For years now, I have had a loose new year’s resolution to get better at reading diversely. Back in 2012, I read an article by a woman who had read a book from every country in the world (193 according to the United Nations, plus two sovereign states). At the time, I counted that I […]Read More
Millions of us have embraced reading as a way to cope in These Unprecedented Times. But with reading piles acquiring social media clout (all the books I read this year!), for some (writers and journalists in particular), reading has become an act of performance, an endless routine in ‘brand maintenance.’ We’ve been instilled with the […]Read More
At sixteen, I was often late for class. Weighed down by a satchel, heavy with tomes from fantasy writer George R.R. Martin, I lumbered up each step. I brought two along just in case I read the first gargantuan book in a day. Then, I wasn’t just a reader: I was the Reader. I was […]Read More
Belated happy new year to you all! I hope you’ve got plenty of books ready to read in 2019 – I know I have. And I hope that at least some of these books are being read for pleasure – because mine are not. When I opted to do English literature at Glasgow Uni all […]Read More
Having announced headliners including Kasabian, Muse and Eminem, Reading & Leeds announced this morning that Oasis front man Liam Gallagher has been added to the line-up of Reading & Leeds 2017. Over 90 acts have been added to the line-up including Ash, Goldie, Declan McKenna and Bugzy Malone. Other confirmed acts include Blossoms, Haim, Fatboy […]Read More
Despite all the glitz and glamour of the festivals other well regarded stages, it’s the BBC Introducing Stage that’s often held in such high regard amongst festival attendees. The stage has previously seen performances from the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, Jack Garratt and Jake Bugg, ensuring that it really is the hotspot from […]Read More
Right now, Man Made are out on the road to promote their new album TV Broke My Brain, which is released on 29th April (pushed back from the original date 15th April to avoid clashing with Record Store Day). The MM touring machine is undoubtedly well-oiled, with tonight being the eighteenth date on this tour […]Read More
Fresh off the back of his ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ mixtape self-proclaimed ‘Essex boi’ Jordan Cardy has released a new single entitled‘Fake ID’. With an instantly memorable chorus and a characteristically ramshackle guitar line, the release of ‘Fake ID’ marks another milestone in what has been a whirlwind year for the newcomer. On top of being signed […]Read More
For a while I felt pretty despondent about the music scene (or what I felt was dire lack of) in my hometown Reading. Despite hosting some music festival or other on August bank holiday every year, it frustrated me that my favourite bands would rarely visit Reading on their tours and that the scene offered […]Read More
© 2014 The Indiependent