News

Dancehall—The Rise of Jamaican Dancehall Culture

On the back of the huge commercial success of reggae in the 1970s, a new breed of producers and MCs sought to update the music for the 80s.

Why save capitalism? It should be put out of its misery

Former US president Bill Clinton’s secretary for labor Robert Reich thinks inequality is too high and that the rich should pay more tax. He endorsed Bernie Sanders for president.

How music helped beat back the fascists in 1950s London

Racist violence blew up on the streets of west London on 30 August 1958.

Fight for homes finds artistic expression in Teesside

The Idea Home Show at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art

Battle of the Sexes serves up a set of anti-sexism from 1973

New film Battle of the Sexes shows the sexism of the 1970s and one of the battles against it, but misses the broader context

The Life And Rhymes Of Benjamin Zephaniah

The “people’s laureate” Benjamin Zephaniah is taking his autobiography on tour this spring.

Tune in to Network for two hours of rage

Network is about an ageing news anchor getting mad.

Murder, intrigue and politics make Peaky Blinders great

Hit series gets its dramatic power from looking at world events. It doesn’t sugar-coat politics and it takes its audience seriously, argues Hope Ryan

Posters and photos reignite the visions of Russia’s revolt in Red Star Over Russia

A new design exhibition in London gives a graphic illustration of the impact of revolution and counter-revolution in Russia after 1917, writes?Nadia Sayed

In La Belle Sauvage Philip Pullman revisits the world of His Dark Materials

As the twentieth century wore to a close, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy offered a vastly superior alternative to the interminable adventures of Harry Potter.

Reviews round-up: Mining art gallery and The Ward

This new gallery explores working life in the coalmines of County Durham through original artefacts and artwork from prominent mining artists such as Tom McGuinness and Norman Cornish.

Massacre of Mankind avoids butchering HG Wells’s masterpiece

For Your Grandchildren documents the battle to stop gas pipelines in the US

For Your Grandchildren is a film about the struggle against the Sabal Trail Pipeline in Florida. The film’s director Mike Tintner spoke to Kim Hunter

Grime MC’s new song is a grilling for the government

Dave’s new song Question Time voices the harsh reality many face under a Tory government.

Weak gags and tired cliches dog play on Marx’s early life

Lovers of toilet humour and references to the philosopher Hegel will adore Young Marx. Unfortunately for the rest of us, there is little that’s either edifying or funny about this odd choice of a maiden production for the new Bridge Theatre.

Reviews round-up: Winds of October

Plus: Portrait of Palestine, Pop Art from North Africa and Grime4Justice

I Am Not a Witch: The cruel humour behind a mix of tradition and money

In the film, a young girl is accused of witchcraft in Africa and is drawn into a world of corruption and sexism, writes Charlie Kimber

Labour of Love

Labour of Love is a new rom-com by fashionable playwright James Graham.

Warmly-written words shroud a bleak sketch of London

In his final book documenting London, the writer and walker Iain Sinclair chronicles the city he feels he is losing.

An inspiration and a warning from Belfast

United struggle can help beat sectarianism—but alone it isn’t enough. That’s the message of an important new book about the 1932 Outdoor Relief Riots in Belfast, writes Colm Bryce