24 h. ago Lorde secret set at Glastonbury review – new album playthrough is bold but a little foolhardy

WoodsiesLorde resembled Patti Smith as she introduced her entire new album, but the lack of well-known hits let the energy dropIt would be misleading to call Lorde’s performance at Glastonbury a “secret set”. Though listed on the schedule only as the mysterious “TBA”, playing the Woodsie stage for an hour shortly after the festival’s kick-off on Friday morning, the anonymous artist’s identity was seemingly widely known weeks before. Ella Yelich-O’Connor herself had not been exactly subtle, meaningfully flashing her eyes at Radio 1’s Greg James when he pointed out that the release of her fourth album, Virgin, coincided with Glastonbury’s first day. On Thursday, ahead of Virgin’s release, she provided confirmation by posting an aerial photo of the Woodsies tent on Instagram. It’s a bold move, to debut a new album to a crowd who won’t yet have had a chance to listen to it, let alone form any impressions – but Lorde has that kind of clout. Since her precocious debut, Pure Heroine, she h...

Politics

24 h. ago Lorde at Glastonbury review – new album playthrough is bold but a little foolhardy

WoodsiesLorde resembles Patti Smith as she introduces her entire new album, Virgin, but the lack of well-known hits lets the energy dropIt would be misleading to call Lorde’s performance at Glastonbury a “secret set”. Though listed on the schedule only as the mysterious “TBA”, playing the Woodsie stage for an hour shortly after the festival’s kick-off on Friday morning, the anonymous artist’s identity was seemingly widely known weeks before. Ella Yelich-O’Connor herself had not been exactly subtle, meaningfully flashing her eyes at Radio 1’s Greg James when he pointed out that the release of her fourth album, Virgin, coincided with Glastonbury’s first day. On Thursday, ahead of Virgin’s release, she provided confirmation by posting an aerial photo of the Woodsies tent on Instagram. It’s a bold move, to debut a new album to a crowd who won’t yet have had a chance to listen to it, let alone form any impressions – but Lorde has that kind of clout. Since her precocious debut, Pure Heroi...

Politics

24 h. ago Live Music Scotland: All the biggest gigs in Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond this July

From concerts at Edinburgh Castle to TRNSMT Festival in Glasgow, here are all of the big artists you can see in Scotland this July.

Politics

29 h. ago Add to playlist: the year’s best electronic debut from Sheffield’s NZO, plus the week’s best tracks

The mysterious new artist’s thrillingly complete sound world is glitchily complex but beguilingly light on its feetFrom Sheffield, via LeedsRecommended if you like Mark Fell, Jlin, Beatrice DillonUp next Live set at No Bounds festival in OctoberIt’s thrilling and satisfying when an artist’s debut album is so fully realised: as if they have their own hyperlocal dialect, and are saying something genuinely new with it. So it is with NZO, a mysterious Sheffield-based electronic artist whose album Come Alive is a defibrillating jolt of vitality. You can find affinities with other artists and styles here, for sure: the bookish but playful minimalism of another Sheffield musician, Mark Fell; Objekt’s trickster vision for bass music and techno; the white-tiled cleanliness of some of Sophie’s work; Jlin’s paradoxically static funk. But the way it’s all pulled together is totally NZO’s, making for music that’s so light on its feet despite its incredible complexity. Continue reading...

Politics

29 h. ago How Summerhall Arts are supporting artists like never before this festival

This year, Summerhall continues to support exceptional artists' stage work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with the provision of five festival awards and a whole host of other initiatives including a 25% discount for working class audiences to attend the proudly working class work in the programme.

Culture

44 h. ago ‘I don’t care if it cost me $1m’: How much does Glastonbury pay artists to perform at the festival?

As the festival returns to Worthy Farm, so too does the curiosity around how much organisers pay for performances on its biggest stages

Economics

51 h. ago How much does Glastonbury pay artists to perform at the festival?

As the festival returns to Worthy Farm, so too does the curiosity around how much organisers pay for performances on its biggest stages

Culture

56 h. ago ‘We thought hippies would throw mud at us’: Billy Bragg, Kate Nash and other stars on their Glastonbury debuts

Every artist dreams of playing the world’s greatest festival, but what’s it actually like? Artists returning this year, including Fatboy Slim and Self Esteem, look back at their first showsYou can tell it’s 1984 by my shirt. I’d just played the Jobs for a Change festival, in the middle of London, easy to get to by tube. But Glastonbury was like being on an island. You had to deal with the weather, the food and the toilets. It was also mainly populated by Bristolians. I performed once solo, but also got up on the Pyramid stage with [country and western singer] Hank Wangford to do (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66. The original Pyramid was made from corrugated iron and doubled as a cowshed. I remember it being swampy backstage. There were no bars, you had to bring in your own beer. Keith Allen and [Scottish poet] Jock Scott blagged their way in, pretending to be a Belgian film crew, and sold cans of Red Stripe for 50p. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Glastonbury LIVE updates: Thousands queue up as festival goers sip booze in the early hours

Glastonbury Festival has finally returned with thousands arriving to watch their favourite artists, including Charli XCX, Kneecap and The 1975

Politics

1 week ago Voting for The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival talent search is now open

BBC ALBA and The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival have once again teamed up with a quest to find the best up-and-coming musical talent from the Highlands and Islands. The winner of the talent search will be given the opportunity to perform on the main stage at this year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival. Open to solo artists and bands (where at least 50% of its members have a Highland home address) across all genres, one newcomer will be given the opportunity to perform on the main stage at this year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival.

Politics

2 w. ago Medaina Festival transforms Petra into a new frontier for electronic music

The multi-day Jordanian festival brought electronic artists, cultural workshops and curated performances to Petra and Wadi Rum – blending heritage with high production and thoughtful restraint

Culture

3 w. ago Little Simz on breakthroughs, betrayal and becoming one of the UK’s best

Critics’ favourite and curator of this month’s Meltdown festival, the British artist is flying high. But a nasty legal battle with her closest collaborator and a crisis of confidence left her close to calling it quits. Instead, she put it all on the new albumIt’s an unseasonably warm spring afternoon and sunlight is beaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows of a north London photo studio. When I arrive, Little Simz is out on the balcony. Wearing chunky sunglasses, a skirt and comfy cardigan, she sits on a chair with her back to the sun, eyes on the horizon, and pulls her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees in a defensive position that’s verging on foetal.It’s curious body language for an artist at the top of her game. At 31, Simz is looking out at a city she can justifiably claim to have conquered since emerging as a teenage rapper more than a decade ago. But that’s not where she’s at right now. “I genuinely felt like I could disappoint everyone,” Simz says when I ask abo...

Politics

3 w. ago What happens when headline artists drop out of a music festival at the last minute

Travel delays, sickness and even an intentional boycott could mean your favourite artist drops out of a festival after you've purchased your ticket. But what contingency plans do organisers have in place

Culture

3 w. ago Chaos as artists pull out of London festival over concerns of 'art

Musical acts including LVRA and Heartworms have dropped out of the inaugural SXSW London festival due to the undisclosed involvement of former MPs Tony Blair and David Cameron

Events