Music news

• Biffy Clyro review – triumphant set marks a thunderous renewal

  13-01-2026 11:21
  Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
  Coming off the back of a rough period, the Scottish band find reconnection, renewal and purpose in their singular mix of pop, rock and metal‘With a little love, we can conquer all,” Simon Neil croons on Biffy Clyro’s opening song A Little Love, over its huge, infectious arena-rock chorus. It’s a line that feels like a mantra for the Scottish band 30 years and 10 albums in: they’re currently touring 2025’s Futique having come throug
  
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• Add to playlist: the dark fog of Los Angeles saxophonist Aaron Shaw and the week’s best new tracks

  16-01-2026 13:00
  The woodwind player who taught André 3000 music theory releases his searching debut album next monthFrom Los Angeles
  Recommend if you like Miguel Atwood Ferguson, Shabaka Hutchings’s flute music, the Coltranes
  Up next Debut album And So It Is released 13 FebruaryFor woodwind players, breath is everything: the lifeforce of artistry, the thing that furnishes sound with personality. But a few years ago, the Los Angeles saxophonist Aaron Shaw realised he was becoming increasingly breath
  
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• A$AP Rocky: Don’t Be Dumb review – a charismatic, playful return, but it’s no slam dunk

  16-01-2026 11:07
  (A$AP Rocky Recordings)
  Now a father of three and burgeoning actor, Rocky finally comes back to music with his strongest album since his 2013 debut – though there’s plenty of flabIt has been eight years since A$AP Rocky, once and future king of New York rap, released an album. In the world of hip-hop, where even A-list stars such as Rocky’s friend and collaborator Tyler, the Creator are prone to releasing multiple albums a year, this is a lifetime. In the time since Rocky relea
  
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• Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore: Tragic Magic review | Safi Bugel's experimental album of the month

  16-01-2026 10:00
  (InFiné)
  The composers’ first collaborative album ebbs from epic, cinematic heights to delicate and dreamy lullabiesAfter years of touring together, Los Angeles-based composers Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore have developed what the former refers to as a “musical telepathy”. Tragic Magic, the pair’s first collaborative album, evidences this bond: born out of a short series of improv sessions in Paris, it’s a wonderfully immersive set of new age and ambien
  
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• Julio Iglesias denies sexual abuse claims of two former female employees

  16-01-2026 08:58
  Women allege Spanish singer subjected them ‘to inappropriate touching, insults and humiliation … in atmosphere of control’The Spanish singer Julio Iglesias has broken his silence over allegations that he sexually abused two women who worked in his Caribbean mansions, saying he has never “abused, coerced or disrespected any woman”.The 82-year-old entertainer, whose career spans six decades, had been accused by two female former employees who allege they had been sex
  
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• BTS named their new album Arirang. What is so striking about their choice?

  16-01-2026 06:08
  The title is loaded with meaning for all Koreans, and will give fans globally an insight into the folksong culture that shaped the world’s biggest K-pop groupBTS announced their long-awaited comeback and world tour this week, with their first full-length album in nearly four years set for release on 20 March.On Friday, the K-pop group revealed its title – Arirang – a choice that carries profound emotional weight for Koreans. So what does it mean, what is its significance for th
  
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• ‘We wouldn’t still be playing if we’d got stinking rich’: the Damned celebrate 50 years of punk, goth and holy grail hunting

  16-01-2026 06:00
  An appetite for self-destruction left Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies hugely influential but financially insecure. They’re back with a big show and their first album together since 1995‘There isn’t one songwriter, and so the flavour of the band is always going to change,” says Dave Vanian, reflecting on 50 years of the group of which he has been the sole constant member, the Damned. “Captain Sensible is a great fan of syrupy pop music and prog and glam
  
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• Robbie Williams: Britpop review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

  16-01-2026 01:01
  (Columbia)
  Framed as the music Williams wanted to make post-Take That, Britpop surpasses pastiche and swerves unpredictably. Homoerotic paean to Morrissey, anyone?The arrival of Robbie Williams’s 13th album has been a complicated business. It was announced in May 2025 and was supposed to come out in October, when its title would have chimed with the 90s nostalgia sparked by the Oasis reunion. Williams spent the summer engaging in promotion, unveiling fake Britpop-themed blue plaques around
  
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• From Dylan to disco, Beyoncé to Bob Marley: the 30 best live albums ever – ranked!

  15-01-2026 16:00
  Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive!, one of the bestselling live albums of all time, is turning 50. You won’t find that on this list, however: instead there’s metal, soul, and an ‘indecently exciting’ No 1 …Already stars in Black America, Maze became the ultimate if-you-know-you-know band among British fans of underground soul thanks to Live in New Orleans. It perfectly encapsulated their appeal: smooth but not slick, an awesomely tight band making breezil
  
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• Music executive LA Reid settles sexual assault lawsuit on day civil trial was due to begin

  13-01-2026 11:26
  The former Arista Records chief executive had faced allegations that he derailed the career of former employee Drew Dixon after she rejected his advancesThe Grammy-winning music executive LA Reid settled a lawsuit by a former employee who accused him of sexual assault and harassment, on the day the civil trial was due to begin.In 2023, Drew Dixon alleged that the former Arista Records chief executive born Antonio Reid – who helped develop Mariah Carey, TLC, Pink and Usher – derailed
  
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• Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, guitarist for rock band Black Midi, dies aged 26

  12-01-2026 18:33
  Family statement said musician died ‘after a long battle with his mental health’Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, the guitarist who was a member of acclaimed British experimental rock band Black Midi, has died aged 26.A statement from his family said he died “after a long battle with his mental health. A talented musician and a kind, loving man finally succumbed; despite all efforts. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘It was inspired by a snog in a photo-booth’: how Thompson Twins made Hold Me Now

  12-01-2026 16:28
  ‘We had a disagreement that spilled over into personal insults. But we soon made up – and wrote this about the process’Thompson Twins were a seven-piece, rag-bag, guitar-based band living in a squat when I met Alannah Currie, who was also squatting in London. She was in an anarchic improv band, the Unfuckables, who were clearly not destined for Top of the Pops, but there was something very exciting about her. When I invited her to come on at the end of a Thompson Twins gig, she
  
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• Post your questions for R&B star Jill Scott

  12-01-2026 15:21
  The neo-soul superstar – an in-demand musical collaborator, a seasoned actor and a bestselling poet – will take on your questionsIn the age of GLP-1s and the deep-plane facelift making dozens of famous women appear perpetually 32 years old, there’s something extra heartening about Pressha, the lead single from three-time Grammy-winner Jill Scott’s sixth album. “I wasn’t the aesthetic / I guess, I guess, I get it / So much pressure to appear just like them / Pr
  
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• Truckin’ on: Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead’s 10 best recordings

  12-01-2026 13:11
  From 46-minute jams to MTV video hits, here are the freedom-loving Dead guitarist and singer’s finest songs about ‘rainbows of sound’ and ‘enjoying the ride’• Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78
  • Alexis Petridis: ‘Bob Weir was the chief custodian of the Dead’s legacy’
  • Aaron Dessner: ‘I’ll never forget playing with him’The Dead’s love for the road is in evidence on this segme
  
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• Andrew Clements, Guardian’s classical music critic, dies aged 75

  12-01-2026 01:01
  An outstanding critical voice, his deep knowledge and love of music was evident in everything he wroteThe Guardian’s long-serving and much admired classical music critic Andrew Clements died on Sunday aged 75 after a period of illness.Clements joined the Guardian arts team in August 1993, succeeding Edward Greenfield as the paper’s chief music critic. His appointment was clinched by a personal recommendation to the editor from the late Alfred Brendel, who argued for Clements to get t
  
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• Bob Weir remained completely in touch with the Grateful Dead’s wild wonder. I’ll never forget playing with him | Aaron Dessner

  11-01-2026 18:21
  The Dead were a formative band for the National. Getting to play with Bob felt like entering a portal into their mystical, musical landscape – though he was always completely present• Alexis Petridis: ‘Bob Weir was a songwriting powerhouse for the Grateful Dead – and the chief custodian of their legacy’It’s hard to believe that Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead who carried the torch for the band’s music after Jerry Garcia passed in 1995, is g
  
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• Bob Weir was a songwriting powerhouse for the Grateful Dead – and the chief custodian of their legacy

  11-01-2026 16:08
  ‘The Kid’s jazz-influenced rhythm guitar made him utterly integral to the Dead and his later collaborations solidified the band’s influence over latter-day alt-rock• Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78
  • Bob Weir: a life in pictures
  • Aaron Dessner: ‘Bob Weir remained completely in touch with the Grateful Dead’s wild wonder. I’ll never forget playing with him’For most of their career, the other members of t
  
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• ‘It’s more productive than doomscrolling’: film-maker Ben Wheatley on his secret life as musician Dave Welder

  11-01-2026 14:00
  While playing with nine-figure Hollywood budgets, the Kill List and Meg 2 director has become a prolific music producer. Next up is his experimental film, BulkDave Welder may just be the most prolific musician you’ve never heard of. In a little more than a year, he has released a staggering 26 records spanning electronica, dub, ambient, kosmische and drone. One of these albums, Thunderdrone, is more than four hours long. Based in Brighton and Hove and described as “a rotating group o
  
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• Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78

  11-01-2026 02:01
  Rhythm guitarist helped guide the legendary jam band through decades of change and success• Alexis Petridis: ‘Bob Weir was a songwriting powerhouse for the Grateful Dead – and the chief custodian of their legacy’
  • Aaron Dessner: ‘Bob Weir remained completely in touch with the Grateful Dead’s wild wonder. I’ll never forget playing with him’Bob Weir, the veteran rock musician who helped guide the legendary band the Grateful Dead through decades
  
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• Toni Geitani: Wahj review | Ammar Kalia's global album of the month

  09-01-2026 10:00
  (Self-released)
  The Beirut-born producer’s masterly second album revels in dark tension to cinematic effect, finding beauty in ruinous soundArabic electronic experimentalism is thriving. In recent years, diaspora artists such as Egyptian producer Abdullah Miniawy, singer Nadah El Shazly and Lebanese singer-songwriter Mayssa Jallad have each released records that combine the Arabic musical tradition of maqam and its slippery melodies with granular electronic sound design, rumbling bass and
  
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• Jenny on Holiday: Quicksand Heart review – Let’s Eat Grandma innovator’s knowing new-wave reinvention

  09-01-2026 09:38
  (Transgressive)
  In Jenny Hollingworth’s first solo venture, her singular songwriting powers shine in swooping vocals and transcendent pop melodiesOver the past decade, 27-year-old Jenny Hollingworth’s musical output has become steadily less strange. As half of Let’s Eat Grandma, the Norwich native started out making freaky synth-folk the arch syrupiness of which chimed with the then-nascent hyperpop scene: I, Gemini, the duo’s 2016 debut, was outsiderish juvenilia of the
  
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• ‘There’s serendipity to my story’: Emmylou Harris on Gram Parsons, her garlanded career – and her dog rescue centre

  09-01-2026 06:00
  Ahead of her final European tour, the US songwriter discusses her unlikely life as a country star, seeking advice from Pete Seeger – and why retirement isn’t on the cards just yetWhen Emmylou Harris was starting out in the late 1960s, she thought country music wasn’t for her. “I hadn’t seen the light,” she says. “I was a folk singer who believed you don’t ever work with drummers as they wreck everything.” It was Gram Parsons, of the Byrds and
  
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• Singer-songwriter Bill Callahan: ‘I’m not a craftsman – I’m more of a drunk professor who likes coincidence and mistakes’

  08-01-2026 16:00
  Preceding the release of My Days of 58, the Americana legend once known as Smog discusses his Yorkshire youth, why Spotify is like the mafia and the bleak state of AIWe got married to [Smog’s] Our Anniversary. When you write songs, do you think about how listeners might carry them into their own lives, or do the songs stop being yours after they are done? Vanearle
  When I wrote [2019’s] Watch Me Get Married, I thought maybe people would have that as their wedding song. But mostly it&r
  
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• The Cribs: Selling a Vibe review | Alexis Petridis’s album of the week

  08-01-2026 13:39
  (PIAS)
  The Jarman brothers’ ninth album adds a little 80s pop sheen to their distorted guitars and confident songwriting, while always sounding exactly like the indie stalwartsLast summer, the BBC broadcast an eight-part podcast called The Rise and Fall of Indie Sleaze. Its third episode heavily featured the Cribs’ bassist and vocalist Gary Jarman talking about his band’s first flush of mid-00s fame. It centred on their 2005 single Hey Scenesters!, from which the episode also t
  
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• Add to playlist: the mysterious chillout milieu of False Aralia and the week’s best new tracks

  08-01-2026 13:00
  Somewhere between record label and artist project, False Aralia harks back to microhouse and dub techno with its deep, detailed productionsFrom San Francisco
  Recommended if you like Rhythm and Sound, Ricardo Villalobos, Vladislav Delay
  Up next Double LP from Topdown Dialectic released in springFalse Aralia disappears into a misty gulch somewhere between record label and artist project. It’s ostensibly a label, where each EP has a different named artist, and each sleeve, designed by Nick Al
  
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• ’I inexplicably detest Mr Brightside’: John Simm’s honest playlist

  04-01-2026 10:00
  The actor first realised what music was when he heard Yellow Submarine and knows a lot of Paul Simon lyrics, but what would he put on at a party?The first song I fell in love with
  My earliest memory is walking into a room at nursery school where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the chorus, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”The first single I bought
  When
  
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• Songs about new beginnings – ranked!

  01-01-2026 14:00
  From CMAT and the Carpenters’ fresh starts to the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun and Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, starting again is a rich theme in pop. Here are some of the best examplesIt’s hard to imagine anyone’s heart not being lifted a little by Right Back Where We Started From: the euphoric rush of new love rendered into three minutes of cod-northern soul (performed, unexpectedly, by various ex members of ELO, the Animals and 60s soft-poppers Honeybus). Avoid the
  
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• Dry Cleaning: Secret Love review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

  01-01-2026 13:00
  (4AD)
  The standout act in the sprechgesang wave, the four-piece’s newly expansive sound carries singer Florence Shaw’s distinctive tales of mundane lives spiralling out of controlDry Cleaning’s third album features a lot of strikingly odd lyrics. Take your pick from “alien offshoot mushroom, going the gym to get slim”; “my dream house is a negative space of rock”; or, indeed, “when I was a child I wanted to be a horse, eating onions, carrots, celer
  
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• The best songs of 2025 … you may not have heard

  27-12-2025 12:02
  From a folk murder ballad to an impassioned call for peace, Guardian writers pick their favourite lesser-heard tracks of the yearThe pick of 2025’s film, music, art, TV, stage and games, chosen by Guardian critics and writersThere is a sense of deep knowing and calm to Not Offended, the lone song released this year by the Danish-Montenegrin musician (also an earlier graduate of the Copenhagen music school currently producing every interesting alternative pop star). To warmly droning organ
  
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• Soul-baring ballads, alt-rock fury and neon-lit techno: five-star albums you may have missed this year

  26-12-2025 15:00
  Valentina Magaletti drummed for her life, Sarz got hips swinging and Daniel Avery got slinky and serpentine: our writers pick their favourite unsung LPs from 2025
  • The 50 best albums of 2025
  • More on the best culture of 2025Towards the end of Tether, there is a song called Silk and Velvet; its sound is characteristic of Annahstasia’s debut album. Fingerpicked acoustic guitar and her extraordinary vocals – husky, expressive, elegant – are front and centre. The arrang
  
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