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An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
David Smyth's rating
Reader rating
Success: Kate Nash's album is set to go straight to number one at the weekend
Brief encounter: She sung five songs and signed CDs at the HMV store in Oxford Street
Dedicated: Hundreds of fans turned up
Less than 18 months ago, Kate Nash was working in River Island. Now she's back on the high street, this time drawing hundreds of youngsters to HMV to catch a glimpse of her singing just five songs and signing CDs for 15 minutes.
Harrow girl Nash, only one month out of her teens, is the beaming beneficiary of a pop system that is moving ever faster.
In pictures: Kate Nash plays HMV Oxford Street
She surprised even herself with the performance of her debut single, Foundations, still perched in the number two spot after seven weeks. So much so that her album had to be rushed out almost two months early yesterday.
This instore performance was kept short so that she could sprint off to make a television appearance, but all the work seems to be worth it.
Her album, Made of Bricks, looks certain to make it to number one on Sunday, and the reams of fans clutching their copies in hope of an autograph seemed sure that the former shop girl is a star.
One teenager had written "I (heart) Kate Nash" on her cheek. Many others already knew every word of her songs, thanks to the popularity of the demos she posted on her MySpace site, now played almost four million times.
Paparazzi flashes must still be new to her, but she did her best not to look dazzled when she took her place behind her keyboard. In a red party dress, with a lime green teapot perched in front of her, she was invisible behind a wall of photographers throughout her first song.
That opener, Mariella, demanded the most work from her three-piece band of bass, drums and violin. It was a slowbuilding tale of an eccentric girl, though Nash seems keen to play up her own normality. She found her mother in the audience and said, "I'm sorry we had a fight this morning."
Mouthwash, her next single, rejoiced in the banality of everyday life, even containing the almost laughably low-key line: "I've got a family and I drink cups of tea".
Her songs were pure pop with the slight-est edge, all jaunty piano, glottal stops and swearwords, which inevitably leads to Lily Allen comparisons. Is she better than Lily? "Definitely," said fan Holly Martin. "I like them both," said Dan Cook. "Why should they have to be rivals?" Either way, there's yet another colourful woman at the top of the charts, and as the hordes here recognised, that's something to cheer about.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
