thu 10/07/2025

New Music Reviews

Love Supreme, Roundhouse review - Laura Mvula's defiant confidence tops the bill

Sebastian Scotney

There is increasing urgency, commitment and assuredness about the way Laura Mvula performs her music. The context for her performance here was Love Supreme's day at the Roundhouse. As the event's main headliner and the stand-out performer, she really delivered the goods on Saturday night.

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Reissue CDs Weekly: Marvin Gaye - You’re The Man

Kieron Tyler

The sticker on the sleeve says “Marvin Gaye’s Lost Album.” A prime internet sales site states “You’re The Man was the album that was proposed to follow-up the monumental What’s Going On.” According to the marketing and promotional material, You’re The Man is “Marvin Gaye’s never-released...

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Oumou Sangaré, Earth review - the new Mama Africa takes her crown

Peter Culshaw

Oumou Sangaré is not a woman to be trifled with – tales of people who have crossed her and lived to regret it abound: one story (of many) has her personally hiring a bulldozer in a land dispute and getting a recalcitrant local official sacked. She looked super-glamorous at Earth in a white dress and blue nails, and her backing singers looked and sounded ravishing in vertiginous heels and 70s hairdos.

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Sigrid, PRYZM Kingston review - unassuming, energetic and melodic

Russ Coffey

Sigrid Raabe bounced onto a tiny stage, fizzing with energy, and launched straight into her recent single "Sucker Punch". Following her recent support slot with George Ezra, this concert was the 22-year-old Norwegian's big thank you to fans who have recently been supporting her. It wasn't just a gratitude gig.

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theartsdesk on Vinyl: Record Store Day Special 2019

Thomas H Green

Record Store Day is tomorrow which means that your local record shop will be packed with all sorts of exclusive, limited edition goodies as well as major label cash-ins. There are hundreds of releases but many aren't available before the day itself so below are the ones that theartsdesk on Vinyl got their hands on this year. Dive in.

theartsdesk on Vinyl's RSD Choice

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Reissue CDs Weekly: Losing Touch With My Mind

Kieron Tyler

It begins with The Stone Roses’ “Don’t Stop”, the fourth track from their 1989 debut long player. A backwards though thoroughly remixed version of “Waterfall”, the album’s preceding track, it enthusiastically pushes the button labelled “psychedelic”.

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theartsdesk in Lisbon: Aga Khan Music Awards

mark Kidel

The inaugural Aga Khan Music Awards, a three-day event held last weekend in Lisbon, celebrated nearly 20 years of wide-ranging work dedicated to the preservation of ancient and threatened cultures, an impressive programme of educational initiatives, and the encouragement of musical exchange and experiment in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

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theartsdesk on Vinyl 48: Curtis Mayfield, Rudimental, Ozric Tentacles, Prince, Girl Unit and more

Thomas H Green

Every month we start theartsdesk on Vinyl with the Vinyl of the Month, however, the truth is that, depending on your taste, many of the records reviewed below may be your own vinyl of the month. Whether reissues or new material or compilations, theartsdesk on Vinyl attends to all music on plastic.

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Drake, O2 Arena review - stadium hip-hop has a sincerity problem

Chris Harvey

Drake walked on water at times in his opening show at the O2 Arena. Sadly this was solely down to the impressive video projection that filled the giant screens beneath his feet.

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Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Hare and Hounds, Birmingham review – Matt Baty’s crew make ears ring like church bells

Guy Oddy

Support bands rarely get a mention in live reviews but Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs’ opening act for their present jaunt around the UK, Cattle are no bog-standard fare, designed to make the headliners look good.

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