Music
Elaine Short obituary
January 1, 2026My friend Elaine Short, who has died aged 89, was an artist, potter, teacher and Francophile. She was also a skilled and talented weaver. When I met her in the 1990s she showed me some of her beautiful tapestries, many of them inspired by the Sussex countryside. Her work was exhibited in galleries including Hastings […]
Read More
Report on Israeli settlements plan is all too brief | Brief letters
December 26, 2025It must be a long time since such a brazen flouting of international law was announced simply in an “In brief” paragraph in the print edition of the Guardian (Israel green-lights 19 new Jewish settlements, 22 December). Already Palestinian Christians describe living there as like being in a small prison inside a larger one. When will […]
Read More
Squeeze legend Glenn Tilbrook spearheads grassroots bid to save derelict London pub
December 3, 2025Squeeze singer-songwriter Glenn Tilbrook is spearheading a grassroots effort to buy back a derelict Charlton pub and return it to the heart of the community. The much-loved White Swan in The Village suddenly closed in 2020 just before Covid lockdowns were enforced. Now a newly-formed charity, White Swan Music and Arts, has launched a crowdfunder […]
Read More
‘Young audiences are less scared of it’: why London jazz clubs are expanding and thriving against the odds
November 10, 2025As small gig venues around the country nervously eye their futures amid rising utility prices and a cost of living crisis, one corner of the live music scene seems to be thriving: London’s jazz clubs. The Jazz Cafe is extending its Camden venue and opening an east London location, Ronnie Scott’s is being refurbished, and […]
Read More
I’ve seen Oasis and Pulp this year but Cbeebies legend Justin Fletcher’s new live show had me rocking out
October 26, 2025Rory McKeown Published October 26, 2025 8:03am Updated October 26, 2025 8:06am An audience filled with millennial parents and feverish anticipation, a show of songs you can’t help but sing along to, and countless moments that make you want to grab an air guitar and rock out. No, this wasn’t Oasis’s reunion tour. This was […]
Read More
‘I visited London’s newest music venue – the future of small clubs is frightening’
October 4, 2025I went to London’s newest music venue to see if the city’s late-night culture can survive — after spending £20 on one drink, I’m not convinced. Anyone who has gone on a night out in London recently will have been told that small and late-night venues are struggling to stay afloat. While the disappearance of […]
Read More
Studio used by Hendrix, Bowie and the Stones to reopen after decades silent
September 20, 2025The Regent Sounds recording studio on “Tin Pan Alley” in London was famously used by Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones between the 1960s and early 1980s. Now, having been walled up and lain silent for decades, it is being brought back to life through a multimillion-pound investment that will turn it into […]
Read More
James’s Tim Booth criticises Tommy Robinson for ‘cynical’ use of song
September 13, 2025The lead singer of the band James has criticised Tommy Robinson for the “cynical” use of the group’s hit song in a protest video. Tim Booth said he was “disgusted” that the alternative rock band’s single Sit Down had been played without their permission, as he believed the song was “the antithesis” of the far-right […]
Read More
First BST Hyde Park 2026 headliner announced as American music legend facing rape lawsuit
September 11, 2025Emily Bashforth Published September 12, 2025 12:01am Updated September 12, 2025 7:42am British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park 2025 may have just ended, but we already have our first headliner for next year. American Country musician Garth Brooks, 63, has been confirmed to play the 2026 festival, marking his first UK show in almost 30 […]
Read More
Major US rapper’s concerts cancelled at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium due to Tube strikes
September 5, 2025Ahead of the London Tube strikes, two Post Malone concerts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have been rescheduled. Starting on Sunday, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) will stage a five-day walkout, with little to no services running. Consequently, several major events have had to be moved, which included Coldplay’s final two Wembley concerts […]
Read More