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CULTURE


Banger racing, big hats and the beach: photographer Sophie Green celebrates British subcultures and social rituals

May 22, 2026

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3 min read

Banger racing, big hats and the beach: photographer Sophie Green celebrates British subcultures and social rituals

Ahead of a new exhibition, the acclaimed documentary photographer shares the stories behind her vibrant images of gatherings, traditions and “the eccentric lengths to which the British will go” when having fun

The Nerve Hotlist

May 12, 2026

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4 min read

The Nerve Hotlist

The best culture to check out this week, from the return of 80s rompathon Rivals to a celebration of radical cinema – as enjoyed by our team of editors and writers

Richard Gadd’s new show Half Man is hard to watch. But does it have anything to say?

Apr 24, 2026

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4 min read

Richard Gadd’s new show Half Man is hard to watch. But does it have anything to say?

The acclaimed new drama from the creator of Baby Reindeer doesn’t ‘expose’ toxic masculinity so much as simply make a spectacle of it, writes Julia Raeside

Julia Raeside
Julia Raeside
Review of the Week: Rose of Nevada

Apr 24, 2026

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3 min read

Review of the Week: Rose of Nevada

Cornish auteur Mark Jenkin’s drama about ghost ships and gentrification, all shot on 16mm film, is eerie, disorienting and his most audience-pleasing film to date, writes Ellen E Jones

Ellen E Jones
Ellen E Jones
The Nerve Hotlist

Apr 21, 2026

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5 min read

The Nerve Hotlist

This week’s top cultural picks – from Deborah Levy’s elusive new book to rapper Loyle Carner's acting debut in Mint – as seen and enjoyed by our team of editors and writers

Crop tops and thongs: how Epstein's friend Les Wexner sexualised children's fashion

Apr 17, 2026

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6 min read

Crop tops and thongs: how Epstein's friend Les Wexner sexualised children's fashion

The paedophile’s close professional relationship with clothing billionaire Les Wexner coincided with a dark, Lolita-like period in fashion when girls were invited to age up and women to age down, writes Deborah Frances-White

Stonehenge, carnival, folk and fascists: how Zakia Sewell went in pursuit of the real story of Britain

Apr 17, 2026

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5 min read

Stonehenge, carnival, folk and fascists: how Zakia Sewell went in pursuit of the real story of Britain

The 6 Music DJ and writer, whose new book explores her mixed-race heritage and the ancient myth of ‘Albion’, tells Michaela Makusha everyone has a stake in a complex, nuanced country

Michaela Makusha
Michaela Makusha
Review of the Week: The Music Is Black: A British Story at V&A East

Apr 17, 2026

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3 min read

Review of the Week: The Music Is Black: A British Story at V&A East

An ambitious exhibition launching the V&A's brand new outpost shies away from the hardest parts of the social history behind the tunes, but tells its story with verve, writes music critic Damien Morris

Damien Morris
Damien Morris
The Recommender: Adeel Akhtar

Apr 17, 2026

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3 min read

The Recommender: Adeel Akhtar

The double-Bafta-winning actor, known for Sherwood, Down Cemetery Road and Four Lions, picks his current cultural favourites

The Nerve Hotlist

Apr 14, 2026

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9 min read

The Nerve Hotlist

The best culture to enjoy this week – from Carey Mulligan in the second series of Beef to the surrealism of Leonora Carrington – as seen and chosen for you by our team of editors and writers

Review of the Week: Veronica Ryan: Multiple Conversations

Apr 10, 2026

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7 min read

Review of the Week: Veronica Ryan: Multiple Conversations

The sculptor’s joyous, organic creations, repurposed and reimagined from everyday objects, speak to each other beautifully in her new exhibition, writes Emily LaBarge

Emily LaBarge
Emily LaBarge
I was a teenage Pet Shop Boys fan. Decades later, they’re always on my mind

Apr 8, 2026

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8 min read

I was a teenage Pet Shop Boys fan. Decades later, they’re always on my mind

As a 13-year-old in Saudi, Arwa Haider wore the band’s T-shirts under her abaya. Now a new book and gigs by the duo, and a major exhibition on youth culture, are shining a light on the overlooked power of fandom

The Nerve Hotlist

Apr 8, 2026

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7 min read

The Nerve Hotlist

This week’s top cultural picks – from Jim Jarmusch’s new film to Jamie Woon’s return to music – as chosen by our team of writers and editors

The Recommender: Romola Garai

Apr 2, 2026

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6 min read

The Recommender: Romola Garai

The award-winning TV, film and theatre actor shares her latest cultural discoveries

Director François Ozon: 'In France, we consider cinema as an art. I'm not sure in England it's the same'

Apr 2, 2026

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10 min read

Director François Ozon: 'In France, we consider cinema as an art. I'm not sure in England it's the same'

The French film-maker, whose new movie, The Stranger, is out next week, talks to Ellen E Jones about stars, politics, Camus and the Cure

Ellen E Jones
Ellen E Jones
Review of the Week: Romeo and Juliet / Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Apr 2, 2026

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7 min read

Review of the Week: Romeo and Juliet / Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Two inventive, high-profile openings pay striking testament to the dangerous power of love, writes Dorian Lynskey

Dorian Lynskey
Dorian Lynskey
The Nerve Hotlist

Mar 31, 2026

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9 min read

The Nerve Hotlist

The best culture to check out this week – from a Tony-winning high-school stage drama to Riz Ahmed’s new comedy series – as picked by our team of editors and writers

Orwell, Trump and the persistence of fascism: ‘He was giving us a warning’

Mar 27, 2026

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15 min read

Orwell, Trump and the persistence of fascism: ‘He was giving us a warning’

Raoul Peck, director of a new film about the author, tells Dorian Lynskey that the dystopia of Nineteen Eighty-Four was drawn from lived experience, not prophecy

Dorian Lynskey
Dorian Lynskey
Review of the Week: Sexistential by Robyn

Mar 27, 2026

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6 min read

Review of the Week: Sexistential by Robyn

Babies, boobs and pop bangers! The Swedish star is back with a euphoric new album embracing the joy of motherhood and messy, middle-aged desire, writes Nerve music critic Kate Hutchinson

Kate Hutchinson
Kate Hutchinson
The Recommender: Himesh Patel

Mar 27, 2026

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6 min read

The Recommender: Himesh Patel

The actor whose roles include Yesterday, Station Eleven and now Bait picks his current cultural favourites

The Nerve Hotlist

Mar 24, 2026

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9 min read

The Nerve Hotlist

The best culture to check out this week - from musician James Blake on fine form to a dive into Hokusai's Great Wave - as seen and enjoyed by our team of editors and writers

SNL UK proved everyone wrong: it’s a big, British, Saturday riot

Mar 24, 2026

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8 min read

SNL UK proved everyone wrong: it’s a big, British, Saturday riot

The US sketch-show behemoth didn’t seem like a natural export, but it has pulled together the biggest collection of homegrown talent in years, writes comedian Max Olesker

‘It’s everyone’s history’: the artist Hurvin Anderson on his Tate Britain retrospective

Mar 24, 2026

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9 min read

‘It’s everyone’s history’: the artist Hurvin Anderson on his Tate Britain retrospective

The Turner prize-nominated painter, whose luminous canvases span portraiture, barbershop interiors and the lush landscapes of his Jamaican heritage, talks to Nerve art critic Emily LaBarge

Emily LaBarge
Emily LaBarge
The Recommender: Arlo Parks

Mar 20, 2026

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7 min read

The Recommender: Arlo Parks

The Mercury award-winning singer-songwriter picks her current cultural favourites

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