MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
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Another Kind of Concrete by Koushik Banerjea
Hard realities of 1970s racism explored in outstanding debut novel
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ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
IN THE 1970s, when concrete was king, the people of Britain had a brutalist streak to match.
While these days the taking of offence is virtually a national sport, back then there was little need to search for insult. Abuse, in its multiple forms, came straight to your face — and often with a slap for good measure.
Koushik Banerjea’s debut novel is set in those far-off and harder times, when nastiness seemed to be baked into the system and the best survival option was to toughen up, keep your head down and take whatever was thrown at you.
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PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
PETER MASON applauds a thought-provoking study of the relationship between a grieving woman and her photographer
PETER MASON is moved by a striking production of Noel Streatfeild’s enduringly popular children’s book
PETER MASON reckons the NYT’s production of Shakespeare’s comedy is the pick of the Christmas shows on offer in London
