Gary Brooker’s Whiter Shade of Pale broke every pop rule – and it was perfect
When I say they don’t make hits like this anymore, I’m not indulging in false nostalgia. It really is an otherworldly record that defies pop rules. It…
For Mark Lanegan, grunge was a double-edged sword
Lanegan was always a loner – yet one drawn to lost souls. He was close to Kurt Cobain, who called him shortly before taking his life (Lanegan was…
Wolf Alice, Hammersmith Apollo, review: Britain’s biggest rock band raise a storm to rival Eunice
Wolf Alice have many shades. The woozy indie of Bros prompted a hair-raising singalong while the gentle No Hard Feelings — think acoustic Stevie Nicks — saw…
Best UK music festivals for 2022
Cambridge Club, June 10-12 If you like your warm and overpriced beer in paper cups with a side of jazz, look no further than Cambridge Club. Icons…
Gang of Youths on the deep family secret that inspired their new album
“I’m not the kind of writer who can just make up a story. I don’t have that skill set,” he shrugs. “But what I can do is…
Barry Manilow as a military weapon: a short history of sonic warfare
From the no-man’s land that separates sparring countries to the interrogation cells of counter-terrorism prisons, music has always been used as a tool in psychological warfare. Detainees…
The egomaniacal frontman is dead – at last
Today, it would almost be a bigger shock were a band to call it quits when their singer left. One of 2022’s hottest new groups, Wet Leg,…
Alt-J’s new album is more a sensuous prog-rock nightmare than The Dream you expect
Alt-J essentially make progressive rock for an indie generation. Arty, fey, self-amusing, supremely musical and giddy with their own cleverness, they craft dazzlingly impenetrable songs that never…
Farewell to Betty Davis, the thrilling, sexy and criminally overlooked first lady of funk
Betty Davis has died, aged 77, and the world just got a little less funky. By rights, she should be a legend. Davis was a funk powerhouse…
10 ways to fix the broken, boring Brit Awards
3. Embrace anarchy Where was the chaos? The most memorable Brits happen when there’s turmoil, tension or bad behaviour on the floor. I’m not advocating a return…
The Brits is a fun-free, boringly slick, hollowed-out shell of its former chaotic self
Viewers found themselves pining for previous incumbent Jack Whitehall’s edgy barbs and pop star-baiting. Gilligan didn’t seem to have written any actual jokes. He settled for saying…
Pam & Tommy’s wildest moments: what really happened?
Based on all evidence of Tommy Lee, and the words of the real Rand Gauthier, this seems pretty accurate. After all, Lee approved the show. He did…
Can Wolf Alice save the great British rock band from extinction?
With a line-up completed by guitarist Joff Oddie (who formed Wolf Alice with Rowsell as an acoustic folkie duo in 2010) and drummer Joel Amey, they have…
Shotguns, fake dogs and avenging Hells Angels: fact-checking Pam & Tommy’s wildest moments
Based on all evidence of Tommy Lee, and the words of the real Rand Gauthier, this seems pretty accurate. After all, Lee approved the show. He did…
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young hadn’t agreed on anything in years – then came Joe Rogan
In recent years there has been speculation that they’ll reform again. In 2017 Nash, speaking in the context of the Trump presidency, said that the issues keeping…
Spotify isn’t too big to fail – just look what happened to MySpace
In his defence of Spotify, Ek made lofty claims about “supporting creator expression” in a company founded “to enable the work of creators to be heard and…
From laughing stock to potential Spotify-killer: the fall and rise of Tidal
Jay-Z also held out the promise of exclusives. True to his word, Beyoncé’s 2016 tour de force Lemonade could initially only be accessed on Tidal. The same…
Neil Hannon on the Troubles, his songs for Wonka, and why he ‘can’t stand’ The Frog Princess today
There are happier matters ahead. The release of Wonka next year should introduce Hannon to a far wider audience than ever before, although he turned down the…
Spotify’s ‘content warnings’ are anti-rock’n’roll – and won’t work
The likelihood is that this ugly elitism of big business intervening into the free choices of listeners will have the opposite effect, driving more people to Rogan’s…
Neil Young just proved it – Spotify doesn’t care about music
Since its launch into the burgeoning streaming environment in 2006, Spotify has aggressively and creatively established itself as the world’s go-to music streaming platform by striking deals…
Why Morrissey and Johnny Marr hate each other
Morrissey and Marr – the band’s singer and guitar player respectively – have been on different trajectories since the band split. Morrissey is the cantankerous solo artist…
Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson: ‘Nobody could deny I looked great in those tights’
In the annals of pop history, much is made of the moment when David Bowie appeared on Top of the Pops in feather cut and catsuit to…
‘The intellectual working class scares a lot of people’: the unlikely rise of post-punks Yard Act
Their music has a political edge. Asked how he would describe the United Kingdom in 2022 for a prospective American audience, Smith says that the country “is…
The Police’s Andy Summers: ‘I made $1m a night – and played 150 times’
Andy Summers, 79, is the guitarist who found fame in 1977 with The Police, which became a multimillion-record-selling rock band. He has made 13 solo records, worked…
‘Ozzy bites head off bat’: the bitter truth about rock’s wildest myth
Far from being a gross act of rebellion, then, the bat ended up in Osbourne’s mouth due to a series of schoolboy dares and misunderstandings. And despite…