Critics' Choice

Film

Andrew O'Hagan

quote New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it quote

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Theatre

Henry Hitchings

quote A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion quote

Cock Restaurants

David Sexton

quote Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave quote

Kitchen W8

Reader reviews

Film

Adam, Harrow

quote Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects quote

2012 Theatre

Rob, London

quote This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws quote

The Habit Of Art Music

Bernard, London

quote Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor quote

Alexandra Burke

Downloads of the week

By David Smyth, Evening Standard 11.12.06

Add your view

Look here too

Hard-Fi offer free downloads of their touring antics, Newton Faulkner's taster EP is in download stores now and Damon Albarn's latest venture play a free MySpace gig.

TRACK OF THE WEEK

Newton Faulkner - UFO
This unknown, dreadlocked guitar plucker got a more rapturous response than Chris Martin at a charity show last week, and his easygoing acoustic sound looks like making him next year's Jack Johnson. This taster EP, including his version of Massive Attack's Teardrop, is in download stores now.

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Hard-Fi
The fast-rising Staines quartet have just got into video podcasting, offering free downloads of their touring antics for those who can't wait for their second album. Search for "Hard-Fi" in the iTunes store for the first two reports, from their five-night stand at Brixton Academy in May.

THE BUZZ

Beirut
The critics' album of the year lists are coming thick and fast, and while everyone else has plumped for Arctic Monkeys, the men behind the counter at
Rough Trade Shops have picked the quieter charms of Beirut as their number one. That's the alias of 20-year-old Zach Condon from New Mexico, who offers two free tasters of his gipsy-folk sound at his website.
www.beirutband.com

IN THE NEWS

Social networking site MySpace puts on its first free gig in the UK on Tuesday, with Damon Albarn's latest venture The Good, The Bad and The Queen, playing to 300 lucky souls in east London. To win a ticket you have to become the band's "friend" at their site and answer a question. Or you can still watch the show at www.myspace.com/ thelist from 18 December.
www.myspace.com/ thegoodthebadandthequeen

THE SITE

Elbo.ws
Another incredibly useful starting point for trawling the web for new music, this site visits hundreds of music blogs every hour and links to them as soon as they put up a new MP3. Those currently exciting the bloggers include the Shins, Sufjan Stevens and Architecture in Helsinki.
http://elbo.ws