Pop
Hoists, HD and horses
Scheduling open-air concerts in mid-May in northern Europe is a triumph of hope over experience. I last spent time with…
Irish ayes
I was listening the other week to a solo album by an ageing rock guitarist, once terrifically famous. It was…
Sad-face emoji
Whether by accident or design, the mathematical theme of Ed Sheeran’s previous album titles (+, ×, ÷ and = respectively)…
Don’t believe the naysayers
A user’s guide to how pop music works in the 21st century. Step one: you see a great new band.…
Americana Coldplay
Once upon a time, rock bands wished for nothing more than to look as though they posed a clear and…
Songs for a life
Elton John has now been retiring for nearly five years. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour began in Allentown, Pennsylvania,…
The borrowers
I’m not a natural lender. I’m a reasonably soft touch when it comes to money, but regarding the important things…
Less than the sum of their parts
Recently in these pages, ruminating on the ghastly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I wrote that music does not…
Side lines
Think of pop music as being like the parable of the sower. These days the seed falling on stony ground…
Feelgood fury
There are several reasons why Young Fathers currently feel like the most exciting live band in Britain, but for now…
Sonic youth
Years ago, I asked Robert Plant what he felt about the world’s love of ‘Stairway to Heaven’. He said he…
TikTok pop star
Even before albums became bloated, thanks to the largesse offered by CDs and streaming, most contained filler: those so-so songs…
The girls, the gays and the theys
The other week I saw a T-shirt bearing the caption ‘For the girls, the gays and the theys’. And if…
Rocky horror show
There is footage on the internet of Robert Smith, lead singer in the Cure, being interviewed on the occasion of…
Going Metric
Why aren’t Metric stars? In their native Canada, several of their albums have gone platinum, but the rest of the…
New life on old bones
Folk is the Schiphol of Scottish music. Eventually, every curious traveller passes through. From arena rockers to rappers, traditional music…
Things fall apart
The great country singer George Jones was famed not just for his voice, but also for his drinking. Once, deprived…
Lounge-funk for vampires
There’s a case to be made for John Cale being the most daring ex-member of the Velvet Underground. Lou Reed…
Hit and myth
I’m generally not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, but one occurred to me recently as the younger members of…
…and cold
It’s unlikely that Irving Berlin was pondering the energy price cap when he composed the seasonal standard ‘I’ve Got My…
Absolute Rodness
Reader, I let you down. But I did so for the right reason: for love. On a night when all…
Drift, bloom and sway
Plus: it’s quite clear that MUNA are going to be huge What is it with Icelanders and mushrooms? Just weeks…
To B or not to B
Paul Weller releasing a collection of solo B-sides is cause for mild celebration. After all, the Jam were one of…
Prepare for lift-off
The first time I saw Franz Ferdinand was at the sadly lost Astoria, just after the release of their first…
