Pop
A generational pop talent: Rina Sawayama, at the O2 Academy Brixton, reviewed
The first time I saw Franz Ferdinand was at the sadly lost Astoria, just after the release of their first…
Tenderness and menace: Bob Dylan, at the London Palladium, reviewed
Bob Dylan has always toyed with audiences. He plays what he wants, how he wants, letting his mood dictate tempo…
Compellingly personal arena experience: Bon Iver, at Ovo Hydro, reviewed
A reliable metric for measuring pop success is hard to find these days, as Michael Hann noted in these pages…
We should take Robbie Williams more seriously
Oh, nostalgia – so much better than it used to be! You’d never have guessed pop music was once the…
The death of the pop star
The definition of ‘pop star’ in the Collins English Dictionary is unambiguous: ‘A famous singer or musician who performs pop…
Incredibly his new songs were the best songs: Lyndsey Buckingham, at the London Palladium, reviewed
Lindsey Buckingham, at 72, still has cheekbones that cast shadows. He has the upright shock of hair, too, though now…
Simple songs; voice like the grand canyon: George Ezra, at OVO Hydra, reviewed
It would be easy to be a little dismissive of George Ezra. A wholesome late twentysomething hailing from the rock…
Joyous and sexy: Nathy Peluso, at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, reviewed
Few forms of music have colonised the world like metal and hip-hop. Wherever you go you will find these two…
Confounding and fantastic: 100 Gecs, at O2 Forum Kentish Town, reviewed
Let me introduce you to the two poles in pop and rock. One is marked by authenticity, musicianship, a certain…
The new master of the American Whine: Ezra Furman, at Edinburgh Festival, reviewed
The American Whine is one of the key vocal registers in rock and roll. You can trace that thin disaffected…
Full of unexpected delights: Green Man Festival reviewed
One learns the strangest things at festivals. That, for instance, this summer has been a bit of a blackcurrant disaster…
A magnificent farewell: Stornoway, at Womad Festival, reviewed
The greatest pleasure of writing about pop music – even more than the free tickets and records, nice as they…
She’s pop’s Damien Hirst: Beyoncé’s Renaissance reviewed
You feel a little sorry for Renaissance, the first solo album by Beyoncé in more than six years. It just…
Only traces of their eerie early spirit remain: Kings of Leon, at OVO Hydro, reviewed
A few years ago, I spoke to Mick Jagger and asked him which of the (relatively) new crop of rock…
Glastonbury has become a singalong event for OAPs
‘Well, it’s just not Glastonbury, is it?’ said my daughter aggressively, when told that our yurt featured an actual bed,…
The subtleties of her songbook were lost in this enormodome: Diana Ross at the O2 reviewed
When Motown first packaged up a roster of artists and songs that could be embraced by a non-black audience, no…
The power of cultural reclamation
‘Version’ is an old reggae term I’ve always loved. It refers to a stripped-down, rhythm-heavy instrumental mix of a song,…
They have the weakest catalogue of any major act: Abba: Voyage reviewed
One of the biggest talking points in pop these past couple of years has been how successful old musicians have…
Harry Styles has entered his imperial phase – but his music still has no distinct identity
At the turn of this century, looking back on the late 1980s when the Pet Shop Boys could do no…
I’m not sure they ever reached a fourth chord: Spiritualized, at the Roundhouse, reviewed
Every so often, Jason Pierce drifts into focus. It happened at the end of the 1980s, when his then group…
A joy – mostly: Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, at Usher Hall, reviewed
Drummers are patient chaps, in the main. Think of Ringo in Peter Jackson’s recent Beatles docuseries, Get Back. Lolling around…
The perfect pop star: Dua Lipa at the O2 Arena reviewed
Dua Lipa’s second album, Future Nostalgia, was released at the least promising moment possible: 27 March 2020, the day after…
I would be surprised if his next tour included arenas: Louis Tomlinson at Wembley reviewed
You don’t need to be a historian of pop to realise that having been part of a huge manufactured group…
The awfulness of the Red Hot Chili Peppers has always felt weirdly personal
Squaring up to the prospect of a new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, I’m reminded of a vintage quote by…
He is now a family entertainer: Stormzy at the O2 Arena reviewed
Stormzy occupies a curious place in British pop culture right now. He’s the darling of liberals for all his good…
