Ministry

Superchunk

The Complex History of Plagiarism in Music

Tom Watson explores the fine line between flattering inspiration and career flattening infringement

The Genius of Mark E Smith and The Fall in 20 Songs

In the wake of Mark E Smith’s passing, Tom Watson traces the story of the post-punk band’s history through their most definitive tracks

Were the Noughties a Golden Era for Music Television?

Tom Watson traces the personalities, formats and mishaps of a transitional era in mainstream music broadcasting

DJ Seinfeld

A Right Song and Dance: Matthew Herbert’s Brexit Big Band at the Barbican

Playlist: Blade Runner and Beyond

From Kuedo to Cliff Martinez, Vangelis’ Blade Runner OST has remained a key influential touchstone. Here’s the definitive playlist

Carla dal Forno:
Fleeting Moments

Propelled from her Melbourne home courtesy of her intimate, nocturnal sound, Tom Watson finds an artist inspired by the intensity of her new London base

20 Definitive Cold Wave Artists

From Asylum Party to Xeno & Oaklander, Tom Watson delivers an essential primer on the influential genre

12 Bandcamp Releases To Buy In Support of Transgender Rights

Today, Bandcamp are donating their profits to the Transgender Law Centre. Here’s a guide to some of our favourite recent releases to help you spend wisely

Boris

Orlando

The Audacious Revival of Royal Trux

The notorious avant-garde rockers have reformed to considerable fanfare, and Tom Watson finds them in an appropriately hostile mood

Shabazz Palaces

Richard Dawson: Active Imagination

Tom Watson speaks with the unique Geordie songwriter to discuss his new LP Peasant. A record which explores a Dark Ages concept via twisted, experimental folk music

Karen Gwyer

Nick Höppner

The Mandem Need You: Can Grime4Corbyn succeed where Red Wedge failed?

Tom Watson explores a very 2017 movement – and its echoes with pop’s Red Wedge coalition three decades ago

Rebel Intuition: How Sean Lennon electrified the Black Lips’ sound

Lennon connects with the lo-fi psych-rock agitators to recall how they summoned the energy for their trippy new album Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art

Playlist: Twin Peaks and beyond

Over two hours of music made for, or because of, ‘Twin Peaks’

Turning Points: Adrian Sherwood

The producer, label boss and DJ recalls a lifetime working with dub’s most essential weirdos

Medicinal Music: 20 Records for Healing

Reflecting on defining therapeutic works and the stories behind them

GAS

Eight talking points from DAMN.

God? Damn. Here’s our initial takeaways from one of the most anticipated records of the year

Future Days: The Can Project celebrate and amplify at the Barbican

Various Artists

The Tedious Contradictions of John Lydon

John Lydon is used to ruffling feathers with performed contrarianism. We scrutinise his track record and ask if, in the age of Trump, it’s time he retired his routine

Jacques Greene

Big Mistake: A conversation with Manuel Göttsching

Tom Watson meets the iconic German composer to unpick the foundations of his seminal work, ‘E2-E4’