Entertainment

As much as I truly enjoy reading a good mystery novel – within the broad term of genre fiction mysteries are by far my favourite – they do present a positively infernal problem in writing about them. Most of the major touchstones used by a thoughtful reviewer in assessing a book's worth have to be equivocated. Plot is obvious; nobody will give a moment's worth of deciding whether or not to read a whodunit if they already know whodunit. One...

There's a riddle I like to use to expose everyday sexism in modern society. It goes something like this: A father and his son are in a car crash. The father dies on impact but the son gets rushed to hospital. The doctor comes in but says, "I can't operate on this child, it's my son". Who is the doctor?  It's remarkable how long it takes people to figure it out (it's his mother, silly). But perhaps such warped views...

An artist has carved a series of stunning facial sculptures - using the stones from AVOCADOS. Art fanatic Jan Campbell scratches the intricate designs into the unique fruity material which she describes as the perfect blank canvas. She now a huge collection of designs which she sells for more than £100-a-pop. Jan, who creates the artwork under the name Avocado Stone Faces, said: "An avocado stone shares the characteristics of a dense wood. "The stone will last for as long...

If you have not heard of the Irish writer Karl Parkinson before, well let me tell you two things. One, you really need to move in better and more alternative circles; and two, you're missing out on something special. Parkinson's first novel, The Blocks, like a great thoroughbred on its maiden race broke screaming with nostrils flared from the gate. It was the novel Ireland had not only waited for, it was the novel Ireland needed – no false nostalgia...

What is your show about? Polly and Eve have a surprisingly hilarious time travelling the UK with their best friend’s ashes in a Wizard of Oz lunchbox. At Dylan’s funeral, they are handed the box along with posthumous instructions to take him on the UK road trip he never got to go on. The two women haven’t spoken after a friendship destroying argument several years ago and on top of some devastating grief, this is not ideal. Their journey is...

What is your show about? It’s about happiness and friendship. It’s also about pandas, robots and time travel, but they’re less obviously about happiness and friendship than answering ‘happiness and friendship’. What is your favourite part of creating a new show? Nothing fuels creativity like a deadline. Or Creativity fuel©, a new fragrance by Harry and Chris (we don’t have a fragrance (but we do have a show (The Harry and Chris Show 2 (at the Cask Room in the...

Following the release of their acclaimed debut Citadel in 2015, Memnon Sa return with Lemurian Dawn, a cosmic journey through space, time and myth. The guitar driven sound of Citadel has been replaced here by a myriad of analog synthesisers, ancient world instruments, throat singing and strings. Lemurian Dawn channels New Age meditational works, film soundtracks and cosmic jazz from the 70s and 80s. The result could be the soundtrack to a lost 1970’s European sci-fi film, warm analogue sounds...

Today Lomelda, who toured the UK earlier this year as support to Pinegrove, has released "Interstate Vision," the lead single from her upcoming album, Thx. Stereogum, who premiered the track and named Lomelda a Band To Watch, are saying that the track is "rooted in folk music in a way that feels timeless, but Lomelda is very much engaged with the present." Hannah Read, who performs under the moniker Lomelda, makes music that is textural and spacious. Her words are...

UK festivals are overwhelmingly more popular than overseas festivals, according to a new survey. Nearly half (50%) of people say they prefer UK festivals, compared to just 8% who say they prefer to get their festival fix abroad, The survey of festival-goers, conducted by events and ticketing agent, Skiddle, puts to bed the rumour that overseas festivals such as Tomorrowland in Belgium and Outlook in Croatia are the more popular choice with UKfestival-goers. Skiddle Co-Founder and Director Ben Sebborn, commented: “Whilst many festival-goers choose to travel abroad to see what the rest of the world...