Sunday 14th June 2026

Culture

Rap as poetry: ‘The Odyssey’ and the breakdown of the medium

When interviewed on his decision to cast Travis Scott as a bard figure in his upcoming The Odyssey adaptation, set to release on 17th July in the UK, Christopher...

Hag, Nag, Harpy, Hen: Olivia Plender’s ‘Little Fennel’s Complaint’

It is the examination of archaic methods and attitudes surrounding women’s bodies, and the idea of the ‘nagging’ woman, which runs through Olivia Plender’s exhibition.

Nonsense and sensibility: Adapting Austen for the screen

It is a truth universally acknowledged that not all Jane Austen adaptations are created equal.

‘Our House’ in the middle of Beaumont Street

'Our House' ultimately becomes not just a story about crime or morality, but about the vulnerability of growing up and the frightening uncertainty of trying to decide who you are.

Review – Animal Collective at the O2 Ritz

Song after song from the latest album was interspersed with judicious spatterings from the back catalogue – and when they actually brought these tracks out (such as the more Pop-like ‘Daily Routine’ from Merriweather Post Pavilion), the mood finally picked up; with people going from a semicatatonic sway to actual dancing.

Spotlight: Drama and identity

Alex Barasch notes a welcome development in Oxford’s theatre scene and beyond

Review: Eddie the Eagle – ‘he’s a laughing stock’

Eddie the Eagle is the same bland, fabricated underdog cliché we’ve seen time and again, writes Tom Barringer

Interview: Jessy Parker Humphreys

Alex Barasch talks to Jessy Parker Humphreys, one half of Not Your Nice Girl, about gender, drama and performance art in Plush

Nobody’s Fault But Zeppelin’s: When Influence becomes Plagiarism

Lorenzo Edwards-Jones gives no quarter to 'Stairway To Heaven' apologists following band's latest lawsuit

Review: Disorder – dull and boring

ONE STAR “Un, deux! … trois, quatre! Un, deux! … trois, quatre!” You'd be forgiven for thinking you're back in your first ever French lesson, mais non,...

Ringroad

'Aren't these things supposed to be killing us?' – contemplative new verse from Thomas Hornigold

Review: Parquet Courts – Human Performance

Lorenzo Edwards-Jones is pleasantly surprised by Parquet Courts' latest release

Review: Victoria – the one-take film exhibits electric momentum

For Louise Howland, Victoria was less a film and more a transcendental journey through time, space, youth and love

Should music be used for political ends?

Richard Birch contextualises the Rolling Stones' recent visit to Cuba

Review: Zayn Malik – Mind of Mine

Harry Smith found more to like in the former One Directioner's debut than he bargained for

Delving into Dickens: A literary love affair

Markus Beeken considers his begrudging bromance with one of the most famous writers in history

Review: Grimsby – crude and vulgar

Sacha Baron Cohen's reliance on tired 'chav' stereotypes was so bad, Ellie Gomes was forced to cover her eyes

Words – Cherwell fiction

Fiction: 'She tosses the burning end over the edge of the cliff. We watch it fall, hit rocks softly, anti-climatic.'

Common People festival playlist

Ellen Peirson-Hagger compiles the tunes she hopes to hear at Oxford's Common People Festival

Heaney’s Aeneid: When is a Translation not a Translation?

Benn Sheridan discusses Heaney's Final work, a translation of Aeneid Book VI, and finds Virgil a little bit upstaged

Review: Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression

Daniel Curtis was more impressed than depressed by Iggy Pop's latest

Review: The Witch – stands apart from jump-scare drivel

Louise Howland regards newcomer Robert Eggers as an arthouse horror hero after an impressive directional debut

Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane – choice itself is the crisis

Sarah Lynch finds parallels between Michelle's tough decision between two monsters, and the dilemma US voters currently face

Should we share our cultural pleasures?

Ellen Peirson-Hagger reflects on the perils of associating art with friends and significant others

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