‘A House of Cards’: How Did Wireless Festival Get It so Wrong on Kanye West?
Wireless Festival announced Ye as its 2026 headliner, prompting immediate backlash over his recent antisemitic comments. Major sponsors including Pepsi and Diageo pulled out, and the UK government denied Ye entry, leading to the event’s cancellation just days before the July dates. The collapse highlights the fragility of festival financing when public opinion turns hostile. Live Nation’s Festival Republic now faces uncertain liability for sunk costs and insurance coverage.
The Xx at Coachella Review – Indie Trio Reunites for Spellbinding, Rangy Set
The English indie trio the xx returned to the main stage at Coachella, delivering their first festival performance in eight years. Over a near‑hour set they played 16 songs, weaving classic tracks like “Crystalised” with material from members' solo projects....
My New Band Believe Review – Beautiful Ideas Burst From Ex-Black Midi Man’s Lovable Debut Album
Cameron Picton, former Black Midi bassist, has issued his first solo record, My New Band Believe, an eight‑track acoustic collection recorded with veteran drummer Steve Noble and a cadre of improvisational musicians. The album abandons Black Midi’s maximalist, genre‑hopping chaos...
‘We Wanted to Put a Mark on the World’: The Sweaty, Singular Indie Music Scene of Early-00s Brighton
In the early 2000s Brighton became a hotbed for indie music, anchored by intimate venues like the Free Butt and the Lift that nurtured a wildly diverse roster of bands. Artists such as Bat for Lashes, Sea Power, the Pipettes...
‘It Was a Way of Processing Violences I’ve Survived’: How Iconoclastic Musician Arca Beat Burnout with Frenzied Painting
Venezuelan‑born electronic pioneer Arca (Alejandra Ghersi) stepped away from a decade‑long music career after supporting icons like Madonna and Beyoncé, confronting burnout through an intense visual‑art practice. The resulting mixed‑media canvases, titled “Angels,” debuted at the ICA in London, featuring...
‘I Can’t Listen without Feeling Rattled’: How Fairuz’s Anthem of Resilience Became a Harbinger of Strife for Lebanon
Fairuz’s 1976 anthem “Bahebak Ya Lebnan” has evolved from a wartime rallying cry into Lebanon’s unofficial national song, resurfacing during every major crisis from civil war to the 2020 Beirut explosion. The track now carries a dual legacy: older generations...
‘It Was an Exorcism’: How Heartbreak, Queer Rebirth and Finding Love over Only Connect Shaped Wendy Eisenberg’s Stunning New Album
Wendy Eisenberg, a Brooklyn‑based indie musician, has released a self‑titled album that marks a stylistic shift toward 70s folk‑rock melodies. The record emerged after a “creative exorcism” triggered by a painful breakup, during which Eisenberg wrote most songs in a...
‘After One Gig, Someone Stole My Car with My Dole Money in It’: Morcheeba on How They Made The Sea
Morcheeba’s “The Sea” emerged from late‑night 1996 sessions, with Ross and Paul Godfrey looping beats on an Atari two‑inch tape machine and Skye Edwards adding the vocal line. The label shelved it as a commercial single, but Channel 4’s reality show...
AI Lectures, Old West Folk Heroes and Mark Twain: What Is Bob Dylan up to Joining Patreon?
Bob Dylan, now 84, has launched a Patreon called "Lectures from the Grave," charging $5 a month for access to a mix of AI‑generated lectures, historical anecdotes, and short stories. The content, ranging from Wild Bill Hickok to a fictional...
‘African People Are Surreal’: Songwriter and Blues Poet Aja Monet on Black Resistance and Love as Spiritual Warfare
Aja Monet, Los Angeles‑based blues poet and songwriter, is preparing to debut her new album “The Color of Rain,” a surrealist‑infused jazz project, at Carnegie Hall this spring. The album, inspired by historical surrealism’s response to fascism, tackles love, resistance,...
I Thought I’d Been Coping with My Sister’s Death – a Taylor Swift Song Showed Me I Hadn’t
The author describes how Taylor Swift’s track “Marjorie” from the 2020 Evermore album unlocked five years of unprocessed grief over her sister’s death, prompting a profound emotional release. The song’s lyrical intimacy and ethereal production acted as an informal therapy during...
Add to Playlist: The Coffee-Shop Pop of Gianna and the Week’s Best New Tracks
British singer‑songwriter Gianna releases her debut EP "Behind the Wings," a coffee‑shop pop collection that fuses early‑2000s Y2K nostalgia with subtle Balkan textures from her Albanian‑Kosovar heritage. The lead single "Shadow of a Bird" blends arpeggiated acoustic guitar, trip‑hop beats,...
Rave Culture: A New Era Review – High Energy Testimonial to the UK’s Dance Revolution
Rave Culture: A New Era is a Spanish documentary that chronicles the United Kingdom’s 1980s‑1990s rave explosion, featuring testimonies from legends like Fabio, the Hartnoll brothers, Slipmatt and Goldie. It showcases the scene’s logistical tricks to evade police, the shift...
Protect Ya Neck! Wu-Tang Clan as They’ve Never Been Seen Before – in Pictures
Photographer Eddie Otchere spent a decade assembling a rare collection of unpublished portraits of the Wu‑Tang Clan and other hip‑hop legends, culminating in the photozine “Wu‑Tang 4 + 1 More.” The archive includes nine distinct images of each clan member, plus candid shots of...
Ivor Novello Award Nominees Reflect Gender Disparity in British and Irish Songwriters, with Twice as Many Men as Women
The 2026 Ivor Novello Awards announced 61 nominees, revealing a stark gender gap with 40 men, 19 women and two non‑binary songwriters. Olivia Dean, Kae Tempest and Lily Allen lead the shortlist, each earning two nominations across categories such as Best Album and...
The Trials of Pa Salieu Review – What Hope Is There for Life After Prison?
British‑Gambian rapper Pa Salieu, once a Glastonbury‑stage headliner and BBC Sound Of winner, was sentenced to 33 months for violent disorder after a 2022 brawl that left a friend dead. He served 16½ months and the new BBC Three documentary follows his post‑release...
FKA Twigs Review – an Olympian Display of Pop Prowess
FKA twigs headlined her first arena concert at Madison Square Garden, delivering a sold‑out show that fused pop, techno, and New York ballroom culture. The performance highlighted her Olympic‑level dance stamina, with intricate choreography that matched the intensity of tracks like “Hard”...
BTS Review – Having Lost None of Their Chemistry, This Is a Comeback of Epic Proportions
BTS staged a free concert in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, drawing 100,000 fans and streaming live on Netflix to 190 countries. The performance marked the group’s first joint appearance in four years after completing mandatory military service. They unveiled their new...
‘We Didn’t Want to Play the Game’: How Ladytron Became Unlikely Pop Survivors
Ladytron released their eighth studio album, "Paradises," in 2026, pivoting toward a Balearic‑inspired dancefloor sound. The band’s 2002 single "Seventeen" resurfaced on TikTok in 2021, catapulting the track into Spotify’s US Viral Top 50 and tripling streaming royalties. Throughout their career,...
‘We Keep Secrets because We’re Scared’: Guvna B on Porn Addiction and Recovery
British rapper Guvna B, known for gospel‑infused grime, has launched his tenth studio album *This Bed I Made*, confronting his long‑standing pornography addiction and the shame that kept it hidden. The record, featuring jazz‑leaning production and excerpts from addiction expert...
‘I Woke up and Couldn’t Move’: Scottish Rockers the Twilight Sad on Births, Death and Breakdown
Scottish indie band the Twilight Sad released their sixth album, “It’s the Long Goodbye,” while frontman James Graham coped with his mother’s dementia‑related death, his own mental‑health breakdown, and the birth of two sons. The record functions as a diary...
‘It’s Brutal Right Now’: One-Woman Powerhouse Maimuna Memon on the Surprise Aftermath of Winning an Olivier
Maimuna Memon, the Lancashire‑born composer, writer and actor, captured an Olivier award for her role in *Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812* but then experienced an unexpectedly quiet year. She attributes the lull to industry shifts, notably the rise of...
867-5309: Number From 1980s Hit Song Jenny Now Routes Callers to Cancer Support
Tommy Tutone’s iconic phone number 867‑5309 is being rerouted to the Cancer Support Community’s helpline, providing free counseling and resources to patients and caregivers. The campaign, launched in partnership with Gilda’s Club, leverages the cultural cachet of the 1980s hit...
‘We Kicked Bono’s Arse’: How We Made Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again (with a Little Help From Kraftwerk)
Andy McCluskey of OMD created Atomic Kitten after Kraftwerk’s Karl Bartos urged a girl‑band vehicle for his songs. The debut single “Whole Again” was re‑imagined from an electronic ballad into a gospel‑tinged pop anthem by Stuart Kershaw. Recording was chaotic – Kerry Katona’s spoken verse...
‘You’ve Got to Be Able to Laugh at Yourself’: Jamie Oliver Stars in Video for CMAT’s The Jamie Oliver Petrol...
Jamie Oliver appears in Irish pop star CMAT’s video for her song “The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station,” a tongue‑in‑cheek track that references his line of Shell sandwiches. The video was shot at the newly refurbished Jamie’s Italian outlet in Leicester...
Diagonale Des Yeux: Madeleine Review | Safi Bugel's Experimental Album of the Month
Diagonale des Yeux’s debut album "Madeleine" blends whimsical lo‑fi post‑punk with a multilingual, exquisite‑corpse lyric approach. Members Laurène Exposito and Théo Delaunay stitch together French, German, English and Spanish fragments, creating surreal narratives. The 12‑track record is built from home‑recorded...
‘I’ve Always Had This Blind Faith’: Morgan Nagler on Writing with Alt-Rock’s Biggest Names – and Making Her Solo Debut...
Veteran songwriter Morgan Nagler, known for co‑writing hits for Haim, Phoebe Bridgers and Kim Deal, released her first solo album, I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It, at age 47. The Americana‑leaning record features guest performances by Courtney Barnett, Madi Diaz and...
‘A Lot of Late 70s Bands Wore Grey. But We Were Determined to Have Fun’: The Return of the Mega-Influential...
Swell Maps, the pioneering DIY punk outfit from the late 1970s, have issued *Swell Maps C21*, their first studio album since 1980. The project is spearheaded by 69‑year‑old founder Jowe Head, who assembled a new lineup featuring former Television Personalities...