Did anyone find the aged-rocker thrash of Mark Anthony Turnage's new work at the Proms, Hammered Out - a bit of a disappointment to Edward Seckerson - oddly familiar? This brilliant YouTube remix will tell you why. And for all the orchestral flash, which struck me too as a bit vieux jeu, give me the dazzling Beyoncé Knowles and her sensational dance routine in that video over the Turnage piece any day.
reviews, news & interviews
Help secure the future of arts journalism
In this era of algorithmic recommendation, opaquely sponsored content and AI slop, theartsdesk’s mission to preserve real journalistic and critical values has never been more important.
If you like what you see here, please join us
in this mission.
Subscribing to the site will help us in our coming
redesign and expansion.
If you do this before the 9th September this will be at our guaranteed founder’s rate:
your subs will never increase again.
Subscribe now for £5 per month.
or yearly for just £40.
Or if you simply want to support us with a one-off donation, you can do so here.
more new music
New York band’s blend of folk rock and psychedelia grabs attention
Northern indie four-piece offer a vim-laden snapshot of disenfranchised Britain
Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Laura Mvula shine
The most epic regular record reviews in the galaxy
Garage, French House and feeling collide in latest release
Camp Bestival 2026, Lulworth Castle review - where the daytime magic still outshines everything else
A creative, inclusive, endlessly imaginative festival for families
Prolific Aussie psychedelicists marry dance and prog sounds
Fiery crowd-pleasing jazz marred by excess
A soaring fusion of atmospheric melancholy and energetic punk
A hymn to when driving was an end in itself
A breathless half-hour takes in screaming, stop-start song structures and the odd hint of reflectiveness
Punk veterans get decidedly trippy