Pop
Invention and irreverence: Lankum, at The Queen’s Hall, reviewed
In a few days, Lankum will most likely win the 2023 Mercury Music Prize for their fourth album False Lankum…
It was midnight in a field in Wales and I was lying face down in six inches of mud: Green Man Festival reviewed
I love Green Man. The smallish festival is the second most beautiful site I’ve ever visited (after G Fest, which…
Uneasy listening: Kathryn Joseph, at Summerhall, reviewed
I have always been fascinated by artists who bounce between tonal extremes when performing, particularly the ones who serve their…
Is it all an elaborate practical joke? Mac DeMarco, at Hackney Empire, reviewed
It’s not just who our pop heroes are that marks the passing of the generations; it’s how those heroes present…
The problem with pop-literary collaborations
‘We all secretly want to be rock stars,’ the 2022 Booker Prize-winning author Shehan Karunatilaka said recently. By ‘we’ he…
A giddy delight: Regina Spektor, at the Royal Festival Hall reviewed
We’ll get on to the brilliance of Regina Spektor in a moment. But first a question: why are pop music…
Intoxicating: Bruce Springsteen, at BST Hyde Park, reviewed
Seven years ago, I asked Bruce Springsteen what he meant when he talked of the covenant between himself and his…
Still one of the great vocalists: Peter Gabriel, at OVO Hydro Glasgow, reviewed
Most artists begin an arena show with a bang: emerging from the floor, the gods, on a hoist, everything short…
Why aren’t Spoon filling stadiums?
Here’s a mystery for you. Why were Spoon, one of the most dynamic, sharpest rock bands in the world, playing…
Is Richard Thompson Britain’s Bob Dylan?
There are artists you go to see expecting to be challenged, surprised, even let down. And there are artists you…
Brilliantly unhinged: Grace Jones, at Hampton Court Palace, reviewed
Some artists need flash bombs to make an impression on stage. Some need giant screens. Some need to run around…
Let’s hear it for the lesser-spotted nepo daddy
Rob Grant releases his debut album, Lost at Sea, this week. A 69-year-old millionaire and former ad man, furniture exec…
Dazzling – if you ignore the music: Beyoncé, at Murrayfield Stadium, reviewed
Scheduling open-air concerts in mid-May in northern Europe is a triumph of hope over experience. I last spent time with…
The new Pogues: The Mary Wallopers, at O2 Forum Kentish Town, reviewed
I was listening the other week to a solo album by an ageing rock guitarist, once terrifically famous. It was…
Heartfelt but bland: Ed Sheeran’s – (Subtract) reviewed
Whether by accident or design, the mathematical theme of Ed Sheeran’s previous album titles (+, ×, ÷ and = respectively)…
A phenomenally exciting new band: The Last Dinner Party, at Camden Assembly, reviewed
A user’s guide to how pop music works in the 21st century. Step one: you see a great new band.…
Americana Coldplay: The National’s First Two Pages of Frankenstein reviewed
Once upon a time, rock bands wished for nothing more than to look as though they posed a clear and…
Glorious: Elton John’s farewell tour, at the O2 Arena, reviewed
Elton John has now been retiring for nearly five years. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour began in Allentown, Pennsylvania,…
Why can’t I let go of my records?
I’m not a natural lender. I’m a reasonably soft touch when it comes to money, but regarding the important things…
Why supergroups nearly always suck
Recently in these pages, ruminating on the ghastly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I wrote that music does not…
Pretty, charming and largely unremarkable: Devonte Hynes & the LSO reviewed
Think of pop music as being like the parable of the sower. These days the seed falling on stony ground…
The most exciting live band in Britain right now: Young Fathers, at the O2 Academy, reviewed
There are several reasons why Young Fathers currently feel like the most exciting live band in Britain, but for now…