4 h. ago ‘Everything we built – gone’: how the wildfires decimated LA’s music scene

January’s blazes in California have devastated the livelihoods of performers, technicians and other music industry pros. They reveal what they lost – and how they’re rebuildingWithin the ashes of what used to be Christopher Fudurich’s home in Los Angeles, some objects from his garage music studio were still identifiable. Microphones charred and blackened, a scorched keyboard and melted cables among the toxic debris. Not just objects; a life’s work, passion and creativity burned up. “Things I’d been collecting since I was a teenager,” says the songwriter, producer and sound technician. “Just gone.”This was the reality confronted by Fudurich, and thousands of other Angelenos, following January’s wildfires. Their homes have been damaged or levelled, their possessions destroyed. The fortunate ones fled with what they could; for Fudurich that was some treasured vintage synthesisers, a bag of clothes and his passport. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Yungblud delights fan, 4, as they recreate scene from Lovesick Lullaby music video

The world-famous singer-songwriter, whose real name is Dominic Richard Harrison, showed up at Tottenham Court Road to recreate a scene from his recent video with fans

Culture

1 week ago ‘Nepo babies should be doing stuff like this’: are rich people ruining or reviving club culture?

London’s underground dance scene is increasingly funded by inherited wealth. From Mike Ashley’s son to a Tetra Pak heir, monied promoters explain their motivationsNestled between Millwall FC stadium and an intersection of south London railway lines, the 350-capacity Venue MOT – once an actual MOT garage – is a cornerstone of the city’s underground music scene. But every Tuesday, owner Jan Mohammed gathers his staff at the bar and tells them how much money it has lost since the weekend.Mohammed, a sculptor, started renting a nearby space to use as a studio more than a decade ago. With no residential neighbours and relatively low costs, he opened Venue MOT in 2018 based on simple intuition: “I thought music could thrive here,” he says. Despite the losses and Mohammed calling his operation a “comedy of errors”, it does. Time Out recently labelled Venue MOT the best nightclub in London and Jamie xx called it “one of the last places in London that feels genuinely free and DIY” after his ...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Nepo babies should be doing stuff like this’: are rich people ruining or reviving UK club culture?

London’s underground dance scene is increasingly funded by inherited wealth. From Mike Ashley’s son to a Tetra Pak heir, moneyed promoters explain their motivationsNestled between Millwall FC stadium and an intersection of south London railway lines, the 350-capacity Venue MOT – once an actual MOT garage – is a cornerstone of the city’s underground music scene. But every Tuesday, owner Jan Mohammed gathers his staff at the bar and tells them how much money it has lost since the weekend.Mohammed, a sculptor, started renting a nearby space to use as a studio more than a decade ago. With no residential neighbours and relatively low costs, he opened Venue MOT in 2018 based on simple intuition: “I thought music could thrive here,” he says. Despite the losses and Mohammed calling his operation a “comedy of errors”, it does. Time Out recently labelled Venue MOT the best nightclub in London and Jamie xx called it “one of the last places in London that feels genuinely free and DIY” after his...

Politics

2 w. ago A look at Lily Allen’s fashion evolution as the singer prepares to turn 40

Lily Allen burst onto the music scene in 2006 - but it wasn’t just her music that drew attention

Politics

2 w. ago ‘The goal of a protest song is to make people feel strong and alive’: Ani DiFranco on Broadway, Fugazi and 30 years of activism

The singer-songwriter answers your questions about 90s gigs with Tori Amos, her ‘humbling’ run in Hadestown and keeping hope alive in the Trump eraPlease talk about growing up in Buffalo, New York – the music scene there, and becoming an emancipated adult at 15. AugustoMAs a child, I befriended Michael Meldrum, a local troubadour. He brought me around to his gigs and coffee houses. That was a cool, unique way to grow up, beside this alcoholic artist who hopped from girlfriend to girlfriend’s house. He he was smart and so well informed when it came to music.I was his shadow between the ages of nine and 13 or 14 or so. Beyond that, we parted ways. So when I was an emancipated minor at 15 and going into the adult world, it was with no protector by my side. I was out there in bars, on my own, running the open mic, playing gigs. I had an after-school job – I was trying to finish high school. I never managed to grow a thick skin; I’m still very open and porous. Somehow I survived all thos...

Events

2 w. ago ‘Apparently, he had a fist fight with King Charles’: the jawdropping life of Luca Prodan, Argentina’s punk god

He was a gin-swilling Scottish-Italian heroin addict who set Argentina’s music scene ablaze – baffling the junta, who would arrest his audiences. As a biopic looms, we look at the fast life and early death of the frontman still worshipped todayIn 1980, a tall, thin man landed in Buenos Aires airport, at the height of Argentina’s military dictatorship. His name was Luca Prodan, a Scottish-Italian rocker, and he had just finished the last of his methadone on the flight over. His arrival would soon send shockwaves through Argentina when he started a band called Sumo, acquainted the country with post-punk, and became a national legend who lives on, his music still earning hundreds of millions of streams. “When I saw Sumo in 1982,” says Prodan’s younger brother Andrea, “I thought, ‘This is more than just a band. This is like the Velvet Underground.’”But, despite Prodan’s strong ties to Europe and his high esteem in Argentina, he is barely known outside of the country. That looks set to c...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘His delivery cut through class barriers’: Moby, Mala and other musicians on working with Benjamin Zephaniah

On what would have been the late dub poet’s 67th birthday, his musical collaborators remember his warmth, invigorating words and reflections on the state of the worldTuesday marks the 67th birthday of the late Benjamin Zephaniah – revolutionary poet, playwright, musician and fearless voice for social justice – following the inaugural Benjamin Zephaniah Day held over the weekend at Brunel University. But while he is widely celebrated for his work in literature and activism, Zephaniah’s influence on music remains relatively overlooked.Emerging from the dub poetry scene, Zephaniah channelled personal experiences of systemic racism and state violence into intelligent spoken word. Albums such as Rasta combined politically charged poetry with dub rhythms and studio effects, laying the cultural groundwork for UK genres such as trip-hop, jungle and dubstep. We revisit his unique collaborations in electronic music, hearing from the artists who had the honour of working with him. Continue rea...

Politics

3 w. ago Jessie J fans in awe after she shares powerful meaning behind Price Tag after 15 years

Singer-songwriter Jessie J burst onto the music scene in late 2010 with the release of her smash hit debut single, Do It Like a Dude. Price Tag followed in 2011 and holds a special meaning for the star

Politics

4 w. ago 70s folk legend who rose to fame in Bob Dylan's NYC music scene dead at 83 as emotional tributes paid

His family announced his passing 'with resounding sadness' in a statement released by his record label, No Quarter Rex, on Thursday.

Events

last month TRNSMT 2025: BBC Introducing comes to Glasgow Green with 20 emerging acts set to perform

TRNSMT 2025 will bring some of the future stars of the UK music scene to Glasgow Green this year.

Politics

last month TRNSMT Festival announces new 2025 stage with 20 emerging artists

The BBC Introducing Stage will showcase some of the UK's most exciting upcoming artists, with a particular focus on the thriving music scene in Glasgow.

Culture