Category Archives: Hedonism

Mutual seduction is the most intimate of performances. Wahr and Cummings portray it with humour, emotional intelligence, and downright sexy stage chemistry, as the conversation roves from the poetry of Rilke to traumatic personal revelation, from the history that haunts the German capital to its hedonism and bohemian allure.

And yet, their meeting was not by chance. Tom has an ulterior motive and, the next morning, the play takes a tormented and polemical turn as the hungover couple reckon with the shadows of the past.

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To reveal more in a review would be impolite, though you can easily anticipate the twist from early on. The thriller is less interesting and less plausible than the setup, and some of the emotional logic of the play gets sacrificed to the imperatives of genre.

It still carries you along, despite a notable shift from meticulously crafted characters with a life of their own to figures who feel like mouthpieces for the playwrights ideas.

And it does remain a moody and sumptuously realised production, with Iain Sinclairs sensitive, tightly focused direction, and a dream design team Christina Smith, Niklas Pajanti, Kelly Ryall supporting the vitality and intimacy of the performances.

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Vital, intimate and sexy: MTCs Berlin is a smart romantic thriller - Sydney Morning Herald

The sun shines on the prime minister, despite everything.

The mood of the people soars as the YouGov mood tracker finds nearly half happy, up from just 20% in early January. Many more are optimistic or content. Everywhere the talk is of pubs, hairdressers, relief at schools being open, hope for summer holidays and the joy of vaccinations.

See how the news favours the government. Take this week: the unpopular European Super League collapses after government threats, Hiring picks up in sign of recovery, Businesses report strong trade, PM aims to supercharge hunt for Covid treatments and Johnsons ambitious green target all this in one days Financial Times, no Johnson fanzine. Sidestepping the sleaze, the government is micro-managing the news ahead of the 6 May elections. Naturally those stories are not all they seem. But how wise it has been to abandon that 2.6m newsroom where reporters would be daily shouting out rude words such as Greensill, Arcuri and food banks.

Most people, most of the time, think and talk about politics very little. The election expert Prof John Curtice says only a third, at most, are interested. There is a correlation between an intense interest in politics and unhappiness, which is all too familiar to Labour supporters. But out there most people are happily emerging from the greatest national trauma of our lifetimes, many with overflowing bank balances to spend. Rishi Sunak has deliberately set the property market booming, as his reckless stamp duty holiday causes a 16-year high in sales, gifting house owners an average 8.6% boost in property value. Yes, its disgusting that Foxtons estate agents took almost 7m in support from the taxpayer yet is giving its chief executive a monster bonus. But, hey, this is hedonism time, the perfect fit for Boris Johnsons persona. Theres no luckier time for local elections in just two weeks. Polling puts the Tories nine percentage points ahead, with Johnson riding high.

In his first election outing, Keir Starmer is cast as a killjoy, pointing to all the reasons not to be cheerful and there are plenty. Expectations of election results are low: Labour and Curtice predict as many losses as gains. Because of last years postponement, these elections will be complex to deconstruct, as they relate to seats won and lost last time in different years. For example, Labour entered the 2017 local elections as much as 19 points behind, so could make gains in some places. But in places with elections last in 2016, pre-Brexit, Labour was just three points behind, so may now take losses. Labours best hopes are the Tees Valley, West of England and West Midlands mayors, and maybe a couple of counties, Derbyshire and Lancashire, even if the party trails in the country overall. While the sun shines, stories of sleaze may take time to permeate through to politics avoiders. In the 1990s John Major set himself up for a fall with his back to basics campaign. Yes, bad behaviour is priced in with Johnson, but how much sleaze will be tolerated for how long?

Starmer has heaved Labour back from a 20-point abyss, and done well at skewering the governments deadly Covid blunders, but any opposition party would have been silenced by vaccine success. After these elections, Labour will be forced into a serious confrontation with the elemental shape-shift in British politics, a gradual evolution that suddenly exploded into Brexit. There is no going back to the old certainties of left and right or geography, warns Curtice.

Johnsons tanks are parked on acres of Labours old lawns, with his levelling up and left behind talk and his shameless towns fund bribes to newly won northern seats. The danger is that all thats left for Labour is to defend poor and disadvantaged people, who dont vote much anyway: Labours high score for caring doesnt earn many votes. The party founded to represent the working class reels in shock at losing seats in places long considered working-class heartlands. Labour may wish Brexit would vanish down a memory hole, but Curtice warns it remains the key electoral divide and Johnson plans to make extolling Brexit benefits a centrepiece in the next election. As 80% of Labours vote now comes from remain supporters, the only realistic choice open to the party is to craft an appeal that will maintain and enhance its support among remain voters, be they working class or not, writes Curtice.

A majority in the 2019 election, 52%, voted for parties backing a second referendum: Labour must come to terms with its new nature as the party backed by the urban and suburban, young, skilled, graduates and ethnic minorities. It needs to win seats like Londons Bromley and Chislehurst, which Curtice tells me would take Labour into a majority and thats not impossible, as young, well-educated people spread out to old Tory suburbs. Can Labour cope with such an identity change?

It will be more at ease contemplating the Johnson governments likely fall from grace by next spring. As last months budget made cuts in virtually every department, Britain will be deep in a new austerity, for all Johnsons promises. The NHS has nothing like the money or staff to cope with unprecedented waiting lists, nor have schools a fraction of what it takes to help children catch up. Youth unemployment will be worse and local councils poleaxed again. The Tory party will be riven between fiscal old-timers demanding cuts to the deficit, and Johnsons desire to splash out on eye-catchers.

Cassandra-like doom warnings wont get Labour elected but there will be an urgent yearning for it to paint a picture of a far better country, with Joe Bidens boldness and borrowing suggesting the way ahead. The current euphoria will fade as people tire of Johnsons sleazy salesmanship. There will be no Tory levelling up, as his tanks on Labour lawns will be exposed as cardboard disintegrating in the austerity rain.

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Johnson should make the most of his popularity, because it wont last - The Guardian

Where did the "devilhorns" hand gesture originate? Who invented it?

The sign of the horns,also known as devil horns or metalhorns, is ubiquitous in heavy metal, hard rock and beyond. Music fans, especially concertgoers, come across it frequently. They throw it up themselves in return, the expressionpassing from onegroup oflistenersto the next. But where did it come from?

It turns out that tracking down asource for the symbol can get murky, especially since the handsignitself has a history that precedes heavy music.

But wait, some readers might think, I thought Ronnie James Dio first flashed the devil horns.But is that right? Or was it Black Sabbath's Geezer Butlerwho brought the gesture to early metal? MaybeGeneSimmonstrying totrademark a version of the horns in 2017 had somegiving KISS' The Demon the claim.

Yet, it would appear that the devil-horned truth goes beyond any of those musicians. Though that's not to say thoseperformers' championing of the gesture didn't help popularize it in music.

Regardless, we wanted to know the honest truth about the devil horns. Who started the gesture? Is there an artist or bandthat can legitimately take credit for first making the hand motion in rock and metal?

To getanthropological, one should know that the hand gesture metalheads identify as the devil horns can mean other things todifferent cultures and religions. If you're in Italy and you extend your index and little fingers while holding the others with your thumb, a local might think you're trying to ward off bad luck or insult them, as CNN has documented. It can be regarded as an offensive sign elsewhere in the world, as well.

And the gesture's historyextendsfurther still, especially in a spiritual capacity. The irony is that thesignala metal fan makesto indicate some mix of loud music, hedonism and possibly devil worship often is used to expel demonsin Buddhism (the Karana Mudra). It's yoga'sApana Mudra, said to bring health and strength or even clear up gas and indigestion.

There are other examples now it's the Texas Longhorns' "Hook 'Em Horns," it's an emoji. The point is the physical gesture itself was usedlong before it was tied tometal or even music. That said, the horns symbolisnot precisely the same as those ritual motions, where the middle and ring fingers lightly touch the tip of the thumb. With the horns, the thumb typicallycovers one or more of the fingernails.

But that's not what we really want to know, is it? We want to know if an artistor bandcan lay claim as the horns' originator in music.Alas, that's where the conversationbetween a handful of rockersabout the gesture's provenance can make things blurry. Still, if one carefully looks over the available info, it's doesn't seem too difficult to conclude who likely threw 'em up first.

To reach a confident conclusion on who invented music's devil horns, however, one must weed through the list of artistsattached as its inventor over the years. (Amazingly, evenThe Beatleshave skin in this game.) As plenty of metalheadare no doubt aware, that list almost always starts with Ronnie James Dio.

In his lifetime, though, Dio played it down.

"I doubt very much if I would be the first one who ever did that," Dio told Metal-Rules.com in 2001. "That's like saying I invented the wheel, I'm sure someone did that at some other point. I think you'd have to say that I made it fashionable. I used it so much and all the time and it had become my trademark until the Britney Spears audience decided to do it as well. So it kind of lost its meaning with that."

That seems quite the sensible statement from the late Dio and Black Sabbath singer. Plus, it shows that the rocker most often connected to the metal horns was wellaware it had infiltrated pop music (and thereby, pop culture at large) by the turn of the millennium.

But back in 1979, according to a retelling of the legend by The Florida Times-Union, Dio wanted a signalthat would differentiate him from the departing Ozzy Osbourne when he replaced the singer in Sabbath. Ozzy was known for holding up double peace signs, so Dio started doing dual devil horns on stage with the band.

The rest, as they say, is history. But if Dio didn't claim to have invented the devil horns, is there someone else who does? The most visible suggestion of that of late is probably the one from Simmons, the KISS icon and businessman who made headlines attempting to trademark it. But the plain and simple fact is that the symbol he was trying to harness legal power over isn't the devil horns, but the American Sign Language sign for "I love you." (Yes, the two are very close.)

Then there's Butler, the Black Sabbath bassist who just this year said he was the one who showed Dio the devil horns in the first place. There's a 1969 band photo of Sabbath floating around with Butler flashing the sign, although it's tough to track down what, if any, materials the image appeared on at the time. After the fact, listeners were said to have found it in theliner notes of a2002 CD retrospective,Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978.

For his part, Dio maintained that the devil horns "was [a] symbol that I thought was reflective of what that band was supposed to be all about."

He added, pointing to its incorporeal origins, "It's NOT the devil's sign like we're here with the devil. It's an Italian thing I got from my grandmother to ward off the evil eye or to give the evil eye, depending on which way you do it. It's just a symbol but it had magical incantations and attitudes to it and I felt it worked very well with Sabbath. So I became very noted for it and then everybody else started to pick up on it and away it went. But I would never say I take credit for being the first to do it. I say because I did it so much that it became the symbol of rock 'n' roll of some kind."

So then, who started it? Again, the duplicity of the devil horns rears its head. Dio's family used the symbolto keep evil away. But the most likely early instigator of the devil horns' popularity in heavy metal, the occult-driven '60s and '70s rock actCoven, seemed bent on using the devil horns for the devil's purpose.

It might seem silly now, but if you take Coven's 1969 debut Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls at face value, the Chicago-based doom rockers' primary aim was indeed to spread the word of Satan. Of particular note is that the Mercury Records album's opening songis called "Black Sabbath," and that here we go some of the band members are blatantly holding up the devil horns on the back cover.

"With the 'evil' prayers during 'Coven in Charing Cross,'" AllMusic's Joe Viglione writes of Witchcraft'smusic itself, "Coven get a bit heavy-handed; the group goes over the top trying to push the black magic stuff. 'Pact With the Devil' is written 'Pack With the Devil' on the label, and the 13-plus minute 'Satanic Mass' is more of a curiosity piece than [a] musical adventure."

The tunes notwithstanding, in 2017, Coven threatened to take legal action against Simmons if he insisted on continuing his trademark bid. Coven claimed the devil horns hand sign was "grandfathered in" for the band, saying they'd been photographed doing the gesture as far back as 1967.

To wrap things up, it looks like Coven have the best claim for being heavy metal's devil horns originators. Doing the math isn't hard Black Sabbath, newly formed in 1968, were still called Earth until August 1969, when they changed their name to the more famous moniker. Coven's Witchcraft came out that same summer, and, again, the opening track of the doomy prog and psych-rock set is titled "Black Sabbath."

Not to mention, what happened to Simmon's trademark quest after Coven got involved? He dropped it.

Still, the feeling of mystery surrounding the sign of the horns will probably never go away. It might even bewhythe symbol still feels so powerful when concertgoers hoist their arms and make the motion at rock and metal concerts all over the world.

So the next time you toss up the gesture and it could be soon, with many festivals and eventscoming back this summer after a concert-less 2020 remember the wicked witch rockers who most probably gave life to the storied devil horns.

Horns up!

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Where Did Metal's 'Devil Horns' Hand Gesture Really Come From? - Loudwire

We live in pandemic times that are provoking social changes that are not at all gradual: teleworking has become a reality for a majority of workers who used to go to offices, we have become accustomed to talking about family "bubbles,"social distance and reduced our activities in public or greeting each other with our elbows. And there are even those who have been dreaming of wearing a mask for the past year.

As has happened with other phenomena in our history neoliberalism, post-modernity, globalization, the emergence of the millennial and Z generations... media and academia have been trying to find a way to deal with these phenomena.

Because, somehow, only what is named can exist. And this is a reality for everyone.

Last week, the Argentine newspaper Clarn published an interview with the economist Federico Domnguez, who has just published a book in which he reflects on the new generation of these times, the "pandemials,"and the political, social and economic challenges they face. As well as the new philosophy of life that is being born around them.

In La Rebelin de los Pandemials (Editores Argentinos), Domnguez narrows down the term to remind us that not all of us are pandemials.

"Pandemials are those young people who are entering the world of work along with the COVID-19 crisis," he says.

The economist describes this new generation in an optimistic way, as people with "strong ethical values and ecological awareness because they were born knowing that the planet is at risk."

Pandemials, in short, go out into the world to find themselves in societies where uncertainty, loneliness, resource depletion, the digital bubble and the end of meritocracy are our daily bread. Many of them, in search of a model with which to face these new times, are looking for the key in the past: in utopias of the 20th century and old systems.

For Federico Domnguez, the future will be even more liberal than the present, and he asserts this by analyzing the Human Cycles the Cycle of Inequity, the Cycle of Nature, the Cycle of Technologies and the Cycle of the Human Spirit and points out that while liberalism seemed to be the ideology for all, it has ended up being "a cruise ship company managed by its own elite."

In other words, very little of the essence of the original liberalism remains, and even the concept of "meritocracy" has been blurred and is almost a euphemism these days.

The Decade of Turbulence

Although the book postulates that new approaches are needed to confront the political and economic problems of this situation brought about by the pandemic - to which we must add the other problems we were already facing, such as climate change - and it is urgent to create a new global political agenda that seeks to democratize knowledge (how strange that in the digital era it is still a commodity in the hands of a few, "banned" and controlled) and lower taxes, liberalism will remain, and with greater force.

That is Domnguez's thesis in La Rebelin de los Pandemials, because the lifestyle based on hedonism and individualism will remain in place. This is his prediction:

"The Decade of Turbulence" that of 2020-2029 will be complex, intense and transformative. At times it will seem that authoritarians will prevail, that liberalism will seem to be relegated and that young people will march in the name of some populism to set cities on fire in different parts of the planet. But in the end, as has happened time and again throughout its 250-plus year history, liberalism will triumph. It will do so because of the economic, technological and social superiority that emerges from its formulations, institutions and the freedoms it offers. And it will do so because the citizens who live under the benefits of this system will not want to go back".

But don't be fooled by the word "rebellion" although it seems more a wish than a future trend because the society that Domnguez draws is characterised by the suppression of freedoms, especially in light of the social networks that have become the landscape and refuge of the pandemials and the attempts of the platforms to extend their control by investing in AI.

A political-economic landscape that is like the carrot and the horse and where no one can leave the fold. A fortress or an invisible megastructure of containment of dissent.

The question is whether the pandemials can really bring about a revolution that will dynamite the toxicities of extreme liberalism for a more humane world, or whether they will continue to thumb their cyber-thumbs and share in a bubble of viral threats and uncertainty.

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The 'Pandemial Generation': How COVID is already beginning to shape our future - AL DIA News

Creatives Alfie Kungu, Aimee Gillingwater, and Matthew Josephs take us through their denim dreams and enduring 80s and 90s trends, styling themselves in DieselXDiesels capsule collection and vintage archive

Distressed denim, Americana workwear, acid washes. The 80s and 90s really defined the denim sensibilities that are once again of the moment were living in. Now were emerging from lockdown, its time to dig the denim out once again too, and say farewell to the sweats. And who else could Diesel, the heritage Italian denim brand spanning 40 years, collaborate with to truly celebrate the enduring aesthetics of denim across the decades... but itself? So welcome DieselXDiesel. And even though its rooted in days gone by with its vintage feels, collaboration with oneself feels very now in an era of isolation and uncertain connectedness, weve gotten to know ourselves intimately no?

DieselXDiesel is a capsule that spans the brands dynasty, with a line-up of 24 pieces inspired by the archive with a 2021 take think relaxed 90s straight leg jeans and 80s varsity bomber jackets, green and reddish washed denim, Route 66-traversing, patch-covered vests, and workwear silhouettes. Its playful and deliciously nostalgic. The collection follows recently appointed creative director Glenn Martens first label campaign When Together, which featured eight IRL couples reuniting after time apart to celebrate Valentines day. This new capsule is a collaboration between Martens and Diesels founder, Renzo Rosso, as they work to build a contemporary Diesel landscape that nods to the Italian denim connoisseur's vast legacy while innovating for the future.

So why are the best looks those that are borrowed from the past? Showing us exactly that are musician, model, and all-girl skate collective Bowl Babes founder Aimee Gillingwater, bold and evocative artist Alfie Kungu, and the playfully high-glam stylist and creative director Matthew Josephs. In this fun and free campaign film, the trio dive deep into the Diesel collection, iconic archive, and vintage finds from their own personal wardrobes. Shot from their homes and studios, they playfully experiment with the 80s and 90s ideals that speak to Diesels singular, textured, nostalgia-expanding vision. Below, we hear how they worked the DieselXDiesel capsule, the denim trends they hold dear, and how their style and artistic practices echo the 80s and 90s forever.

Yorkshire-bred, London-based Alfie Kungu is an artist that plays with the traditional conventions of painting in his bold, textural work, with a fearless use of colour, and strong characters that hark back to childhood ephemera. Having collaborated with Nike, Folk, and Liam Hodges, his bright and eye-catching work is a much-needed dose of playfulness that makes nostalgia for the joys of youth physical. Its a sentiment that aligns with the values of Diesel and its capsule, taking inspo from 80s and 90s cartoons, streetwear designs, and rave culture. For Kungu, the joyful sensory elements of childhood mucky hands from playing in the park, ripped denim knees, a much-loved hat his mum knitted for him are rooted in the 90s.

Streetwear is quite print heavy with really loud, bold colours. I think I really try to translate that use of pattern in bold colour palettes within my work, Kungu says. 90s rave culture has had a massive influence especially rave culture in the North, really dope , the 90s hip-hop scene, anything underground.

In the campaign video, Kungu dives into his own wardrobe to style looks with the DieselXDiesel collection, selecting the bleached denim jeans as a personal favourite. I think vintage styles have endured through time because they were quite iconic when they came out, he says. As styles progress, theyre maintained because they don't need to be fixed. Trends always repeat themselves. For Kungu, that enduring element is laid bare in his own personal style the straight leg jeans and a varsity bomber as in his art.

Musician, model, and skater Aimee Gillingwaters creative output speaks to the DIY spirit of the 90s Gillingwater co-founded Bowl Babes, an all-girl skate collective encouraging girls to take up the sport, while her music recalls the dreamy, hazy qualities of Mazzy Star. She finds herself most at home in the aesthetics and sounds of the 80s and 90s, having listened to grunge and punk through childhood and into her teens. It really helped me deal with a lot of emotion I didnt understand back then, Gillingwater says of her affinity to punk, but also how to express myself with clothes and style and dealing with judgment from peers.

In the campaign visual, Aimee explores her own vintage collection pulling out sweater vests, silk scarves, and her mothers own denim jacket and dons the Diesel collections patched suede jacket, which she describes as a super unique visual piece, and the loose, soft denim boiler suit that reflects those punk and riot grrrl sensibilities. Feeling good in her clothes, she believes, helps her creative process.

Pieces were just so well made that theyve lasted incredibly over the years, Gillingwater says. Denim from 30 years ago can still look so good today, and the time and effort that went into the cuts is quite frankly priceless. And what denim styles does she predict well hang onto? Double denim, without a doubt.

From styling Charles Jeffreys AW21 homage to the Club Kid to FKA twigs ethereal and otherworldly fashion moments, stylist and creative director Matthew Josephs malleable, irreverent creative vision plays with pop culture, gender, and cultural iconography. The 80s and 90s then from underground subcultures to Ab Fab, Aaliyah, Spandau Ballet, and the Spice Girls are a well of inspiration for the most romantic and high-drama. I love the hedonism and fun of parts of the 80s, and 90s hip hop aesthetics, says Josephs. Recently I did a shoot and the reference for the hair was an image of RuPaul from the 90s.

I think the New Romantics and the Blitz kids influence my work a lot, he adds, recalling the escapism the subcultures offered. I really love fashion when it's extreme and fantasy, and I think that's what we need right now, a bit of glamour after spending a year in pyjamas!

Shot in his eclectic studio avec a very cute dog Josephs takes us through his DieselxDiesel faves and own vintage finds (check those snakeprint platforms immediately). I am obsessed with these trousers with the leather panels down the front, he says of the Diesel piece. I really enjoyed pairing them with my spice girl boots for something unexpected, and a silk neckerchief to soften it. The final look is very east London Blitz Kid strutting through Covent Garden.

Josephs reflects on the timeliness of Diesels capsule collection. Theres a fondness for the 90's now as it was a really great time for culture, there's not so much like that now in my opinion. Looking to a future where he can wear his new looks out, he adds: I love going out even though Im actually quite shy, I can't wait to put on some real clothes (not sweatpants) and go for a dance. I keep thinking to myself, when everything opens you have to get overdressed for every occasion to make up for the year we just missed out on. I hope we're going into another roaring 20s and people have fun with expressing themselves through fashion.

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Diving into the iconic denim moments of the 80s and 90s with Diesel - Dazed

It is difficult to imagine as we trudge past shuttered cinemas and boarded-up gig venues, theatres still displaying faded posters for 2019s long-abandoned productions and galleries whose only patrons are security guards that one day everything will be open again.

Having spent the past year trying to eke cultural value from Joe Wickss music selection and the Cajun seasoning of our overpriced recipe kits, were now set to re-enter a world where artistic options are only limited by our imagination (also ticket availability and the R number). Its been such a long time since weve been able to share the experience of fun a state that is likely to feel as novel to us now as it did when we first ventured out into the cultural world as teens. Such an orgy of opportunity is easy to feel overwhelmed by. The proposed date when clubs will reopen and festivals are allowed, 21 June, is being touted as some kind of Dantes Inferno but with worse litter issues.

In reality, theres likely to be a slow and steady relaxation of rules. Many institutions are finding innovative ways to make the most of the outdoors during spring, from the alfresco Minack Theatres staging of Bea Robertss And Then Come the Nightjars to Adura Onashiles app-based audio play Ghosts, which takes individual audience members on a walking tour through Glasgow.

Drive-in cinemas and commercial art galleries are already welcoming visitors, but unlocking really begins on 17 May, when cinemas plan to reopen, with a huge backlog of delayed films, from the Oscar-tipped Nomadland to blockbuster reboots of Space Jam. Other venues will be opening at lower capacities or offering sit-down gigs, before things hopefully tick closer to normal by the summer. That, of course, will be dependent on virality and variants not gumming up Boris Johnsons roadmap to the return of indoor venues. Arguments about Covid passports and exactly how many centimetres apart is a safe distance are bound to rumble on even after the first turnstiles are clicked and ticket stubs clipped.

Some things arent going to be like before. Many beloved venues will never reopen their doors, the burden of the pandemic too much to bear. For those that survive, precautions will remain in place and we will quickly get used to foyers filled with temperature guns and rapid tests. But some changes may also be positive. Before the pandemic it often felt as if globalised streaming services were having a negative impact on grassroots culture, the draw of London and Los Angeles on young artists undermining the UK underground (its been a while since a UK city has produced, for example, a scene as cohesive as breakbeat in Bristol in the 90s or bassline in Sheffield in the 00s). But with many creatives spending the year reconnecting with others from their home towns, we may find Covid will have a regenerative impact on the cultural landscape.

Whats certain now is that those who work in the arts are desperate for our patronage. For actors, artists and performers who were already working in the fine financial margins of a cultural career, the past year has been a travesty. Only our enthusiastic support will see them through.

So, if ever there was a moment to burn the candle at both ends, stay out on a school night, overcommit your calendar with advance tickets, it is now. Its also a fantastic time to try something new. Ravers can seek out the opera programme at Longboroughs festival. Those more used to the Royal Ballet might want to let loose at a day festival in one of the royal parks.

Already there is a sense of fevered anticipation. Festivals such as End of the Road, Peckhams Gala and crusty mecca Boomtown usually take months to sell out; this year tickets were gone in a matter of minutes. New events are being announced all the time, however, and the Guide is dedicating this issue to highlighting the best of whats on offer in art, theatre, music, comedy and film from pre-summer, Covid-compliant outdoor events to the full bacchanalia of hedonism that will hopefully emerge after the summer solstice.

Many will have concerns about the safety of venues and might still be struggling with the prospect of returning to society. But for those who feel ready and safe to do so, its time to reconnect with our senses: celebrate in dance and theatre the incredible capacity of the human body; rejoice with the potential of our limbs to be hurled across clubs and festival fields; or just revel in the thrill of the multiplex.

Next year, the government plans to hold a festival to celebrate Britains independence after leaving the European Union, a top-down moment of enforced artistry that may provide some acts of defiance. But the real festival of Britain feels as if its starting now, in parks and venues across the UK. Throw the doors wide open, its time to start over again.

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Drive-in cinemas and Covid-compliant hedonism: welcome to 2021s summer of arts - The Guardian

Congratulations to Massive Wagons, whose hit single Changes topped last week's poll to find the best new song in the world right now. Their triumph was the end-result of a fierce battle also featuring Ayron Jones (Spinning Circles) and Crashface (Gold), who clambered aboard the podium in the silver and bronze medal positions.

This week? It'll be different. Literally anything could happen, and for seven days battle will commence, war will wage, and you'll get the chance to wrap your listening gear around some choice new sounds.

But first, once again, ladies and gentlemen... your Massive Wagons.

Produced by Josh Homme at his own Pink Duck studio in Los Angeles, Boilermaker takes the QOTSA flavours that have long percolated in Royal Bloods arsenal and turns them into a monster. All godzilla bootsteps, basement-sweaty grooves and sassy hedonism, it flirts liberally with self-destruction (lyrics like head like a cocktail shaker hark back to the now-teetotal Mike Kerrs drinking days) but ultimately brings you back to the rock club, and then the dancefloor.

The animal kingdom have the last say in this animated video (think The Animals Of Farthing Wood with an environmentalist twist, and a ninja turtle) for the Alter Bridge frontmans stellar new single. Also the commanding opening salvo from his next solo album, The Ides Of March (on sale May 14), its one of many moments that prove what an ace guitar-slinger he is, as well as a singer, and songwriter. Youd hate him if he didnt always seem like such a nice bloke.

When I was recording the new album Analog Girl In A Digital World, I thought this was the closest song in sound and production that I got to what my goal was in my head, Arielle says of her new single, Fleetwood Macs Rumours meets something new. Evoking a world of 70s sunsets, kaftans and VW campervans with a twist of country melancholia Inside And Outside suggests that she pretty much nailed her brief. If you like what you hear you can check out the aforementioned album on May 7.

Take a drive back to 1997 with Ryan Hamiltons breeze-in-your-hair, sun-in-your-eyes take on (shoegaze-y British alt rockers) Catherine Wheels overlooked gem, an ideal cover choice for the Texan maestro of bittersweet melody. As is the case with Hamiltons own songs heartache is never too far away, but it sure sounds pretty all gauzy harmonies and glimmers of pop rock hope.

Rabble-rousing celtic punknroll by way of Boston, courtesy of that citys foremost soundtrackers of booze-drenched, banjo-brandishing good times, the Dropkick Murphys. Recounting the exploits of a knife-toting local femme fatale (Shes soft like a kitten but shell still mess you up, they caution) itll have you bellowing along, careering off to the pub and ordering an accordion before the first chorus is done.

From the the Amazon Prime series Paradise City, a "supernatural musical thriller" starring Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack. The Mavens include Starbenders singer Kimi Shelter and drummer Emily Moon, with fellow Sumerian Records recording artist Lilith Czar (also the real-life Mrs Biersack, marriage fans) out front. To complicate matters further, I Don't Believe In Love is a cover of the Queensryche song, but it all comes together in a brightly-produced, 80s-meets-right-now, epic mish-mash of both rock and roll, with Shelter and Czar's voices dovetailing slickly. Can we have an album, please?

Another cover, as The Black Keys return with the first fruit to be plucked from their upcoming covers album Delta Kream. The duo's version of Big Joe Williams' classic Crawling Kingsnake is a lovely, spacious production with a video filmed at Jimmy Duck Holmes Blue Front Cafe, the oldest active juke joint in America. It's one of those recordings that much like like the work of African bluesman from Ali Farka Tour to Tinariwen and beyond is a reminder of just how trippy the blues can be. Sublime.

Probably the poppiest thing The Struts have done, but it works, so who's counting? Luke Spiller's voices goes so well with that of Paris "Michael's daughter" Jackson that sometimes it's difficult to figure out exactly who's singing which part, and the whole production is swaddled in such a lovely, hazy warmth it's like pouring maple syrup directly into your ears. In a safe way, of course.

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Tracks of the Week: new music from Myles Kennedy, The Struts, Royal Blood and more - Louder

Say hello to Miamis newest hotspot! The Goodtime Hotel, the latest hospitality endeavor between nightlife titan David Grutman and Pharrell Williams, officially opens its doors today. The duo, who previously opened the perennially-popular Swan restaurant together in the city, are sure to make magic with this new Art Deco-inspired, Ken Fulk-designed property. Heres what you need to know!

Located on Washington Avenue and 6th Street, the 266-room property is a sight to behold. In its own words, aptly-named The Goodtime Hotel is a place where hedonism and a laissez faire attitude meet in the middle. Alongside architect Morris Adjmi and landscape architect Raymond Jungles, revered designer Ken Fulk saw to it that the newest spot in South Beach would be equal parts opulent, nostalgic, and Instagrammable. How? Well, with leopard-print benches, scallop-edge pool cabanas, retro furnishings, pastel tiles, pinstriped awnings, and a vintage-style bar, of course!

In terms of food and beverages, Grutmans Strawberry Moon restaurant and 30,000 square foot pool club will serve up classic and casual Mediterranean fare and a full array of specialty cocktails for lunch and dinner. For those who are heading to the Sunshine State for a little R&R, theres also a gym boasting Peloton equipment and a peach-hued Library for everything from social and business meetings to having a chill coffee by yourself.

The Goodtime Hotel (Courtesy)

The Goodtime Hotel (Courtesy)

The Goodtime Hotel (Courtesy)

The Goodtime Hotel (Courtesy)

The Goodtime Hotel (Courtesy)

The Goodtime Hotel (Courtesy)

My first hotel needed to break the mold, David Grutman (think: LIV, Story, Komodo) said in a release. I wanted to provide the 360-degree Groot Hospitality experience that our other venues are known for, but I also wanted to add more. This is about providing a getaway within a town thats already known as a vacation spot. When you arrive at the hotel, and walk through our doors, it becomes a full on experience. When youre at the Goodtime, we want you to feel like your worries and anxieties have been left outside.

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Peek Inside Miami's New The Goodtime Hotel! We're Obsessed... - Daily Front Row

Express News Service

With the announcement of the weekend curfew in the Capital, Delhis diners are preparing for another possible lockdown in the coming weeks by switching plans of going out to staying in and staying safe. Thanks to eateries such as Burgerama pulling all the stops to deliver deliciousness to doorsteps, its not all gloom and doom.

The first bright spot is the shiny yellow, hygiene-sealed bags our burgers come in, now delivered pan Delhi-NCR. Upon closer inspection they yield promising results, each burger and its accompanying side having travelled well in their eco-friendly packaging, and not having disintegrated despite the surfeit of stuffing between the buns.

Burgerama specialises in recreating authentic, international flavours, with their burgers, eschewing the bowdlerised Indian flavours and ingredients of so many of its counterparts, and instead offering cheeseburgers in chicken, lamb and (buff) tenderloin, along with vegetable variants.

We get ourselves mixed up with just the right crowd, with the Double Bacon Cheeseburger with a side of Onion Rings, the Lamb Bender with Popcorn Chicken, the Tenderloin Tipsy Conrad with Chicken Corn Dogs, and the Chicken PJ Fry with a side of the signature Burgerama Fries,and dear reader, were lovin it. Starting off with the Cheeseburger that looks straight out of a Jughead comic book, and tastes just as good as we had always imagined such American hedonism to. The tenderloin patty is smoky and tender, amalgamating gorgeously into the bubbly melted cheese, while the super crisp onion rings provide an alternating texture with their resounding crunch.

The Bender is one of their best-selling burgers and when we bite into to it to discover successive layers of crispy bacon, fried egg, a spice rubbed patty, caramelised onions, gooey cheese and piquant mayo, we can see why. The accompanying Chicken Popcorn is an inspired choice, with the bite-sized crunchy morsels packing a wallop of taste and texture.

The PJ Fry is another winner, the crispy panko crusted chicken breast going seamlessly with the sun-dried tomatoes and mayo, while the accompanying Burgerama fries, dusted with spices and chilli, ensuring no one can eat just one. Finally, we attend to the last buff burger, the Tipsy in the Conrad coming from the complex bourbon marmalade that slathers the toasty inside of the buns, accenting the burger with a grown-up finish.

And speaking of finish, dessert comprises the perfectly named Galaxy Bombs, comprising deep-fried Galaxy chocolate, attended to by yet more chocolate in the form of a rich dipping sauce. Move over, ol McDonalds.

In A NutshellThe first bright spot is the shiny, hygiene-sealed bags Burgernamas burgers come in, now delivered pan Delhi-NCR. Upon closer inspection they yield promising results, each burger and its accompanying side having travelled well in their eco-friendly packaging, and not having disintegrated despite the surfeit of stuffing between the buns.

DetailsMeal for two: Rs 800 (including taxes)Delivery: Across Delhi-NCR

The rest is here:

Happy Meals - The New Indian Express

The other morning, excavating my inbox as I waited for my first vaccine dose to kick in, I found myself caught in a time slip. Poolside FM, the internet radio station and app, was open on my laptop, dishing up a rotation of synth-pop and summer disco. Early Windows-inspired icons set the scene, along with a backsplash in a shade of Zach Morris purple. In one corner, a grainy video feed cycled through a 1986 Mot & Chandon commercial, footage of swirling inner tubes at a New Jersey water park, and a highlight reel of BMX tricks attempted by a kid in pastel shorts. It was, for a moment, pure escapism. Or, as a fan commented recently in the App store: Just What the World Needed During Quarantine.

Poolside FMfirst dreamed up by Marty Bell in 2014 as a feel-good stream on Soundcloud, evolving into a website with a splashy relaunch in 2019has always been about slipping reality. I was living in my parents house in the Highlands of Scotland: very gray, pissing rain every day, he said over Zoom, describing the genesis. For those early mixes, he reeled in selections like an intuitive fisherman, casting for an emotional hook; the aesthetics paid homage to beach movies from the 80sa time when, on camera at least, life seemed deliciously carefree. As the pandemic spread, Poolside FMs listener base swelled, with mash notes pouring in via email and DM. But with normal life edging closer and closer, its not a virtual escape were craving. Its an escape from the virtual. We need a vacation.

That just happens to be the next track on Poolsides playlist: a nostalgia-laced sunscreen line called Vacation by Poolside FM. Launching by pre-order today, with a full rollout in June, the brand is a collaboration between Bell and sunscreen entrepreneurs Lach Hall and Dakota Green. The mission, as their vintage waterskiing ads make clear, is to really make sunscreen far more than just a choresomething that can actually enhance leisure, Hall said.

The Classic Lotion, now available by pre-order, is the first in a lineup of elevated formulas for a good time.

At this point in the conversation, the two menBell with his brogue, Hall speaking in an Australian twangexplained how they paired up: in a Slack community appropriately called Jacuzzi Club. Bell, who launched Tens eyewear with Richard Branson before cofounding the home-finance startup Nude, created the Slack group for fellow brand business peoplemore for a fizzy hot-tub exchange of ideas than anything stuffy. I posted in there, saying, What the hell can I do with Poolside FM? Its getting really big; I dont have time to work on it. Hall chimed in with his idea, already in the midst of SPF development. A few weeks later, in late 2019, Bell was on a flight to New York to hatch out their business plan.

What they came up with defied all the rules about wooing investors. Never mind the succinct proposal that can override short attention spans. The team drafted a 42-page pitch novella, Bell joked. Under the auspices of the Poolside FM Institute of Leisure Opportunities, the pitch is dressed in a 1980s corporate suit, down to the royal blue cover and stylized palm tree logo. Inside, they paint a sunny vision of opportunity in the SPF landscapemoving forward by looking backwhich apparently proved hard to resist. VCs like Brand Foundry Ventures and BFG Partners signed on; so did angel investors like Kat Cole and Trevor McFedries (the CEO of Brud, which oversees Lil Miquela). What initially drew me to the Poolside FM concept was this incredibly rich brand world and community which they have created, and once I heard they were expanding into the sunscreen business it just instantly clicked for me as an investor, Maisie Williams, another investor, wrote by email. The world theyre building around the Vacation products has that same feeling of being a sort of escapist fantasy.

The 42-page pitch for Vacation by Poolside FM.

If the hedonism of the early suntan brands is the spiritual lodestar, Vacations formulas are rooted in the present: modern, efficacious, and overseen by dermatologist Elizabeth Hale, M.D., a vice president of the Skin Cancer Foundation. The first launch is the SPF 30 Classic Lotion, the kind of iconic cream sunscreen that you imagine a summer lifeguard rubbing into his neighbors shoulders. The broad-spectrum protection comes from chemical actives (avobenzone to guard against UVA; homosalate, octocrylene, and octisalate for UVB)a combination Hale deems to be the best you can achieve in the U.S. More importantly, it disappears into skin. The effectiveness of sunscreen often comes back to whether the product was created in a way that makes people want to use it as directed, she wrote by email, teasing a mineral formula to come. (Future launches will lean into leisure innovations, stretching the whimsy of the category.) Anything that can make this conversation more fun and engaging is music to my ears!

The brand's sense of humor has drawn a loyal community of supporters.

The QR code to Poolside FM on the backside of the tube makes speedy work of that. For another sensory hit, the team tapped Carlos Huber, of the niche fragrance brand Arquiste, and perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux to turn hyperbole into reality: concocting the worlds best-smelling sunscreen. Huber, raised by a sun-loving Mexican family, fused the teams references with his own cache of memories. The coconut ice cream in Acapulco and the pia coladas we drank while we played domino with cousins. The orange flower and monoi flower in French tanning oils my mom would use. The swimmies and inflatable pool toys of childhood, but also the scent of wet lycra and decidedly naughty references to warm, tan skin, Huber said of the aromatic mood board for the scent. Just because its attached to a functional product doesnt mean it cant be sexy and cheeky.

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Meet the New Leisure-Enhancing Sunscreen Brand Partying Like Its 1986 - Vanity Fair