Plus: MIA’s 20 best songs – ranked!
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Sleeve Notes
Picks of the week
Huggy Bear on radical politics, riot grrrl – and causing chaos on live TV
‘We didn’t intend to create outrage’  
Huggy Bear on radical politics, riot grrrl – and causing chaos on live TV
They said they’d exist for three years, then split. And that’s what the British punks did, winning love and notoriety for their feminist, queer worldview. Thirty years on, a new book tells their story
‘Experimental, queer and kind of magical’  
Sade and Sam Smith feature on 46-track album for trans rights
Jungle, funk and 14th-century Arabic astronomers  
Piano virtuoso Pat Thomas on his journey through jazz
‘A road trip like no other’  
My epic drive on Kraftwerk’s Autobahn
‘I was really not OK’  
Bladee on PTSD, Charli xcx and being struck by lightning
Reviews
Alexis Petridis's album of the week  
Father John Misty: Mahashmashana – modern life is still rubbish, yet still beautifully essayed
Father John Misty: Mahashmashana – modern life is still rubbish, yet still beautifully essayed
Jazz album of the month  
Lars Danielsson/ Verneri Pohjola/ John Parricelli: Trio – wine chateau sessions mingle mature sensibilities
Kim Deal  
Nobody Loves You More – a solo debut worth waiting for
Michael Kiwanuka  
Small Changes – an exquisite return
Silkroad Ensemble With Rhiannon Giddens  
American Railroad – homage to a forgotten army of workers
Poppy Ajudha  
Poppy – frank lyrics elevate soulful, funky love songs
Spotlight
Ed Sheeran, Fuse ODG: do they know they’re dead right about Band Aid? Africa needs more than a singalong
Opinion  
Ed Sheeran, Fuse ODG: do they know they’re dead right about Band Aid? Africa needs more than a singalong
Nels Abbey
No wonder pop stars and others feel uneasy about the project. However well-intentioned, it now does more harm than good, says author and broadcaster Nels Abbey
Classical
More endurance than you can shake a stick at  
Does conducting keep you young?
Does conducting keep you young?
Album review  
Adèle Hugo: Mélodies sur des poèmes de Victor Hugo – a daughter’s voice uncovered
Adèle Hugo: Mélodies sur des poèmes de Victor Hugo – a daughter’s voice uncovered
Album review  
Tom Coult: Pieces That Disappear – strikingly rooted and assured works from young composer
Tom Coult: Pieces That Disappear – strikingly rooted and assured works from young composer
Live review  
Morley/Montague Rendall/Martineau – Wolf’s Liederbuch sounds exquisite
Morley/Montague Rendall/Martineau – Wolf’s Liederbuch sounds exquisite
Live review  
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal/Payare – colour, pace and silky strings
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal/Payare – colour, pace and silky strings
Add to playlist
Bad girls do it well  
MIA’s 20 best songs – ranked!
MIA’s 20 best songs – ranked!
You may have missed
The world we were in was very sexist and homophobic
The Mars Volta  
The world we were in was very sexist and homophobic
An intimate new documentary takes us behind the highs and lows of a band who were touched by many tragedies
Vinyl  
Her dead father left her 10,000 records. Sharing them online helped her grieve – and get to know him
Jula began sampling albums from her father’s extensive collection on Instagram. Her ‘listening parties’ connected her with people who shared his passion
‘I’m often the only woman in the room’  
The female music managers changing the industry’s tune
With women now comprising 38% of its 1,500-strong membership, the Music Manager’s Forum typifies the changing face of the industry
10 Chaotic Questions  
Waxahatchee: ‘Charli XCX is a genius. She’s the coolest person ever’
Katie Crutchfield shares what it is like being an identical twin, the rules of writing songs about your partner and playing through the pain on stage
‘There was three of them waiting, like: play this track or else’  
DJ EZ, the reality-bending maestro of the decks
The staunch champion of garage is one of the UK’s most talented musicians, manipulating tracks at lightning speed. In a rare interview he discusses neurodiversity, being teetotal – and the truth about his fees
Live music this week
Troye Sivan  
Melbourne ‘home cumming’ is unabashedly horny, but over too soon
Melbourne ‘home cumming’ is unabashedly horny, but over too soon
MJ Lenderman  
Songs of solace and goofy poetry from lauded indie darling
Ghostface Killah  
Wu-Tang vet coasts as fans take up the slack
Khruangbin  
Exquisite dreamy grooves get lost in the ether
Get in touch
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