Reviews

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August 08, 2018

Alice In Chains: Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a gig in London, and even longer since I last visited Shepherd’s Bush Empire. It’s great to be back, even if only fleetingly writes,...

Shocking truth about how doctors experimented on Black Americans

Karen Hatter This is what was written in The New York Times, about the author of Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present: " .... (Harriet Washington) has unearthed an enormo ...

Joking Apart II: The king of techno-farce returns

James CombesWhat would you do if you were trapped under a bed whilst your ex-partner made love to their new partner on top? How would you explain being trapped naked in the flat of your new next-door neighbour? And, of course, what is the correct social et ...

Author's warm glow of success

Monira Begum A Thousand Splendid Suns is the second book by the Afghan American author Khaled Hosseini. The debut novel, The Kite Runner was very well received both by critics and readers and consequently became an international bestseller.  Li ...

First there was the cube  …

James CombesA shiver goes down the spine. The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. The familiar yet forgotten voice transports me back 25 years, back to a time when toys were not just toys.They were  "More than meets the eye."Transformers ...

Striking while the iron's hot

James Combes Iron Maiden, Earl's Court, London, December 22nd, 2006. "As you all know, this is a non-smoking auditorium. Unfortunately, it seems that one of our amplifiers is smoking and we're going to have to halt the gig whilst we chang ...

Glittering talent under the trash

James CombesNerina Pallot: Shepherd's Bush Empire: Tuesday, November 28, 2006In a world dominated by media-tramps such as Lily Allen and Paris Hilton, you could be forgiven for thinking that good, classy pop-music has had its day. But in the midst of a ...

Bond's Mars Bar-Fuelled Success

James CombesThere's something quite nerve-wracking about watching a new actor playing James Bond. It's rather like going on a first date: every part of you wants it to work, but there's the unfortunate fact that some things are out of your cont ...

Why Didn't The BBC Get This Joke?

James Combes Some comedies are unforgettable. Others provoke a mild titter and then disappear for ever. But every once in a while, one slips through the net, for no good reason, and achieves cult-like status in the process. Joking Apart is such a comedy. ...

Boy Brings Grim 1980s Back To Life

James Combes Education is a beautiful thing. It is even more effective when the subject matter is something about which you thought that there was nothing to tell.David Eldridge’s Market Boy, is currently playing at the National Theatre on Londo ...

A novel that boldly tackles Britain's class divide

In the weeks leading up to the 2016 EU Referendum in Britain, a London-based film crew travel up to an old industrial town in the West Midlands to document the views of some of its residents. The team are led by the beautiful and vivacious Grace, who beco ...

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