4 d. ago ‘I would never be able to sing a song that a robot wrote’: Lucy Dacus on her new album’s themes of artistry and intimacy

As the indie singer-songwriter and Boygenius star releases her latest, highly personal solo record, she talks of her weariness of AI and digital art, the pressures of being in a public relationship, and her anger and fears in Trump’s USIn the shadow of a Hogarth painting, accompanied by guitar and violin, Lucy Dacus is singing about disappointment. The painting depicts Thomas Coram, founder of the Foundling Hospital in London’s Bloomsbury district. A shipbuilder by trade, he is portrayed in full baroque garb, a style usually reserved for the aristocracy. But amid the classical architecture and rich fabrics, he is shown as he was: the thread veins on his face, his feet not quite touching the ground. The setting is apt for Dacus’s disquisitions on life and love, and the ways they can exceed, or fall short of, the expectations we place upon them: the moments that feel exalted, idealised, as well as the times when reality intrudes on the fantasy.The Foundling Museum, the setting of toni...

Culture

5 d. ago Bryn Terfel: ‘I’d stand on a table and sing Elvis at the drop of a hat’

The opera singer, 59, on his love of Wales, performing for the King, and where he goes to let his hair downI had an angelic childhood. I was brought up on a sheep farm in Pant Glas, north Wales, with my older brother Ian. My father was a farmer, my mum worked in a school for children with disabilities, and they and my grandparents were in different choirs. There was always singing in the household, pieces of music on the kitchen cupboards.I’d stand on a table and sing an Elvis song at the drop of a hat. I wasn’t a boy soprano, but I entered into competitions in the Welsh festival, Eisteddfod. That allowed me to think of singing as a career. Any given weekend, you can compete either singing, reciting or playing an instrument. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Little boy bursts into tears after being given cake for heart

A little boy who was given a slice of cake left people baffled after he burst into tears at the simple gesture – but after learning the reason, some have been left heartbroken

Politics

7 d. ago Ed Sheeran leaves busker gobsmacked with gesture after hearing him sing his songs

A busker was left gobsmacked by the generous actions of superstar Ed Sheeran, after an onlooker sent footage of him singing 2017 hit Perfect to the man himself

Politics

9 d. ago Adolescence's Stephen Graham shares touching gesture to actors who missed out on lead

Stephen Graham has opened up about the casting process for Netflix's Adolescence, and the heart-warming gesture he made to the young actors who missed out on the lead role

Politics

2 w. ago Amy Winehouse's 'most generous' gesture saw her 'save stranger's life'

Fans of Black to Black singer Amy Winehouse have looked back at one of her most heartwarming gestures - when she 'saved a stranger's life' after meeting him on holiday

Politics

2 w. ago Lewis Hamilton's dad makes heartfelt gesture to Formula One rookie who suffered 'embarrassing' crash before the start of Australian Grand Prix

The youngster lost control of his car and crashed on the formation lap which meant he was unable to take part in the Melbourne race having impressed in qualifying.

Events

3 w. ago ‘Musicals can be quite sinister’: Tilda Swinton and Joshua Oppenheimer on bonkers bunker singalong The End

Inspired by a Russian tycoon’s survival bunker, the pair’s post-apocalyptic tale takes in environmental collapse, our facades and delusions – and big ol’ show tunesTime is short for the family at the heart of Joshua Oppenheimer’s new film. Mother, Father and their adult son eke out their days in an underground bunker with the walls decorated with priceless old masters, fine wine on the table and half a mile of bedrock above their heads. They gather each evening for formal dinners. They sing upbeat songs to keep the darkness at bay. “We thrive in our happily-ever-after,” they burble. “Together our future is bright.”Time is similarly tight for the writer-director and his star when they beam in via video link from Berlin. It’s the last day of the film festival, a late scramble towards the finish line, and Oppenheimer and Tilda Swinton are each working to a separate stopwatch. Oppenheimer is scheduled to take part in a panel discussion; Swinton is booked on a plane out of town...

Politics

3 w. ago Age and migration influence bird groups’ song repertoires, study finds

Researchers used 20,000 hours of recordings of great tits in Oxford to see how culture changes among populationsWhich songs birds sing can – as with human music – be influenced by age, social interactions and migration, researchers have found.Not all birds learn songs, but among those that do, individuals, neighbourhoods and populations can produce different collections of tunes, akin to different music albums. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Vladimir Putin's insane gift to mothers of Russians killed in 'meat grinder' war – you won't believe it

The gift has triggered a 'storm of criticism' on social media, with some branding the gesture 'heartless' after tens of thousands of Russia soldiers perished in Putin's bloody war

Events

4 w. ago Hollywood actor clears £1m of debt for 900 people with his own money in heartwarming gesture

The actor 55, who has been making headlines for his kind gestures recently, started a debt acquisition company to help people in south Wales.

Economics

4 w. ago 1975's Matt Healy's heartfelt gesture to mum Denise Welch after she 'lost ability to love him'

Loose Women star Denise Welch says she feels "so lucky" to have a good bond with her son Matty Healy, the frontman of The 1975, following her struggles with postnatal depression

Politics