WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
Rodgers, the ringmaster, has them dancing in the aisles
MIK SABIERS just soaks up the atmosphere of joyous abandon
[Victor Frankowski] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
Nile Rodgers and CHIC
Meltdown Festival
Royal Festival Hall
★★★★
It’s the opening night of this year’s Meltdown — the world’s longest running artist-curated festival — and standing centre stage in the spotlight in the Royal Festival Hall is none other than musical maestro and producer extraordinaire Nile Rodgers.
Rodgers, following in the footsteps of David Bowie, Robert Smith, MIA, Robert Wyatt and many more, is in charge of curating this year’s festival, bringing together an eclectic selection of music and events on London’s South Bank.
And on this opening night he treats the audience to an anecdote-filled welcome and walk through some of the highlights of his career from being inspired by Bryan Ferry, partying with Madonna, facing strikes in France, recording with Bowie and sweeping up for Sinatra all framed under the aegis of “I write ensemble music.”
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MIK SABIERS wallows in a night of political punk and funk that fires both barrels at Trump
MIK SABIERS savours the first headline solo show of the stalwart of Brighton’s indie-punk outfit Blood Red Shoes
MIK SABIERS leaves The Itch gig rejuvenated and energised
MIK SABIERS detects a serious message beneath the fun and frenzy of a classic 1980s Grebo scene band
