Culture

The rise of the pop girlie: Marketing mediocrity or feminism in action?  

“GIRLS INVENTED PUNK ROCK, NOT ENGLAND”: so reads the iconic green T-shirt of Sonic Youth legend Kim Gordon. The slogan stands in defiance of an unfortunate truth in the music industry: femininity and credibility often exist in contention with one another.

World music after ‘world music’

On the face of it, the term ‘world music’ is perhaps one of the...

NAZA: The most important film of the year

The filmmakers of NAZA clearly know that beyond physical distance, emotional distance is what allows the violence in Gaza to continue, and shows us just how easy it is to ignore what is going on right under our noses.

In conversation with John Kennedy, “one of the most trusted voices in music”

In a media landscape often dominated by gossip, rumours, and sometimes pure hate, it’s undeniably refreshing to listen to John, a man who never lost sight of what really matters.

“Everything is political!”: How The Hot Mess Project is reviving Oxford’s creative communities

If you’ve been online recently, browsing in search of something to fill an empty evening, you will probably have run across The Hot Mess...

The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025), reviewed

Many of us have already heard the voice of Hind Rajab. On 26th January 2024, the Palestine Red Crescent Society received a call about a six-year-old girl in need of aid.

A show with bite: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ reviewed

Ong and Bouchta have mounted an incredibly successful run at the O’Reilly. The commitment and love for the show comes across.

Kooky and self-assured: ‘Brew Hill’ in review

Pecadillo Productions’ latest show is (quite rightly) aiming for Fringe, but this kooky, self-assured tragicomedy has immediate cult classic potential.

Art is an argument, so argue back

Often, how much we like artwork comes down to ‘vibes’, initial gut-reactions we make, and then quickly negate by stating that surely it's all about taste.

Red soles, red flags: Jaden Smith and the celebrity takeover of high fashion

Smith’s appointment has raised some serious questions about the extent to which nepotism and celebrity is superseding artistic talent in the fashion industry at present.

The ‘Silent’ Film

Not speaking does not necessarily mean having nothing to say. As much can be said with an image, movement, or glance as with a word.

For those who like the idea of someone: In conversation with ‘Dreams’

Dreams is a piece of brand-new writing by Peter Hardisty and Charlotte Macari, produced by Crazy Child Productions.

A day in The Sun: ‘Ink’ at St John’s

James Graham’s Ink, directed by Georgina Cooper with the St John’s Drama Society, dramatises Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition of The Sun in the 1960s, tracing its astonishing surge to unprecedented popularity.

‘Cathy naur’: Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ in review

Although my Yorkshire identity and love of 19th-century novels make me inclined to defend Emily Brontë with all my might, I really did give this film a chance.

Remembrance, resilience, and reflection: Lubomyr Melnyk, the ‘continuous music’ pioneer

On the 23rd and 24th February, the Ukrainian composer and pianist, Lubomyr Melnyk, returns to Oxford for a performance at New College.

‘Crawling with personality’: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ in conversation

Last week, I infiltrated a rehearsal for Cross Keys and 2046 Productions’ upcoming Little Shop Of Horrors.

Techno, tragedy, and medieval monologuing: ‘Brew Hill’ in conversation

Pecadillo Productions’ ‘Brew Hill’ watches the deterioration of the romance between Nat (Trixie Smith) and Gordon (Jem Hunter).

‘I don’t like the idea of hope’: An interview with Iya Kiva 

Iya Kiva is an award-winning Ukrainian poet, originally from Donetsk. Since 2014, when war first came to her region, she has lived in displacement.

A bold choice for limited space: ‘Tick, Tick…Boom!’

This ambitious take on a classic struggled in the space constraints of the Michael Pilch studio.

‘Fresh energy’: Corpus Christi’s Owlets on their revival

Abigail Lakeland interviewed Clara Woodhouse, Owlets President, to discuss its resurgence, and what audiences can expect.

Disturbance on the line: ‘La Voix Humaine’ in review

The Burton Taylor Studio has been transformed into a Tracy Emin mixed-media installation for Jean Cocteau's 'La Voix Humaine'.

From topping charts to ‘The Traitors’: An ode to Cat Burns

The chaotic new season of 'The Traitors' made me reflect on the celebrity version, and my personal favourite contestant, Cat Burns.

Spoonerisms and malapropisms: ‘You Got Me’ in review

Silent Tape Productions' 'You Got Me' is a hard-hitting story about memory, powerlessness, and the cyclical passing of time.

Will 2026 finally kill the clean girl?

The clean girl has become ubiquitous throughout celebrity culture, magazines, and social media in recent years. Her brand prescribes a lifestyle, a kind of idealised minimalism.

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