ISSUE 17: Shifty, Beyonce, Open Gardens, Nintendo and virtual v Reality.
A 3 minute read that might just inspire midlifers to stop doomscrolling.
Hi,
Welcome to 2025 - issue 2!
What might make it into your diary this week…?
Beyoncé is live in London this week, with six concerts at Tottenham’s football stadium. The thing is, tickets are not selling very well, even though the gigs are receiving great reviews. So, our tip - buy the cheapest ticket and shuffle along to a top seat. This was a screenshot of tickets available just now for one of the nights.
Shifty is a new series from Adam Curtis, which shows, in a new and imaginative way, how over the past 40 years in Britain, extreme money and hyper-individualism came together in an unspoken alliance. Coming this month.
At the royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, until 28th June.
There have been rave reviews for Shakespeare’s great tragedy and Radiohead’s seminal album colliding for a feverish experience that fuses theatre, music, and movement. Go see. (We are!)
4 London Open Gardens returns this weekend.
Explore 100+ hidden gardens, from rooftop sanctuaries to historic squares, normally closed to the public - and get a two-for-one ticket for 50% off, on the above link.
Out this week - the long-awaited sequel to Nintendo’s highly successful handheld games console, the Nintendo Switch. Queues formed at midnight shop openings up and down the country, and stock has already sold out. The Switch 2 is the hottest tech launch of the past few years - on launch day there were more Google searches for “Nintendo” than there were for “Trump”. Only £395! Click the link for a review that sums up the general vibe - Gamers like it!
With the sad news that A-ha star Morten Harket has been diagnosed with Parkinson's, now might be a good time to watch the excellent documentary film about the band, in their successful period and also years after - it’s an eye-opener. Available on streaming platforms.
David Shields’ book, first published in 2011, is back in vogue as it questions every assumption we ever made about art, the novel, journalism, poetry, film, TV, rap, stand-up, graffiti, sampling, plagiarism, writing, and reading - in a world that is increasingly craving authentic ‘real’ experiences.
Cheers,
Chris
Let us know if you consume any of our ‘Big 7’ - and what you thought!?
Midlifer will appear as this weekly round-up email newsletter of 7 great things every Thursday - or as one WhatsApp message a day – something cool for you to check out when you’re tempted to doomscroll. Just fill in your mobile number and reply below if you want to receive our once daily WhatsApp. We promise no spam - only a daily slice of real inspiration.
Please share this issue, or if it was forwarded to you, please subscribe below if you would like to be first in the know. Plus, please email us anything you think would benefit from being shared with Midlifer readers at chris@chrisward.cc
