Wickham Festival bosses are grappling with a difficult dilemma – how to improve on near-perfection! The recent four-day event in the picturesque setting near Fareham has been widely hailed as the best yet with four days of unbroken sunshine and fabulous music. But organiser Peter Chegwyn is still looking...
The Saw Doctors had emotional reunion with superfan at Wickham Festival
By Graham Hiley. The Saw Doctors made a very special dream come true for a superfan fan at the Wickham Festival. The top Irish band had an emotional reunion Charlotte Blogg. Charlotte is epileptic and suffered a heart attack while running the Eastleigh 10K – five years ago to...
Interview: Jennie Formby, former general secretary of the Labour Party, shares the hope she finds in the Green Party
Words: Sally Churchward. Pictures: Chris Moorhouse. Jennie Formby is far from the first person to leave the Labour Party in favour of the Greens in recent years. But she’s probably the only one whose defection has made national headlines. It’s six years since her time as General Secretary of...
Reader’s letter: Mettricks – so long and thanks for all the lattes
By Angela Chicken. I just found out that on Sunday (9/8/26) Mettricks Guildhall closes its doors for the last time. I have to tell you that I find it heart-breaking. It’s going to be a huge loss for me and I don’t know how the rest of you feel,...
Swedish alt-rock stars The Wannadies to play Southampton’s The Brook this autumn
The Wannadies are set to return to the UK for the first time in four years. The Swedish Britpoppers will take to the stage at The Brook on 15th November, marking their first show in the country since releasing new material in 2024. Not many acts have the notoriety...
Books: reading on my travels – Lie with Me by Philippe Besson
By Laura McCarthy I take a plane to Bergerac in July, the temperature already reaching 26 degrees by our 10am arrival in France. Once past the airport and business parks on the outskirts, the town itself appears to me as a well-preserved pressed flower between the pages of a...
Reader’s letter: Southampton residents demand lower bills and greater energy security
By Parents for Future Hampshire. Southampton constituents and concerned parents have sent a message to MPs demanding urgent action to help bring our energy bills down and increase energy security for our communities. The action came during extreme heat in the UK, and the announcement of an Energy Independence...
Words In Common writing challenge – your work is in!
By Katie Isham. A few weeks ago we launched Words In Common – a regular themed writing prompt to encourage you to get creative. The prompts have been pondered. The characters have been cultivated. The word count has been whittled down. The stories have been assembled, disassembled and reassembled....
Review: Day 4, Wickham Festival, featuring The Proclaimers
By Graham Hiley. It was well worth the wait as The Proclaimers closed the Wickham Festival in style. The Scottish twins were due to headline here in August 2023 but were forced to pull out when Charlie Reid lost his voice due to a perforated ear drum. But they...
Review: The Surge album launch, Heartbreakers Bar, Southampton
By Darren Grayer. Southampton outfit The Surge celebrated the release of their second album over the weekend with a hometown gig at Heartbreakers Bar on Saturday night (1/8/26). Following the success of their 2023 debut Amped, which gained 30,000 streams and received support from BBC Introducing, as well as...