‘The landlady was shocked to see them – and their hair’It was 1986 and I’d been on the road with Sigue Sigue Sputnik for a couple of days. They’d played a gig in Leeds the previous night and we’d just arrived at a little bed and breakfast in Newcastle …
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Music
From Dua Lipa to Boris Johnson – why it’s a ‘cultural mistake’ to wear union jack clothing
After Brexit, a legacy of far-right associations, and possible Scottish independence, the union flag still pushes buttons. What does patriotism mean in Britain today?For something that can mean so many different things to different people, the union ja…
Read more‘We could lose it all’: UK jazz tries to get its groove back after Covid
The world-class British jazz scene was hit hard by the pandemic. As live shows and in-person collaboration resume, Steam Down, Soweto Kinch and more discuss the futureMusic moves differently depending on the space it’s played in. A typical pre-Covid We…
Read more‘I don’t want to remember these things’: dark pop poet John Murry on surviving rape, heroin and family strife
The singer-songwriter talks about his relative William Faulkner, his violent childhood and drugs – and saves a surprise until the endIf you’re after cheery crowdpleasers, John Murry is not your man. Murry is 41, barely known, and has never come close t…
Read moreSubwoofers at the ready! The jungle and drum’n’bass revival is upon us
With turbocharged tracks storming the charts, both genres are having a boom – but did they ever really go away?Jungle and drum’n’bass are back, back, BACK! High Contrast’s Notes from the Underground album – its elegiac 90s rave moods created with vinta…
Read moreNigerian rapper Olamide: ‘People have a very limited understanding of the ghetto’
From a Lagos slum, Olamide became one of Africa’s biggest music stars. A new, global deal is taking his vivid pop to the wider worldBariga, a sprawling northern suburb of Lagos, Nigeria that is home to more than 700,000 people, is infamous for its impo…
Read moreThe Jesus and Mary Chain sue Warner for £1.8m over copyright infringement
Jim and William Reid fight to win back albums using US law which reverts rights to artists after 35 yearsThe Jesus and Mary Chain are suing Warner Music Group (WMG) for $2.5m (£1.77m) for copyright infringement after the company refused to terminate it…
Read moreThe best albums of 2021 so far
From drill’s high watermark to Tuareg rock, Colombian pop and London jazz, here are our music editors’ picks of the best LPs from the first half of the year Continue reading…
Read morePolo G: ‘Death and depression made me lean towards music. It became therapeutic’
The Chicago rapper’s last album spent 47 weeks in the UK chart, testament to the power of his raw, introspective tracks. He discusses his journey out of crime and drug use towards being one of rap’s biggest stars“Every day a battle, I’m exhausted and I…
Read moreThe push to archive the history of jungle and drum’n’bass
Historians aim to document small labels, record shops, pirate radio and clubs that helped scene thriveChingford Sainsbury’s may be an unlikely setting for an encounter that helped capture a key part of British cultural history, but MC Navigator’s weekl…
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