EDITOR’S LETTER

Dear reader, before we start this week’s letter, I have a favour to ask. If you happen to spot any typos on the pages of this issue, please don’t contact ES HQ or send me any snide DMs. Grammatical mistakes, wrong spellings or, God forbid, rogue ‘I’s hanging on the end of lines (my bête noire) are a complete one-off and — more importantly — the fault of Matt Hryciw, our chief sub editor.

You see, Matt has spent all night queuing to pay his respects to our late Queen while we are on print deadline. (Quick update: as of 08.54 on 16/09/22, he is still waiting patiently in line.) I fully respect and support Matt’s decision to brave what is apparently a 13-hour pilgrimage, but if there are any typos then kindly email him direct at matt.hryciw@standard.co.uk. Thanks.

You might like to know that, while he was waiting, Matt did manage to take a rather good iPhone snap of the crowd, which made it on to the front page of the Evening Standard paper. We have our own photo tribute inside this magazine: Sama Kai’s images perfectly capture the mood of the city during those strange, in-between days.

Right, on with normal service. Rina Sawayama. What a cover. What a pop star. Queer, Asian and refreshingly outspoken, Sawayama is a force to be reckoned with. She is also that rarest of things: an artist who manages to tread the tightrope between mainstream success and cutting-edge cachet. She also practises Zen music biz: case in point, she hopes you’ll like her second album, Hold the Girl, but understands if you don’t. Elsewhere, Jason Okundaye tackles what the new diverse face of Liz Truss’s government means, how Labour dropped the ball and why, most likely, nothing will change for the wider Black community. Plus: we celebrate the artful power of sledgehammer sarcasm and Will Poulter reveals he loves a good street protest in My London.

PS, still no sign of Matt. If you see him please return him to the ES office.