entertainment news

The Mad Lover review – eccentric charm and baroque brilliance as duo move from Eccles to Indiana Jones

Smith Square Hall, London Part of the London Festival of Baroque Music, lutenist Thomas Dunford and violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte’s concert struck a balance between freewheeling music-making and precise virtuosity The Mad Lover was a 1616 play with incidental music by the English composer John Eccles. The two recorded this 75-minute programme of music by Eccles and his 17th-century contemporaries back in 2020, but this performance of it was their first in London.

​‘He buckled. I could hear his bass ringing out ...’ The luminous rise and tragic end of US alt heroes Morphine

The luminous rise and tragic end of US alt heroes Morphine. ​Fronted by Mark Sandman​,​ It’s early 1998, and at Fort Apache recording studio in Massachusetts, Mark Sandman, the suave frontman of Morphine, is nearing breaking point.

Strict compliance with captive elephant rules sought ahead of festival season

District monitoring committee calls for stronger safety measures to prevent untoward incidents and cruelty to elephants

SACRED: Gospel greats unite for soul-stirring album recording at ICGC, Calvary Temple

Gospel music lovers are in for a night of heartfelt worship, powerful praise, and spiritual renewal as SACRED, an album born out of deep reverence for God, quiet moments of devotion, and exuberant praise, comes alive in a special recording session on Sunday, November 15, 2026. Worshippers can look forward to songs such as Nnwom Foforɔ, Spirit of the Lord, My Desire, War Songs, We Worship You, Nkwangye Kuruwa, Animuonyam, Kronkron and Akoma, among others.

Colin Currie Group review – Steve Reich’s music is still bedazzling

Barbican Hall, London For this celebration of the composer in his 90th year, the Colin Currie Group focused on works written in the last two decades, including the brand new In All Your Ways There have been a fair few 90th birthday concerts celebrating Steve Reich this year, but the Colin Currie Group came up with something a little different. Radio Rewrite is Reich at his coolest, five continuous movements that riff on a pair of classic Radiohead songs; those in the know can just about perceive them in the harmonic atmosphere of the slow sections and the faster music’s lyrical outlines.

Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings album review – Wilson explores British music’s highway and byways

Sinfonia of London/Wilson/Kilsby/Parkes (Chandos) The Sinfonia and John Wilson bring warmth and sparkle to works by Ireland, Walton and Goosens; rising star tenor Laurence Kilsby and Christopher Parkes are expressive soloists in the Britten Serenade This is John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London’s third album exploring British music for strings and, like its predecessors, showcases lesser-known repertoire alongside an acknowledged masterpiece.

Hasanamba Temple festival: KSRTC, KSTDC announce 12 tour packages; private operators fully booked

‘Algorithms make everything predictable’: why the CD is making a comeback

As John Lewis reports a 96% rise in searches for CD players, music fans share their reasons for ditching streaming CDs appear to be having a resurgence. John Lewis said searches for CD players are up 96% since July, while another report on trends in music and film this year found that CD sales are up 16%.

Exploding heads, mutant aliens and bursting chests: horror’s greatest special effects – ranked!

From the beheading in The Omen to the attic scene in The Birds, here’s a countdown of the genre’s most iconic moments – in glorious, old-school pre-CGI style Towards the end of the 20th century, when film-makers’ overreliance on CGI was increasingly making special effects less special, it took the old-school practical approach of Japanese film-maker Hideo Nakata to make one’s hair stand on end. Just when you think the cursed VHS tape has claimed its last victim, Sadako’s vengeful ghost emerges from the well, comes closer … and climbs out of the television screen.

Lali X Lola ready to bring twin energy and Afro-fusion vibes to Hitz FM-Joy FM Beach Rave

Ghanaian music duo Lali X Lola are set to bring their vibrant stage presence, infectious rhythms and signature twin chemistry to the Hitz FM-Joy FM Beach Rave on Saturday, October 31, at Rehab Beach Club, Labadi. Since launching their music career in 2021, Lali X Lola have released songs including Pepper Demm, Kamakazi and Mad Over Me, steadily building their profile among Ghanaian music fans.

The Big Moon: Forever review – the hell of hearing loss inspires a defiantly hopeful pop-disco marvel

(Fiction) After frontperson Juliette Jackson lost half her hearing, she wrote sad songs and felt frustrated. Fronted by Juliette Jackson, a former waitress who dreamed big, they have been active for 12 years, a success in itself in these days, notching up four albums including this latest.

Facebook partners Funke Akindele to promote Nigerian storytelling

By Juliet Umeh Social media platform Facebook has partnered with Nollywood filmmaker and actor Funke Akindele to promote Nigerian storytelling at the London and Lagos premieres of her new film, The Four. “Facebook has always been about connecting people, and our partnership with Funke Akindele brings that to life through film,” Obagbemi said.

“Talent Is Not Enough”: Mr Eazi On The Shift From Pure Art To Algorithm-Driven Entertainment

Speaking during an interview on The Beat 99.9 FM with Osi Dirisu, music entrepreneur and investor Oluwatosin Ajibade, widely known as Mr Eazi, dissected the evolving relationship between artistic creation and commercial entertainment, warning that passive consumer habits have fundamentally altered how music is marketed. “If people from Mars, Jupiter, or Venus say they want to invest, Baba, we go collect the money.

Mega mega mega, going back to Romford! How an outer London suburb became a metropolis for 90s dance music

Mega mega mega, going back to Romford! That pedigree was immortalised by Romford’s most famous musical act, Underworld, with frontman Karl Hyde shouting the words “mega mega mega, going back to Romford” at the climax of 1995’s Born Slippy.

TUC rejects FG’s proposed ₦70,000 wage award to workers

Says govt has capacity to raise pay of lowest-paid worker to ₦300,000 By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA — The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the proposed ₦70,000 monthly wage award for federal workers, which was agreed upon after a meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). In a statement jointly signed by Comrades Festus Osifo and Nuhu Toro, President-General and Secretary respectively, the TUC said that, in view of the prevailing economic hardship facing workers and the wider population, as well as the proposed measures to…

King Promise set to bring Afrobeats vibes to Hitz FM-Joy FM Beach Rave this Saturday

Award-winning Ghanaian singer King Promise is expected to bring his signature Afrobeats and highlife sounds to the Hitz FM-Joy FM Beach Rave on Saturday, October 31, at Rehab Beach Club, Labadi. King Promise will share the stage with other entertainers, including KiDi, Ras Kuuku and Morgan Nero, as the two Multimedia Group stations bring music lovers together for the beach rave.

KiDi to serve hit songs and fresh sounds at Hitz FM-Joy FM Beach Rave

Ghanaian singer KiDi is expected to turn up the energy at the Hitz FM-Joy FM Beach Rave at the Rehab Beach Club, Labadi, on Saturday, October 31, as music lovers prepare for an afternoon of live performances, dancing and beachside fun. KiDi will share the stage with other entertainers, including King Promise, Ras Kuuku and Morgan Nero.

The secret life of the scream park: fear, fainting, clowns – and ‘code brown’

At Norfolk’s ‘premier scare attraction’ there are ghouls, chainsaws, satanic cults and a haunted hospital. Backstage at PrimEvil, billed as “Norfolk’s premier scare attraction”, park director Ben Francis is sharing the advice he gives each year to his new crop of performers, before they set out to give punters the fright of their lives – or at least their Saturday night.

This Saturday! Hitz FM & Joy FM’s Beach Rave event comes off with a host of entertainment stars

Hitz FM & Joy FM’s Beach Rave event comes off with a host of entertainment stars. Beach Rave is sponsored by StarOil, Ayoda and KIVO Foods.

Fatawu Issahaku honoured at prestigious Best of Africa Awards 2026

Black Stars forward Fatawu Issahaku has received the Community Impact Award at the Best of Africa Awards in London. Organised in partnership with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the award was established in 2011 and gathers influential people from sports, entertainment, media, philanthropy and business who have turned their wins into service.

I Love Boosters review – supercool outlaw women go shoplifting in Boots Riley’s frantic and funny caper

Demi Moore’s haute-couture maven attracts the attention of a gang of contemporary Robin Hood type clothes robbers in Riley’s fashion biz satire Here is an entertaining, if very exhausting fantasy-caper about the fashion biz from Boots Riley, a madcap mile-a-minute melee of unadulterated ker-aziness. Demi Moore perhaps thought she was here getting a gamey starring role, comparable to her Oscar-nominated turn in the beauty-industry satire The Substance.

Pop prodigy Underscores: ‘I don’t think Gen Z is a loveless generation’

With a sound inspired by the San Francisco tech boom, the hyperpop musician is entering the big leagues, and a slot on Charli xcx’s tour. It’s all par for the course for April Grey, the San Francisco-born, Chicago-based musician who records as Underscores.

Wicker review – Olivia Colman finds the perfect lover in intriguing folk-horror romance

Fortunately, Peter Dinklage’s basketmaker delivers the answer to her dreams – an Alexander Skarsgård made of wicker The spirit of mystery author Shirley Jackson is interestingly revived in this peculiar folk-horror romance, adapted from a 2006 story called The Wicker Husband by British writer Ursula Wills. A depressed middle-aged fisherwoman (fiercely and naturalistically played by Olivia Colman) lives alone in a remote cottage and regularly brings her unappetising tench and gudgeon to market, where she is mocked and bullied by the nasty, closed-minded locals, including Richard E Grant as a…

CEO of one of Australia's top cultural events becomes French knight

Barbara Moore, who has led the Biennale of Sydney since 2019, feels a little like an "impostor" as she becomes a knight of the French Order of Arts and Letters.