Hear the angels sing

200 years of Dickens on stage and screen

Lola Salem on an organisation showing the tone-deaf, identity politics-obsessed Arts Council that a modest grant wisely placed goes a long way

Born in the titular Kent city in the late 60s, the Canterbury scene spawned some of prog’s most creative and quirky acts. From The Wilde Flowers and Soft Machine to Caravan and Gong, each had a distinctive sound and, in many cases, image that captured the hearts and minds of their followers. But the scene’s impact didn’t end in the 70s. Phil Howitt, Facelift editor and Hugh Hopper’s biographer, explores the new breed of progressive acts inspired by it, both consciously and unwittingly, and unearths the secrets of the ‘Canterbury chord’.

Norman Lebrecht on Music HE WORKED SO ...

Where newspapers came from

Night as a space of fear and imagination