Angira Sen

LA has Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly, New York has its share of classic picturehouses, Paris has a world of old-fashioned repertory cinemas to explore, and Amsterdam boasts the most beautiful cinema in the world. But none of them can hold a flickering projector to London’s vast array of multiplexes, arthouses, luxe cinemas and cult spots. There’s more than a 100 cinemas of all shapes and sizes, and the chances are, if you live in or outside the city, one of them is a short bus or Tube ride away. With the openings of the new Curzon Hoxton, Ealing Picturehouse, West London’s ActOne and The Chiswick Cinema, and fancy new cinemas in Battersea Power Station and Selfridges, the city’s movie-going options have continued to swell, even post-pandemic. But not all cinemas are created equal: some are worth travelling that little bit further for – whether for the incredible value they offer, the tech set-up, crazy-comfy seats, the cult programming, or the gastronomic treats on offer. To sort the elite from the just-merely-really-good, we’ve canvassed Londoners for their pick of favourites and tallied their votes, with a few of our own picks, to rank the best movie houses inside the M25. From PeckhamPlex to The Phoenix, they’re an inestimable bunch, representing London’s past and with any luck, it’s future too. RECOMMENDED: the latest movie reviews, news and interviews

‘Home is where the heart is, but god, I love the English,’ Taylor Swift penned five years ago on ‘London Boy’. And Tay-tay doesn’t just love the English: she loves London, too. This city has been mentioned loads of times in her lyrics, from the lush pastures of Hampstead Heath to local pubs in Vauxhall.  T-Swizzle’s affection for London dates back to at least 2008, when she played her first gig across the pond as part of her Fearless tour. Her first ever UK show was at the humble student union of King’s College London – safe to say she’s come a long way since then.  Over 15 years later and after a six-year break from touring the capital, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is set to take over London’s Wembley Stadium for eight dates this summer. To get you excited for those shows, we’ve done some prep and broken down all the times the pop star has mentioned (or alluded to) London in her lyrics over the years. And there’s a lot – here goes.  London (general) ‘You know I love a London boy’ from ‘London Boy’ on Lover (2019) ‘I’ll never wander London streets alone and haunted’ and ‘Too young to wander London streets alone and haunted’ from ‘Beautiful Ghosts’ on Cats: Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack (2019) ‘I guess you’re in London today’ from ‘Come Back… Be Here' on Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021) ‘How is it in London? Where were you while I’m wondering if I’ll ever see you again?’ from ‘Message In A Bottle’ on Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021) ‘For so long, London’ from ‘So Long,

Swifties parisiennes, c’est le moment : l’Eras Tour est là ! Après deux mois de pause et un album plus tard, Taylor Swift est de retour en Europe avec la tournée la plus lucrative de l’histoire, qui débutera avec quatre concerts à Paname. Setlist, horaires, moyens pour choper des tickets de dernière minute, voici tout ce qu’il faut savoir sur les prochains concerts de Taylor Swift à Paris. Pour découvrir cinq choses sur l'artiste américaine, c'est par ici que ça se passe. Quand ont lieu les concerts parisiens de Taylor Swift ? L’Américaine débute la partie européenne de son Eras Tour à Paris La Défense Arena les 9, 10, 11 et 12 mai. A quelle heure sera-t-elle sur scène ? Les portes de la salle ouvrent à 16h45, les festivités débuteront à 18h30. Pour l’arrivée de Taylor ? Si l’on se fie aux dates précédentes, ça sera entre 19h30 et 20h. A quelle heure se termine le concert ? En comptant entre 3h15 et 3h45 de show, celui-ci devrait se finir aux alentours de 23h. Tout dépend des surprises et invités que Taylor a prévu. Reste-t-il des billets ? Officiellement non, ceux-ci s’étant arrachés en quelques secondes il y a plusieurs mois. Il reste encore quelques tickets sur les sites de reventes StubHub, Vivid Seats, Viagogo et Seatpick. Ultime chance : des places de dernières minutes ont été remises en vente en catimini, eu égard à la nouvelle configuration de la scène. © Brian Friedman / Shutterstock.com Combien coûtaient les billets ? Pour les chanceuses et les chanceux, ils on

Swifties in Paris, time to get excited: the Eras Tour has landed. After a two-month break and a new album later, Taylor Swift has returned to Europe with the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, and it kicks off with four shows in the French capital. From the updated setlist and timings for the concert, this is everything you need to know about Taylor Swift’s upcoming shows in Paris. RECOMMENDED:Taylor Swift Paris La Défense Arena seating map: everything we knowHow to buy official Taylor Swift merch in Paris for her Eras tourHere’s the full confirmed setlist for the Eras tour in Europe When is Taylor Swift's Eras tour in Paris?  Taylor Swift will kickstart the European leg of her Eras Tour at Paris La Défense Arena on May 9, 10, 11 and 12. What time will Taylor Swift come on stage? Paris La Défense Arena will open its doors at 4.45pm, and the show will kick off at 6.30pm. On night one, Taylor Swift came on stage just after 8pm. What time will the Taylor Swift concert end? Eras Tour shows span an average of three hours and 15 minutes, with some concerts lasting as long as three hours and 45 minutes, as Taylor has quite a few surprises in her bag. Taylor’s first concert in Paris lasted three hours, with the show ending at around 11pm.  Are there any tickets left? The registration period for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour in France is now closed, and there are no tickets to purchase on the official site. How much did tickets cost?  Those lucky enough to get tickets in the p

The countdown has begun – next week, Taylor Swift will take on La Défense Arena in the French capital. If you’re one of the lucky ones to have bagged those highly coveted Eras tour tickets, you might be wondering what your view will be like. Well, listen up: this is everything we know about the seating plan for Paris La Défense Arena so far. Get ready for a memorable night in Paris! What’s the Taylor Swift Paris La Défense Arena seating plan? While La Défense Arena has not officially released a seating map for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, the Seatpick website has a possibly accurate map (and you can look for some last-minute tickets while you're at it!)  Seating Plan The colour-coded map for the Taylor Swift Paris Eras Tour is divided into six main sections. They are as follows:  CAT OR - Green CAT1 - Dark Blue CAT2 - Dark Green CAT3 - Purple DIAMENT - Light Blue OR PART - Orange According to a few X users who shared the supposed seating chart, there are also seven 7 VIP and Prestige sections.  I found this :) pic.twitter.com/BOr1un5y0R — Noor (@Noortje_16x) July 16, 2023 You don't have to arrive early for your seat since they are assigned. However, if you want to snag some merch at 4.30pm, arriving earlier might be worth it. Here is the general seating plan for the arena. What’s Paris La Défense Arena's capacity? The La Défense Arena has a seating capacity of 40,000 for concerts, making it the largest indoor performance venue in Europe. Being only a few minutes from the

The other week (on April 19, to be specific) Taylor Swift released her much-anticipated 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department – along with a secret double album The Anthology. And buried in the albums’ 31 songs was a gem for London-based Swifties: a track called ‘The Black Dog’.  As covered on Time Out, ‘The Black Dog’ isn’t just a song but a physical place, namely a Victorian pub in south London. Needless to say, it isn’t every day that a London pub gets name-checked by one of the world’s most famous pop stars. We decided to go down to the Vauxhall boozer to find out what the fuss is all about, asking fans and locals alike about the impact of T Swift on the place. Here’s what they had to say. Local: ‘I have actually been coming to the Black Dog since 2008 and I have never seen it this busy on a Thursday afternoon at 3. It’s absolutely insane. I’m seeing people taking selfies outside, it’s quite weird. Normally it’s this busy on a Saturday night.’  Fan from New Jersey, USA: ‘Well, I listened to the album, so we decided to stop at The Black Dog before heading to another concert.’ ‘It's cool that they have sort of embraced it; they could have gone one way and be like, “No, we’re too cool for Taylor Swift”. And I got a free beer because I am a Swifty.’ Swifties from America: ‘The Taylor album just came out, so we had to visit and see the Black Dog for Taylor (obviously!).’ They sang a couple of lines of Swift songs ‘Fearless’ and ‘Speak Now' and added: ‘I’m just a gi

'Barbie' is screening under the stars this summer. Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-winner is one of the four movies screening at this July’s Summer Screen in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Ahead is a month-long line-up of free outdoor movies, as well as street food and music. ‘Barbie’ will have to go without its old pal ‘Oppenheimer’, though, which hasn’t made the cut on this July’s Summer Screen line-up. Although Disney’s ‘Encanto’, Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Moulin Rouge!’ and ‘Men in Black’ will be spreading good vibes to audiences. Summer Screen kicks off with 'Encanto' on July 9, and runs every Tuesday throughout July, with screenings starting at 7pm.The full line-up: ‘Encanto’ – 7pm, July 9 ‘Barbie’ – 7pm, July 16  ‘Men in Black’ – 7pm, July 23 ‘Moulin Rouge!’ – 7pm, July 30 Expect Mexican street food from Hermanos Taco House, Caribbean cuisine from Bokitla and Inamo’s Japanese food. The screenings are free, but you need to book via the official site.The best things to do in London this week.The 40 most beautiful outdoor cinemas in the world.

This month the UK’s largest indoor arena will open in Manchester. Called the Co-op Live, it apparently cost a whopping £365 million and has space for 23,500 gig-goers – vastly dwarfing London’s O2 Arena, which has a capacity of 20,000.  If you’re a Londoner looking enviously over at Mannie’s swish new venue (pictured above), well, we may have some exciting news. American entrepreneur Tim Leiweke – the guy behind the Co-op Live and owner of Oak View Group – has revealed that he wants to build ‘the greatest arena in the world’ in London.  Speaking to the Telegraph, Leiweke said it could be up to a year before the plans become a reality. Or, in his words, before ‘it gets real’.  When asked about a potential location, Leiweke said: ‘If you guessed Hammersmith, it would be a good guess. ‘We’re pretty focused on a particular site. We’re excited about the site.’ So, sounds like west London could be getting an arena to rival the Co-op Live! But it might be best not to get too carried away just yet. Mr Leiweke went on to tell the Telegraph: ‘But I understand there’s a process, and we need to talk to neighbours, we need to talk to the community, we need to talk to the business leaders and to political leaders. We’re going to play by their rules, I'm not going to get ahead of them.’ While Manchester’s Co-op Live sure is glam, it hasn’t been without its issues. Due to power supply problems, the venue’s opening two gigs with comedian Peter Kay this week were postponed for an entire month.

Airports don’t exactly have a rep for being calming, tranquil sorts of places. From cancelled flights and lost baggage to lengthy queues and sky-high prices, airports are often very stressful indeed.  Some airports, however, are much more stressful than others – and according to a new ranking, one London air hub is mega-stressful even by airport standards. Heathrow is apparently the third-most stressful airport in all of Europe.  That’s according to research by StressFreeCarRental.com, which listed European aviation hubs based on five factors that contribute to stress: passenger numbers, distance from the city centre, number of flight destinations, car parking charges and departure delays. London Heathrow came third, partly due to its total number of passengers (79,151,723) and distance from central London (28.57 kilometres). Heathrow also had the highest car parking charges on the list, apparently charging a whopping €143 (£123) per week.  Top of the stress index was Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, while second was Amsterdam’s Schiphol. Here’s the full list of Europe’s 10 most stressful airports, according to StressFreeCarRental.com. The top 10 most stressful airports in Europe Paris Charles de Gaulle , France Amsterdam Schiphol , Netherlands London Heathrow, UK Rome, Italy Athens, Greece Madrid, Spain Lisbon, Portugal Dublin, Ireland Berlin, Germany Zagreb, Croatia Did you see that the UK’s 10 most stressful airports right now have been revealed? Plus: London is officia

From classic rock to preppy pop, Netflix's smash-hit series 'Baby Reindeer' is a chilling true-life drama based around the kind of stalking story of which nightmares are made. The series is adapted by writer-star Richard Gadd from his own acclaimed one-man show, and charts what happened when a stand-up comedian called Donny was relentlessly pursued by a troubled woman called Martha (Jessica Gunning). Music is a key, if so-far unheralded element in the storytelling, with an edgy score by French composer siblings Evgueni and Sacha Galperine that stays with you long after you’ve binged its seven 30-minute episodes.  The soundtrack, too, is a carefully curated playlist of mainly ’60s and ’70s cuts, including tunes by Roxy Music, Evie Sands, Dusty Springfield, The Renegades and George Harrison. Many of them zero in on love, loneliness and obsession.  Behind it all is music supervisor Catherine Grieves, who also pop-picked ‘Killing Eve’s killer soundtrack. Get ready to play these songs on a loop.   Episode 1 ‘Love Is the Drug’ - Roxy Music‘You Don't Have to Say You Love Me’ - Dusty Springfield‘Sweet Dreams (Of You)’ - Patsy Cline‘Helen Fry’ - The Felice Brothers‘Happy Together’ - The Turtles Episode 2  ‘I Talk to the Wind’ - King Crimson‘My Name Is Trouble’ - Keren Ann‘Yellow Pearl’ - Phil Lynott‘Cars’ - Gary Numan‘Smalltown Boy’ - Bronski Beat‘A Soft Seduction’ - David Byrne Episode 3 ‘I Go to Sleep’ - Peggy Lee‘Matelot’ - The Renegades‘Alone Again (Naturally)’ - Gilbert O'Sulliva

Fancy yourself a bit of a vinyl junkie? Reckon that real DJs don’t need a subscription to Serato? Then you’ll probably already know that this Saturday (April 20) marks the return of Record Store Day.  Founded in 2007 in the early days of the vinyl revival, the annual celebration of indie record stores has since become a key fixture in any crate digger’s calendar, with thousands of stores across the globe participating. This includes many of London’s 50-odd independent record shops, where you can pick up limited-edition releases from the likes of Blur, Olivia Dean, Young Fathers, Sinéad O'Connor, Talking Heads, Laufey, Paramore, Pulp and The 1975.  But that’s not all. From fashion collabs and in-store sets to giveaways and immersive listening experiences, there’s all sorts of fun stuff going on around the city in celebration of the humble. Here, we’ve rounded up a selection of the best things happening around the city.  SXSE – Dash The Henge Turn your Record Store Day into a mini festival adventure, aka SXSE. Pick up your wristband – and an armful of new records – at Dash The Henge’s shop in Camberwell, where you’ll also find acoustic performances and DJs on the decks (including La Roux!). From there, move onto The Old Dispensary and The Bear for more musical goodness. Still not had enough? Head to Peckham’s hottest new venue, The Greyhound, for an after-party hosted by The Cause. Grab your ticket here. 348 Camberwell New Road, SE5 0RW. £11.50. Rough Trade East This record sho

London is blessed with a calendar packed with film festivals representing every corner of the movie world. And to old timers like Kinoteka (Poland), the East Asia Film Festival, London Korean Film Festival, the London Indian Film Festival and the currently-in-progress Queer East, add one exciting newbie: the Muslim International Film Festival. MIFF is coming to Leicester Square for the first time on May 30, and its full line-up has just been announced. On the programme is a new short film from Oscar-winning home-town hero Riz Ahmed and ‘Hounds’, a pacy Casablanca-set crime drama directed by Kamal Lazraq (‘The Man With A Dog’) that’s opening the fest. In total, there are eight features, two programmes of short films, panel discussions and chances to network or just have a chinwag with film industry types at events held in conjunction with the BFI and BBC.  This new festival’s ethos is all about celebrating Muslim culture and storytelling. ‘MIFF is not just a festival, it’s a vibrant celebration of cultures and stories from across the Muslim world,’ says festival director Sajid Varda, ‘providing a spotlight on talented, emerging and seasoned filmmakers from all corners of the globe’. What’s on the Muslim International Film Festival line-up?  Opening the festival is ‘Hounds’, an award-winning drama about a father and son who make a living by committing crimes for a local gang. When a kidnapping goes wrong, they have to dispose of the body and things take a turn for the Coenesque

Wales’ cherished National Museum, which has seven sites around the nation, stands as a testament to the country’s rich cultural heritage. However, the imposing Victorian stone structure housing priceless artworks (including masterpieces by Monet and Cezanne), now faces a threat of closure due to its deteriorating condition. This is due to the significant reduction of funding from the Welsh government.  Museum Wales’ Chief Executive Jane Richardson has gone on record saying that the museum’s £4.5m budget reduction has been difficult to deal with. Museum Wales' grant was reduced by £3 million and had to address a total deficit of £4.5m by the end of March due to a year-on-year deficit of £1.5m.  She said: ‘If we were to get further cuts on that scale, I would need to be very honest with government and with all our stakeholders that we could not continue to run as the size of museum we are now.’ Ms Richardson also said that the museum might start charging for tours and exhibitions and in winter close early. She said they discovered the extent of the cuts during Christmas, and it was challenging to make amends in such a short period.  With 90 percent of the costs being for staff, Ms Richardson said the museum might be looking at reducing 90 job positions, but there still needs to be a confirmed total figure. There is no exact figure for the number of jobs at the organisation. However, the museum website mentions that it has over 600 staff and about 1.8 million visitors annually.