Tarkovsky CD Set. Review by Alan Price. Tarkovsky didn’t care for conventional film music. He generally favoured natural sounds, electronic music, samples of classical music and folk to create a probing soundscape that complimented his visionary filmmaking.
Drawn into your Presence. Review by Graham Buchan. This is a very interesting and, in some ways, unique exhibition curated by Jim Grover and Ruth Grover. It links three distinct periods of Christian religious imagery.
Poetry review – PECKINPAH SUITE: Oz Hardwick considers Paul Munden’s collection which reflects on – and could be an introduction to – the work of film director Sam Peckinpah
Poetry review – LINE DANCING: Ian Pople considers how the particular strengths of N S Thompson’s poetry show themselves across this wide-ranging collection
2 White Guys Rapping. Review by Barbara Lewis. Simon Cowell declared Australians Macshane & Delby “the fastest free style rap” he’d ever seen when they reached the finals of Britain’s Got Talent 2026.
Still Life. Review by Barbara Lewis. One of the most romantic films ever made “Brief Encounter” was based on the 1936 play “Still Life” by Noel Coward, who, as a homosexual long before it was legal, knew all about the intense agony of forbidden love.
Poetry review – THE AMYGDALA SAFARI: Peter Devonald is captivated by the heart, soul and wonder of Carmella de Keyser’s marvellous collection for the young and young at heart.
Poetry review– SONGS OF CASTELVECCHIO : Alan Price is pleased to read a new translation of poems by Giovanni Pascoli
Poetry review – DODDER DAUGHTER: Belinda Cooke looks at poems of loss by Nessa O’Mahony which are enhanced by their surroundings, both domestic and natural
Poetry review – PORTRAIT OF MY FATHER AS A SNAIL: Katrina Moinet looks at a tender and searching examination by Kelly Davis of her father’s life
Giulio Cesare in Egitto. Review by Barbara Lewis. Baroque opera is about repeating things again and again, which means time stands still, bass-baritone, stage director/lighting designer – and master of ceremonies – Marcio da Silva tells the audience.
Poetry review – SKINSHIP: Sue Wallace-Shaddad examines a collection by Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana that deals with an emotional journey while also covering geographical and cultural distances
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • added recently on London Grip, books, poetry reviews, travel, year 2026