6 d. ago ‘One minute it’s “would you like to listen to Galaxie 500?”, the next humanity’s enslaved’: can anyone escape Spotify?

As a new book skewers Spotify’s effect on music, two Guardian music writers spent a week assessing the limits of living with and without itLaura Snapes, deputy music editor I was set the task of not listening to Spotify for a week, but Alexis, your task was much worse: only listening to Spotify-created playlists, and the songs it suggested to you based on your listening history. How did that go?Alexis Petridis, chief rock and pop critic One day in the car I just listened to nothing instead of facing it again. When it plays me songs I like, it’s not what I want to hear at that moment. That’s not to say the music it was recommending wasn’t good. One morning it played Schizophrenia by Sonic Youth. I love that song but I didn’t want to hear it then. It played me Billie Holliday’s Riffin’ the Scotch followed by My Bloody Valentine, which clearly demonstrates the great breadth of my music taste – but just because I like it all doesn’t mean I want to hear it all together. I didn’t like tha...

Politics

9 d. ago The mystery of the forgotten Beatle: How drummer replaced Ringo Starr on 1964 tour... and then disappeared for decades

Jobbing musician Jimmie Nicol spent 12 days as a member of the Fab Four - plunged suddenly into the whirlwind of 'Beatlemania' at its most feverish pitch back in 1964.

Events

1 week ago Could Loveless have killed Britpop? The saga regarding My Bloody Valentine's 1991 classic

Discover how a touchstone moment in music history almost caused a record label to go broke in the process

Events

2 w. ago I want to see My Bloody Valentine in Glasgow, though gigs over the age of 40 are a terrible idea

Should I buy a ticket for an old favourite?

Events

2 w. ago James May's bold remark over prospect of reunion with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond

James May worked with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond on the BBC's Top Gear for more than a decade until 2015, and then again on the Grand Tour until last year

Politics

3 w. ago The Sex Pistols announce first North American tour in 2 decades

The Sex Pistols will tour North America for the first time since 2003 this fall

Events

3 w. ago My Bloody Valentine announce first UK headline tour in over a decade, including big Manchester show

Tickets will be going on sale in the next few days

Events

3 w. ago My Bloody Valentine Glasgow Presale and Prices: How to get tickets for the legendary band's only Scottish date

It’s been a long wait for fans of the band.

Economics

3 w. ago My Bloody Valentine: shoegaze icons announce first UK tour in over a decade

The group last performed in the United Kingdom as part of Robert Smith’s Meltdown festival

Events

4 w. ago ‘There has to be a turn around’: Sanders on Democrats’ next steps amid Trump blitzkrieg

The independent senator from Vermont has been rallying the resistance on a cross-country ‘Fight Oligarchy’ tourBernie Sanders said Donald Trump has “absolutely” created a constitutional crisis in the United States and is pushing the country “very rapidly toward an authoritarian form of society”.The independent senator from Vermont has been rallying the anti-Trump resistance on a cross-country “Fight Oligarchy” tour, drawing some of the largest crowds of his decades-long political career as he taps into rising anger over the president’s stunning power grabs. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago ‘The Democratic party has no grassroots’: Bernie Sanders on how to fight the Trump blitzkrieg

In an interview on his cross-country tour, the senator said Americans are ‘very disturbed’ by the chaos in WashingtonBernie Sanders said Donald Trump has “absolutely” created a constitutional crisis in the United States and is pushing the country “very rapidly toward an authoritarian form of society”.The independent senator from Vermont has been rallying the anti-Trump resistance on a cross-country “Fight Oligarchy” tour, drawing some of the largest crowds of his decades-long political career as he taps into rising anger over the president’s stunning power grabs. Continue reading...

Politics