writer & journalist
by Sara Valle-Martínez London is a metropolitan city with over nine million inhabitants roaming its streets, taking red double-decker buses, and pushing and fighting to get a seat in the Central Line at rush hour. If you step outside you realise a few things right away. First, the city is a melting pot – a …
Continue reading "Pollution in London: Will Sadiq’s plans make a difference?"
Written and captured by Sara Valle-Martínez People gathered on a Monday night in indie venue Lafayette in London to see what the actor-turned-singer Maya Hawke had to offer. South African singer Manu Grace opened for a crowd of expectant fans with a set of groovy beats and unguarded lyrics. Standing on stage in her green velvet dress with her guitar and …
Continue reading "Maya Hawke at Lafayette in London with opener Manu Grace"
By Sara Valle-Martínez Sonus faber pay tribute to the titans of music history, from those on stage to those working behind the curtains, with their new award-winning Homage collection. The Homage New Generation melds artistry with cutting-edge innovation to elevate the listening experience to new heights. All the squares in the company’s ethos are checked. …
Continue reading "Sonus faber’s Homage New Generation Launch Event"
By Sara Valle-Martínez (ARCHIVE: Originally published in 2014) Three years after the play’s first revival since the 1950s, this new production of Accolade still has the ability to surprise its audience. Featuring a host of witty and raw characters, Accolade deals with writer Emlyn Williams’ belief that we all have something to be ashamed of. Director Blanche McIntyre took a chance in restaging this 50s …
Continue reading "Accolade at the St James | Theatre review"
By Sara Valle-Martínez Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) will cover whole of Greater London from 29 August 2023. Drivers will face a daily fee of £12.50 for using London’s roads from next year, as part of the mayor’s attempt to clean up the city’s toxic air and tackle the climate emergency. …
By Sara Valle-Martínez, Lauren Spencer and Gabriela Yorgova Breweries might have to serve warm beer amid blackout warnings from the National Grid’s chief executive, and Holloway hospitality businesses are worried they might have to close down. John Pettigrew said earlier this month Britain could be affected by the winter blackouts from 4pm to 7pm during …
Continue reading "Warm beer? Industry workers speak out amid economic crisis"
By Sara Valle-Martínez The Scottish boy with an Italian name is back! After eight years of radio silence, Paolo Nutini announced he would be part of the line-up for different UK festivals like TRSNMT in Scotland and the legendary Knebworth, then he announced extra dates in Spain, Italy, France… And just a few days after a series of intimate shows was booked, …
Continue reading "Paolo Nutini: Nothing bittersweet about the singer-songwriter’s return"
By Sara Valle-Martínez Being a fan is hard. As Caitlin Moran puts it in her book, How To Be Famous, there’s something incredibly intimate about consuming someone else’s art. And the connection is even stronger when you’re a teenager exposed to any kind of stimuli. It’s especially hard if you’re a girl. Inevitably, being a teenager means feeling …
By Sara Valle-Martínez (top image courtesy of Deva Fernández) Back in the beginning of 2010, people moved from MySpace to Tumblr, a social media platform in the form of a blog that allowed users to post and reblog photos and texts of all kinds. With the death of MySpace, emo kids were left with nowhere to showcase their music …
By Sara Valle-Martínez There are over nine million immigrants living in the United Kingdom according to a 2019 study by The Migration Observatory. This means 14% of the population could be experiencing what is known as “migratory grief.” The British Psychological Society says there are two types of loss: the physical one, which would refer to a …
Sara Valle-Martínez 