LDN OFFSTAGE

AUX EVENT @ PIRATE STUDIOS, DALSTON. W/ SPECIAL GUEST JUDGE, BINA.

On 1 April, I met London-born artist BINA in the maze of Pirate Studios in Dalston. The night was hosted by Cloud Nine singer Yoshe Rose, with Bina collaborating as guest judge.

Known for blending Soft Rage, R&B with Jungle-Indie textures, Bina's individuality is rooted in her Black-British identity, evident in her recent projects, Pendulum and Dopamine.

"This is my first time working towards a deadline on a project. I’ve turned it into a personal challenge. For me, production’s more fun that way."

- Bina

For the past two years, Pirate Studios have been creating space for independent artists and producers to come together, share their sound, and connect with industry faces. This event was a way to honor the 'creative process' and pay their art forward in a thriving community.

"Surround yourself with high-quality things and, you'll produce high-quality projects."

- Bina

What seemed to be a low-key, quickly evolved into a screening session, exclusive for those 'in the know'. There were different sounds and different people, but the atmosphere felt collective and cosmic.

Audience listening to samples of independent music at Pirate Studios.

There was no big stage, no pressure to showcase. It was about being in the moment. It was beautiful to see people showing up not just for their music, but for each other, supporting the versatility of all genres.

Highlight samples on the night were played by:

Camberwell Jack, Elviene, Dream Flower, Denissa, Yoshe Rose, Luke Behan and Neon Heon.

"I heard about AUX through friends. I went in with no expectations and came out with inspiration, love and a reminder to keep creating."

- NeonHeon

Have a project you want to share? Or just want an evening out to hear music and meet new people? Why not join the community at the next AUX session? Sign up for tickets here.

PRIVATE SHOW: §1NDA - A NEURONDIVERGENT AESTHETIC

Draft to edit - The exhibition positions neurodivergence as culturally significant, intellectually rigorous and central to contemporary art practice. It asks whether difference itself—divergent cognition—can be seen, identified and understood through aesthetics. While recognising that identity is shaped by multiple factors including environment, education and privilege, DYSPLA argues that cognition plays a fundamental role in artistic identity, methodology and creative output.

Alongside the installation, the programme will include panel discussions, roundtable debates, free workshops and public conversations with leading neurodivergent artists, academics, curators and critical peers. These events will explore questions such as: Does neurodivergence shape inspiration, behaviour, taste and aesthetics? Can neurodivergence function as a material or methodology for art-making?

SELFRIDGES ACCUSED OF CANCELLING THE JEWISH STATE

"Selfridges, have pulled a line of alleged “antisemitic” illuminated globes from the shelves of its flagship Oxford Street store. This follows the backlash over the so-called 'silencing' of Israel.

The rotating world map, which had been on display at the luxury London retailer, showed Palestine in capital letters, while Israel appeared only as a number with a corresponding entry in a separate key.

The department store confirmed it removed the item from its shelves several weeks ago after customers raised concerns about the cartographic representation.

Max Radford, a pro-Israel activist who lodged a formal complaint with the retailer, accused Selfridges of 'cancelling' the Jewish state".

BBC PRESENTS, GLOVES ARE OFF: THE RISING OF BARE-KNUCKLE BOXING

In the past few years, bare-knuckle boxing has edged its way back into the spotlight. it's popularity has grown in the entertainment industry so much the sport has become impossible to ignore.

Bare-knuckle boxing originated in England and dates back to 1681. Decades later gloves had been introduced to reduce damage to the hands and later been rebranded as Boxing. However, the introduction of gloves wasn’t just about safety, it was a way to civilise the sport and make it more paletable for the audience.

They protected the fighters hands, faces, and bodies. But they also created space. Time between exchanges. A provided moments of reset to allow the continuation of rounds.

Today, the removal of gloves has largely been driven by Millennial and Gen-Z circuts, pushing back against the idea of gloves providing safety.

Compared to boxing rings, bare-knuckle fights take place in smaller spaces, which means less space to manouver and rest between spars. Knockouts come quicker, and damage to the body is visible sooner. There’s no padding to disguise or reduce the amount of bodily harm caused.

The sport is extremely unfiltered in contrast to its cousin sport, wrestling; Something that worked well in the 80's, now seems too polished, too rehearsed but acceptable for the much younger viewer.

There’s still no clear data proving bare-knuckle boxing is any safer than traditional boxing, especially with most of the damage surfacing until years later.

Today's modern society happily endorse and glamorise the violence associated with bare-knuckle fighting. With supporters protesting Golf as the main sport to cause head and brain injuries. As this has been statistically proven, it complicates how we define 'danger' in sport.

When fighters leave the ring needing urgent care, I can't help raising my question... Which is, at what point does it stop feeling like sport?

Follow Rees's journey irl, as he fights to maintain his title as the World Champion of Bare-Knuckle boxing.

Contains some upsetting scenes.

Documentary length 23 minutes

Uploaded to BBC iPlayer, 9 February 2026

Available for 10 months

**Most programmes are available to download on the mobile/tablet app and will have the same availability as it would if you were streaming it.

ERWIN WURM EXHIBITION: ONE DAY YES / ONE DAY NO

WHAT'S ON MY PLATE?

I just got another email from Uber Eats telling me there’s still time to grab 30% off my next order… and honestly? I don’t see that being used anytime soon.

Five days ago, I committed to a strict eat-clean, work-out regime. Yes...

The infamous 75 Hard.

And apparently, I’m also meant to be reading for 30 minutes a day. I’ll say it now… I’m human 😅 that part hasn’t quite made it into the routine yet. But give me time, I’ll get there.

What I have been consistent with though is working out twice a day, minimum 30 minutes per session. Now technically, the NHS says adults 25+ should aim for at least 30 minutes a day… But let’s be real, this isn’t your standard routine. This is 75 Hard, and I’m fully locked in.

Day 3? Brutal. No sugar-coating it. But now, heading into Day 6, I can genuinely say the consistency is starting to show and it feels good.

I’ve been making my own juices (red and green) focusing mainly on skin, organ and gut healing and health. It’s giving discipline, it’s giving reset, it’s giving… new habits loading. Purrr...

And I think that’s the part people don’t talk about enough. Starting to eat healthy isn’t just about aesthetics or ticking a box. It’s about learning how to show up for yourself in small, quiet ways. It’s choosing the version of you that thinks long-term, even when short-term cravings are louder. It’s understanding that your body keeps score of what you feed it, how you move it, how you rest it.

Right now, it’s not perfect. Some parts feel forced, some parts still don’t fit. But there’s something steady building underneath it all. And I'm all here for it!

Anyway. The Uber Eats emails can wait.

OPENING NIGHT: NHU XUAN HUA @ AUTOGRAPH GALLERY

Nhu Xuan Hua is a french vietnamese photographer and artist based in Paris, working between Paris and London and taking commissions worldwide.

The Autograph gallery in Hackney supported the development of Nhu's first solo exhibition 'Walking on Fire.'

Body of exhibition.

STEPHEN LAWRENCE DAY

Held on 22 April, Stephen Lawrence Day commemorates the life and legacy of a Black-British teenager murdered in an unprovoked racist attack in South London in 1993. Stephen Lawrence and his friend Duwayne Brooks were waiting at a bus stop when a group of white youths shouted racist abuse and attacked them. Stephen was stabbed twice and died shortly afterwards.

Five suspects were arrested during the initial police investigation, but none were convicted. Serious failures in the investigation meant it took 18 years for two of the suspects, Gary Dobson and David Norris, to be found guilty in 2012 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Neil Acourt, Jamie Acourt, and Luke Knight were never convicted. The Macpherson Report in 1999 later concluded that the case had been undermined by institutional racism.

Moments like this can bring up painful memories, especially for those who have experienced racism. While allyship and support have grown across communities since the incident, the memory of this tragic incident will remain.

PREPERATION FOR ARTEMIS II

'Artemis 2 will be the first astronaut mission beyond low Earth orbit in more than 50 years.' - Space.com.

With only a week to go, the world hold their breath as astronauts prepare to journey around the moon 1 April. The mission itself is expected to last 10 days, serving as a crusical test of NASA's next-gen space launch system rocket and, Orion spacecraft.

President Donald Trump, mentioned the highest priority was for Artemis' safe return to Earth amid the emphasis of "dominating the intensifying space race between the U.S. and China. Chinese officials have pledged to land their own astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030