Pop
Dazzling – if you ignore the music: Beyoncé, at Murrayfield Stadium, reviewed
Scheduling open-air concerts in mid-May in northern Europe is a triumph of hope over experience. I last spent time with…
In praise of goths – the most enduring of pop subcultures
Michael Hann on the most enduring of pop subcultures
The new Pogues: The Mary Wallopers, at O2 Forum Kentish Town, reviewed
I was listening the other week to a solo album by an ageing rock guitarist, once terrifically famous. It was…
‘Netflix are incredibly conservative’: documentary-maker Nick Broomfield interviewed
Adam Sweeting talks to the documentary-maker Nick Broomfield about the forgotten Rolling Stone
Heartfelt but bland: Ed Sheeran’s – (Subtract) reviewed
Whether by accident or design, the mathematical theme of Ed Sheeran’s previous album titles (+, ×, ÷ and = respectively)…
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…
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…
Holds out huge promise for future seasons: If Opera's La Rondine reviewed
One swallow might not make a summer, but it certainly helps rounds the season off. ‘Perhaps, like the swallow, you…
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…
Sensational: Herbie Hancock, at the Edinburgh Festival, reviewed
‘Human beings are in trouble these days,’ says Herbie Hancock, chatting to us between songs. ‘And do you know who…
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…
In defence of country-pop
Sam Kriss on why country-pop is the most modern music there is
As good, and inventive, as modern rock music gets: Black Midi's Hellfire reviewed
Grade: A+ The difficult question with Black Midi was always: are you listening to them in order to admire them,…
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…
