Personal Development

2021: The Year That Was

Many things changed, yet I still review headphones. Looking back at what happened to me professionally across the year.

Mental Health

Language Matters: How the Way We Talk about Suicide Makes a Difference

Suicidal feelings can be difficult to share with others. We can all play our part in creating a welcoming space for those in distress.

Music

Album Review: Laura Mvula - Pink Noise

Laura Mvula's first album in five years is a joyful, 80s-influenced reminder of the unbridled joy of pop music.

Mindfulness Featured

The Comfort of a Pandemic-Era Coffee

My morning coffee has kept me grounded, but there's more to the experience than a caffeine-fueled buzz.

Politics

Standing for Election Taught Me the Value of Compassionate Politics

Three years ago, I stood for election as a local councillor on behalf of The Green Party of England and Wales. Here's what I learnt.

Mental Health

Fear of the Future

Even the smallest changes can throw us slightly off-course and make us anxious about the future.

Music

Album Review: Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight

Medicine at Midnight: the sound of a band unshackled from concept or legacy, no longer trying to out-do themselves but just to have fun with their craft.

Film

Film Review: Last Christmas (2019)

Last Christmas throws rom-com standards, Christmas-themed visuals, and the songs of George Michael into the mix. What comes out is an inconsistent movie but with a commendable core.

Music

Album Review: Taylor Swift - Evermore

Evermore, Taylor Swift’s second release of the year, continues the themes found on Folklore, but with a brighter edge. Whether this is a side-project, or a vision for long-term change, Evermore suceeds in delivering the artist’s vision.

Humanism

Meditation helped me see that I'm a humanist at heart

Empathy, understanding, and science underpin the humanist outlook.

Review

Book Review: Fake Law by The Secret Barrister

The Secret Barrister’s latest book, Fake Law, is a continuation of their excellent work dissecting and explaining the UK’s justice system and how our collective misunderstanding of the law allows our views to be manipulated.

Film

Marvel, Perpetual War, and State Violence

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most successful film franchises of all time. They are great movies, for sure. That doesn’t mean, though, that they should promote state and military violence.

Travel

Caribbean Travel: St Lucia

St Lucia is one of the Caribbean’s smaller islands. But don’t let the size fool you; St Lucia is great place to travel, relax, and explore.

Music

The Best Albums of the 2010s

We're now approaching the end of another decade. It makes sense to cast an eye back over the past ten years, and highlight some of the best albums of the 2010s.

Technology

Why I Quit Fitbit (And Why You Should Too)

After six years of wearing a Fitbit every day, I took the strap off for the final time. Here’s why you should quit Fitbit too.

Mental Health

How To Tackle Loneliness With Mindfulness

Curiosity is something we usually lose as we grow older. Mindfulness helps you regain that sense of freedom, and could help you feel less lonely too.

Opinion Featured

Be More Kind: Why I Got Frank Turner's Album Art Tattooed On My Arm

My first tattoo was the phrase ‘be more kind’ on my right forearm. Frank Turner’s words were the perfect reminder of what I’d learnt over the past half-decade.

Music

Metalheads & Mental Health: Metallica's Some Kind of Monster Revisited

Metallica’s 2004 film Some Kind of Monster wasn’t initially well-recieved. Fans thought it made the band look weak and dysfunctional. But how does it hold up 15 years later?

Music

Review - ENO's Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel

Ian Bell’s Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel succeeds in creating a powerful production about the strength of the women.

Technology

From The Archives: A Day Without Smartphones

Back in 2014, S and I took a walk around London without our smartphones. Here’s what happened, written the following day.

Personal Development

How To: Go Overboard & Stop Swearing

When my partner said to me back in 2015 that I was swearing too much, I decided that I could do something about it.

Opinion

When Failure Is Misunderstood

What if “fail fast, fail often” is wrong?

Opinion

10 Things I've Learnt In My First Quarter-Century

Turning 25 is a milestone - a quarter of a century. Here’s what I learnt.

Books

The Necronomicon - Fred Simon

Fred Simon’s Necronomicon aims for Lovecraftian levels of mystisism but winds up a disappointing missed opportunity.

Books

Live At the Brixton Academy - Simon Parkes

How would you feel if you purchased a live music venue for just £1?