Latest 7 magazine

Shop rents could shoot up in St James’s Street because of the new Starbucks, the city centre manager has warned.

Soozie Campbell said the presence of a major coffee retailer in the popular Kemp Town street could push higher charges on existing and future stores.

There are already five Starbucks in Brighton and Hove. The company was refused permission to open a shop on St James’s street by the city council’s planning department last week after more than 500 people sent letters of objection. But the American firm opened the store on Saturday anyway as it is legally entitled to until the outcome of its appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Read the rest of this article »

Music Matters: How can music influence politics? Nick Aldwinckle quizzed Leftfield organiser Geoff Martin

With this year’s Glastonbury Festival fast approaching, a series of Brighton warm-up shows in aid of the Glastonbury Leftfield Stage have been announced. The stage is run by Geoff Martin, director of Rock Against Racism. He told Latest 7 what inspired him to use music to fight for equality and justice.

Tell me about the Leftfield Stage.
It was set up in 2002 with the aim of having an area at Glastonbury run by the trade union movement. I used to be active in Unison, but now I devote my time to this.

The first time, we had just six weeks to get the stage together, so I ended up compering, serving behind the bar, being stage manager, playing the spoons and singing with Billy Bragg! At first it was just a corner of the beer tent and we’ve grown to being the biggest covered venue on the Glastonbury site. Glastonbury’s always had that radical campaigning edge, whether it’s Greenpeace or Water Aid or CND. That’s the identity of the festival and it should be about more than just people going down there and enjoying the bands. Read the rest of this article »

Sandra Omo is happy to change her portfolio, but definitely not every week

The need for me to update my portfolio has been screaming at me since I returned. I have had urges to update my portfolio before but it has never presented itself so strongly. Everywhere I go, it’s the first thing I notice. Even my booker has scolded me, saying that if I do not have new photos done in a week he will dump me – sounds like a joke, but he is serious. My friends are flaunting their new books in my face. As if this is not enough, I flip through my portfolio and I think that none of the images represent or even resemble me, and even my column is in dire need of new photos. This has had me wondering what has changed; is it me, my hairstyle, the photos – certainly not. Perhaps it is status: does this show through in photos? I am dying to know.

“The thought of having a photoshoot weekly – does it not drive some people mad?”

Read the rest of this article »

Katie is learning to love the benefits of her job, and they come thick and fast at Cannes

It’s getting harder and harder to hate my job. Even if I wanted to. My flatmate comes home – a cloud of grey – collapsing on the sofa and droning on and on about the day he’s had at work.

He complains the sky is dark, the commute is long, the filing is dull and the whole corporate nightmare has added to his general state of unshifting misery. But I’m not there to hear him, because I’m lying on a beach in Cannes soaking up the sunshine and giggling into a raspberry Capriani. Read the rest of this article »