Music
‘Ignorance towards immigration is horrible. It’s not British’: Skepta on his long-awaited return – and his anger at the racist right
Thirty-three months after it was announced, the grime legend’s new album is coming out. He explains how skinheads, fatherhood and rap history came to bear on its socially conscious contents‘I can’t be perfect,” Skepta says, pulling a black Arc’tyrex beanie down over a furrowed brow with both hands. “But I can be conscious.” The self-proclaimed king of grime has always been a serious person, wary o
30 Oct 2026
'My autistic son and I feel abandoned and failed by the system'
29 Oct 2026
Family row over George Michael items up for auction - including Faith guitar
29 Oct 2026
Mac DeMarco review – glowing melodies and shirtless antics at Carnegie Hall
27 Oct 2026
Heartbreak, hope and human imperfection: Leonard Cohen’s greatest songs – ranked!
22 Oct 2026
MusicAmy Winehouse: Back to Black 20 review – trying an all-star Amy tribute show is a losing game
(Roundhouse, London)With Jorja Smith, Mark Ronson and others reinterpreting Back to Black for its 20th anniversary, most of the singers are eclipsed by the memory of WinehouseIt’s 20 years since Amy Winehouse released her masterpiece Back to Black and 15 since she died at a frighteningly young age. A good way to appreciate how special she was is to watch the Amy Winehouse Band trot through a few l
22 Oct 2026‘He had this electrical charge’: the short life and long legacy of Jason Molina, master of Americana
As a documentary celebrates the late US musician, friends and collaborators describe an incomparable storyteller who brought ‘myth and magic to everyday life’Jason Molina grew up in a trailer in the working-class city of Lorain, Ohio. The city’s skyline once flickered with blue flames and a warm orange glow emanated from clattering steel mills, but by Molina’s teenage years, Lorain was in a tailsp
21 Oct 2026Cyndi Lauper on fun, fashion and freedom of expression: ‘We have braces on our brains’
As she auctions off her treasures, the synth-pop savant opens up about her eccentric style and why she doesn’t believe in cancel cultureBefore Cyndi Lauper rose to fame as one of the most singular pop breakouts of the 1980s, she was queen of the cash register at the edgy Manhattan boutique Screaming Mimi’s. The vintage emporium is still a downtown staple, but a little of its spirit comes uptown th
21 Oct 2026A moment that changed me: I was devastated by a breakup – and saved by a sweaty moshpit
When my relationship broke down, my usual playlist of pop girl anthems and love songs left me in tears. Then I discovered hardcore punkNobody warned me that heartbreak would ruin my relationship with Beyoncé. I had always associated music with the happiest times in my life: going to Glastonbury, seeing Madonna play at Madison Square Garden, singing along to Kylie Minogue’s greatest hits on a road
21 Oct 2026Mariah Carey wins dismissal of brother’s defamation lawsuit over her memoir
Morgan Carey sued his sister over claims in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, which he said falsely portrayed him as a violent drug dealerA judge has dismissed a lawsuit from Mariah Carey’s brother, five years after he accused her of defaming him in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey.In the memoir, Carey described Morgan as a “sometimes drug dealing, been-in-the-system, drunk
21 Oct 2026The little-known friendship between Nina Simone and Langston Hughes
A new book charts how a 1949 meeting between the renowned poet and the legendary musician, then a 16-year-old girl, sparked enduring ties and fruitful collaborationIn 1949, the poet and writer Langston Hughes was already a towering figure – he toured the country reading his poems and lecturing, drawing crowds that filled auditoriums. That year, at a lecture in Asheville, North Carolina, Hughes met
21 Oct 2026‘I had no plan. Just total scorched earth’: how Kiran Leonard survived teen success to make songs of full-body joy
Hailed as a prodigy at 16, the Saddleworth singer-songwriter was patronised in the press and lost his musical path. Now courted by imaginative new bands, he explains his route backKiran Leonard presses the tips of his fingers together and looks at me solemnly across the table. “I don’t know if I’m doing a very good job,” he says, “But I’m trying really, really hard not to swear.”A decade ago, he e
21 Oct 2026‘We tried to levitate the Pentagon’: the almost unbelievable life of Ed Sanders, trickster god of the US counterculture
He gave Jimi Hendrix his gear, freaked out Frank Sinatra, inspired Norman Mailer – and tried to topple the American war machine. As a documentary about his band the Fugs comes out, the 87-year-old gives a rare interview“Charles Manson once wrote me a letter saying, ‘If I was as powerful as you claim then you wouldn’t be here,’” Ed Sanders tells me over a video call, savouring the menace in that se
21 Oct 2026‘I need to prove my family’s sacrifice was worth it’: how pop auteur Shygirl slogged her way to the top
Adored by Madonna and Charli xcx and buoyed by finding true love, the Londoner is branching out into rock and breaking the mainstream. She explains how her working class upbringing made her so fearlessLeaving the important stuff to chance isn’t Shygirl’s style. First aid kit, wind-up radio, batteries: earlier this morning, the singer filled her online shopping basket in preparation for impending d
21 Oct 2026‘A guy held a knife to my throat and said: play something normal!’ Richard Thompson on crazy crowds, his beloved beret and Sandy Denny’s driving skills
As he releases new album Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, the 77-year-old British folk legend answers your questions about Billy Connolly, Californian fish and chips and whether he nearly joined the EaglesBilly Connolly recalled being in a room with you, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake and John Martyn. Did you feel you were collectively doing something special? poscopy That might have been at the Royal Festival
21 Oct 2026
MusicMNEK cancels tour over lack of ticket sales and high production costs
The Grammy-nominated artist was due to start a run of shows for his latest album Bulldozer!! next month.
21 Oct 2026
MusicAs fans reject AI-generated music, even boosters are drawing the line
Enthusiasts like Grimes and A$AP Rocky may embrace AI-generated content, but they won’t produce it themselvesStreaming services, notable musicians and fans are confronting the growing presence of AI-generated music and drawing lines in the sand.On Tuesday, Spotify announced it had removed about 50m songs considered AI slop from its recommendations to users over the past year. Continue reading...
21 Oct 2026