Legendary Wu-Tang emcee Raekwon rocked a multigenerational crowd at the Englert during the final night of Mission Creek Festival 2025, where he performed his classic 1995 solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… The Englert is no stranger to members of the Wu gracing its stage, having welcomed fellow clansmen GZA last year (and in 2009’s […]
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COGS asks for a 25% raise for UI grad student workers; Board of Regents offers 3%
“The university works because we work,” members of COGS chanted as they rallied outside the Iowa Memorial Union on Thursday. The Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, to use the union’s full name, represents the graduate student workers at the University of Iowa. Members teach most of the general education courses UI offers to undergraduates. On […]
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Review: Sophie Mitchell brought CD stacks, Lana vibes, a Mitski cover and her mom to Gabe’s for a joyful album release show
Heading to Gabe’s in Iowa City in what felt like a positively balmy January night (every winter here makes me regret leaving London), I was pleasantly surprised by the early turnout for Sophie Mitchell’s album release show.
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The 63 shots featured in Little Village’s 2025 reader-submitted photo issue
Scroll through five-dozen photographs of Iowa and Iowans, taken by Little Village readers and curated by LV Graphic Designer Kate Doolittle for the 2025 Reader-Submitted Photo Issue. The images have not been cropped or significantly altered, appearing here as the photographer submitted them. Submitted captions have been edited for style, length and clarity. These photos were originally […]
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Japan’s BABYMETAL bring the ‘Metalverse’ to Waukee’s Vibrant Music Hall
BABYMETAL delivered a striking performance at Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee for their 2024 World Tour.
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Street-level aid groups do battle with bulldozers and broken systems as Des Moines’ anti-homeless ordinances encroach
On Sept. 16, the Des Moines City Council passed a pair of ordinances designed to prevent unsheltered citizens from sleeping or living on public property. The first ordinance will make sleeping in public places like sidewalks, streets, doorways, pedestrian and vehicular entrances punishable by a $15 fine, and bans camping under bridges, in parks, and […]
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Is it hot in here? A local erotica writer reviews Bawdy Bawdy Ha Ha’s sexy burlesque circus
No animals were harmed by Bawdy Bawdy Ha Ha, Iowa’s premier burlesque ensemble, in the presentation of their circus-themed variety shows last month. But you could still hear plenty of hooting and hollering from the wild animals in the audience of the adults-only Cirque Sensuale — including Yours Truly.
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Prominent Black creatives to discuss growing up in Iowa at the Des Moines Art Center
Three high-profile Iowa natives will be in conversation this Sunday at the Des Moines Art Center. Artist b. Robert Moore and artist-activist Jordan Weber will join Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones. The evening sees the three come together to talk about growing up in the predominately white state of […]
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Photo Gallery: Scenes from the 80/35 Music Festival, featuring Killer Mike, OK Go and more
The 80/35 Music Festival covered Des Moines’ Water Works Park in confetti on the first of two great (and hot!) nights of performances from national, international and Iowa acts alike. The first day of the festival — Friday, July 12 — saw tDreamer Isioma, Halfloves and Jim Swim take the stage, among others. As the […]
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Photos: ‘Keith Haring and Iowa City’ exhibition at the Stanley features iconic paintings, local lore
It’s been a month since the exhibition “To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City” debuted at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, but the arrival of Pride Month and the Downtown Summer Gallery Walk are sure to bring new visitors this Friday, June 7. More than a brief escape into […]
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Photo Gallery: Des Moines band Munk Rivers at xBk
Des Moines band Munk Rivers brought their self-described “yearn-core” sound to xBk Live in on Tuesday, May 28. Brother and sister duo Tucker and Charlotte Judkins have been performing as a band since February, joined by drummer Izzy Marx and bassist Max Green. Charlotte is the lead vocalist and songwriter, while Tucker serves as the band’s guitarist […]
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Photo Gallery: A rock show at the roller rink with Ramona and the Sometimes, Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops
Des Moines bands Ramona and the Sometimes and Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops inaugurated Skate South (10494 County Line Rd, Des Moines)’s first rock show on Saturday, May 18. Bands performed from the center of the rink while skaters circled around them, dodging inflatable clouds and disco balls. Be on the lookout for […]
