Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 18, 2024

Arts & Entertainment



COURTESY OF GILLIAN LELCHUK

Spring Awakening wows audiences

The last time I saw anything involving live acting was my high school’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, which, if you do not know, has something to do with an anthropomorphic plant that eats people while singing jazzy tunes.


 KATHRYN PARSON/CC-BY-ND-2.0
Samuel T. Herring is the frontman of the enigmatic Baltimore-based indie rock band, Future Islands.

Future Islands captivate at Ottobar show

There was excitement in the air at Future Islands’ Friday night show, held at the Ottobar to celebrate the release of their latest album, The Far Field. By inviting Nerftoss and Soul Cannon to open and choosing to play at Ottobar in lieu of a larger venue, Future Islands seemed to be giving back to the Baltimore community, which frontman Samuel T. Herring emphasized has meant a lot to the band.


Queer representation falls short in media

A lot of people think that the issue of queer representation in the media ended in 2004 with Damian from Mean Girls in the same way that many people think the larger battle for gay rights ended with the establishment of marriage equality in 2015.


 G. Carus/CC-By-SA-3.0
Joey Bada$$ released his sophomore studio album this past Friday.

Joey Bada$$ goes radio-friendly with new album

Joey Bada$$ is a miracle. At a time when New York and East Coast hip-hop as a collective was being mocked, ridiculed and disdained, Joey, this wiry, wide-eyed 18-year-old kid dropped his first mixtape, 1999, and changed the status and esteem of a whole coast.




Legion plays with viewers’ expectations

Early on in the first episode FX’s Legion, a character’s memory of a pivotal event is dissected. Thirty minutes later another character enters and essentially tells the audience that the previous memory was fabricated.


 COURTESY OF JACOB TOOK
John Waters’ latest book, Make Trouble, is based off a commencement speech he gave in 2015.

Make Trouble showcases John Waters’ range

If you haven’t seen Pink Flamingos, please do yourself a favor and take care of that now. Fair warning: It’s by far the most disgusting film ever made, so as long as you aren’t alone and you aren’t sober, you’ll love it.


 LOU ROCCO/CC-BY-ND-2.0
Shonda Rhimes created the hit clinical drama, Grey’s Anatomy.SHONDA RHIMES

Grey’s Anatomy star directs latest episode

Long-time Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) made her directorial debut in last Thursday’s poignant and beautifully cinematic episode “Be Still, My Soul,” the 18th episode of season 13, which chronicles a cancer treatment that hits close to home for the doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial and explores the idea that love can sometimes do more harm than good.


 EVA RINALDI/CC-by-SA-2.0
Ed Sheeran has recently released his newest studio album, Divide.

Ed Sheeran falters with latest album, Divide

After three years without new music and a self-imposed social media hiatus, Ed Sheeran finally released his newest album, Divide (÷), on March 3. New listeners and devoted fans alike will find the exceptional guitar skills and raw vocals that have solidified Sheeran’s popularity in full supply on this new album, but they can also expect to witness Sheeran’s notable evolution into different musical styles.


SOLETRON/cC-by-nd-2.0
Freddie Gibbs returns with his latest studio album, You Only Live 2wice, following Shadow of a Doubt.

You Only Live 2wice marks the return of Gibbs

Freddie Gibbs (aka Freddie Gordy, Gangsta Gibbs) has been rapping for years, but his rise was fairly recent. He caught buzz over mixtapes and small, local songs before truly blowing up through his masterful collaboration with Madlib (Piñata)as well as his great follow up album, Shadow of a Doubt.


Isaiah Rashad plays high-energy show

The young audience that filled Isaiah Rashad’s show shouted “Zaywop” in unison in excitement for the Tennessee rapper’s entrance. Shortly afterwards, he stormed the stage mid-flow, with an energy that I personally wasn’t expecting. Really, that was the dominant theme of the night: subverting expectations.




Future Islands prepares for Ottobar shows

Baltimore-based band Future Islands had been touring virtually non-stop, playing relatively small, do-it-yourself gigs before they broke out in spring 2014. Their performance of “Seasons (Waiting on You)” off of the album “Singles” on the Late Show with David Letterman went viral, largely due to their lead-singer Samuel T. Herring’s highly-charged energy and unique dance moves. It is the most viewed debut in the Late Show’s history.



 COURTESY OF BRANDON BLOCK
MC Schmidt (one half of duo Matmos) as “R” in a live performance Robert Ashley’s Perfect Lives.

Matmos performs Robert Ashley’s Perfect Lives

As I sat outside of 2640 Space waiting for the heavy church doors to open, a young woman walked up and asked, “Is this the line?” Glancing at the row of waiting people that was just beginning to turn the corner of the block, the man sitting next to me replied, “We’re not in line, but I think some of the other people are.”



Tennis dances through their 9:30 Club show

Just moments after Tennis’s first song ended, their lead singer, Alaina Moore, announced that this was the largest show that they had ever played. The 9:30 Club was packed yet quaint, and as the band moved into their next song, a rhythmic calm washed over the tightly packed crowd.


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