Discover all our four- and five-star album reviews from the last month, from pop to folk, classical and more Continue reading…
Sarah Harding’s heart-on-the-sleeve energy made pop look like fun
The self-described ‘Big Mouth’ brought a rock’n’roll ethos to the manufactured Girls AloudFor the release of Girls Aloud’s signature 2004 single Love Machine, the girlband juggernaut’s long-term graphic designers Form created a fictional magazine cover…
Roxanne de Bastion: You & Me, We Are the Same review – risk meets reward
(Nomad Songs)The rising singer-songwriter’s ambitious second outing fuses psych, new wave and pure vocals, with a little help from Bernard ButlerBrought up between Berlin and the West Midlands, based in London, Roxanne de Bastion is a singer-songwriter…
Idles review – primal howls and bullish power for the pits
Clifton Downs, BristolJoe Talbot dominated the Bristol band’s post-lockdown homecoming with spring-loaded unpredictabilityIt’s an eternal question: is it a faux pas to wear a band’s T-shirt to one of their shows? The implied answer from thousands of Id…
Sarah Harding, singer with Girls Aloud, dies aged 39 from breast cancer
Fans and figures from show business pay tribute to pop star who was diagnosed in August 2020 and wrote memoir during her illnessThe pop singer and TV personality Sarah Harding, who had 21 UK Top 10 singles as a member of Girls Aloud, has died aged 39 f…
Abba reunite for Voyage, first new album in 40 years
Swedish hitmakers to release album of brand new material in November, and digital avatars will appear in London concert residency in 2022One of the most anticipated comebacks in pop culture has finally come to pass: the return of Abba.Forty years after…
‘A summer of love!’ Musicians on the awesome, tearful return of gigs
From Sleaford Mods in London to Mogwai in France, bands and performers talk about the strange and wonderful experience of returning to the stage after 16 months of deprivationThere were those few weeks of strange, haunted gigs in autumn 2020, but for m…
Timothy Spall’s teenage obsessions: ‘For my art A-level I nailed up apples covered in pubic hair’
The actor on studying with the Sex Pistols, being in a Bowie tribute act, the appeal of Roxy Music, the help of teachers and the power of surrealism Continue reading…
Drake’s 30 greatest songs – ranked!
With the release of a new album – Certified Lover Boy – we pick the best tracks from the Canadian rapper and global superstar’s hit-studded careerBorne aloft on a blaze of horns and flanked by three all-time greats, this was Drake’s entry to rap’s big …
Not3s: 3 Th3 Album review – as pop as rap gets
(Columbia)UK rap’s go-to collaborator makes a strong case for his music not to be pigeonholed with this radio-friendly debut album It’s been a frustrating few years for east London singer-rapper Not3s. Since 2017’s viral hit Addison Lee, he has coped w…