Michael Hann

One of many soul acts looking back 50 years and doing very good business: Black Pumas, at the Roundhouse, reviewed

20 November 2021 9:00 am

No musician ever went bust overestimating the public desire to hear classic soul. Slapping on a Motown backbeat has revived…

Joyous perfection from a band that's sure to go far: Gabriels at The Social reviewed

30 October 2021 9:00 am

The bigger the next big thing, the smaller the room you want them playing in. You want the people who…

A terrible joke gone wonderfully right: Rick Astley and Blossoms Perform the Smiths reviewed

16 October 2021 9:00 am

Many of us who grew up loving the Smiths have rather shelved that affection in recent years. Many of us,…

Two gigs that prove that rock and pop is never just about the music

2 October 2021 9:00 am

The single most boring and pointless thing that is ever said about rock and pop — and it always comes…

Teenage Fanclub are not a dramatic group, but they are lovely

18 September 2021 9:00 am

They may no longer get many teenagers at their shows spending all their money on merchandise, then throwing up on…

What a genuine delight to be among people: Gorillaz, at the O2, reviewed

21 August 2021 9:00 am

The new music economy relies on cross-promotion and artists reaching out to different scenes. And the rise of streaming means…

Could she be the new Sade? Celeste at Union Chapel reviewed

24 July 2021 9:00 am

Some years ago, when I was the music editor of a newspaper, I called a number of historians of black…

The real death of rock

17 July 2021 9:00 am

What would a rock band have to do now to be seen as heralding the future? Twenty years ago, it…

The joys of musical comfort food

26 June 2021 9:00 am

I’ve given up comfort food. I’m trying to shift lockdown pounds that have left me with the physique of the…

Wispy, gauzy beauty: This Is The Kit, Barbican, reviewed

5 June 2021 9:00 am

On the way home from This Is The Kit’s show at a socially distanced Barbican, I listened to Avalon by…

A perfect welcome back to live music: Sarathy Korwar at Kings Place reviewed

29 May 2021 9:00 am

There is a reason music writers tend to stick with music writing rather than transferring their manifold talents to the…

‘I’m not interested in moral purity’: St Vincent interviewed

15 May 2021 9:00 am

Michael Hann talks to St Vincent about Sheena Easton, Stalin and performing in five-inch heels

Watch kids go giddy in Niamey: Mdou Moctar live in Niger reviewed

1 May 2021 9:00 am

The other week someone posted on Twitter a link to a YouTube clip titled ‘Family Lotus and D.J. Cookin’ at…

Moments of pure wonder: Folk Weekend Oxford reviewed

24 April 2021 9:00 am

Has any musical moment extended its tendrils in so many unexpected directions as the English folk revival of the mid-1960s?…

The songs are still as fresh and appetising as a hot loaf: The Lightning Seeds livestream reviewed

10 April 2021 9:00 am

One thing about a streamed festival is that the toilets are better than at the real thing. The other thing,…

Reminiscent of Roxy Music’s cocktail sound: The Weather Station reviewed

27 March 2021 9:00 am

One of the unforeseen consequences of the rise of streaming was a change in the very structure of the pop…

Revelatory and grubby: Framing Britney Spears reviewed

20 March 2021 9:00 am

The most headline-grabbing of these three pop docs was Framing Britney Spears, part of the New York Times Presents documentary…

The death of the mainstream band: Black Country, New Road reviewed

13 March 2021 9:00 am

Twitter was awash with mockery last week, after Adam Levine, the singer of the American group Maroon 5, was interviewed…

'I like upsetting people': Steven Wilson interviewed

27 February 2021 9:00 am

Michael Hann talks to the cult rock star Steven Wilson about why it’s harder to write a pop song than prog

Epic prog rock without the widdly-woo solos: Mogwai at the Tramway reviewed

20 February 2021 9:00 am

You very possibly know the music of the Glaswegian band Mogwai, even if you don’t think you do. You might…

Makes me nostalgic for an era when music was more than a click away: Teenage Superstars reviewed

13 February 2021 9:00 am

In Teenage Superstars, a long and slightly exhausting documentary about the Scottish indie scene of the 1980s and ’90s, there…

Proudly ridiculous and wholly glorious: KLF's Solid State Logik reviewed

30 January 2021 9:00 am

Grade: A What a miracle the KLF were: an elaborate practical joke at the expense of the music industry, seemingly…

Meet the front man of ‘the most revolting band in the world’

28 November 2020 9:00 am

Michael Hann talks to Corey Taylor, front man of ‘the most revolting band in the world’, about PTSD, Donald Trump and life after alcoholism

One of the few genuine British visionaries at work today: Richard Dawson at the Barbican reviewed

31 October 2020 9:00 am

How hard must it be to make music that sounds like no one else? And how unrewarding, often, as well?…

There’s a magic to hearing music in such small audiences: Divine Comedy reviewed

24 October 2020 9:00 am

Three shows in a week! Why, it was just like the first week of March. There was, however, little of…