By Steve Taggart Google has rebranded itself as Alphabet - a new holding company whose largest wholly owned subsidiary will be Google, and social media management platform Falcon Social have studied Twitter's reaction to the shock news. If that wasn't enough Larry Page and Sergey Brin Google's co-founders, handed control of the search engine to Sundar Pichai. The buzz kicked off at 9pm 60% of all monitored traffic is coming from Google Sentiment is overwhelmingly positive These are the most...

By Will Bateman (@WIllBateman6611) Mac Demarco’s most recent full-length, the acclaimed Salad Days, defined his scruffy indie melodica without compromising the lo-fi DIY of his previous LPs Rock and Roll Nightclub and 2. Each provided a surge of scrappy originality in an uninspired indie-rock scene. They also helped build his overly-simplistic reputation as a hard-partying slacker, an image exacerbated by notorious on-stage antics, an endless supply of vintage 5-panel caps and songs about Viceroy cigs and apologising to his mother....

Since his quirky supernatural TV show Being Human became a smash hit for BBC3 in 2008 (making stars of its leads Aiden Turner, Lenora Crichlow and Russell Tovey in the process) writer Toby Whithouse’s career has gone from strength to strength. His latest glossy six-part drama, The Game, was lauded by critics and fans alike – and he’s even being talked about as the next Doctor Who showrunner. Felicity Evans caught up with him to find out more…   The...

Chattering skulls, flaming cacti and naked cowboy showdowns. All this and more can be seen in the new video for 'Black Hole, Weirdo Shrine' from surf-noir quartet La Luz. Imagine the hallucinations Daria might have watching the opening credits from A Fistful Of Dollars on a peyote trip and you're pretty close to the band's vision here. La Luz' second album Weirdo Shrine is out now. Catch them on tour this October. La Luz Tour Dates 16th October - Brighton, UK - Bleach...

By Rob Foster @futuresinfinite Inequality: What can be done? by Anthony Atkinson, published by Harvard University Press Civic Capitalism by Colin Hay & Anthony Payne, published by Polity Press Issues of economic inequality continue to be at the forefront of much of the political discourse in the UK and beyond. There may be broad consensus that income inequality is a problem (although how large or important an issue is a matter of conjecture), but the causes & possible cures for...

Escaping the big city for a week in the sun is a luxury we should all indulge in once in a while. But what about all those little scams and cash traps that can turn a dream getaway into the holiday from hell? A new survey by Money.co.uk revealed a list of common cash-related woes that really get under our skin and hit us where it hurts when on vacation - our wallets and bank accounts. 22.6 per cent of...

By Jack Peat, TLE Editor Earlier this year I boarded an overnight train from London with a group of friends to the barren whisky wonderland that is Speyside. Home to more than 60 per cent of Scotland’s single malt production I was anticipating being bathed in a tapestry of white-washed buildings hidden in remote nooks of the Morayshire valleys with aromas of malt and American oak engulfing the senses.  Mildly disappointed, I returned feeling underwhelmed by the overt sense of...

By Will Bateman (@WillBateman6611) 5.8.15, The Islington, London The Islington is an intimate venue for any band making their debut appearance in the capital. The Mynabirds appear on stage amidst dim lights and red floor-to-ceiling curtains, singer-songwriter/pianist Laura Burhenn (who you might recognise from now-defunct Seattleites The Postal Service) exuding a playful and welcoming presence. The band seem genuinely grateful to their audience, Burhenn acknowledging the trials they must have endured to get to the show. "So you're the brave...

By Dr Robin George Andrews @SquigglyVolcano & Dr Alfredo Carpineti  @DrCarpineti    The opposition to genetically modified food is irrational, and when governments who should know better ban it without cause, scientists must speak up. Scotland’s rural secretary has just announced that the growing of genetically modified crops will be banned in the fields of England’s feisty northern neighbour. Unfortunately, like many people on gluten-free diets who aren’t coeliacs, many who approve of this move simply do not understand what they’re eschewing even...