Culture

One f**king thing after another: ‘The History Boys’, revisited

Grab your motorcycle helmet. Sharpen up on the subjunctive. And cue the synthetic pulses of ‘Blue Monday’. The History Boys is back. Alan Bennett’s 2004 play followed a cast of...

What are you looking at? A reflection on the Ashmolean’s Aphrodite exhibition 

The woman crouches, nude. A gauzy blue curtain hangs where she hides her chest;...

The midterms and the YA novel: Impossibly happy endings

Given its intense media coverage and everything that seems to be on the line, I feel as though I have been anxiously awaiting the results of the 2026 US midterm elections for weeks, months – maybe years.

How books are burned today

It is a worrying thought that what sits on your bookshelf today could be...

Review: Inside Llewyn Davis

James Martin suggests that the new Coen Brothers film is some of their best work, with a brilliant debut performance from Oscar Isaac

Review: 366 Days of Kindness

Emily Holman is moved by this plea for human kindness

Preview: Marriage of Figaro

Naomi Polonsky looks hopefully to the start of mainstream opera

Who Needs the Fourth Wall?

Georgina Wilson explains whats standing between Us and Them

Preview: 12 Angry Women

Sam Graydon enthusiastically looks ahead to this performance

Culture Editorial… Sochi Olympics

Evy Cavalla calls Putin's motives into question

Cherwell tries… Tap Dance

Tap lessons put a twinkle in Evy Cavalla's toes

Review: CAGE – Circus on Finnegan’s Wake

Lars Kilgars is pleasantly surprised by this performance of Cage's roatorio

Letter from… Canada

Tom Seal dishes the dirt on Canada's tar sands

Bargain Bin: Bruce Springsteen- Hammersmith Odeon London ’75

Cherwell trawls charity shops looking for musical bargains

Review: Alcest – Shelter

From deep-rooted black metal to post-rock liquid vocals, Joe Mankeltow explores the transition Alcest have made with new record, Shelter.

Review: Gem Club – In Roses

Rushabh studies the dream pop melancholy of Gem Club's new album.

Review: Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow

Helen Thomas reviews the latest offering from indie folk band Bombay Bicycle Club.

Loading the Canon

Cherwell calls for new additions to the literary establishment.

Review: Anti-Slam Poetry

Laura-Beth Shanahan listens to some bad poetry at the Old Fire Station

Interview: Hauschka

Enyuan Khong talks dark soundscapes and ghost cities with Volker Bertelmann

Live Review: Warpaint

Helen Thomas reviews the dream pop performance of all female four-piece Warpaint at the O2 Academy

Preview: Normal

Ben Horton is shaken to the core by this unsettling psychological thriller

Review: The Play That Goes Wrong

Laura Stacey jumps at the chance to see Mischief Theatre productions repeat their comic success

Preview: Tartuffe

Jian Hoh is delighted and amused by this riotous version of a bleak satire.

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