Music

Culture queen! My August highlights

A whole month of lolling in the sun (hopefully) requires a whole host of entertainment. Here are the culture picks I'll be soaking up this August, from must-see art to new albums
What to watch online this week

Your weekly boredom buster is here with all the best and brand spanking new TV, film, music and theatre to keep you entertained from the sofa.
Culture vulture: my July hitlist

Missing the theatre and live venues? OMG, me too. Until normal service resumes for the arts world (your guess is as good as mine), here's my personal culture planner for July - podcasts, books, music and theatre. I'll budge up on the sofa, come and join me.
Culture vulture: my June hitlist

Less time propping up bars means more time enjoying the creative arts right?! Here's what I'm loving this month.
The staying in boredom buster

It's a bit nippy for the sunlounger this week so head for the sofa instead - and get stuck into this week's best new at-home culture picks.
Party at the Castle!

Get ready for a serious celebration at Sudeley Castle this summer, with amongst others, tenor Alfie Boe, Will Young, All Saints and Sara Cox’s full on party show - Just can’t Get Enough 80s
Win tickets to see Rudimental

Get your mitts this summer's hottest tickets and join Rudimental for a Party In The Paddock at Newbury Racecourse. The winners' enclosure's this way…
Cool video alert!

It'll make you want to go clubbing immediately. The coolest girl in R&B, Janelle Monáe, is back and we couldn't be happier.
The best video of the year

Three Grammy's for Kendrick Lamar in this year's awards, including best video for 'Humble'. We'd better watch it then!
Top 20 culture picks for 2018

Want to make the most of 2018? We've curated the best new TV, music, theatre, film, books and art of the year. Get yer diary out!
Edinburgh Fringe planning tips

Get the best from the fest with my handy guide to how to plan your gig-going
Hey Midge, nice ‘tash!

Never mind the deep stuff, Muddy talks music, mullets and more with the little Ultravox front man. "OOOHHH VIENNAAA!"
Muddy Reviews: Sunny Afternoon, Theatre Royal, Brighton

I once got chatting to a British expat who had lived in Australia for nearly three decades. She told me that for the first few homesick years she would burst into tears whenever she heard The Kinks’ Waterloo Sunset. It may seem strange that a song with the opening lyric ‘Dirty old river…’ could have that effect on […]
Muddy Eats: Skyfall, Hove

NOTE: SKYFALL HAS NOW SADLY CLOSED AS OF SUMMER 2017 Nope, not a chance of seeing Daniel Craig here – at least not until he reads my review and finds out how good it is. Nothing at all to do with 007 except a little homage in the phone number but it does give you […]
My favourite places: Republica’s Saffron Sprackling

Republica frontwoman Saffron Sprackling, most famous for nineties hits Ready to Go and Drop Dead Gorgeous is headlining ISFEST at Isfield in East Sussex this weekend – a fundraising event which features ten singers and bands with local connections. Saffron, who grew up in Sussex, spoke to Muddy Stilettos about her favourite places in the county. […]
Black Dove, Kemptown: cocktails & DJs meet Victoriana

When my husband said he wanted to take a dusk picture of the Brighton Wheel before it was dismantled, I made preparations. I knew from experience this would be no selfie with a smart phone but at least an hour of experimenting with different tripod positions and shutter speeds. So, I brought along some reading […]
Listen: Jack Garratt will put some poke in your playlist

As a child of the 80s my musical tastes were definitely shaped by keyboards – Depeche Mode, Howard Jones, Erasure, in fact practically every band I can think of back then had someone bashing away on a keyboard at some point in the music vid (usually wearing eye-liner that looked like it had been applied by a toddler). […]
‘Bitch I’m Madonna’ – you likey?

There are times when the kids are screaming, the washing is piling up, work is going crazy and popular culture just passes me by. GRRRR, very annoying because I love all that stuff. Months later I usually find the time to pour a large glass of wine, sit down, and catch up on what’s been […]