By Alex Lodge (@alexlodgemusic | Insta @alexlodgemusic7) Alex Lodge is a music supervisor for film, TV and advertising at Studio 32 Music. All I've been listening to this week is jazz and Steve Mason, which will become very apparent when you play this list. I discovered a great album by Matthew Halsall and the Gondwana Orchestra which is pretty straight on the first disc, but moves into some wonderful astral jazz on the second with a tribute to one of...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Within some of London’s trendiest restaurants, the world of art is rarely far disconnected. A recent prime example is that of Mayfair’s Sexy Fish from Richard Caring’s Caprice Holdings: which, like most of his group’s restaurants was an instant smash hit addition to the area’s dining scene, with a table for two during a peak dinner hour still painfully arduous to secure. Aside from the apparently exceptional fish, and the celebrity clientele that frequent...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A tiny fraction (97.6 per cent) of senior officials at the Department for Communities & Local Government actually work outside of London. This was the department that the chancellor asked to deliver the “northern powerhouse,” which aims to devolve power to the outlying regions and cities. However the government admitted that 97.6% of senior civil servants at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) are based in London. A pitiful 2.4% of the department’s...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Around 50 Conservative MPs are planning to rebel against the Chancellor’s plans to relax the Sunday trading laws, which also includes two ministers who may be ready to resign. The Chancellor, George Osborne, is facing another backlash from his party, this time over extending shopping hours on Sunday. Rumours are that 50 Tories are plotting to rebel on the vote on the issue on Wednesday only a week before his budget. The Chancellor is increasingly...

It’s been four years… but now Francis, a Swedish folk quintet, are back with their second full-length album Marathon. Co-produced by the band and Nicolas Vernhes (The War on Drugs, Bjork, Dirty Projectors), the album is soaked in delayed guitars and Petra Mases’ melancholy vocals. Staying true to Scandinavian indie pop the album is full of natural themes, such as ‘Horses’ and ‘Winters Wind’. The band says themselves that pretty much every song is about “children, divorce or love. But...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Home Secretary Theresa May has won a case to return hundreds of people back to Afghanistan. The failed asylum-seekers, which also includes former child migrants, will be returned to Afghanistan. The Court of Appeal decided that deportations can now go ahead. Since last August there had been a total ban on deportations to the country, which has suffered immeasurable hardship, due the ravages of war. The Taliban now control swathes of territory in the country and...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A report says cutting huge salaries would not hurt the economy as analysis reveals top CEOs earn on average £4.6m per annum. The groundbreaking study by top headhunters has shown that Britain’s chief executives are grossly overpaid, and there would be little impact on the economy if their salaries were cut, which disproves the fear of a “brain drain,” if pay were to be slashed. The report by the London School of Economics report bring...

A man has been injured on the London Underground after reporting something unusual. In a damming indictment to widely broadcast publicity campaigns, the 41 year-old IT professional was smacked around the head by a loose advertising fitting after spotting an unattended bag. To add insult to injury, he was then barged onto a platform after being careful when alighting, sustaining minor bruising. "Despite their assurances, I've been battered black and blue by tfl this morning," the beligured commuter said. "There...

Morrissey is reportedly thinking about standing for London Mayor in the upcoming elections in May. Morrissey is 6/4 with Betway to challenge Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith for London Mayor in May’s election. The singer has been asked by the Animal Welfare Society to enter the race to succeed outgoing mayor Boris Johnson, and the online bookmaker gives him long odds of 250/1 to win. Providing he collects enough signatures to make the final ballot, the former Smiths frontman is 14/1...