The first song I ever truly loved was West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys. There were many songs that brought me joy before then, but I remember oh so clearly that this was on another level. It felt as though the music and vocals of this song had taken me to another place because... Continue Reading →
Review: Pet Shop Boys at Henley Festival
On the evening of 7th June 1991, aged 16 and celebrating the end of my GCSEs, I visited Wembley Arena to see my first ever pop concert. A few hours later, I headed for home pretty convinced that I still hadn't been to a 'pop concert', because Pet Shop Boys' Performance tour was more of... Continue Reading →
Review: You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966 – 1970
Revolution (meaning): overthrow, change, movement. In a recent interview in The Guardian film director Houda Benyamin evoked the 1968 'revolts': 'anger was understood and translated by an intelligentsia: authors, intellectuals, artists, who then formulated demands and so made progress.' This spirit of revolutionary progress permeates this exhaustive and informative exhibition (covering 1966 - 1970) at... Continue Reading →
Awesome Ideas: Visit an exhibition in 2017
Visiting exhibitions is one of my favourite things to do so, although this year has barely begun, I already have a list of must-see exhibitions for 2017. Going with a friend can give you lots to discuss, as they often share knowledge you don't have or perhaps spot some things you might have missed. Visiting... Continue Reading →
The Super Humans of 2016
Since 2011 I have been publishing an annual list of people who have had positive impact on me in the previous 12 months and therefore, in my opinion, deserve an award for their greatness. These are the super humans who have shaped my life and brought me joy and inspiration - I want to thank... Continue Reading →
Is this the soundtrack to my life?
Music used to be a massive part of my life. When I was growing up in the 1980s, I bought albums on cassette and learnt the lyrics off by heart, either from the inlay or what I found in Smash Hits magazine. My collection contained long lasting joys such as Pet Shop Boys' Disco, Janet... Continue Reading →
Review: wonder.land
Last Friday I was invited to the staging of a new show at the National Theatre. The musical, wonder.land, is a contemporary re-imagining of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland brought into the digital age. Along with my friend, Wonderland-enthusiast Becca, we went behind the scenes prior to the show to talk to costume propmaker Reuben Hart,... Continue Reading →
2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
Growing up in the UK in the 80s meant that the phenomenon that is Victoria's Secret has largely passed me by. Even as my lingerie obsession deepened, the iconic US brand still failed to register on my radar until the opening of their first UK store in 2012. I went along to review it and... Continue Reading →
Women, sexuality and the music industry
Last year, I was asked to write a series of articles on sexuality and female musicians. It never happened in the end, and so I saved my first piece and promptly forgot all about it. However, I was reminded about the subject of that first article at the weekend and so I thought it was... Continue Reading →
Support Every Move: Motivational playlist
Panache Sports 2014 campaign aims to engage women who are looking to improve their fitness and wellbeing. They emailed me to ask if I'd share my most inspirational workout music to help build the ultimate Panache Sport workout playlist on Spotify. As fitness isn't exactly my specialist subject, I called in an expert! After the... Continue Reading →