In the eternal now of the strobe-lit sweatbox, innovation functions in a different way to the rest of culture. Yes of course, the thrill of the new has consistently been a vital part of dancefloor culture, but so has the familiarity of particular sonic signatures that emerged from its fervid evolutionary processes. From the endless echo of classic disco house and rave samples in the mainstream, to the purity of raw, churning acid house in underground basements: once something works, it works.Sometimes the sounds that endure are super niche. For example, some time around the middle of the Read more ...

As the name suggests, the Near Jazz Experience owe a huge musical debt to jazz, but that’s not the full story by any means. For a start, the rhythm section has more in common with the motorik groove of Can and the general atmosphere is closer to the soundtracks of ‘60s TV shows and films like The Avengers and Bullitt than any of Miles Davis’ famous ensembles.For those unfamiliar with the band, they are a trio of musical veterans, comprising Madness bassist, Mark Bedford, saxophone slinger for hire, Terry Edwards and his former Higsons’ confederate, Simon Charterton on drums. None of their Read more ...

Billie Eilish may be one of the biggest names in new music, but here at the O2 Arena, she’s just Billie – the one who stares deep into your soul, smiles at you like she knows your secrets, and shouts “I love you” like she means it. “You are seen, you are safe,” she tells us. We believe her. And judging by the thousands of utterly hysterical fans, heaving and shaking with sobs amidst their singing – mostly clad in jorts, sports vests and ties – the feeling is mutual.The 23-year-old pop sensation first appears crouched in the centre of a metal cube, dangling above the crowd, instantly evoking Read more ...

This second album from London-based septet Kokoroko welcomes you into its warm embrace with the gorgeous, beatific vocal harmonies of “Never Lost” anchored by drummer Ayo Salawu's pulsating backbeat. A horn-driven celebration of West African disco, the unexpected key change in "Sweetie" catches you delightfully off-guard and epitomises the album's spirit of musical adventure. The hypnotic neo-soul sound-world of "Closer To Me" sees Duane Atherley's fluid bass line providing the foundation for an uplifting summer anthem. Meanwhile, the deeply personal "My Father in Heaven" strips Read more ...

Tubeway Army’s “Are ‘Friends’ Electric” hit the top of the UK single’s chart in the last week of June 1979. It stayed there for four weeks. Its parent album, Replicas, lodged itself in the Top 75 for 31 weeks. In April, just as Replicas was out, Tubeway Army began recording demos for the next album: the band which had been assembled for the task debuted on BBC2’s The Old Grey Whistle Test on 22 May.At this point, Gary Numan – who, effectively, was Tubeway Army – was beginning to think a change in terminology was necessary. On 29 May, just a week on from the OGWT appearance, he and Billie Read more ...

War, pestilence, famine, death. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my fill of them all. So what better time to visit the genuinely sunny uplands – the long-anticipated second album from Wet Leg.My, those seemingly demure, Amish-styled girls have grown (see the demonic cover, replete with scary talons and an unhinged-looking Rhian Teasdale). They’ve officially supplemented the line-up with the three very hairy boys who’ve been playing with them on live shows and everybody’s been involved in the writing. And everything’s turned out very well indeed.Superlative singles “CPR” and “catch these Read more ...

Tami Neilson’s career is long and storied. The short version is that she began with a 1990s Canadian family band (opening for Kitty Wells, aged 10!), moved to New Zealand and became a country star there, then, over the last decade, has been “discovered by" and worked with all manner of US artists, ranging from Ashley McBryde to Willie Nelson. Her latest album is named in honour of the signage on Nashville Broadway, “the patron saint of heartbreak in downtown”, as she puts it. Less cheekily characterful than her output of recent years, it still has much to recommend it.Where her last album, Read more ...

The branch of the fast-food chain Hesburger in downtown Tallinn shopping centre Solaris is busy. Nothing unusual as it’s located by the entrance to a multi-screen cinema. Double cheeseburgers and fries are going over the counter. Less typically, two-thirds of the people here are wearing traditional Estonian clothing. Men and boys with knee britches. Woman and girls in embroidered outfits with hats.It’s a fair bet that, after eating, all of them will head east to the Estonian capital’s Song Festival Grounds (the Lauluväljak). They might be members of the audience, or singing on the 15,000- Read more ...

I met Mark Stewart once. It was on a platform at Clapham Junction, I wouldn’t normally approach a famous person like that, but I felt I had to pay my respects. It turned out he was getting on my train – going down to Dorset to “visit his old Ma” – and we talked on and off down to Southampton. He was hilarious, half scholar and gentleman, half lively uncle at a family function loudly telling old-school “blue” jokes, all in the thickest West Country burr this side of The Wurzels. I was glad I had done the gauche thing, doubly so after he died in 2023. Where meeting your heroes can sometimes Read more ...

I was born Tamara Lee Neilson. I had an Uncle Kenny and an Aunt Dolly (who played guitar and banjo, respectively). I mean, did I really have a choice to become anything but a Country singer?I fell in love with Dolly Parton when I was six years old, spinning her records on my dad’s record player while dancing on the olive green shag carpet of our living room. At 10 years old, I opened for Kitty Wells, the Queen of Country Music and the first woman to ever have a number one hit on Country radio, with my family band, The Neilsons. I knew I wanted to be like these women when I grew up; wear Read more ...

Stylistically, Utopia wears multiple faces. Opening cut “London 1757” drifts by like a twig floating upon an unhurried stream. Next, “Dancing on Volcanoes” swings, employs a staccato guitar and suggests a late-Sunday afternoon dance floor. The kind of scene embraced by a post-comedown crowd. Further in, “Ghost of You” has a soul ballad edge; Randy Crawford were her background in Broadcast-inclined, indie-experimenta.Utopia is Wales’ Gwenno Saunders' fourth solo album and, unlike its predecessors, it lacks a specificity defining how it is delivered: it is not fully in Welsh, it is not fully in Read more ...

Has Sabrina Carpenter officially conquered London? A year after bestie and fellow Disney alumni Taylor Swift declared the “Summer of Sabrina” stateside, the army of fans clad in pink cowboy hats, bloomers and kiss transfers streaming into Hyde Park would seem to suggest so.There’s no denying that she's managed to position herself as everyone's dream in some shape or form: simultaneously goddess and girl-next-door, vixen and sweetheart. Her Short ‘n’ Sweet London run is a text book display of star power captivating everyone from nine-year-olds to their accompanying dads – albeit for slightly Read more ...