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Photo by Kristina Pedersen Ever since emerging from the aftermath of Ought in 2021, Cola have built a sound defined by restraint, tension, and emotional precision. The Montreal trio – vocalist and guitarist Tim Darcy, bassist Ben Stidworthy, and drummer Evan Cartwright – make music that feels deceptively minimal on the surface, yet deeply immersive underneath. Across Deep in View and The Gloss, they refined that balance into something distinct: wiry post-punk threaded with wa

The Rions; Image courtesy of TwntyThree Music The Rions are an indie-rock band hailing all the way from the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Amongst a scene that is known to produce bands that hold both a local intimacy and a global resonance, The Rions are quickly becoming one of Australia’s major success stories. Since meeting at a Year 7 talent show, to releasing their first album, Everything Every Single Day (2025), the group has been nominated for Australia’s Best New Artist

Blending antiquity and heritage with symbols of the technological age, Somerset House welcomes a new exhibition by resident artist Sian Fan. False Idol intricately weaves a fabric of myth, folklore and tradition with modern gaming technology, exploring the bounds of spirituality in this new digital age.

Photo by Kaavya Guhan On a warm Friday evening in May, a queue gradually began to form outside of Islington Assembly Hall, eager to see The Rions. Many fans could be seen wearing T-shirts of the band, and as the time for them to appear on stage became closer, the anticipation became increasingly more evident. ‘I'm so excited for this’, I overheard from one fan, ‘I know all the words’. Photo by Pat O'Hara With a great Australian spirit, the crowd, many of whom were from Austr

"Three teenage girls" by justmakeit is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. Jennette McCurdy’s Half His Age has received mixed reviews since its release at the end of January, but, for me, that ambivalence is part of what makes it so compelling. Her unsettling sensibility creates a rich character study, drawing the reader into the narrative. At the centre of the novel is Waldo, whose rebellious inner dialogue cuts through every relationship she navigates: her boy-crazy mother, tra

1536 is all about betrayal. Lovers betraying lovers, friends betraying friends, and a King who betrayed his Queen… or was it the other way around? Photo by Daniela Denyer Malo While the play itself could use some better signaled trigger warnings, and is definitely not family friendly (warning for anyone looking to bring their mom or little sibling along), it is a new take on love, friends, and feminism - and a painful one at that. Set against the tense backdrop of Tudor Engl

As one walks into the Marylebone Theatre, a cosy and intimate theatrical space tucked away just off Baker Street, the eye is immediately drawn to a cluttered attic. Old wardrobes and drawers stacked high, a worn armchair, and a golden harp nestled in the corner, all of it either covered in white cloth or coated in a thin layer of dust. On this cramped, airless stage, time feels suspended, and the past presses in with a suffocating force. Amongst the remnants of bygone days, o

Through a combination of contemporary footage and archived material, present-day interviews and reflections, Northern Soul: Still Burning resurfaces the story of the underground scene as it erupted through (and beyond) the Northern towns of England.

Never Had a Chance is a gritty West-London crime drama which debuted at the UK Asian Film Festival on 9th May 2026. The Strand Magazine sat down with director and writer Jazz Bhalla to discuss his motivations behind making this story.

Never Had A Chance is a gritty, west London crime drama that focuses almost entirely on the love story between Ravi and Sukhi, two Punjabi-British young adults, and the struggles and conflicts that result from Ravi’s quickly spiralling personal life.