reviews

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Unfamiliar, Netflix review - funerals in Berlin

Adam Sweeting |

Berlin always makes a flavourful setting for labyrinthine stories of betrayal and decepti

David Byrne, SEC Armadillo, Glasgow review - a theatrical spectacle with fiery energy

Jonathan Geddes
When David Byrne made a mention of heroes and superheroes, one audience member could not resist. "Like you" they yelled out, and while the former…

Rebels and Heroines, Davis, Richmond, O'Sullivan, RDS Concert Hall, Dublin review - straight to the operatic heart of the matter

David Nice
Most concerts of operatic excerpts serve up an after dinner mint. This one offered - to follow up Menotti's image of light versus serious in art -…

A Private Life review - promising French noir fails to deliver

Saskia Baron
What a strange little film, uncertain if it’s a Hitchcockian thriller or a comedic poke at the shibboleths of psychoanalysis, A Private Life is…

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Music Reissues Weekly: This Can’t Be Today - A Trip Through The US Psychedelic Underground 1977-1988

Kieron Tyler
Significant box-set examination of an important strand of America’s pre-grunge musical landscape

The Bride! review - feminist Frankenstein is a radical riot

Demetrios Matheou
Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale are a scream as lovestruck monsters on the run

Harry Styles is back with reflection and rhythm on 'Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.'

Ellie Roberts
A muted approach that will likely age well

Ozone, RSNO, Edusei, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow review - unrequited love and unexpected jazz

Simon Thompson
Glitzy Rachmaninov and a glittering Zemlinsky ‘Mermaid’

Erasure, Goodwood Art Foundation review - in the bleak midwinter

Mark Sheerin
Three artists explore global concerns in rural West Sussex

Broken Glass, Young Vic review - exaggerated version of a modern classic

aleks.sierz
Timely revival of Arthur Miller’s 1994 study of anti-Semitism, marriage and psychology

CMAT, Barrowland, Glasgow review - a charismatic and life-affirming show

Jonathan Geddes
The 'Dunboyne Diana' mixed great songs with star power and cheeky humour

Drive to Survive, Season 8, Netflix review - hi-tech and low cunning in the paddock

Adam Sweeting
Big beasts and big bucks battle for supremacy

Birgitta Trotzig: Queen review - shadow lands

India Lewis
Saskia Vogel brings a darker than dark tale of rural grief to English for the first time

Scream 7 review - snooze

Nick Hasted
The ironic slasher franchise's 30th anniversary finds it timid and tired

Tracey Emin: A Second Life, Tate Modern review - self-obsession put to good use

Sarah Kent
The rise and rise of an artist

Ukraine Unbroken, Arcola Theatre review - telling snapshots of a population at war

Helen Hawkins
Five playwrights conjure the Ukrainian experience, from 2014 to today

Mahler's Second Symphony, BBCSSO, Runnicles, Usher Hall, Edinburgh review - grand gestures and overarching arguments

Simon Thompson
A great conductor returns in triumph to crown an orchestra’s anniversary celebrations

Mark Simmons, Touring review - maestro of the one-liner

Veronica Lee
Gag-heavy hour

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, Netflix review - something's not right in Knockdara

Adam Sweeting
Lisa McGee's drama is comedy, tragedy and much more besides

Music Reissues Weekly: Steppin' Out - The Roots Of Garage Rock 1963-1965

Kieron Tyler
Thought-provoking primer in US pop’s varied pre-psychedelic musical landscape

Piotr Anderszewski, Wigmore Hall review - long, and strong, goodbyes

Boyd Tonkin
A master pianist dives deep into the farewell moods of Brahms and Beethoven

McCarthy, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Cafiero, Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff review - echoes loud and clear

stephen.walsh
Big sounds needing more space but no better playing

Bruno Carvalho: The Invention of the Future review - a tale of new cities

Jon Turney
A Harvard professor presents a sprawling urban history

The Testament of Ann Lee review - no sex, please, we're Shakers

James Saynor
A vivid and bustling study of 18th century religious purists

The English Concert, Bezuidenhout, London Handel Festival review - a delightful imaginary duel between greats

Rachel Halliburton
Style, sophistication and philosophical elegance

Sirāt review - beaten off the track

James Saynor
A fatalistic tale of clubbers in peril and an awful lot of sand

Tom Meighan, The Engine Shed, Lincoln review - the ex-Kasabian frontman's acoustic set is a lively night out

Thomas H. Green
Despite a limited audience, an evening of whole-hearted sing-alongs

Rose Wylie, Royal Academy review - a gleeful celebration of sight

Sarah Kent
It pays to delay; how to be a great painter at 91

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latest in today

'We are bowled over!' Thank you for your messages of love and support
We are bowled over! We knew that theartsdesk.com had plenty of supporters out there – we’ve always had a loyal readership of arts…
Unfamiliar, Netflix review - funerals in Berlin
Berlin always makes a flavourful setting for labyrinthine stories of betrayal and deception (see Le Carre and Len Deighton for further…
David Byrne, SEC Armadillo, Glasgow review - a theatrical spectacle with fiery energy
When David Byrne made a mention of heroes and superheroes, one audience member could not resist. "Like you" they yelled out, and while the…
Rebels and Heroines, Davis, Richmond, O'Sullivan, RDS Concert Hall, Dublin review - straight to the operatic heart of the matter
Most concerts of operatic excerpts serve up an after dinner mint. This one offered - to follow up Menotti's image of light versus serious…
Katherine Priddy's 'These Frightening Machines': songs of mature reflection
With two albums, The Eternal Rocks Beneath and The Pendulum Swing behind her, and tours aplenty to support them (including a recent trek…
A Private Life review - promising French noir fails to deliver
What a strange little film, uncertain if it’s a Hitchcockian thriller or a comedic poke at the shibboleths of psychoanalysis, A Private…
Music Reissues Weekly: This Can’t Be Today - A Trip Through The US Psychedelic Underground 1977-1988
This Can’t Be Today - A Trip Through The US Psychedelic Underground 1977-1988 is marketed as a “3CD set documenting the 1980s American ‘…
The Bride! review - feminist Frankenstein is a radical riot
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sophomore feature is a punkish, gothic, genre-dancing, feminist riot, whose verve, imagination and serious intent…
Harry Styles is back with reflection and rhythm on 'Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.'
When an artist as popular as Harry Styles releases an album, it’s inevitable that the noise and expectation surrounding it cloud the music…
Ozone, RSNO, Edusei, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow review - unrequited love and unexpected jazz
If there was love in the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s Valentine’s concert, then it was very much of the doomed variety. There was…