thu 10/07/2025

festivals

Diary of a Strumpette, Part Four: The show must go on!

Still waiting for the free gin: Miss Kitty Kowalski, Miss Velma Valentine and Miss Bettina Winters

Well folks, it wasn’t glamorous, it wasn’t showbiz, it wasn’t all fun ‘n’ games. It was Glastonbury, in all its dirty, pungent and chaotic glory. But, despite all the pitfalls, The Strumpettes did it, and, somehow, did it in style. First off, let...

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Dawn Kinnard, The Serpentine Sessions

On the face of it, comparisons could be drawn between Dawn Kinnard and fellow preacher’s-offspring-cum-country-singer, Diane Birch. Except Birch’s music comes from every musical advantage, whereas Kinnard still has a day-job as a hairdresser....

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theartsdesk in Fes: The World Sacred Music Festival

The interior world of Morocco seems a magical place where music and words have more power than in the disenchanted, cold light of the North. On the plane on my first trip to Fes I met a businessman, in import-export, wearing a Burton suit. The...

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theartsdesk in Los Angeles: Twilight in Tent City

The Los Angeles Film Festival would seem to have everything going for it. There's the perfect Californian weather, the vast number of stars who live and work in the city, and this year there’s been a glamorous new venue in downtown Los Angeles. The...

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Diary of a Strumpette, Part Three: Ready, set, go!

Miss Kitty Kowalski is the stage name of a writer on The Arts Desk - read her earlier diaries here and hereCheck out theartsdesk’s guide to UK Festivals 2010

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theartsdesk at Sónar festival, Barcelona

Local Catalan band Bradien hold their own among the international avant garde

In retrospect, deciding on a quick in-and-out trip to the Sónar festival was a slightly silly idea. Not because there was any problem with the event, or with getting there, or because I had any difficulty chucking an all-nighter then making it to my...

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Glastonbury at 40, BBC Four

You could tell Glastonbury at 40 was in trouble as early as the opening three minutes, when it cut from a well-heeled, ageing hippie survivor mumbling about “earth magic” to footage of Robbie Williams in 1998 bashing his way through the entirety of...

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theartsdesk in Toronto: Luminato Hosts Wainwright and Malkovich

Operatic history of Aids: Peter McGillivray embraces Neema Bickersteth in Dark Star Requiem

To get a feel for whether an arts festival has truly penetrated a city’s psyche, it helps to strike up a conversation with local Starbucks baristas. That’s why I was grateful to be asked one recent evening in Toronto, “So what exactly is Luminato...

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The Illusionist, EIFF Opening Gala, Edinburgh

Last night’s gala opening of the 64th Edinburgh International Film Festival may have been touched by living history – in particular the presence of Sean Connery (pictured below, arriving at last night's screening), who strode up the red carpet...

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Diary of a Strumpette, Part Two: How the call came to Glasto

Well, folks, only 10 days to go til The Strumpettes hit Glastonbury and let me tell ya, we’re gettin’ a little hot under the collar. It turns out this ain’t some big practical joke that Velma cooked up to give us all a fit o' the vapours. We’re goin...

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theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Gareth Campesinos!

Hold on now, youngsters: Los Campesinos! briefly stand still

Los Campesinos! are revelling in deserved notoriety on both sides of the pond. Their first two albums, Hold on Now, Youngster and We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, saw Los Campesinos! lumped in with the twee-pop tag of bands like Bearsuit, Tiger...

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European Festivals 2010 Round-Up

Istanbul, Turkey, 3-30 JuneThe 38th annual music festival in the jewelled city of culture-clash continues its strong classical showing with Radu Lupu and Lang Lang, the Borodin Quartet and Riccardo Muti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. Equally...

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