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Music
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Ever since the Germanic-Nordic group met at a Viking re-enactment society, they have aimed to ‘amplify history’ – powered by lavish costumes and knowing theatricality -
3 out of 5 stars.
Alexis Petridis's album of the week Aitch: Close to Home – ‘100,000% Manc album’ not just for the Lynx lads
3 out of 5 stars.Referencing the Stone Roses and featuring Shaun Ryder, the Manchester rapper’s debut album stops short of a second coming – but it pushes his musical boundaries and subverts traditional hip-hop narratives
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Musicians know all about the gig economy – and the grim food that goes with it. He who pays the piper should feed them properly too -
Watching the rise of younger gay pop stars, the 50-year-old former Savage Garden singer felt grief for the youth he never had. He speaks about coming out, his mental health struggles and returning to music -
With illegal blues parties in basements and impassioned activism across the city, Windrush was more than just a London story – as this new string of events proves
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With his rasping vocals and pick-and-mix sound, south Londoner Miles Romans-Hopcraft, AKA Wu-Lu, is causing a stir. He discusses his family pride, skatepark education, and resourceful approach to getting his music out there -
‘It was written in the knowledge I was heading for world domination. Why was it so melancholic? You’d have to ask my analyst’ -
The mid-point between the Raincoats and Life Without Buildings, the short-lived Plymouth group brought improv, humour and European radicalism to their newly rediscovered debut album -
Now the talented multi-tasker is co-starring in a musical heist featuring his own songs. So what drives him on?
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5 out of 5 stars.
Coldplay A barrage of hits and eye-popping spectacle
5 out of 5 stars.Music of the Spheres may have confused many fans, but the album gains depth with this inventive show -
3 out of 5 stars.
Nine months after the tragic Houston concert, Scott is back in front of a huge crowd – and almost overshadowed by his own pyrotechnics -
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3 out of 5 stars.
Cambridge Folk festival A safe but charming return
3 out of 5 stars. -
5 out of 5 stars.
Womad Gilberto Gil helps celebrate 40 years of blazing trails
5 out of 5 stars. -
5 out of 5 stars.
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4 out of 5 stars.
Alexis Petridis's album of the week Megan Thee Stallion: Traumazine – bruising brilliance from rap’s reigning queen
4 out of 5 stars.The Texan rapper comes out swinging on her latest release – slinging a seemingly limitless supply of fantastic insults at the industry and countless nameless foes -
5 out of 5 stars.
Kitty Empire's artist of the week Danger Mouse and Black Thought: Cheat Codes – an out-and-out hip-hop masterpiece
5 out of 5 stars.Razor-sharp US rapper Black Thought and his one-time acolyte, now super-producer, Danger Mouse, finally get it together on an album that’s a nonstop joy -
Obituaries
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Songwriter behind hits including 1998 Eurovision winner, and Quentin Tarantino’s father-in-law, dies at home -
After breaking out as a country star, she rode the changing moods of pop, through rock, electronic and, of course, the film musical – pre-empting the visual album along the way -
Band frontman Shane MacGowan pays tribute to ‘nice guy and great friend’ who died in London on Monday -
Obituary: Durham’s distinctive voice took the quartet to international fame in the 1960s, before she forged a successful solo career
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Fifty years after Roxy Music released their debut single, Virginia Plain, revisit our Reader Interview with the band's stylish frontman
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By genre
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3 out of 5 stars.
Pop and rock Aitch: Close to Home review – ‘100,000% Manc album’ not just for the Lynx lads
3 out of 5 stars.Referencing the Stone Roses and featuring Shaun Ryder, the Manchester rapper’s debut album stops short of a second coming – but it pushes his musical boundaries and subverts traditional hip-hop narratives -
You remember, the place you went to forget exam results, dance in a circle and rainbow-vomit in a sink: the bread and butter clubs of British nightlife are disappearing -
Part of the new wave of British heavy metal, Grim Reaper formed in 1979, with Grimmett joining in 1982
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After doing battle with Beyoncé and before her new album, Dirt, we rate the best of Kelis’s career, from the ragers to the musical recipes -
The mordant Scottish duo answer your queries about retirement and reformation, watching (but not dancing to) Ed Sheeran and what they would bring to a picnic -
It would have been unimaginable in our 20s, but these days more and more friends are disengaging from a passion we once shared. Surely this is premature?
You may have missed
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Amid a bloated festival market, the founders of the UK’s tiniest weekenders explain why they are keeping things intimate and defiantly non-commercial -
The first biography of the enigmatic poet-songwriter leads a resurgence in popularity for the late northern balladeer whose admirers include Neil Gaiman and Cerys Matthews -
When a Zimbabwean Twitter account posted images of wedding guests moonwalking to Kenny Rogers, many were surprised. But the ties between US country and Africa reach back to its commercial outset
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In 1986 the NME’s 22-track cassette defined indie-rock for a new generation. Some bands featured, such as Primal Scream, became stars. But what became of Bogshed, the Mackenzies and the Shrubs? -
Since 10 fans were killed at a Travis Scott event, artists from Billie Eilish to Harry Styles have been stopping their shows at the first sign of trouble. Safety experts explain why – and how it started with Oasis -
Club and festival lineups are overwhelmingly dominated by male artists. This has to change – and inclusivity riders for big DJs would be a good first step
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