Isla McLachlan

Nottingham came out in full force to see its Philharmonia Orchestra play Mozart and Mahler on Friday, with the concert hall packed, including the choir stalls. The evening featured the conductor, Lahav Shani, also as a concerto pianist, and sometimes the two roles were merged simultaneously.   Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...

‘Shakespeare was big, but Dickens was bigger’ were the words which summarised the opening song of this production, which encapsulated the four-person troupe’s adoration of Mr Charles Dickens. Entering the auditorium, a screen with a cartoon of the author’s face (complete with moving eyes) watched the audience. As the...

Classical musicians and orchestras are often ignored by students who believe they are pompous and unwanted in modern society. This opinion isn’t hard to sympathise with, when the likes of Andre Rieu prance about our TV screens, smirking whilst playing his violin with about as much musicality as a...

The auditorium is filled with 60s music, before the lights go down and the sound fades for Andy Hamilton’s entrance to the stage. The 5″3 comedian wanders up to the microphone, scratches his head and says: “now, I came in here for something, what was it?” This innocently hilarious...

Amateur dramatics (Am-Dram) holds a negative stigma that has sometimes proven true, but in most cases am-drams can be better than productions considered ‘professional’. So, if you’re umming and aahing as to whether or not to go and see your town’s local production of ‘Hedda Gabler’ (my deliberation on...

These two iconic art galleries set in the heart of the USA and the UK are both uniquely situated in the homes of the collectors. Henry Clay Frick housed his collection in his Gilded Age mansion on Fifth Avenue, New York, whereas The Wallace Collection was gathered by  Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess...

Front man of Feeder, Grant Nicholas has gone solo. Following the success from his stripped back debut album ‘Yorktown Heights’, Nicholas embarked on his first UK tour as a solo artist. The Bodega was completely sold out with fans of Grant Nicholas’ new found acoustic sound and those curious to hear his new...