The rise of Gracie Abrams
That Abrams is not quite ready for and a little startled by her early fame is part of her appeal.
ByMusic reviews
Read about the best live performances, contemporary music and classic records here.
On Mayhem, Lady Gaga makes a chaotic return to form
The singer’s new album attempts to recapture the intense art-project pop of her early records.
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The top ten piano trios
Dominic Degavino of the Mithras Trio on the greatest examples of the form.
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Sam Fender’s politicised rock
The North Shields artist’s third album, People Watching, shows the musician continues to find inspiration in his troubled roots.
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James Blunt live: a nostalgia karaoke
It is 20 years since Back to Bedlam – and its songs have ascended to anthemic status in the years…
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A new Led Zeppelin film complicates my feelings about Seventies rock
I saw the documentary in a spirit of curiosity rather than fandom – and was won over by the thrill…
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Richard Dawson’s songs of England
On his new album The End of the Middle, the cult singer explores a nation defined by loss and alcoholism,…
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Vashti Bunyan’s second life
At 60, the singer released Lookaftering, her first album in 35 years – and sparked a career renaissance.
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Ethel Cain’s American Gothic
The singer found fame with her debut album in 2022 – but Perverts, a subversive horror movie of a record,…
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Charli XCX’s victory lap
A recent London show proved Brat is the album of the year, and she is the artist of the moment.…
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Bob Dylan at the Royal Albert Hall: the best he’s been in years
This Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, more theatre piece than rock concert, is marked by a new polish.
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The Tallis Scholars at Saffron Hall: sublime and moving
“Mysteries and Miracles” explores several centuries of sacred music.
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How Kraftwerk’s Autobahn remade pop
Half a century ago, the art-rock band introduced the world to the vocoder. Their sound – and pop music –…
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Florence + the Machine at the Proms: a thrilling two hours of pure emotion
This imaginative orchestral reworking of her debut album Lungs was part film score, part pop song, and totally euphoric.
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Fred Again, EDM’s everybro
How did the unassuming producer of polite, emotive dance music become social media’s superstar DJ?
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PJ Harvey’s songs of England
Across her varied discography, the singer-songwriter conjures images of hyper-local folk tales and white Dorset cliffs.
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From the feral to the glamorous at Glastonbury 2024
Little Simz and SZA made Coldplay look bland in a festival full of politics, nostalgia and peeing in cups.
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Inside Blur’s reunion psychodrama
A new film documents the band’s cautious reconciliation at Damon Albarn’s very big house in the country.
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Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers sound more earnest than ever
At the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, the band moved away from Springsteen-inspired belters to focus on gentle synths and…
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Laufey at EartH: woozy and nostalgic love songs
The Chinese-Icelandic singer mixes classical and jazz influences in her old-fashioned take on pop.
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