25 February 2021
10 minutes
As she releases her debut album, ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’ the London-based singer, songwriter and poet Arlo Parks reflects on how she defines her sound. She tells us about the music and poetry she was brought up on, why certain instruments speak to her and the effect that the spoken word has on her music.
25 February 2021
Share episode
DownloadWant more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
Monocle on Culture - latest episodes
Summer soundtrack
Robert Bound is joined by Kate Hutchinson and Christine Ochefu to take you through this summer’s hottest music releases. From the biggest names to the less well-known, find out which artists should be providing the backdrop…
Chris Blackwell
As the man who signed Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell is credited with bringing Jamaican music to the masses. He talks to Robert Bound about his upbringing on – and love for – the Caribbean island, as well as…
Norway’s new National Museum, behind the scenes of Primavera and Indonesia’s ‘Balinale’
We visit Norway’s new National Museum on Oslo’s harbour, which aims to cement the city’s position as an emerging cultural capital. Plus: we go behind the scenes of Barcelona music festival Primavera Sound and hear from the…
‘Top Gun: Maverick’
Tom Cruise is back as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell for another sky-high adventure in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. Robert Bound is joined by critics Clarisse Loughrey and Simran Hans to ask whether this legacy sequel takes off.
The films of Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola has been applauded as a filmmaker ever since ‘The Virgin Suicides’ in 1999. In the two decades since, her films have touched on everything from an 18th-century queen on the eve of the French revolution to a…
Jarvis Cocker's loft
We meet Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker for a tour of the objects that catalogue his rise to stardom, found in a loft and now forming the basis of his new memoir and exhibition. Plus we head to another exhibition, ‘Once Upon…
Foghorns and the music of the coast
Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Jennifer Lucy Allan, a musicologist, writer and radio presenter, who also has a PhD in foghorns. Her book ‘The Foghorn’s Lament: The Disappearing Music of the Coast’ has just been…
Ali Smith
Robert Bound is joined in the studio by one of the UK’s most celebrated writers, Ali Smith. Her latest work, ‘Companion Piece’, is an addition to Smith’s seasonal quartet. Through her typical playful use of language, it…
What to watch
Critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan and Inkoo Kang of ‘The Washington Post’ talk all things TV with Robert Bound. We discuss the best shows on the small screen today, as well as what’s coming up. Expect everything from crime…
Venice Biennale Special
The world’s most prestigious art event is back in full force. Monocle’s Chiara Rimella and Alexis Self chat about their week in Venice, and how the Biennale has responded in times of conflict. Plus: we hear from some of the…
Spring music releases
Georgie Rogers and Fernando Augusto Pacheco join Robert Bound to look ahead to the most exciting albums of the coming months, including new releases from a Brazilian pop star, a classic British indie band and a camera-shy…
The beautiful game
From team badges and strips to the architecture of stadiums, design has long been a major part of football. We visit a new exhibition at the Design Museum in London, ‘Football: Designing the Beautiful Game’, and speak to…
‘Henry VI’: Behind the scenes of a new play of heroic proportions
While some of William Shakespeare’s plays are reproduced again and again, there are others that theatre companies tend to steer clear of. The Royal Shakespeare Company is undertaking the challenge of putting on ‘Henry VI…
Spring preview: books and art
Ossian Ward and Mia Levitin join Robert Bound in the studio for a rundown of the best of the season’s art and books.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak
A special edition of the show marking its partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism. Robert Bound is joined by the chairman of the department, who explains his conviction that culture is at the heart…
