LFF 2018: Fourteen Of The Best Films We Caught At The 2018 BFI London Film Festival

Words: Lauren Johnson-Ginn & Saam Das

The 62nd BFI London Film Festival came to a close last month, concluding with well-received Laurel & Hardy biopic 'Stan & Ollie', starring Steve Coogan and John C Reilly. The 2018 LFF was similarly well received, with record audience numbers, including almost 150,000 attendees for its London screenings and over 30,000 more at satellite screenings across the UK. We've rounded up a selection of our top films from the 200+ features on offer at this year's LFF below.

Listen: Sasha - Ouch! [New Track]

Words: Saam Das

It's been a few years since we first wrote about Surrey sing-songer Sasha Gurney and her 'Bloodlines' EP, and she's been regularly putting out music since, to an unsurprisingly broadening audience. Her latest song is 'Ouch!' and it's far from painful to listen to - quite the opposite actually.

Surfacing: Ex:Re [New Artist]

Words: Saam Das

It's been a solid seven years since we first wrote about the entrancing work of Elena Tonra under the guise of Daughter. Three albums with bandmates Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella later, and she's returned to solo output. Listen to her debut track as Ex:Re, 'Romance', below.

Watch: Troye Sivan And Jonsi - Revelation [From New Drama 'Boy Erased']

Words: Saam Das

There is beauty in simplicity. From the opening bars of understated piano melody and its opening lyrical salvo of "you're a revelation", it's a challenge not to be moved by the emotion-fuelled 'Revelation'. The team up between South African pop sensation Troye Sivan and Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi is for new film 'Boy Erased', which features an incredible cast including Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and indeed, Sivan himself.

Listen: Snapped Ankles - Drink And Glide [New Single]

Words: Saam Das

London outfit Snapped Ankles were a preposterous and delightful surprise at Bognor Regis Butlin's for Rockaway Beach festival, where they wowed a mesmerised audience with their shamanistic expermentalism and unusually forest-imitating attire. They recently dropped a new one, 'Drink And Glide', which appropriately captures their live spirit.

Review: Be Dazzled By The Bedazzling Chilly Gonzales In 'Shut Up And Play The Piano' (2018)

Words: Saam Das

First-time feature director Philipp Jedicke ambitiously showcases Canadian musician Jason Beck (more popularly known as the enigmatic Chilly Gonzales) in this playful music documentary. Charting the genre-defying history of Gonzales from his childhood in Canada to his more recent Grammy Award-winning work with Daft Punk and his appearances with world famous concert orchestras, by way of an underground rap career in Berlin. An unusual career path to say the least, aptly covered in 'Shut Up And Play The Piano'.