Interviews
This month The North Wall welcomes an ambitious staging of the first of writer Ali Smith’s critically acclaimed Seasonal Quartet, Autumn. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2017, the novel is set in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit referendum and explores the interior worlds of 30-something Elisabeth and her cherished friend, Daniel (believe to be somewhere around 101 at last count).
Andrew Gilmour speaks to me from Berlin where he is the Executive Director of the Berghof Foundation, an organisation dedicated to peacebuilding and conflict resolution around the world. He’s just come back from a holiday in his native Scotland which, he smilingly informs me, was apparently the only place not blessed with sun.
Dr Brian Briggs – “Brian is fine” – divides his time between Llanelli’s Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Wetland Centre, where he is senior reserve warden, and his ‘other
For the uninitiated, Nell Mescal (yes, sister of actor Paul) is an Irish singer-songwriter who hit the festival circuit hard last summer, playing (amongst others) The Great Escape, BST Hyde Park, Boardmasters and Live at Leeds. This year, she’s headed to Oxfordshire and Alex James’ Big Feastival for August bank holiday weekend. Eloise Lonsdale caught up with her to find out more about her musical style and her recently launched EP, Can I Miss it For a Minute.
Corinne Bailey Rae’s Put Your Records On snap-shotted the summer of 2006. Her most recent release, Black Rainbows came out 2023 and it is obvious to hear how much she is relishing the full range of her unique voice and, as I was to discover when we spoke, her extraordinarily lyrical vocabulary.
Award-winning quirky and alternative comedian Paul Foot is returning to Oxford this month with his new show, Dissolve which is set to be his most vulnerable and honest yet. We got in touch to find out what we can expect from his performance at Oxford’s New Theatre, as well as – in very Paul Foot fashion – getting side-tracked by King Tutankhamen, and what Jesus might have achieved if he'd been a plumber...
Laurence Llewelyn Bowen has been adorning both our homes and our TV screens since the mid 90s when – it’s no exaggeration to say – his appearance on BBC’s Changing Rooms revolutionised the UK’s ideas of interior taste and design. His distinctive, flamboyant style has engendered both adoration and abhorrence (perhaps in equal measure).
Award-winning, Oxfordshire-based artist Freddy Paske is best known for his vibrant animal paintings. He is currently preparing for a solo exhibition in London later this month featuring work inspired by his 2023 expeditions to Australia and Africa. We were delighted to have the opportunity to ask him more about his impressive body of work.
Since releasing her triple-platinum selling 2009 debut album Turn in Up, award-winning Pixie Lott has sold in excess of four million singles and achieved three UK number ones.