By Martin Brisland. The 19th century writer Henry David Thoreau is credited with the aphorism “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” That seems to me to sum up Basil Fawlty. As someone who knows Fawlty Towers well, I arrived at Mayflower Theatre with a mixture of excitement and...
Entertainment Reviews
Review: Dirty Business, Channel 4
By Charlotte Ndupuechi. Channel 4 deserves huge congratulations for Dirty Business, an uncomfortable but powerful three-part series that shines a light on an absolutely outrageous issue. Available to stream now on Channel 4, the series immediately sets the political context as it opens with archive footage of Margaret Thatcher...
Review: Lucy Kitchen album launch, Heartbreakers, Southampton
By Darren Grayer. Sunday night saw Romsey singer/songwriter Lucy Kitchen headline Heartbreakers Bar for the release of her latest and third album In The Low Light (1/3/26). Written in the aftermath of tragically losing her husband, Stephen, to cancer in October 2022, it’s a heart-wrenching and stark piece of...
Review: Legally Blonde The Musical, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
By Joy McKay. Sat in the stalls at Mayflower Theatre watching staff scurrying about putting on a brave face over some panic. The show had started, the first number underway when a gentleman (from neither Malibu, or Harvard), walked to centre stage. The lighting rig had crashed, they had...
Review: Callous Daoboys with Knives and Love Rarely at The Joiners, Southampton
By Chris Taylor. Every few years I’ll catch a Southampton show that’s so intense and important that I’m literally left gasping for air. They’re the times when you can tell the whole crowd knows that this is the last time we’ll ever see this band in an intimate setting....
Review: Fozzy, Tailgunner, Marisa and the Moths at The1865, Southampton
By Chris Taylor. Heavy metal is clearly alive and well in Southampton. I haven’t been to a sold out gig at 1865 for a while, so it’s a bit of a shock to the system to walk in at 7.15pm to an already-packed venue (19/2/26). The main floor is...
Review: Wuthering Heights? More like Withering Whites
By books editor Laura McCarthy. Emerald Fennel’s latest film has garnered controversy since before it was even released. In a way, the controversy surrounding the film makes it like Brontȅ’s original novel, which also sparked public outcry… but this would be perhaps the only similarity between the text and...
Review: Rock & Roll Man, Salisbury Playhouse
By Dan O’Farrell. Ever since the success of ‘The Buddy Holly Story’, the appeal of the ‘rock & roll’ musical has been a recurring theme of West End and Broadway successes, with shows like ‘Jersey Boys’ and even ‘Hairspray’ tapping into the febrile yet innocent lore of late 1950s...
Review: Maskers Theatre does it again with sell-out Educating Rita
By Charlotte Ndupuechi. Southampton amateur theatre company Maskers Theatre has done it again, delivering a sell-out show that left audiences delighted — and last night’s final performance of Educating Rita proved exactly why. Willy Russell’s sharp, much-loved script was handled with confidence and clarity. The chemistry between the two...
Only The Poets record signing at Vinilo, Southampton
Words and photos by: Bella Briscoe. On Sunday 1st February, Only The Poets made a return to Southampton for an album signing event. It may have been a flying visit, but the band certainly left their mark on the fans who flocked to Vinilo record store to see them....