Meltdown: Thundercat’s voyage into a funky dimension

Andy Polaris is wowed by Thundercat at Meltdown, London As part of Nile Rodgers-curated Meltdown Thundercat was an inspired choice as a funk jazz guitarist who I first heard about through Pitchfork and stumbled across his quirky videos Walkin' and...

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Nile Rodgers turns Meltdown into a disco inferno

Andy Polaris reviews the opening night of the South Bank Centre's 26th Meltdown festival, curated by producer, musician and sonic trendsetter Nile Rodgers, tonight starring himself and his legendary disco-funk band Chic who led the dance-floor renaissance of the 1970s...

Blues in the Night – a joyous lesson in returning to our roots

Andy Polaris reviews the revue Blues in the Night at London's Kiln Theatre Blues in the Night is a musical revival that first debuted off Broadway in 1980 and arrived in the West End in 1988 conceived by Sheldon Epps....

Imagine Leee John in flashback then fast forward

Andy Polaris reviews Imagination at the Lambeth Country Show The free concerts organised by London local councils in the summer – a tradition that continues despite government cuts and underfunding – have become a highlight of the year for cash-strapped...

The new play Whitewash stirs a multi-racial pot

Andy Polaris reviews Whitewash at the Soho Theatre, London Whitewash opens with black mother Mary, a dual-heritage Irish Jamaican played by Rebekah Murrell, pulling her reluctant son down a street in Camden in the Eighties and attracting the attention of...

B-52s throw our own party out of bounds, live in London

Andy Polaris reviews The B-52s at Sunday's Eventim Apollo concert The B-52s have been entertaining audiences for decades with their fizzy brand of American pop that showcases the delights of drive-in B-movie pop culture from the Shangri las to Star...

Quincy Jones live in London: the legend, the legacy

Andy Polaris reviews the Quincy Jones concert at London's O2 arena Quincy Jones Jr is a titan of 20th-century entertainment whose creative talent has spanned decades as composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, arranger, producer and publisher. He has received the most Grammy...

Small Island: shattering black British dreams of the Motherland

Andrea Levy's Small Island is a novel with Jamaican roots that has rippled out and into the wider cultural consciousness since its debut in 2004, winning amongst other awards the Whitbread Book Of The Year. An acclaimed BBC adaptation of...

New musical about Bowie’s image-maker Freddie Burretti

A forthcoming musical about Freddie Burretti is due to open for a limited three-day run next month in Milton Keynes. One of the unsung designers, Burretti was responsible for some of the bold glamour that launched Bowie and his Ziggy...