arts byMark Fisher


Books > Rebel Musix


Vivien Goldman September 19 Orion Anthology by the Sounds, NME and Melody Maker journalist, covering four decades of r championing the sound of the underground from punk to reggae, funk and Afrobeat. https://tinyurl.com/2aj27h2v


A Woman Like Me Diane Abbott September 19 Viking


The daughter of parents from the In depth > Tabloid tales since Strange Newes


So ubiquitous are tabloid newspapers that it is easy to forget they had to be invented. Terry Kirby, a senior


lecturer in journalism at Goldsmiths, University of London, traces their birth back to 1 January 1901 when British editor Alfred Harmsworth was invited to edit a single edition of the New York World. Having been given free


rein, he cut the paper in half and instructed the reporters to write no story longer than 250 words. Coining the word tabloid


to describe both form and content, Harmsworth told his readers this was a newspaper for the ‘time-saving century’. Readers approved and had snapped up all issues of the first edition by 9am.


22 | theJournalist Telling “the scandalous


history of tabloid journalism, from 16th century to the sidebar of shame”, The Newsmongers traces the story of popular journalism backwards to Caxton’s invention of the printing press and the early publication of sensationalist pamphlets


with titles such as ‘Wonderful and Strange Newes out of Suffolke and Essex where it Rayned Wheat the Space of Six or Seven Miles”. From there, Kirby


goes forward to the time the Daily Mirror would be read by more than 12 million in one day – with headlines not too dissimilar to those four centuries earlier. Whether in print or


online, the tabloid influence is pervasive. “Tabloid is a state of mind and a method of practice,” he writes. There is plenty of sex,


celebrity, salaciousness and a fair few hoaxes, but it is not all ‘Gotcha’ headlines and bingo prizes. Rich in research, the book looks how mass


literacy and big business combined to bring serious news to vast swathes of the population in a bright and accessible way. It is also about how mass readership generated political power. He looks too at the


pioneering investigative reporters and campaigns against 19th-century child exploitation, wartime cover-ups and Thatcher-era corned beef from Argentina. It is a lively and


colourful story of power and populism in a place, after 1969, where The Sun also rises. The Newsmongers:


a History of Tabloid Journalism, August 1, Reaktion Books https://tinyurl. com/2ahebjrm


Dublin Theatre Festival September 26–October 13 Highlights include Benji Reid’s Find Your Eyes, combining dance and photography, Mark O’Rowe’s Reunion, an ensemble piece about family life, as well as visits from Dublin’s Pan Pan, Sheffield’s Forced Entertainment and Vancouver’s Chop Theatre. https://dublintheatrefestival.ie


Comedy> I Gave You Milk to Drink


Fern Brady On tour August 22–November 20 Journalism’s loss is comedy’s gain. After editing The Student, the University of Edinburgh newspaper, and doing a postgrad in news


of touch in a post-Covid world from a queer, non-binary perspective. https://tinyurl.com/28tfbe29


Windrush generation, Abbott became the UK’s first black MP in 1987. Her memoir reflects her championing of causes including the education of black children, the rights of refugees and the wrongs of the Iraq war. https://tinyurl.com/yker6xj3


journalism in Sheffield, Brady switched to stand up. Now she’s asking, “What happens when you get everything you want and it’s not enough?” https://tinyurl.com/2635xjg7


Exhibitions > When the Body Says Yes


Melanie Bonajo Irish Museum of Modern Art, Until 27 October The Dutch video artist presents an installation about intimacy and loneliness, exploring the importance


All Over the Place Glenn Ligon Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge September 20–March 2 Text-based paintings quoting writers including James Baldwin and Gertrude Stein explore the social, cultural and political constructions of race. As well as paintings, sculptures and prints, there are site-specific exhibits around the gallery. https://tinyurl.com/29f7vyxp


Festivals > Edinburgh Festivals


August 2–26 The world’s biggest arts jamboree comprises several concurrent festivals covering art, books, comedy, film, music, theatre and all points in between. Journalists appearing include Iain Dale, Chick Young, Brian Taylor, Bernard Ponsonby, Fiona Shepherd, Kate Garraway and Terry Christian. www.edinburghfestivalcity.com


Act 1.5 Climate Action Accelerator Clifton, Bristol August 25 Massive Attack, long-time climate activists, headline a day-long festival while trialling standards for the decarbonisation of live music in collaboration with scientists. Also on the bill are Killer Mike, Sam Morton and DJ Milo. www.massiveattackbristol.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32