Southampton’s only community-owned bookshop makes an urgent appeal for support this Valentine’s: October Books Poetry Fundraiser. Amid the chaos of everyday life, creating and nurturing creative, safe spaces in our city has never been more essential. This Valentine’s weekend, make a meaningful impact by joining Southampton’s October Books for...
Book review: The Bright Sword – Lev Grossman
By Christopher Taylor. Restoring Arthurian Romance in the Twenty-First Century The overwhelming majority of Arthurian fiction since T.H. White’s defining The Once and Future King (published in 1958) has sought to redefine Arthur in the context of the 4th-6th century: from Sutcliffe’s Sword at Sunset in the 60s, Zimmer-Bradley’s...
Review: Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of), Chichester Festival Theatre
By Graham Hiley. If Jane Austen were alive today, Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of) is exactly what she might have written – without as many swear words! Or jokes. Or songs. While the Hampshire author’s original version remains a work of literary genius, the satirical musical (at Chichester’s Festival...
Southampton’s Caity Baser releases new single, Watch That Girl (She’s Gonna Say It)
Image by Finn Waring. Southampton’s Caity Baser has released her brand new single, ‘Watch That Girl (She’s Gonna Say It)’, out now via Capitol Records UK. The song signals a bold new direction for the 22-year-old BRIT Award-nominated singer, both in terms of sound and lyric. Co-written and...
Review: Ghost The Musical, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
By Martin Brisland. Having loved the movie the musical is based on; would this production be what I’ve hungered for? The Oscar-winning movie from 1990 with Demi Moore, the late Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg, was the highest grossing film of 1990 and won an Oscar for screenwriter Bruce...
Hampshire given the green light for devolution by joining the Devolution Priority Programme
By Mabel Wellman. Picture by Mike Daish. At the beginning of January the four “main” councils of Hampshire took to vote on whether or not to be included on the Devolution Priority Programme. These were the Isle Of Wight, Southampton City, Portsmouth City and Hampshire County Councils. Devolution would...
Interview: Holly Bannis, star of What’s Love Got To Do With It?
After a spectacular 2024 that had more than 60,000 Tina Turner fans dancing in the aisles, tribute to Tina TurnerWhat’s Love Got To Do With It? is back on tour, and coming to venues including Portsmouth Guildhall (21/2/25) and Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre (9/3/25). Whether you’ve been a fan of...
Craig David to play homecoming gig at Southampton Summer Sessions show in June
Live Nation and Cuffe & Taylor have announced this morning that multi-award-winning global superstar Craig David will join the lineup for TK Maxx Presents Southampton Summer Sessions. Returning to his hometown, Craig will bring his TS5 show to Guildhall Square on Saturday 21 June 2025, joined by renowned DJ and crowd-favourite Patrick Nazemi....
Opinion: Culture for all – but at what cost?
By Charlotte Ndupuechi. In the shadow of Southampton’s failed bid to become City of Culture, I can’t help wondering what legacy we are leaving for future generations. What is the true cost of cultural engagement, and how accessible is it for everyone? Take music lessons in schools. In 2024-2025...
Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet – The Brook, Southampton
Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet continue their “They Want What You’ve Got.” tour, bringing them to The Brook, Southampton, on February 12, with homegrown support from Still Moving DJs. Ríoghnach Connolly, the BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year, leads Honeyfeet with her eclectic taste for musical adventure. Together,...