse, people are left ‘overstimulated’ and ‘detached.’ The song is intentionally overproduced in its aim to convey this message and successful in doing so. Amongst it’s stripped back and glitchy electronic sound, META points to an issue t

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FESTIVAL IS COMING TO CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND OVER 80% OF PEOPLE SAY IT IMPROVED THEIR MENTAL WELLBEING The Big Retreat brings its unique blend of wellbeing, live music, inspiring speakers, great food and feel-good experiences to Abbots Ripton this September. A festival that combines yoga, fitness, live music, inspiring speakers, great food and hundreds of feel-good experiences is coming to Cambridgeshire for the very first time. The Big Retreat will take place

Peaky Blinders Underworld delivers a high-atmosphere dive into 1920s Birmingham. Combining set recreation, live performers, and interactive elements, it functions as half-theatrical production and half-themed speakeasy. If you want to dress up, grab a cocktail, and soak in gritty gang vibes, it captures the aesthetic well. However, like many large-scale open-world immersive events, the narrative momentum can occasionally feel loose, meaning your overall experience largely dep

Exhibition Dates: 19 August – 2 September 2026 Admission: Free Where music meets graphic design in its purest, most playful form, you’ll find Secret 7”. Returning to London's iconic 180 Studios on 19 August 2026 to celebrate a landmark 10th edition, this extraordinary showcase created in partnership with specialist humanitarian charity War Child takes seven famous tracks, presses each onto 100 7-inch vinyl records, and hands over all 700 sleeves to a sprawling mix of global a

When Lore Group reimagined the former Ace Hotel site on Shoreditch High Street, they undertook a tricky balancing act: preserve the neighborhood's energetic pulse while building an antidote to its overwhelming buzz. The result is One Hundred Shoreditch, a 258-room enclave that operates as both an elevated neighborhood living room and a Scandi-toned sanctuary. The Aesthetic: Textural Calm Where traditional East London boutique hotels lean into moodiness and industrial brickwor

Almost a year ago, I found myself swept up in the roar and adrenaline of MotoGP at Catalunya. As I walked away from that electric experience, I couldn’t help but wonder when fate would bring me back. Fast-forward to this August: the stars aligned, and I was on my way to Silverstone for the MotoGP Great Britain. The adventure kicked off at Milton Keynes Central, where I joined an energetic crowd of fans—each one buzzing with anticipation—as we hopped aboard the shuttle bus bou

International artists Prefab77 and Jimmy Turrell transform city centre wall as LMA strengthens ties with Newcastle’s creative community ahead of September launch A huge new piece of public art has been unveiled in the heart of Newcastle as LMA ramps up preparations to open its new North East campus next month. The striking 30-foot mural on St James’ Boulevard has been created by internationally recognised North East artists Jimmy Turrell and Peter Manning, better known as Pre

Stepping out of the bustling midtown friction of Victoria and into the vaulted cavern of Westminster Cathedral is always a stark transition, but under the hypnotic glow of Luminescence, the shift feels borderline transcendent. From the moment you cross the threshold, the cathedral’s iconic, unfinished dark-brick nave turns into a living canvas. Rather than overpowering John Bentley’s magnificent Neo-Byzantine architecture, Luminiscence uses light to complete it. The light des

Photo By Leo Cackett Sometimes there’re events where you go knowing exactly what to expect and you’re right in your comfort zone. Then other days you’ll be asked to head down to London for Cash-Up BMX: OVERGROUND LDN event, and as a writer who predominantly spends time at live music events, you’ll have no clue what to expect but will leave hooked and wondering why on Earth you weren’t paying more attention to BMX events in the first place! I wasn’t the only one going out of m

Okay, so if you've been anywhere near skincare TikTok lately, you've probably seen the term "skin glossing" thrown around. It's basically the new glass-skin - that dewy, hydrated, almost-lit-from-within look that somehow survives studio lights, wedding photos, and even a red-eye flight. I was skeptical at first (aren't we all, every time a new "it" routine shows up), but I decided to actually try the five-step routine everyone's been talking about: Waldor Skin's HydraGlass li

Back with their first album since “How Many Dreams?” in 2023, DMA'S are gracing our ears with their fifth studio album in the form of the Self-Titled “DMA'S” Prior to release we got four of the eleven track album as singles, with Killing Time, Hurracane, Heatin Park and My Baby’s Place being released on the run up to the album and each amassing hundreds of thousands of streams, with My Baby’s Place already breaking the one million mark at the time of review! El Alamein Openin

Okay, so I need to talk to you about Urban Jungle by Subversive Scents (the fragrance line from The Rolling Stones, yes, that Rolling Stones), because it's genuinely not what I expected and I've been reaching for it more than anything else in my collection lately. Quick disclosure before we dive in: I'm a sucker for a good backstory, and this one's got a great one. Urban Jungle is named after the homecoming leg of the band's 1990 Steel Wheels tour - all fire, graffiti, and th

There are gigs that entertain you, and then there are gigs that completely consume you. Dermot Kennedy’s performance at London's O2 Arena was undeniably the latter. Closing out his highly anticipated UK leg of The Weight of the Woods Tour, the Irish singer-songwriter delivered a monumental performance that didn't just mark the end of a chapter, it solidified his status as one of the most phenomenal, visceral artists of his generation. From the second the house lights dropped,

Imagine sitting down to rewatch Steven Spielberg’s 1975 masterpiece Jaws, a thriller that still makes every swimmer second-guess a dip in the ocean, while a multi-course tasting menu is served in precise synchronicity with the iconic scenes unfolding on screen. That is the promise of Taste Film, a pop-up immersive dining experience taking London by storm. On paper, the premise is pure cinematic genius: sensory storytelling elevated to art, pairing bite-sized culinary nods wit

Photo By Stephen Cobb There is absolutely no secret that there is a soft spot held in everyone’s hearts for British indie music originating in the early to mid 2000’s, especially that of The Wombats who took on Times Square in Newcastle on their “Oh! The Ocean” tour and I had the absolute pleasure of being able to attend and be part of the magic. The main support of this tour was none other than the absolutely fantastic Red Rum Club, also hailing from Liverpool. I’ve been a f

Okay, can we talk about the eternal glossy lip struggle for a second? You put on the perfect gloss, it looks amazing for approximately four minutes, and then it's gone - smudged on your coffee cup, your water bottle, your straw, your life. If you know, you know. So when HAUS LABS dropped three new sheer shades of their cult favourite Atomic Shake Lip Lacquer, I had to test them out. And honestly? I'm kind of obsessed. The Shades There are three new sheer options and they're a

Get those rock horns in the air, grab a cool, refreshing drink, and put on your shades—because yes, you guessed it: it's time for our annual pilgrimage to Upcote Farm in Cheltenham for 2000 Trees! That feeling of driving up to the site, collecting your wristbands, and soaking in the buzzing energy never gets old. ​ With it being the first day, some festival goers are still en route while others are busy pitching their tents. Meanwhile, the DARKUS team and I take the chance to

Today, chart-topping veterans THEORY OF A DEADMAN are proud to release their new single, "Funeral Song," taken from the upcoming EP, 'Part 1: Funeral Songs,' set for release on September 4, 2026 via ONErpm. Marking a new chapter for the band, comprising Tyler Connolly, Dave Brenner, Dean Back, and Joe Dandeneau, the upcoming EP delivers their signature mix of gritty riffs, anthemic hooks, and unfiltered lyricism with a renewed sense of urgency. On the new track, Connolly

Robyn Rae Laud Travis guitarist Andy Dunlop, Bloodhound Gang drummer Adam Perry and North East Screen CEO Alison Gwynn among major industry names already brought to Newcastle as creative institution ramps up countdown to September opening. When LMA announced plans to open a Newcastle campus earlier this year, it made a bold promise. Its arrival in the city would be about far more than simply opening another university building or recruiting students for a new intake. Instead,

Photo Courtesy Failte Ireland There is a distinct, undeniable electricity to Dublin in the height of summer. It is a city that doesn't just welcome you; it sweeps you up in a wave of acoustic warmth, coastal salt, and historical gravity. The River Liffey acts as a shimmering artery splitting the city, reflecting a sky that shifts effortlessly from moody slate to brilliant, sun-washed blue. To truly understand Dublin, one must accept that its story is best told through its so