Monthly Archives: June 2014

Henry IV Part II

Posted on 30 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Gala Theatre, Durham 18 June 2014 Director: Gregory Doran Starring: Antony Sher, Jasper Britton, Alex Hassell Runtime: 170 minutes THEATRE REVIEW: AICHA J. KRASIK On 18 June, I went to see Henry IV Part II streamed live from Stratford at … Continue reading →

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Take Back The Skies by Lucy Saxon

Posted on 29 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Bloomsbury 5 June 2014 Available now at Amazon BOOK REVIEW: MICHAEL EDWARDS At nineteen years of age, Lucy Saxon debuts in the world of young adult fiction with Take Back The Skies, the product of her passion for a genre … Continue reading →

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Taffy: Plus+++

Posted on 28 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Club AC30 Released 23 June 2014 ALBUM REVIEW: JACK BLENKINSOPP Taffy have only released two albums in their short lifespan: 2012’s pretty good Caramel Sunset and last year’s forgettable Lixiviate, so a B-sides and rarities compilation hardly seems like the … Continue reading →

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Tea & Cake Planet

Posted on 27 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Tea & Cake Planet The Boiler Shop, Newcastle 28 – 29 June 2014, Buy Tickets EVENT PREVIEW: MARIA TANG As part of EAT! NewcastleGateshead, Tea & Cake Planet, A Weekend Adventure in Brewing and Baking, brings together two days of … Continue reading →

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Crime Story

Posted on 26 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Crime Story Festival Northumbria University 31 May – 1 June 2014 FESTIVAL REVIEW: EMILY PARK On 31 May 2014, minds of a certain kind flocked to Northumbria University’s School of Law. Some had written radio plays or nurtured dreams of having … Continue reading →

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Chasing Stars by Helen Douglas

Posted on 25 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Bloomsbury 5 June 2014 Available at Amazon BOOK REVIEW: DANIELLE PRATT What starts off, in my opinion, in the same way as any dramatic teenage novel, evolves rather quickly into a much deeper story. Chasing Stars is the sequel to … Continue reading →

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The Moment Collector by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Posted on 24 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Orchard Books 7 August 2014 Available for pre-order at Amazon BOOK REVIEW: PHOEBE WALKER Jodi Lynn Anderson already has quite a crop of young adult bestsellers under her belt, including the Peaches series and the May Bird trilogy. The Moment … Continue reading →

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The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree by S. A. Hunt

Posted on 23 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 27 February 2013 Available at Amazon BOOK REVIEW: JAMES SMITH S. A. Hunt’s surprising thriller, The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree, combines every genre in this prodigious new volume. Funny and gritty at turns, Whirlwind is … Continue reading →

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Interview: Luisa Omielan

Posted on 22 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Jesterval, 7-14 June 2014 INTERVIEW: EMILY PARK This year alone, Luisa Omielan has travelled far and wide, visiting the likes of New York, Thailand and Singapore. But, although she’s seen more of the world than ever before, Newcastle – which … Continue reading →

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Naomi Punk: Television Man

Posted on 21 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Captured Tracks Released 5 August 2014 SINGLE REVIEW: SOPHIE WARD During the past four years, Washington has seen a lot of change: one way is the music. Naomi Punk have a unique brand of punk and aren’t afraid to show … Continue reading →

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Opus No. 7

Posted on 20 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Directed by Dmitry Krymov Northern Stage Thu 19 – Sat 21 June 2014 THEATRE REVIEW: BEN OAKES In hindsight, the fact that the entire of this play was in Russian would probably have been a good thing to know before … Continue reading →

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Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae

Posted on 20 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Bloomsbury 6 May 2014 Available now at Amazon BOOK REVIEW: JANE CURRIE When her parents sign her up for an Italian art programme she doesn’t want to attend, Pippa knows this isn’t the kind of thing she’d choose to do … Continue reading →

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Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor

Posted on 19 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Bloomsbury Available 3 July 2014 Pre-order at Amazon BOOK REVIEW: SARAH BURGESS Jillian Cantor definitely had an unusual, though refreshing, vision while writing Searching for Sky.  With its central focus being the alienation and cruelty of the civilised world, Cantor’s novel … Continue reading →

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CUCKOO COMPETITION

Posted on 18 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

WIN TICKETS TO THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART AT THE CLUNY! American indie pop band The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart have garnered considerable praise for their heart-on-sleeve noise pop, with Pitchfork describing their first two albums … Continue reading →

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Peter Matthew Bauer: Liberation!

Posted on 18 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Memphis Industries Released on 23 June 2014 MUSIC REVIEW: SOPHIE WARD Liberation connotes freedom, democracy, even release. It’s also a collection of mostly autobiographical songs by one man: Peter Matthew Bauer. His solo album is the history of his childhood … Continue reading →

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Thirsty

Posted on 17 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Arts Centre Washington 5 June 2014 Runtime: 60 minutes THEATRE REVIEW: SAM TEASDALE A very different approach to viewing the problems of ‘Booze Britain’, as three performers show stories brought to their attention by others sharing their stories on a … Continue reading →

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Fool Me Twice by Mandy Hubbard

Posted on 16 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Bloomsbury 6 May 2014 Available now at Amazon BOOK REVIEW: AICHA KRASIK First and foremost, I have to say that this is the perfect novel to take with you if you’re going away for the summer or wanting to sit … Continue reading →

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The Phantom Band: Strange Friend

Posted on 15 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Chemikal Underground Released 2 June 2014 Available on iTunes MUSIC REVIEW: SOPHIE WARD The way that this musical journey begins makes it clear that this aptly named friendship is going to be a welcoming one. ‘The Wind That Cried The … Continue reading →

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A Streetcar Named Desire

Posted on 14 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

Northern Stage 4 June 2014 Tickets: £18.50 / £14.50 concessions Runtime: 2 hours 40 minutes (with interval) Final showing 14 June, 19:30: Buy Tickets THEATRE REVIEW: SAM TEASDALE Quoting from one of the main characters, Blanche, played by Nadia Albina, ‘magic’ … Continue reading →

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Festival Guide

Posted on 13 June 2014 by Laura Brewis

FEATURE: MARY WINN After three days of greasy hair, sleepless nights and dancing wildly to bands that you would conventionally slander in the ‘outside world’, you’d think that one would walk away from the usual festival experience an empty shell … Continue reading →

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