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frances

lai

frances

lai

ARTS AND CULTURE

ARTICLES, GUIDES AND ESSAYS

FOOD AND TRAVEL

PUBLISHED WORK

6 BREAKFAST PLACES Marin Magazine August 15, 2018 by Frances Lai By now we’re all pretty familiar with the various breakfast trends blowing up in the Bay Area, so it’s going to take a lot more than avocado on malty artisan bread...	11 FERRY BUILDING SPOTS Marin Magazine August 1, 2018 by Frances Lai As San Francisco’s historic gateway to the North and East Bay, the iconic Ferry Building symbolizes the Bay Area’s diverse yet single community, despite its great expanse...	IS HARDER BETTER? Aqua Lab Aquaria February 17, 2018 by Frances Lai Natural bodies of water have specific chemical properties that reflect the geological features of the area. As water falls from the sky...
REEF AQUARIUM GUIDE Aqua Lab Aquaria January 26, 2018 by Frances Lai and Kyle Robertson Every healthy ecosystem requires a balanced environment. Weekly water tests are invaluable to making sure your aquarium’s levels are in check...	PLANTED AQUARIUM GUIDE Aqua Lab Aquaria January 23, 2018 by Frances Lai and Kyle Robertson Understanding water chemistry and maintaining optimum levels of key nutrients, minerals and other indicators will protect aquatic life and...	5 SINISTER CARNIVOROUS PLANTS Into the Wild October 29, 2016 by Frances Lai Carnivorous plants are a force to be reckoned with for insects! Growing in areas deprived of nutrient-rich soil, they are equipped with...
ETHICS OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS Into the Wild October 13, 2018 by Frances Lai Circuses are known for their mistreatment of animals, and after Blackfish (2013), the exposé documentary on orca whales at SeaWorld...	BADEN BADEN The Upcoming September 19, 2016 by Frances Lai Writer/director Rachel Lang’s Baden Baden is a beautiful film in which every aspect — from screenplay and cinematography to acting and editing...	THIRD EYE BLIND Review published by The Upcoming August 26, 2016 by Frances Lai Third Eye Blind is still making new music? Yes, believe it or not, the band is alive and well, squeezing in a small gig in north London before playing Reading Festival...
A GRAVE WITH NO NAME The Upcoming August 20, 2016 by Frances Lai Under the macabre moniker, A Grave with No Name, Alexander Shields performs a short yet exquisitely brooding set at Servant Jazz Quarters, bringing the introverted...	DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD The Upcoming August 10, 2016 by Frances Lai Ricky Gervais resurrects his well-known, tragically funny character from The Office and brings him to the big screen to roaring avail in his new mockumentary...	EDINBURGH FRINGE 2016 The Upcoming August 8, 2016 by Frances Lai The Fringe will play host to most everything under the sun (and beyond) this month, where many performances tend to be as singular as the next. Boasting more than 3,000 shows...
THE CARER The Upcoming August 2, 2016 by Frances Lai An endearing film in which the forging of an unexpected bond allows its characters to redeem their own shortcomings, both past and present, The Carer is as much about...	OPEN FOR EVERYTHING The Upcoming June 17, 2016 by Frances Lai Constanza Macras envisions a moving and enthralling performative collage that captures the static and dynamic states of the various Roma communities in Europe...	JAGWAR MA The Upcoming June 1, 2016 Despite having been likened to Tame Impala, with whom they toured earlier this year, as well as Django Django, Jagwar Ma’s music is markedly dance-driven live...
DOOMSQUAD The Upcoming May 27, 2016 by Frances Lai 45 minutes late for their half-hour set, Doomsquad’s exploratory music is rendered all the more dissonant when paired with the poor quality of sound and acoustics at the stifling...	HARPER The Upcoming May 14, 2016 by Frances Lai Harper reveals a few new tracks at the legendary Scotch of St James in anticipation of her new EP, Blood Sweat Tears, which drops next week...	CABIN FEVER The Upcoming May 9, 2016 by Frances Lai For all its screams and exposed skin, the remake of Eli Roth’s 2002 film of the same name offers nothing of note to talk about, which is unsurprising, seeing as how...
THE BUSKERS OPERA The Upcoming May 6, 2016 by Frances Lai The Buskers Opera, a contemporary revitalisation of John Gay’s 1728 satirical classic The Beggars Opera, places the London 2012 Olympic Games under scrutiny while...	JANE GOT A GUN The Upcoming April 14, 2016 by Frances Lai After several years of casting woes, scheduling conflicts, crew replacements, financial hardship and distribution tango, heroine-based western...	LABELS The Upcoming April 8, 2016 by Frances Lai Theatre Royal Stratford East inaugurates its new black box theatre, located in the studio space of Gerry’s, with the Fringe award-winning Labels, a splendidly engaging...
THE FIFTH COLUMN The Upcoming April 1, 2016 by Frances Lai Hardly mentioned and scarcely recognised among Ernest Hemingway’s renowned works, The Fifth Column is an overlooked piece that...	KODALINE The Upcoming March 27, 2016 by Frances Lai Kodaline grace the stage of the magnificent Roundhouse venue once more this Easter holiday weekend. The band do not command the rowdiest, most rambunctious crowd...	AN INTERVIEW WITH DANNY WEBB The Upcoming February 29, 2016 by Frances Lai The Donmar Warehouse is about to open its 2016 Spring Season with Welcome Home, Captain Fox!, a comedy about identity, lost and found...
DHEEPAN The Upcoming February 15, 2016 by Frances Lai Dheepan, winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, is especially resonant at a time when...	THE FINEST HOURS The Upcoming February 3, 2016 by Frances Lai As a Disney period drama recounting the story of a triumph against all odds in the face of insurmountable adversity...	INTRODUCTION TO THE ZULU Into the Wild February 1, 2016 by Frances Lai Travelling is more than just self-formation; it’s about meeting others and the different forms of exchange...
RIDE ALONG 2 The Upcoming January 21, 2016 by Frances Lai Watching Ride Along 2 does not induce leaving the cinema before it’s over. However, that’s still not saying much...	THE LONG ROAD SOUTH The Upcoming January 17, 2016 by Frances Lai What is the result of perfunctory characters framed within an underdeveloped narrative in 1960s Middle America? A vapid play that...	SPARKS AND EMBERS The Upcoming December 16, 2015 by Frances Lai An agonisingly trite and poorly compiled affair, Sparks and Embers is a paltry serving to whet the appetite of those seeking romance, comedy or even simply a mediocre indie film...
MIRROR MIRROR The Upcoming December 10, 2015 by Frances Lai After eight wildly successful years at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, Charles Court Opera brings their annual pantomime to the black box theatre...	NEWTON FAULKNER The Upcoming November 24, 2015 by Frances Lai On a cold and drizzly night, Newton Faulkner’s pleasant, easy listening music is ideal for those huddled closely...	EVERYTHING EVERYTHING The Upcoming November 21, 2015 by Frances Lai A particularly adoring crowd welcomes Everything Everything in Brixton Friday night, where the Academy offers feasting ears and a packed venue of exuberant backup singers...
HE NAMED ME MALALA The Upcoming November 6, 2015 by Frances Lai He Named Me Malala, directed by the Academy Award-winning Davis Guggenheim of An Inconvenient Truth...	DARBAAR IN BROADGATE LAUNCH The Upcoming November 5, 2015 by Frances Lai Tucked away on the ground floor of Broadgate Quarter, Abdul Yaseen’s latest concept suffers from...	EMPOWERING A GENERATION OF MAKERS The Startup Magazine November 2, 2015 by Frances Lai Makerspaces, otherwise known as hackerspaces, are community-run workshops oriented toward collaboration, including shared knowledge, equipment and tools...
SPECTRE The Upcoming October 21, 2015 by Frances Lai Following 2012’s critically and commercially successful Skyfall, 24th Bond film Spectre has the potential to be the strongest 007 in Daniel Craig’s run...	TRUMAN The Upcoming October 8, 2015 by Frances Lai A film about accepting and preparing for imminent death and the endurance of friendship...	FIDELIO: ALICE'S JOURNEY The Upcoming September 27, 2015 by Frances Lai Fidelio: Alice’s Journey is a probing film about love, romance and sex within the unique context of the life of a merchant mariner...
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS The Upcoming September 25, 2015 by Frances Lai Rounding out night six of the ten-night Apple Music Festival, The Chemical Brothers play an expectedly explosive show ...	SASHA MCVEIGH The Upcoming September 24, 2015 by Frances Lai Sasha McVeigh closes the UK tour of her debut album, I Stand Alone, at Nambucca in North London on Tuesday night...	iPHONES--FAVE TRAVELLING COMPANION Into the Wild September 17, 2015 by Frances Lai Travelling with valuables is generally advised against, but who can imagine life without the trusty iPhone these days...
THE ETIENNE SISTERS The Upcoming September 17, 2015 by Frances Lai The Etienne Sisters, a touching play written by Ché Walker and punctuated with original songs from Anoushka Lucas...	INCREDIBLE ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS Into the Wild August 24, 2015 by Frances Lai Adaptation is but a season finale in the perpetual series that is evolution—it's how the Earth continues to enjoy...	ANNA CALVI The Upcoming August 23, 2015 by Frances Lai David Byrne, director of this year’s Meltdown – held at Southbank Centre – invites singer-songwriter Anna Calvi and...
PETER BRODERICK The Upcoming August 14, 2015 by Frances Lai Peter Broderick graces London at St Giles-in-the-Fields on his summer European tour after...	ENVIRONMENTAL CONCIOUSNESS The Startup Magazine August 13, 2015 by Frances Lai Business in the twenty-first century is dominated by the growing discussion of corporate social responsibility...	PAPER TOWNS The Upcoming August 12, 2015 by Frances Lai Paper Towns, adapted from the young adult novel by John Green and directed by Jake Schreier, is...
THE VERY BEST The Upcoming August 6, 2015 by Frances Lai The Very Best returns to London after seven years on 5th August – a momentous occasion marked by...	I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS The Upcoming August 6, 2015 by Frances Lai Wizard Presents invites audiences of all sizes to the second run of I Believe in Unicorns, a captivating narrative about...	THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM The Upcoming August 3, 2015 by Frances Lai Feature-film debut of director Andrew Mudge, The Forgotten Kingdom, is a vividly illustrated coming-of-age tale...
MEN IN THE CITIES The Upcoming July 23, 2015 by Frances Lai Men in the Cities returns to the black box theatre at the Royal Court after garnering a Fringe First award...	HEAVYBALL The Upcoming July 12, 2015 by Frances Lai Dark, sparsely occupied, and delightfully air-conditioned, The Garage (just a few paces from Highbury & Islington station) is...	10 BRILLIANT BRITISH WORDS EZ Key July 11, 2015 by Frances Lai They're bloody useful to know, innit?
10 AWESOME AMERICAN PHRASES EZ Key July 11, 2015 by Frances Lai Just don't call them Americanisms.	LOVE & MERCY The Upcoming July 1, 2015 by Frances Lai Slated as a Brian Wilson biopic, Love & Mercy is a departure from both the “California myth”, as expounded by The Beach Boys...	THE FIRST FILM The Upcoming June 30, 2015 by Frances Lai The First Film is David Nicholas Wilkinson’s attempt to reclaim history on behalf of Louis Le Prince, a pioneer of the moving image who...

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