i Newspaper
 
TheIPaper
The Independent around the web
E-break Time
Independent Crossword

Brits downloads to benefit War Child

The charity War Child, which is being given an honorary award at tonight's Brit Awards, is to benefit from download sales from the ceremony.

Observations: Lost recording of John and Yoko's passion for

A lost recording of John Lennon and Yoko Ono celebrating the release of one of the Sixties' most famous "political" prisoners over the phone has come to light, just as he appears at an anniversary concert in London.

My Reading & Leeds: Mona

Villagers, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

On a permanently purple-tinged stage, Villagers create a show of rich contrast.

The Naked and Famous, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

Hyperbolically touted as a must-see for this year's summer festivals, New Zealand's newest, hottest, most exciting export The Naked and Famous are predictably not naked as they take to the Empire's stage in front of a hyper Friday-night crowd.

Raphael Saadiq, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

Raphael Saadiq and his band have just come out to play their encore and we should all be grateful that they are back on stage – not just because their performance has been brilliant, but because there would have been a stampede had they failed to return.

Lykke Li, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

Floating among the dramatic black curtains and blisteringly bright lights of the stage at Shepherd's Bush Empire is Swedish electro-pop darling Lykke Li. Swooping around the stage in a vast black cloak and skimpy leotard, her movements call to mind a bizarre combination of Florence Welch and the masked killer from the Scream film franchise, while her voice mixes the plaintive upper register of Kate Bush with the quirky charm of Björk. Contrasts are a prevalent feature of Li's show, yet the same shifts which make it distinctive also make it a gig of mixed successes.

Eliza Doolittle, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London

Looking like a mermaid with her luscious brown locks over a cropped top and purple shorts with a netted tail that touches the floor, Camden- born 22-year-old Eliza Doolittle appears comfortable and quirky in the spotlight.

Big Audio Dynamite, Rock City, Nottingham<br/>Eliza Doolittle, Pyramids Centre, Portsmouth

Mick Jones and Don Letts might be enjoying their reunion, but they make 1986 seem like a very long time ago

Big Audio Dynamite, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

In sharp suit, aviator shades and glistening pate, Mick Jones has smartened up since he modelled a garish baseball cap on the cover of 1986 album No. 10, Upping Street. Yet there is still a spring in his step as he takes the stage with Big Audio Dynamite's classic line-up, a quintet last seen together in 1990.

War on Want Comedy Gig, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

Comic Relief may be over, but the relationship between charity and comedy continues apace. In the last two weeks there have been three major charity galas, including this event that celebrated 60 years of the movement founded by humanitarian Victor Gollancz.

Cee Lo Green, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

Given his career has lasted well over 15 years, it has been an odd path to mainstream recognition for Cee Lo Green. First playing a key role in developing the dirty South rap style as a founding member of the Atlanta hip-hop crew Goodie Mob, he went on to release two inventive, but low-selling, solo albums before teaming up with

Interpol, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

In the baroque surroundings of a compact venue, a crowd is gathering in excitement. The front row is within touching distance of the stage, so when Paul Banks and Interpol emerge it feels as if they're walking into your front room. The immediate punch of opener "Success" is throbbing and powerful, its echoing riff and haunting refrain fitting the gothic location perfectly.

Duran Duran, Shepherds Bush Empire, London<br/>The Naked and Famous, Digital, Brighton

Duran Duran are ignoring the zeitgeist and have returned to what they've always done best
Career Services

Day In a Page

Independent Travel Shop See all offers »
Lake Como and the Bernina Express
Seven nights half-board from only £749pp Find out more
California and the golden west
14 nights from only £1,599pp Find out more
Paris by Eurostar
Three nights from only £259pp Find out more
Prague, Vienna and Budapest
Seven nights from only £599pp Find out more
Paris and the Cote d’Azur
Seven nights from only £579pp Find out more
Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

The great war photographer was not one person but two. Their pictures of Spain's civil war, lost for decades, tell a heroic tale
The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

Someone, somewhere has to write speeches for world leaders to deliver in the event of disaster. They offer a chilling hint at what could have been
Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Think comedy’s a man's world? You must be stuck in the 1980s, says Holly Williams
Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

The Dr Feelgood guitarist talks frankly about his terminal illness
Lure of the jingle: Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life

Lure of the jingle

Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life
Who stole the people's own culture?

DJ Taylor: Who stole the people's own culture?

True popular art drives up from the streets, but the commercial world wastes no time in cashing in
Guest List: The IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Guest List: IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Before you stuff your luggage with this year's Man Booker longlist titles, the case for some varied poolside reading alternatives
What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

Rupert Cornwell: What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

The CIA whistleblower struck a blow for us all, but his 1970s predecessor showed how to win
'A man walks into a bar': Comedian Seann Walsh on the dangers of mixing alcohol and stand-up

Comedian Seann Walsh on alcohol and stand-up

Comedy and booze go together, says Walsh. The trouble is stopping at just the one. So when do the hangovers stop being funny?
From Edinburgh to Hollywood (via the Home Counties): 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Edinburgh to Hollywood: 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Hugh Montgomery profiles the faces to watch, from the sitcom star to the surrealist
'Hello. I have cancer': When comedian Tig Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on

Comedian Tig Notaro: 'Hello. I have cancer'

When Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on
They think it's all ova: Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Our chef made his name cooking eggs, but he’s never stopped looking for new ways to serve them
The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

With its own Tiger Woods - South Korea's Inbee Park - the women's game has a growing audience
10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

Here are the potential stars of the World Championships which begin on Saturday
The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

Briefings are off the record leading to transfer speculation which is merely a means to an end