Neil Dowden

Neil's day job is working as a freelance editor for book publishers such as HarperCollins, Penguin, Faber and British Film Institute Publishing, but as a night person he prefers reviewing for musicOMH. He has also written features on the theatre and reviewed films, concerts, albums, opera, dance, exhibitions, books and restaurants for various newspapers and magazines, including The Stage and What's On in London, as well as contributing to a couple of books on 20th-century drama and writing a short tourist guide to London for Visit Britain. He insists he is not a playwright manqué but was born to be a critic and just likes sticking a knife into luvvies. In fact, as a boy he wanted to become a professional footballer, but claims there were no talent scouts where he then lived on the South Wales coast, and so has had to settle for playing Sunday league for a dodgy south London team. Apart from the arts and sport, his other main interest is travel, and he is never happier than when up a mountain, though Everest Base Camp is the highest he has been so far. He believes he has not yet reached his peak.
Neil Dowden


Articles by Neil Dowden


Through a Glass Darkly @ Almeida Theatre, London (Theatre)

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone @ Young Vic, London (Theatre)

After the Dance @ National Theatre, London (Theatre)

Heavy Trash @ Garage, London (Live)

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Dirty Shirt Rock’n'Roll: The First Ten Years (Albums)

The Fall @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (Live)

Doves @ Troxy, London (Live)

Iggy And The Stooges @ Hammersmith Apollo, London (Live)

Twelfth Night @ Tricycle Theatre, London (Theatre)

Paul Weller – Wake Up The Nation (Albums)

James – The Night Before (Albums)

Moonfleece @ Riverside Studios, London (Theatre)

Women Beware Women @ National Theatre, London (Theatre)

Kontakthof @ Barbican Theatre, London (Theatre)

Sweet Nothings @ Young Vic, London (Theatre)

4.48 Psychosis @ Barbican Theatre, London (Theatre)

The White Guard @ National Theatre, London (Theatre)