Culture

The Sex Pistols: The Sound and the Fury

It has become the habit amongst some to criticise the Pistols for being ‘crap’ or ‘selling out’ but such an attitude is to massively miss the point, writes Simon Duckett
The giant in the mirror: jeen-yuhs review

Coodie and Chike’s Netflix trilogy gives viewers an insight into the rise and troubles of creative powerhouse and hip-hop icon Kanye West, writes Mayer Wakefield
The dangerous tide of Russophobia

Imperial rivalry has led to dangerous and absurd levels of xenophobia, writes John Clarke
Doctor Who – apocalypse, politics, and story arcs

After a period of audience decline and a lack of narrative complexity, the new series offers the hope of a return to form, argues Sean Coote
This Earth divided, we will make whole: The Wigan Diggers Festival

The annual Wigan Diggers’ Festival represents a vibrant cultural celebration of our radical tradition as well as an opportunity to organise the left today, reports Karen Buckley
Defend arts and culture: save Stratford Circus

Carole Vincent reports from the launch of a campaign to save Stratford Circus, an important community arts and culture venue which has been closed by Newham Council
Palestinian culture and resistance - video

As part of Counterfire's Revolution! Festival of Marxist Ideas, Dave Randall hosts Shahd Abusalama of Hawiyya Dance Company, Mustafa Sheta from The Freedom Theatre and Z The People of 47Soul
Latin in schools and the Bellum cultura

Teaching Latin and Classics in state schools will do little to address the needs of young people, writes Lucy Nichols
The left, the right and the culture wars - video

Introduced by Mike Wayne and Kevin Ovenden at Counterfire's Revolution! Festival
Tory culture wars vs anti-racist good sense

The events of the last week following the Euro 2020 final present an opportunity for anti-racists to take our arguments into every corner of the country, argues Martin Hall
Mahmoud Darwish: Poet of the Palestinian Resistance - video

Michael Lavalette launches his new book Palestinian Cultures of Resistance with a discussion about the life, politics and poetry of Mahmoud Darwish
What about the beat?

While much of the discourse around popular music might emphasise the importance of singers, it’s really all about the beat, argues Martin Hall
Coronavirus: how effective are facemasks?

In his second note on the political economy of the imminent Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis looks at the antinomies of facemasks
6 steps toward rebuilding the left

Six practical and theoretical suggestions to build a broad, united and fighting left, by David McAllister
William Blake: prophet and seditionary

William Blake was above all else a revolutionary, writes Jacqueline Mulhallen
Saving Essex libraries: protest works, so we'll keep campaigning

NEU member Jean Quinn speaks with Katherine Connelly about the successes of the Save Our Libraries Essex campaign
Rolling Thunder Revue: a Bob Dylan story by Martin Scorsese

Scorsese's new documentary shows Dylan grasping at the truth of an America that was figuring out what it wanted to be
A Marxist guide to crime drama

At its best, crime drama does not simply try to terrify us with pure unblinking evil but gives us studies of dysfunctional human beings mangled by capitalism, argues Sofie Mason
Luther – Marx’s theory of alienation or biblical redemption?

Despite potential allusions to alienation under capitalism, Luther risks becoming a tired exploration of man vs evil, argues Sofie Mason
The dialectics of Doctor Who

Although a part of the establishment media, Doctor Who has always had a subversive thread running through it and today is no different, argues Sean Ledwith
Tales of Two Londons - book review

This collection of writings on London has some striking moments, but is lacking class politics, despite its stated theme, finds Tom Lock Griffiths
Culture as Politics: Selected Writings of Christopher Caudwell - book extract

David Margolies gives an introduction to a new edition of writings by Christopher Caudwell
Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust: Joe Strummer remembered

The punk pioneer and agitprop legend would have been 65 this week, this is what John Rees wrote when he died in 2002
Break the wheel: the politics of Game of Thrones

The wildly popular series has attracted a number of interesting attempts to analyse what it tells us about the contemporary state of capitalist culture
Sound System: The Political Power of Music

Dave Randall’s Sound System is a wide ranging and highly engaging discussion of politics and music that you just can’t put down, finds Sofie Mason
For the many, not the few: Jeremy Corbyn and Percy Bysshe Shelley

A look at the radical history of the poem the Labour leader quoted at Glastonbury
'There have always been exciting political artists'

Dave Randall, activist, musician and writer, talks about the politics of music and his recently published book
Trump up the volume

Now is the time to get creative and infuse our music and culture with politics, argues Dave Randall
Art review: ‘Exhibit A’

Hugh Tisdale and Dan Murrell present a thoughtful blend of reflection, comment and protest, writes Sanjiv Sachdev
Seeing red: the wisdom of John Berger

Revolutionary writer and art critic John Berger has died, aged 90. Chris Nineham reflects on his life and work
Art, Literature and Culture from a Marxist Perspective

Tony McKenna’s cultural essays show the rich possibilities of Marxist analysis for a range of art and literature, argues Sean Ledwith
Anarchy in the UK: iconoclasm’s greatest hit

Forty years ago The Sex Pistols’ debut single was released. Philosophy Football’s Mark Perryman remembers it well
Culture matters to us all

As libraries, galleries and museums face cuts across the board, Jonathan Maunders reports from the fight-back on the streets
Bristol film festival celebrates 40 years of radical British cinema

We spoke to Bristol Radical Film Festival organiser Steve Presence about the rare gems showcasing this year
Greece: bread, education, freedom… and roses too

Kevin Ovenden looks at street culture in this, his fifth dispatch from Greece, and argues that our survival in this crisis decade cannot be through bread alone – we need roses too

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Culture

Culture

It has become the habit amongst some to criticise the Pistols for being ‘crap’ or ‘selling out’ but such an attitude is to massively miss the point, writes Simon Duckett

Coodie and Chike’s Netflix trilogy gives viewers an insight into the rise and troubles of creative powerhouse and hip-hop icon Kanye West, writes Mayer Wakefield

Imperial rivalry has led to dangerous and absurd levels of xenophobia, writes John Clarke

After a period of audience decline and a lack of narrative complexity, the new series offers the hope of a return to form, argues Sean Coote

The annual Wigan Diggers’ Festival represents a vibrant cultural celebration of our radical tradition as well as an opportunity to organise the left today, reports Karen Buckley

Carole Vincent reports from the launch of a campaign to save Stratford Circus, an important community arts and culture venue which has been closed by Newham Council

As part of Counterfire's Revolution! Festival of Marxist Ideas, Dave Randall hosts Shahd Abusalama of Hawiyya Dance Company, Mustafa Sheta from The Freedom Theatre and Z The People of 47Soul

Teaching Latin and Classics in state schools will do little to address the needs of young people, writes Lucy Nichols

Introduced by Mike Wayne and Kevin Ovenden at Counterfire's Revolution! Festival

The events of the last week following the Euro 2020 final present an opportunity for anti-racists to take our arguments into every corner of the country, argues Martin Hall

Michael Lavalette launches his new book Palestinian Cultures of Resistance with a discussion about the life, politics and poetry of Mahmoud Darwish

While much of the discourse around popular music might emphasise the importance of singers, it’s really all about the beat, argues Martin Hall

In his second note on the political economy of the imminent Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis looks at the antinomies of facemasks

Six practical and theoretical suggestions to build a broad, united and fighting left, by David McAllister

William Blake was above all else a revolutionary, writes Jacqueline Mulhallen

NEU member Jean Quinn speaks with Katherine Connelly about the successes of the Save Our Libraries Essex campaign

Scorsese's new documentary shows Dylan grasping at the truth of an America that was figuring out what it wanted to be

At its best, crime drama does not simply try to terrify us with pure unblinking evil but gives us studies of dysfunctional human beings mangled by capitalism, argues Sofie Mason

Despite potential allusions to alienation under capitalism, Luther risks becoming a tired exploration of man vs evil, argues Sofie Mason

Although a part of the establishment media, Doctor Who has always had a subversive thread running through it and today is no different, argues Sean Ledwith

This collection of writings on London has some striking moments, but is lacking class politics, despite its stated theme, finds Tom Lock Griffiths

David Margolies gives an introduction to a new edition of writings by Christopher Caudwell

The punk pioneer and agitprop legend would have been 65 this week, this is what John Rees wrote when he died in 2002

The wildly popular series has attracted a number of interesting attempts to analyse what it tells us about the contemporary state of capitalist culture

Dave Randall’s Sound System is a wide ranging and highly engaging discussion of politics and music that you just can’t put down, finds Sofie Mason

A look at the radical history of the poem the Labour leader quoted at Glastonbury

Dave Randall, activist, musician and writer, talks about the politics of music and his recently published book

Now is the time to get creative and infuse our music and culture with politics, argues Dave Randall

Hugh Tisdale and Dan Murrell present a thoughtful blend of reflection, comment and protest, writes Sanjiv Sachdev

Revolutionary writer and art critic John Berger has died, aged 90. Chris Nineham reflects on his life and work

Tony McKenna’s cultural essays show the rich possibilities of Marxist analysis for a range of art and literature, argues Sean Ledwith

Forty years ago The Sex Pistols’ debut single was released. Philosophy Football’s Mark Perryman remembers it well

As libraries, galleries and museums face cuts across the board, Jonathan Maunders reports from the fight-back on the streets

We spoke to Bristol Radical Film Festival organiser Steve Presence about the rare gems showcasing this year

Kevin Ovenden looks at street culture in this, his fifth dispatch from Greece, and argues that our survival in this crisis decade cannot be through bread alone – we need roses too