The electronic producer and DJ Norman Cook talks about learning the violin with Keir Starmer, his love for his label maker and crossing swords with MobyGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailYou did violin lessons with Keir Starmer when you were a child. Who was better at violin?I can’t actually remember the violin lessons. But I was in the same class at school as Keir for five years, so I remember him well. He must have been better at the violin than me, because I did it for about one term. My parents could take no more noise, so I would say Keir was better. It is quite weird when one day you see someone on the telly and go, “Oh look, it is Keir Starmer from 4B.” I think he’s one up on me by becoming prime minister.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

Politics

(Polydor)The North Shields singer-songwriter wrestles with how far life has propelled him away from his roots on his musically adventurous third albumOver two albums, Sam Fender has cast an increasingly astute eye over the working-class struggles of his native North Shields while wrangling with his own parallel narrative. But after his acclaimed 2019 debut, Hypersonic Missiles, and its hugely successful follow-up, Seventeen Going Under (2021), the 30-year-old clearly feels the weight of other people’s attention. On his troubled yet brilliant third album, People Watching, that shift hangs heavy.The lead-single title track is a natural continuation from the widescreen Springsteen-isms of Seventeen , on an adventurous record that takes in rootsy fingerpicking (Wild Long Lie) and a subversively breezy duet with singer Brooke Bentham (Arm’s Length). Lyrically, however, the sad yearning of the opener signposts the turmoil to come, whether it’s new parents back home who “can’t heat the pla...

Politics

The American singer-songwriter, who has been nominated for two Grammy awards, will perform at Blackweir Fields in the Welsh capital in June for his third large-scale outdoor headline show

Politics

The Norwegian world No 1 is in pole position at the Chessable Masters despite endgame lapsesMagnus Carlsen’s dominance of online chess has continued this week as the world No 1 is in pole position for the concluding stages of the Chessable Masters, the first leg of the annual Champions Tour which the Norwegian has won every year since it was launched in 2020. For 2025, the tour is also a qualifier for the Esports World Cup at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in July-August, where the chess prize fund will be $1.5m.Carlsen began with a smooth 3-1 victory against Russia’s Andrey Esipenko, then defeated China’s Yu Yangyi by 2.5-0.5. He was leading 2-1 in his semi-final against India’s world No 5, Arjun Erigaisi, when they reached white king at f8, white rook at g7 and white pawn at g5 against black king at f5 and black bishop at c4. Now 1 g6 Kf6 2 Rc7! attacking the bishop and following up with 3 g7 wins, but Carlsen missed it, only drew with rook against bishop, allowed Erigaisi to equ...

Economics

Post Malone will visit London in September during his 2025 world tour

Politics

Here's everything you need to know about securing tickets to see Post Malone in London

Politics

(Polydor)On his third album, produced by the War on Drugs, the North Shields singer-songwriter shows just how gifted he is at pairing stadium choruses with sharp, bleak vignettesSam Fender’s third album ends with a track called Remember My Name. It’s clearly a very personal song, about its author’s late grandfather – even revealing the address of his council house, 11 Walk Avenue. The northern British references – “Chasing a cross in from the wing / Our boy’s a whippet, he’s faster than anything” – are amplified both by Fender’s Geordie vowels and the backing, provided by the Easington Colliery brass band. It’s all very specific and individual – you really don’t hear brass bands, or indeed the mention of whippets in pop very often – and yet Remember My Name seems to have something of the self-fulfilling prophecy about it. You can immediately imagine its soaring melody being sung en masse by a huge festival audience, which is, one suspects, precisely the destiny that awaits it.It’s a...

Politics

Post Malone at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: prices revealed for 2025 UK tour as presale goes live  Time Out London

Society

Here's everything you need to know about seeing Post Malone in London later this year

Politics

North Shields’ answer to Bruce Springsteen is back with stories of his tattered heart and the pride and poverties of his country – but the songwriting on his latest album plods more than it ricochets

Politics

Filippo Ganna’s win for Ineos Grenadiers cancelledLead car went awry at roundabout to cause chaosThe opening stage of the Tour of Algarve ended in chaos on Wednesday when most of the peloton took the wrong road just before the finish, and race organisers later cancelled the results.When the riders came through a roundabout just before the home straight, the lead car went the wrong side of the barriers and the majority of the bunch followed suit, leaving the crowd bewildered as they watched two races unfurl. Continue reading...

Politics

Pulp have confirmed they will be hitting the road for a UK tour this summer - and tickets are about to go on sale this week.

Politics

The final artists have been confirmed 🎶

Events

Pre-sale tickets for shows at Manchester's Wythenshawe Park, Edinburgh's Royal Highland Showgrounds, and Belfast's Boucher Road Playing Fields will go on sale this week

Economics

Shakira was seen for the first time since her emergency hospitalization on Saturday, which forced her to cancel a concert. The 48-year-old pop sensation was spotted leaving the Belmond Hotel.

Politics

Geraint Thomas has announced that he will retire from cycling at the end of the 2025 season, meaning that September's Tour of Britain will be the Welshman's final professional race

Politics

The 16-time champion will make his final Scotland goodbye after a glittering career

Politics

The iconic collaboration between George Lucas, Jim Henson and David Bowie set to be brought to life in 2025 again 🔮🎶🎞

Society

Post Malone and Jelly Roll set to hit the United Kingdom in late 2025 🎤🎫🎤

Politics

Post Malone at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: presale, ticket prices and everything you need to know  Time Out London

Economics