Alex Taylor, HERO Magazine Journalist Profile

Articles

Five students, a remote island, and the sequel to a horror classic

1 week ago | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

For film student Hazel, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. She and four of her classmates at the University of Birmingham were being offered work experience on the set of a proper feature film. Better yet, the movie was tied to the legacy of a global cult classic. And filming would take place amidst the rugged beauty of remote Shetland, travel expenses covered.
Chicken Quarter: fair or fowl?

2 weeks ago | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

Enjoying this edition? You can get two totally free editions of The Dispatch every week by signing up to our regular mailing list. Just click the button below. No cost. Just old school local journalism. It’s 11.30pm on a Friday night on New Street and a young man called Alex is sitting alone outside KFC. He’s drunk and munching on a burger with the content expression of a grazing cow.
I Write Eulogies, Not Tragedies

2 weeks ago | the-fence.com | Alex Taylor

When he was a student, this writer peddled paeans from his dorm room. Nan was dead. Of that, no confirmation was needed – mouth hanging open in one final gasp; eyes short of a destination, ceasing to wander. I was 19 at the time, and in that moment, I kissed her cold forehead goodbye. I’d loved my nan – well, great-nan – but this wasn’t her. This was a body, a retired vehicle of tea and toast production, and nobody quite knew what to say next.
Swans - Birthing Review — Still Listening

1 month ago | stilllisteningmagazine.com | Alex Taylor

Swans are monolithic. The chant-at-the-beginning-of-time lyricism that Michael Gira so often uses is monolithic. Their song lengths are monolithic. In fact, it's a miracle that these monoliths have so much depth and texture to them. You can see why the monkeys in 2001 went mad for monoliths. It wouldn't be the same without these core components.
Millennium Girls by Sophia Leonie – review • Afridiziak Theatre News

1 month ago | afridiziak.com | Alex Taylor

Sophia Leonie‘s MILLENNIUM GIRLSis a love letter to growing up in the 90s — perfectly messy and shaped by UK garage. The standout show is on now at Brixton House until the May 31 with a 70-minute run time. Directed by Jade Lewis and performed by Tamara Camacho (Chanel), Sophia Leonie (Jessica), Nkhanise Phiri (Jasmine), and Unique Spencer (Latisha), the show follows three best friends as they navigate the space between girlhood and womanhood.
Breakin’ Convention – review • Afridiziak Theatre News

1 month ago | afridiziak.com | Alex Taylor

Breakin’ Convention 2025 at Sadler’s Wells in Angel has reaffirmed its status as the world’s largest hip-hop dance theatre festival, delivering a dynamic blend of artistry and community spirit over the May bank holiday weekend. Curated and hosted by the brilliant Jonzi D, the festival transformed the venue into a hub of dance, music, and culture, celebrating hip hop’s global reach and evolving narratives.
Sparkbrook’s pigeon plague

2 months ago | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

“You’ve got it all wrong,” warns a small man in his eighties, pushing a loaded shopping trolley. It squeaks across the pavement. “The pigeons didn’t just arrive one day: they’ve always been here. We all know what they want too.” He raises a weathered hand from the sleeve of his jumper, and gestures toward the carpet of birds obscuring the tarmac of the Aldi car park in Sparkbrook. Hundreds — and I mean hundreds — of pigeons surround us, pecking calmly around my trainers.
Exclusive behind the scenes of Ryan Calais Cameron’s Retrograde

Feb 26, 2025 | afridiziak.com | Alex Taylor

Ten years before he becomes the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Actor, Retrograde, this gripping drama captures the moment a young Sidney Poitier prepares to sign a career-defining Hollywood contract that could make him a star. But there’s a catch. Will he put his career before his principles? In a time of betrayals, will he name names? Will he sign his life away? Ryan Calais Cameron’s punchy Retrograde will debut at the Apollo Theatre following a sold-out run at the Kiln Theatre.
‘Like gunshots going off outside my window’: how padel tore a Sutton Coldfield community in half

Feb 12, 2025 | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

By Alex TaylorI’m sitting in Jason Kerrigan’s cottage in a residential area of Sutton Coldfield, when the conversation turns to the conspiratorial. In a low whisper, Jason unspools the story of the fox. The fox had a den behind the row of houses Jason and his neighbours live in, backing onto the local tennis court. The fox was beloved by the local community, Jason tells me. He would often film it on his phone and his neighbours enjoyed watching it scurry about.
Corteo, Cirque Du Soleil – review • Afridiziak Theatre News

Jan 17, 2025 | afridiziak.com | Alex Taylor

Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo, a mesmerising celebration of life and dreams, has premiered at the Royal Albert Hall. Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, it masterfully explores human vulnerability through a whimsical journey of acrobatics, music, and theatre. With spine-tingling feats from some of the best acrobats and clowns in the world, Corteo is a high-energy, captivating spectacle.