New music
10 Questions For Singer-Songwriter ESKAFriday, 20 November 2015
Eska Mtungwazi (b 1971) was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Lewisham, south London, her early musical tastes inspired and shaped by her father’s vinyl collection, and her experiences singing both church music and in classical ensembles. She studied... Read more... |
CD: Adele - 25Thursday, 19 November 2015
The anticipation for Adele’s new album has been building for months. It’s been nearly five years since her last, 21, which became the biggest-selling album of the 21st century, shifting over 30 million copies.Numbering the ages at which she wrote... Read more... |
theartsdesk on Vinyl: Volume 11 - Peter Gabriel, Lush and moreThursday, 19 November 2015
Heading into the final straits of 2015, it’s pleasing to read announcements by the BPI (British Phonographic Industry), the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and Nielsen Soundscan that the year has been the biggest for vinyl sales... Read more... |
Cassandra Wilson/Lionel Loueke, Royal Festival HallThursday, 19 November 2015
“I’m sorry I’m late,” said Cassandra Wilson to a half empty Royal Festival Hall, after a sulky rendition of “Don’t Explain”, the opening track from her Billie Holiday tribute album, Coming Forth By Day. It was an hour and fifteen minutes since the... Read more... |
Adele at the BBC, BBC OneThursday, 19 November 2015
As you all know by now, Friday is D-Day for Adele's new album 25, and part of the all-media Adelathon is Friday night's show on BBC One, Adele at the BBC. It's a mix of live performances and taped sequences linked together by chunks of interview... Read more... |
Gomez, Osborne, Britten Sinfonia, Järvi, Milton CourtThursday, 19 November 2015
Don’t blame the players: they did their considerable best. But what could they hope to achieve with a programme in which six of the seven pieces were on a hiding to nowhere, or too short to have much of an impact? A sequence, what's more, in which... Read more... |
Maria Schneider Orchestra, Cadogan HallWednesday, 18 November 2015
Eloquent, transfixing, profoundly moving. Last night, in the beautiful setting of the Cadogan Hall, the Maria Schneider Orchestra gave one of those landmark performances that people will remember for years to come. We heard seven of the eight tracks... Read more... |
CD: The Suicide of Western Culture - Long Live Death! Down With Intelligence!Tuesday, 17 November 2015
The Suicide of Western Culture are an electronica-powered duo from the Barcelona region who revel in a low-tech approach that creates plenty of depth as well as some lively beats. Their third album, the magnificently titled Long Live Death! Down... Read more... |
Imagine Dragons, SSE Hydro, GlasgowTuesday, 17 November 2015
Exactly three years ago, Imagine Dragons played to 150 people in Glasgow. This time, there were 12,000 people in attendance. The ascent of the Las Vegas quartet (swelled to a five-piece for this tour) brings to mind Peter Cook’s withering assessment... Read more... |
ABC, Pavilion Theatre, WorthingTuesday, 17 November 2015
Martin Fry is unsure whether Worthing is enjoying itself enough for his liking. Clad in a sharply tailored grey three-piece suit, ABC’s frontman keeps asking us if we’re having a good time. The shouts of approval that greet the question suggest we... Read more... |
Jarrod Lawson, O2 Shepherd's Bush EmpireMonday, 16 November 2015
Having released a self-titled debut album last year, soul singer Jarrod Lawson has been on a European touring offensive for much of this one. Very charming it has been, too, landing Lawson Soul Artist of the Year title at the 2015 Jazz FM Awards,... Read more... |
Fuzz Club London Weekender, London Fields BreweryMonday, 16 November 2015
Some rock’n’roll gigs are built upon the lead singer’s ego, others on the lunacy of the band’s drummer. The inaugural Fuzz Club London Weekender was unashamedly built upon guitars and effects pedals. Wailing feedback, screaming guitars and... Read more... |
