The Sabrina Carpenter effect
The pop star has hit the mainstream thanks to a playful sense of humour that brings her smart, elliptical songs…
ByPop music
Why terror targets Taylor Swift fans
On a street in Vienna, the star’s fans are building a sanctuary in defiance against the threat of terror and…
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Donald Trump is Brat
The meme has transcended culture and taken over politics. Why has everyone misunderstood it?
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At Hyde Park, Stevie Nicks is a powerful presence
The Fleetwood Mac singer is 76 years old – but she doesn’t sound it.
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The young prole rebels of Dexys Midnight Runners
Denied an audience with frontman Kevin Rowland, the author Nige Tassell asks the band’s army of musicians to tell its…
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Rediscovering the bright lights
An old album and a Pet Shop Boys gig remind me of music’s power to refresh memories and forge new…
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The Born in the USA fallacy
Forty years ago Bruce Springsteen’s bleak portrait of America’s discarded working class was miscast as a patriotic anthem.
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How Take That helped me embrace middle age
Seeing Gary, Howard and Mark perform in Manchester revealed how friendships, freedom and fun evolve through life.
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Pet Shop Boys: “Labour could do with an infusion of idealism”
The pop duo on Keir Starmer, the royals, Marvel and the word “queer”.
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Jah Wobble Q&A: “Evil spirits shattered my parking sensors”
The legendary post-punk bassist and singer on teleportation, Tube trains, and living with the paranormal.
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How the Liverbirds disrupted the rock ’n’ roll boys’ club
The all-female band shone briefly in Sixties Hamburg, but were prevented from flourishing in a male-dominated scene.
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Never meet your heroes – unless your hero is Jah Wobble
A close encounter with the legendary bassist leaves me giddy and unsteady on my feet.
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Robbie Robertson’s sounds of America
In the Sixties, the Canadian musician defined Americana. On his score for Killers of the Flower Moon, he blew it…
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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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It’s time to scrap the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
This self-congratulatory country club of popular music is outdated and irrelevant – resigned to playing catch-up with our culture.
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Bernie Taupin: good lyricist, bad writer
The songs he wrote with Elton John may be works of art. His bloated memoir is not.
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John Niven’s chronicles of chaos
The author on the hedonism of Britpop and the long shadow of his brother’s suicide.
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Muna’s anti-capitalist pop
The queer pop band has two focuses: making music, and making sure success doesn’t turn them into “evil landlords”.
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Drake’s poetry collection isn’t literature
The Canadian rapper’s boastful new book is merely a marketing tool for his music.
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Why is Taylor Swift re-recording her old albums?
The singer’s decision to release new recordings of her old albums reflects a bitter struggle over music rights.
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