Culture

The rise of the pop girlie: Marketing mediocrity or feminism in action?  

“GIRLS INVENTED PUNK ROCK, NOT ENGLAND”: so reads the iconic green T-shirt of Sonic Youth legend Kim Gordon. The slogan stands in defiance of an unfortunate truth in the music industry: femininity and credibility often exist in contention with one another.

World music after ‘world music’

On the face of it, the term ‘world music’ is perhaps one of the...

NAZA: The most important film of the year

The filmmakers of NAZA clearly know that beyond physical distance, emotional distance is what allows the violence in Gaza to continue, and shows us just how easy it is to ignore what is going on right under our noses.

In conversation with John Kennedy, “one of the most trusted voices in music”

In a media landscape often dominated by gossip, rumours, and sometimes pure hate, it’s undeniably refreshing to listen to John, a man who never lost sight of what really matters.

Kafka: Making of an Icon at the Weston Library review: ‘Poignant and incredibly personal’

"Bodleian Libraries’ most recent exhibition at the Weston Library is an engaging dive into the life and legacy of the famous author."

RIP Dante, you would’ve loved fanfiction

When the trailer for an adaptation of Robinne Lee’s 2017 novel The Idea of You came out last month, it set the internet ablaze. Within a...

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune

In 1984, shortly after the epic finale to the (original) Star Wars trilogy was in theatres, David Lynch’s Dune treated audiences to, in the...

Loaded Words

Where now those sentences, those syllables,Loaded like cannon balls on the field of Austerlitz?Full of the weight and confidenceAnd destructive power of centuriesOf thought,...

The Oxford Fashion Gala: A deep dive into design

The Oxford Fashion Gala was an incredible success from start to finish. Designers, models and fashion lovers gathered to share their creativity and passion...

The artist and the photographer: An analysis of Francis Goodman’s Film negatives

An unusual dynamic is consequently captured between the photographer and artist in the photograph of Lucian Freud.

We Walk Along

We walk along by the river, my hand in his, our arms of different lengths and his palms much bigger than mine. The sun...

The Orwell Tour review: ‘A unique and first-rate travelogue’

Within the last year there have been countless new books on George Orwell, but Oliver Lewis’s The Orwell Tour, just released in paperback, is...

The Drake and Kendrick Lamar saga

Since the rise of hip-hop in the 1990s, diss tracks (short for disrespect or disparage) have been a staple of the genre. These tracks...

Cherwell Introduces: Tongue

Joining me this week are the up-and-coming Oxford rock band, Tongue. After a gorgeously hot and sunny day, I had the pleasure of watching...

The Two Gentlemen of Verona review: ‘A hilarious modern take’

It was, then, a testament to this commitment that the performance was as good as it was. The production was a hilarious modern take on Shakespeare’s comedy, with several scenes updated, modified, or introduced entirely for this play.

A Future in the Light of Darkness review: Imagined engines of desire

Modern Art Oxford’s exhibit Frieda Toranzo Jaeger: A future in the light of darkness counters the potential for automated vehicles and social media algorithms to...

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poet’s Department: Who tortures the poet?

The most tortured love affair on Taylor Swift’s new album is her relationship with her audience. Following its release on April 19th, the album’s...

Christian Atheism by Slavoj Žižek review

‘And what did the twentieth century want with religion, already well worn and threadbare from its journey down the ages...What did we have to...

The Oxford Fashion Gala: A stellar display of talent

The evening of Wednesday 8th May brought a show that transcended the limitations of space and time in a beautiful portrayal of Oxford University’s...

Film around the world: Germany’s The Lives of Others

I’m sure that those of us who studied A-Level German back in the day (not so long ago, if you’re a first-year reading this)...

The Mermaid

The mermaid is dying, and no one cares.She does not belong here, here in the suburbsWhere council-mandated hedges block her from the sea.She does...

Freida Toranzo Jaeger’s Prophetic Glitter

Freida Toranzo Jaeger names her paintings like items in a manifesto: Extinction is the price we pay for our existence (2023), Open your heart...

Film around the world: Italy’s Suspiria

The first time I heard about Suspiria, I was nine and my babysitter was telling me I couldn’t watch it, shouldn’t even - that...

Sunak’s Samba with the fashion industry

In Rishi Sunak’s recent Downing Street Interview, his words and promises were certainly not the star of the show. Showing off his Adidas Sambas,...

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