Leona Lewis: the Hackney heroine has given Simon Cowell a lesson in taste
Collide singer talks epic spook-pop, riots and dodging Whitney style ballads with Sylvia Patterson
Music
Shacklewell Arms gets new hands
Uber-cool DJs, top bands and ‘secret’ performances have transformed an old-style music pub. The Citizen meets those behind the change
Hackney WickED Art Festival 2011 – review
This popular three day extravaganza drew thousands of art and music lovers to Hackney Wick and Fish Island last month. The Citizen explores the galleries
I Am Braziliality
A new exhibition challenges preconceptions and looks at the nation’s culture and identity afresh
TEETH: rising Dalston band promise to stay close to their roots
This electro dance trio pushed the boundaries of sound, sexuality and the DIY music scene to breaking point. But as the former Dalston squatters bask in the glory of a new record deal, they insist they won’t let success blunt their musical bite
Barbican unveils Olympics arts festival
Programme includes theatre productions starring Juliette Binoche and Cate Blanchett, and major Bauhaus exhibition
Leona Lewis – interview
With a ‘more uptempo’, ‘darker’ album due out later this year, the superstar singer talks about what’s next
Land of Kings – a right royal rave up
A flavour of two days of musical revelry as people party in the heart of Hackney
Michael Jackson sculpture at Premises Studios sparks ‘hate campaign’
Madonna and Child by Swedish artist Maria von Köhler incurs the wrath of fans of the King of Pop
Winning the argument: the Ethical Debating Society
The Citizen negotiates its way with some ‘uncool, untalented, unconnected’ contrarians