new music reviews, news & interviews
Mark Kidel |

Along with Harry Styles, Zayn is one of the stars to emerge from the immensely successful boy-band One Direction. Now no longer a mere ‘boy’, he’s part of a mainstream in which music is carefully fashioned to gleam, the product of artisans of the kind of pop that reaches the widest possible audience – uncannily astute talent-spotters such as Simon Cowell and super-producers that hold the keys to dressing the songs up with catchy hooks, appealing riffs and contagious rhythms. 

Kieron Tyler |

Evil Grave were from Malta. They were a going concern between December 1971 and around May 1977. Despite their longevity, they released no records. However, there were ad hoc recording sessions: at the studio of the island nation’s TV company Rediffusion in March 1973 and, at a home studio, in either April or May 1977.

Guy Oddy
In these times of genocide, illegal invasions and a class war which the ultra-rich are emphatically winning, we clearly need a woman to point out the…
Tim Cumming
This is, surprisingly, Judie Tzuke’s 24th album since her 1979 debut with Welcome to the Cruise.  After early stints with Elton John’s Rocket…
Liz Thomson
It’s fifteen years since Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, two boys from Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, let slip their debut album. “Released” is not the…

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

Thomas H. Green
Check our reviews of 28 Records Store Day exclusives
Guy Oddy
Canadian DJ, producer, remixer and label head returns with an order to dance
Kieron Tyler
From the pacific to the pulverising, jazz-adjacent trio carve-out their own musical character
Thomas H. Green
A 13-track set that channels raunchy 1970s excess with aplomb
Kieron Tyler
When a narrative becomes more complicated than the one delineated by the hit singles
Guy Oddy
A set that is short on hits but that keeps the fans more than happy
Thomas H. Green
A stunning set, rife with wild vocals and explosive electronics
Thomas H. Green
Lyrically chewy, youthful, indie-tinted, and mostly likeable
Tom Carr
Angsty yet immediate, powerful dose of alternative rock
Sebastian Scotney
World-weariness sets in
Joe Muggs
The New Yorker's first UK show with full band shows nerdy personality and grand vision
Ellie Roberts
Another entry into the pop punk scene that would make for a great live set
Kieron Tyler
Eye-opening tribute to BBC Radio 2’s riposte to Radio’s 1’s allegiance to the charts
Sebastian Scotney
Justice done to the co-founder of Weather Report
Jonathan Geddes
Despite a mostly seated venue, the dance veterans got fans on their feet with ease
Guy Oddy
Extreme noise terrorists double up their fire power to great effect
Joe Muggs
The quietly poetic singer-songwriter finds an impressive way to get louder
Thomas H. Green
The last great bastion of regular international vinyl record reviewing
Tim Cumming
Third album from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and friends is propelled by cosmic as well as worldly themes
Thomas H. Green
With a line-up that includes Exodus and Carcass, a top-notch night of the heaviest metal
Mark Kidel
Leading Kurdish vocalist takes tradition on an adventure
Tom Carr
Gloomy yet brooding and compelling human
Kieron Tyler
Scottish jazz rarity resurfaces
Ibi Keita
A well-crafted sound that plays it a little too safe

the future of arts journalism

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing! 

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

latest in today

We are bowled over! We knew that theartsdesk.com had plenty of supporters out there – we’ve always had a loyal readership of arts…
Along with Harry Styles, Zayn is one of the stars to emerge from the immensely successful boy-band One Direction. Now no longer a mere ‘boy…
Evil Grave were from Malta. They were a going concern between December 1971 and around May 1977. Despite their longevity, they released no…
Returning to the West End to celebrate two decades since those strange muppetty posters went up on London buses, I’m still laughing along…
You know to expect a crazy ride, especially when Gerald Barry, greatest living Wildean and wild one among composers, has flagged up his…
The Southbank Centre’s second Multitudes festival – which commissions artists ranging from filmmakers to acrobats to shine new light onto…
Just now, everything WNO does inevitably bears the mark of their Arts Council-imposed financial troubles, and this new Flying Dutchman…
In these times of genocide, illegal invasions and a class war which the ultra-rich are emphatically winning, we clearly need a woman to…
Antonio Pappano’s pairing for last night’s Barbican concert intrigued – and, initially, baffled – me. Shostakovich’s Fifth: a clear choice…
“Since when was getting older an honour?” asks Tereza, rightly suspicious when she finds officials nailing up a cheap garland around her…

Most read

Record Store Day 2025 is this Saturday! At theartsdesk on Vinyl we’ve been playing through exclusive RSD goodies. Check the reviews. Then…
Just now, everything WNO does inevitably bears the mark of their Arts Council-imposed financial troubles, and this new Flying Dutchman…
Evil Grave were from Malta. They were a going concern between December 1971 and around May 1977. Despite their longevity, they released no…
It was back in 2019 when The Capture made its debut on BBC One, with writer Ben Chanan skilfully exploiting the sinister potential of deep-…
This entertaining, gorgeous-looking film within a film, directed and written by multi-talented Turkish-Italian Ferzan Özpetek (he’s also…
The baldness of the titles the writer-director Stefan Golaszewski gives his TV series — Him & Her, Mum, Marriage and now Babies — is a…
Now we know who sent Jonas Kaufmann the Union Jack boxer shorts for the Last Night of the Proms. Whether the sender’s identity is the…
You know to expect a crazy ride, especially when Gerald Barry, greatest living Wildean and wild one among composers, has flagged up his…
Beauty and the Beast? Not quite; the Czech title of Juraj Herz’s 1978 fantasy is Panna a netvor, which translates, much more fittingly, as…
I was 11 years old when my father was killed. A body was found near the border between Turkey and Bulgaria. According to authorities it…