cafebabel.com

2Cellos: Slovenian-Croatian duo who were 'playing Bach in churches for grannies'

('Ja\xc5\xa1a Pipan',) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:55:13 -0000

Once upon a time Stjepan Hauser and Luka Šulić were rivals. It wasn't long before the EU-Balkan duo decided to unlock horns. Meet the happy, handsome cello players from Pula and Maribor, most famous for playing a stand-off, stunning version of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal, touring with Elton John and making it to the US

Julian Assange pisses outside the pot

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 11:00:00 -0000

The Italians have a colourful expression to describe how the Australian founder of the whistleblowing site has 'crossed the line'. Other European heads of state must be ruminating on similar lines after the avalanche of revelations which have been appearing each day on the internet site WikiLeaks. Final idiom of 2010 to mark the story of 2010

Che Sudaka: 'Barcelona was what it was and, sadly, is not anymore'

('victor escandell',) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:29:07 -0000

This is the story of a six-piece Barcelona-based band composed entirely of South Americans. We chart their journey from illegal street buskers to successful European band in Paris

A Spaniard orders milky coffee in France

('niclaws',) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:11:40 -0000

You don’t have to head for the French capital to have problems at the café counter. In Malaga in southern Spain, you can order a 'cloud', a 'shadow' or a 'half', whereas in France you order a 'nut' ... anecdote

[TRANS] - Attenti al gatto: la letteratura europea finisce nel cassonetto

('cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:00:00 -0000

Ha raggiunto in un lampo i 43mila membri, il gruppo su Facebook che ha permesso di identificare la donna che ha gettato senza motivo un gatto in un bidone dell’immondizia a Coventry, in Inghilterra, qualche settimana fa. Il video, girato dalla telecamera dei proprietari del gatto, ha fatto il giro del mondo e la donna, preoccupata per eventuali ritorsioni degli animalisti (e non solo), ha chiesto protezione alla polizia. Pentita? Nel dubbio, le ricordiamo quanto è stata importante l’immagine del gatto per la letteratura europea e quanto abbia contribuito al nostro immaginario comune.

Aids, Alzheimers, abortion: Europe's most shocking adverts

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:31:20 -0000

From Spain and Italy's saucy adverts, via the UK and Germany's treatment of diseases, to Poland's nazi memories - a video tour of the banned adverts which most recently shocked modern European society

French duo John & Jehn: 'in England, no-one cares about boundaries'

('emily',) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:00:00 -0000

On 29 March a duo like none of the other new faces on the French music scene released their second album, 'Time For The Devil’. Fans of Joy Division and The Velvet Underground, the couple live and compose in London, which might be why their album exudes the feel of the British new wave

Swiss singer Sophie Hunger: former jazz 'fascist'

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:30:00 -0000

It's promo promo promo in Paris for the folk singer-songwriter, who's finishing up a tour of Europe via Glastonbury to shows in the Czech Republic and Austria. The mellow 27-year-old from Zurich is on the French festival circuit to continue the escape from the 'sad' studio

Cheese People: 'European' face of Russian music

('Natasha Doff',) — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:12:33 -0000

From the banks of the River Volga just west of the Urals mountains, which mark the geographical border between Europe and Asia, a funky new band is making a big impact on the Russian music scene: an unsigned, energetic female-fronted quartet with a disco-punk sound. We meet backstage in Moscow

Belgian band Absynthe Minded: 'we’re not playboys'

('Alison Frank',) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 10:45:00 -0000

Since 2002, the acclaimed jazz rockers from Ghent have flirted with an indescribable style. As the Belgian five's tour stops in Paris to celebrate their fourth disc in eight years, we meet to talk about their passion for quality music, platinum albums and the women in their lives

Concert review: south London band The xx continue European tour

('theroxbox',) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0000

They count Courtney Love as a fan, they're one of the groundbreaking new acts of 2009 and among the most innovative bands of the late decade. As the band of twenties return to their European tour today in Angouleme, one fan remembers how, in spite of wild winds, the Danish hoards flocked to catch a glimpse of the Wandsworth trio

‘If I had to choose between sex and performing live with The Whitest Boy Alive...’

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:15:18 -0000

One day it was just computers. The next day, god brought instruments. Over the past decade, the Berlin-based band’s polyphonic electronic sound has translated into pure deprogrammed happiness for live dance fans across Europe. We hear the boys from Bergen, Berlin and Toruń out

I love you my dropping

('Lydia Bigos',) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:23:00 -0000

My bunny-bear, baby, cabbage, sugar slug - just like Europe, love knows no boundaries. Yet some terms of affection for loved ones vary from being rather unsavoury to overly sickly on the continent – romantic sayings of the week, with audio

Sport in August: more than football or Olympics

('Matthew Pagett',) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:11:09 -0000

Skate, cycle, marathon and surf – sport crosses Europe’s alps, streets and waves this summer. Monthly event guide

Events: Isle of Wight Woodstock and more in June

('Solveig Werner',) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:30:54 -0000

German-Czech festivals, strangers filming in Amsterdam and pure dance in London and Luxembourg - our pick of this month's best happenings

Shakespeare in football

('G. Ring',) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Top five Eurovision hits

('Martyn Hawkins',) — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Since its first broadcast on 24 May 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has seen hundreds of songs battle it out for the titles of the worst, the funniest and above all the best

Music in May with The Fratellis and Paul Weller

('Sarah Turpin',) — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:31:09 -0000

A freakshow from Germany, Scottish guitar rockers, an Italian in California and the return of the Woking Modfather – the best music to catch this month

Music: Portishead, Hooverphonic and the Lo Fat Orchestra

('Sandra Wickert',) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Where do these bands get their names from? We sweep the UK, Belgium, Switzerland and France for our monthly music pick this April

Go out in April: Uppsala, nerds and witches

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Enjoy the year's first rays at Walpurgis night in Sweden, a vintage computer festival in Munich or the spring festival in Seville

British, Italian and German architects give Europe a face

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Openness, transparency, efficiency: which buildings need a democracy? We span the European parliament, palace, court of human rights and Central Bank

Paul 'Macca' McCartney

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0000

Ahhh, love in the time of McCartney. The tabloid war to cover the tense divorce proceedings between former Beatle Paul McCartney and his former wife of four years, Heather Mills, has proved that Britain’s most gossipy journalists certainly have a tongue for linguistics

Blogging Kosovo, Erasmus and poetry

('Susannah Readett-Bayley',) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Existential crises in Berlin, self-critical French and new nation states - the best of our babelblogs this fortnight

Photos: Europe sprays ideas

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

From Madrid to Bucharest, Europe's streets of art are bursting with creativity and new talents

One-horse town

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:31:00 -0000

Yannick Haenel: 'Berlin symbolically incarnates all the horror of the preceding century'

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:10:00 -0000

In his award-winning novel 'Circle', the professor from Rennes and 'Ulysses of the 21st century', 40, takes the reader on a European road-trip from Paris to Berlin

November pick of Europe's best culture events

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 12:00:00 -0000

From Helsinki avant-garde cinema to factory fairs in Switzerland, your guide on where to be a culture vulture this month

Sculptour through Europe

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Great enthusiasm or an impatient rolling of the eyes – these are the two extreme reactions that 21st century sculptures that feature in today’s metropoli provoke

August culture vulture

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Despite a slow start to the summer weatherwise, Europe’s festivals – even outdoor festivals – are in full blossom. THE event overwiew for August