Graeme Thomson

Simple songs; voice like the grand canyon: George Ezra, at OVO Hydra, reviewed

1 October 2022 9:00 am

It would be easy to be a little dismissive of George Ezra. A wholesome late twentysomething hailing from the rock…

The new master of the American Whine: Ezra Furman, at Edinburgh Festival, reviewed

3 September 2022 9:00 am

The American Whine is one of the key vocal registers in rock and roll. You can trace that thin disaffected…

Sensational: Herbie Hancock, at the Edinburgh Festival, reviewed

20 August 2022 9:00 am

‘Human beings are in trouble these days,’ says Herbie Hancock, chatting to us between songs. ‘And do you know who…

She’s pop’s Damien Hirst: Beyoncé’s Renaissance reviewed

6 August 2022 9:00 am

You feel a little sorry for Renaissance, the first solo album by Beyoncé in more than six years. It just…

Only traces of their eerie early spirit remain: Kings of Leon, at OVO Hydro, reviewed

9 July 2022 9:00 am

A few years ago, I spoke to Mick Jagger and asked him which of the (relatively) new crop of rock…

The power of cultural reclamation

18 June 2022 9:00 am

‘Version’ is an old reggae term I’ve always loved. It refers to a stripped-down, rhythm-heavy instrumental mix of a song,…

A joy – mostly: Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, at Usher Hall, reviewed

14 May 2022 9:00 am

Drummers are patient chaps, in the main. Think of Ringo in Peter Jackson’s recent Beatles docuseries, Get Back. Lolling around…

‘I came, I saw, I scribbled’: Shane MacGowan on Bob Dylan, angels and his lifelong love of art

30 April 2022 9:00 am

Graeme Thomson talks to former Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan about his first art folio

The awfulness of the Red Hot Chili Peppers has always felt weirdly personal

16 April 2022 9:00 am

Squaring up to the prospect of a new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, I’m reminded of a vintage quote by…

Expectations were met and then exceeded: Arooj Aftab, at Celtic Connections, reviewed

19 February 2022 9:00 am

We gathered on a freezing Sunday night, inside a barrel-vaulted church designed in the 1890s by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, to…

A story of reflection and self-discovery: Anaïs Mitchell's new album reviewed

22 January 2022 9:00 am

Any artist who has habitually written or performed in character — from David Bowie to Lady Gaga — eventually arrives…

In praise of seasonal chart fodder

18 December 2021 9:00 am

Christmas: the most vulnerable time of the year. I heard ‘A Winter’s Tale’ by David Essex on the radio the…

The quiet radicalism of the Chieftains

27 November 2021 9:00 am

Pop quiz time: which act was named Melody MakerGroup of the Year in 1975? The answer is not, as you…

The sound of a hunch coming good

13 November 2021 9:00 am

Graeme Thomson talks to the cult singer Joan Wasser about the robotic nature of pop, finding salvation in songwriting and Tony Allen

The death of the live album

23 October 2021 9:00 am

Next week The The release The Comeback Special, a 24-track live album documenting the band’s concert at the Royal Albert…

Banal and profound, bent and beautiful: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis at Edinburgh Playhouse reviewed

2 October 2021 9:00 am

Nick Cave has always been drawn to parable and fable, but more than ever these days he is engaged in…

Cast a spell, clear and sharp as frost: The Unthanks, at Edinburgh International Festival, reviewed

4 September 2021 9:00 am

As August unwound, the EIF settled into the cavernous gazebo that is Edinburgh Park, and things began to loosen up.…

Good noisy fun: black midi, at the Edinburgh International Festival, reviewed

28 August 2021 9:00 am

This year we must love Edinburgh for her soul rather than her looks. The EIF should be commended for making…

When musical collaborations go right – and when they go horribly wrong

7 August 2021 9:00 am

Big Red Machine release their second album later this month. It’s a fine name for ten tonnes of agricultural apparatus…

When family viewing was full of creeping menace

7 August 2021 9:00 am

Strange, really, that the scheduled output of traditional broadcasters became known as ‘terrestrial’ television, given that TV is an etheric…

How Trojan Records conquered the world

19 June 2021 9:00 am

When Trojan Records attempted to break into the United States music market in the early 1970s, it hit an insurmountable…

'Germans thought we couldn't play': Irmin Schmidt, of Krautrock pioneers Can, interviewed

5 June 2021 9:00 am

Krautrock pioneer Irmin Schmidt talks to Graeme Thomson about taking risks, playing badly and ignoring the Brits

The foghorn’s haunting hoot is a sad loss

29 May 2021 9:00 am

Halfway through what must count as one of the more esoteric quests, Jennifer Lucy Allan finds herself on a hill…

The sermons poked out of the songs like busted bed springs: Van Morrison livestream reviewed

15 May 2021 9:00 am

Over the decades, Van Morrison’s role within the tower of song has shifted from chief visionary officer to head of…

A redemption song, conventionally sung: Sky's Tina reviewed

1 May 2021 9:00 am

It has never been easy for women in the music industry. Once upon a time the evidence was largely anecdotal.…