Plus: Are rich people ruining or reviving UK club culture?
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Sleeve Notes
Picks of the week
Boyband Five on bullying, Britney and their blockbuster return
‘If Jesus and Buddha had our work schedule, they’d have fallen out too’  
Boyband Five on bullying, Britney and their blockbuster return
After being fast-tracked to stardom, the bad boys of Y2K pop butted heads and burned out. They explain how they faced their demons for an arena-sized reunion – and why Simon Cowell was ‘a proper winker’
‘Nepo babies should be doing stuff like this’  
Are rich people ruining or reviving UK club culture?
UK jazz star Emma-Jean Thackray  
I had the word weirdo thrust upon me. So I’m reclaiming it
‘I did things I cringe at’  
Alex Warren, rough-sleeper, viral prankster and now No 1 pop sensation
Girl, so inspiring!  
Lorde’s 20 best songs – ranked
Swedish punks Viagra Boys  
It’s freeing for people to see a dude let his gut hang out
Reviews
Alexis Petridis's album of the week  
Self Esteem: A Complicated Woman – maximalist pop for an age of uncertainty
Self Esteem: A Complicated Woman – maximalist pop for an age of uncertainty
Folk album of the month  
Zoé Basha: Gamble – confident debut of a deft new voice in folk
Book review  
Men of a Certain Age by Kate Mossman – close encounters with charismatic male rockers
Film review  
Pink Floyd at Pompeii MCMLXXII – mesmerically peculiar portrait of band on cusp of greatness
Album review  
Maria Somerville: Luster – a vivid and vital entry in the shoegaze revival
Jazz  
Idris Ackamoor Ankhestra, Rhodessa Jones, Danny Glover: Artistic Being – powerful live set from the Afrofuturist and friends
Spotlight
Harnessing chaos and charm, Pere Ubu’s David Thomas rewrote rock’n’roll
Music  
Harnessing chaos and charm, Pere Ubu’s David Thomas rewrote rock’n’roll
Dave Simpson
The bandleader, who has died aged 71, created a vast body of work that influenced everyone from Ramones to REM, thanks to his absurdist energy
Classical
The Proms 2025 season offers plenty both to cherish and challenge
Andrew Clements
The Proms 2025 season offers plenty both to cherish and challenge
Classical album of the week  
Nicola Benedetti: Beethoven’s Violin Concerto – warm and deliciously playful throughout
Nicola Benedetti: Beethoven’s Violin Concerto – warm and deliciously playful throughout
News  
‘It is trance-like’: pianist Igor Levit performs Erik Satie’s Vexations 840 times
‘It is trance-like’: pianist Igor Levit performs Erik Satie’s Vexations 840 times
‘Touching the soul is all that matters!’  
The outrageous genius of Barrie Kosky and his Wagner phantasmagoria
The outrageous genius of Barrie Kosky and his Wagner phantasmagoria
Album review  
Hallelujah Junction – two-piano journey through 20th-century Americana
Hallelujah Junction – two-piano journey through 20th-century Americana
Concert review  
Circa/LPO/Gardner – Exhilarating, exquisite and extraordinary as Ravel melds with acrobatics
Circa/LPO/Gardner – Exhilarating, exquisite and extraordinary as Ravel melds with acrobatics
Add to playlist
Add to playlist  
Kashus Culpepper’s ‘southern sounds’ and the week’s best new tracks
Kashus Culpepper’s ‘southern sounds’ and the week’s best new tracks
One to watch  
Jane Paknia
You may have missed
Trans musician Bells Larsen was forced to cancel his US tour
‘My livelihood has been robbed’  
Trans musician Bells Larsen was forced to cancel his US tour
The Canadian singer-songwriter is releasing an album about his transition. Trump’s ‘dehumanizing’ new passport rules mean he won’t perform it for US fans
The Q&A  
Gregory Porter: ‘My worst job? Shovelling exterminated rats’
The singer on a precious photograph of his mother, losing his brother and the wonders of cooking with butter
‘Filling in these gaps’  
Paul McCartney’s recently rediscovered photographs
A new exhibition at the Los Angeles Gagosian showcases previously unseen pictures taken by the musician during the rise of Beatlemania
‘Be playful, try new things!’  
Southbank Centre’s Mark Ball on his new festival, Multitudes
The arts centre’s artistic director is on a mission to bring new audiences to the joys of classical music. He explains why mixing it with circus, grime, poetry, and film might be the way to do it
Obituary  
Clodagh Rodgers
Singer from County Down who represented the UK at the Eurovision song contest in 1971
News  
Lola Young, breakthrough hitmaker with Messy, tops Ivor Novello songwriting nominations
London singer-songwriter picks up three nominations, with her collaborator Conor Dickinson earning two alongside Ghetts and Raye
Live music this week
Kitty Empire's artist of the week  
Self Esteem – straight outta Gilead
Self Esteem – straight outta Gilead
Rap  
Central Cee – UK rap superstar tentatively enjoys stadium success
Get in touch
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