# dance music (news sources) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover dance music. Page: Feed: --- ## [Russian stadium says it will not host Kanye concerts – but promoter says shows have not been cancelled](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/25/kanye-west-ye-russia-concert-st-petersburg-gazprom-arena) _2026-08-25 · Laura Snapes · Music | The Guardian_ The controversial rapper now known as Ye was due to play two huge shows at St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena, which now states it cannot host performances for contractual reasons The St Petersburg stadium that was set to host two concerts by Ye – making the rapper formerly known as Kanye West the biggest western act to play in Russia since start of the Ukraine war – has now said that the concerts will… ## [From ‘old people music’ to owning the streets: 60 years of Notting Hill carnival and me](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/25/from-old-people-music-to-owning-the-streets-60-years-of-notting-hill-carnival-and-me) _2026-08-25 · Lloyd Bradley · Music | The Guardian_ As a child, being taken to the Caribbean celebration was a drag. But once sound systems arrived in the 1970s, it became an unmissable yearly pilgrimage offering a sense of freedom My earliest memories of the Notting Hill carnival are of being mildly irritated. In its 1960s infancy, the event was strictly a Caribbean affair, transplanted to Ladbroke Grove as authentically as was practical. Its… ## [‘Why isn’t there hip-hop in 3/4 time?’: the groups reinventing a Polish folk dance for the modern age](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/25/alternative-history-groups-polish-oberek-music-for-modern-age) _2026-08-25 · Jakub Knera · Music | The Guardian_ The oberek is a traditional dance beloved of state folk ensembles – but a new generation of musicians is reconfiguring its music into wild new forms, merging folk steps with electronics and the sound of Chicago footwork It’s 6pm on the first day of OFF festival in Katowice, and a crowd is gathering in front of one of the stages to watch newcomers Tercet Imperial. Sporting disco outfits of nylon… ## [Freddie Mercury’s ‘splendid things’ to go on display at V&A](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/25/freddie-mercury-splendid-things-costumes-victoria-albert-museum-queen-v-and-a) _2026-08-25 · Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent · Music | The Guardian_ Eight costumes spanning Queen frontman’s career will feature in a free trail developed with his former fiancee Eight famous costumes worn by Freddie Mercury, including the outfit featured on the cover of Queen’s debut album and the catsuit from the video for Bohemian Rhapsody, are to go on display at the V&A in London this autumn to mark what would have been the singer’s 80th birthday. Freddie… ## [Green Man review – Wolf Alice, Shame and secret sets keep the Welsh festival’s flame burning](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/24/green-man-festival-review-wolf-alice-shame-four-tet-tamikrest-westside-cowboy) _2026-08-24 · Olive Pometsey · Music | The Guardian_ Bannau Brycheiniog, Wales The traditional fire might be banned this year, but festivalgoers are treated by energetic performances by Four Tet, Tamikrest and Westside Cowboy Driving towards the bucolic Welsh valley that’s home to the Green Man festival feels a little apocalyptic this year. Charred peat and grassland smoulder on the hillsides, the remnants of one of the 20 wildfires that blazed… ## [Slayyyter live review – raucous show announces a new princess of sleaze-pop](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/24/slayyyter-live-review) _2026-08-24 · Emma Madden · Music | The Guardian_ Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles The cult star proves she is ready for pop’s big leagues in a show that blends chaotic punk energy with technical finesse The last time Slayyyter toured, in 2023, she struggled to break even and had to fly home boxes of unsold merch. Back then, she was still largely the domain of Twitter gays: a subcultural figure to those who assessed music in terms of “flops” and… ## [‘A rock star on her own terms’: why we’re still so fascinated by Meg White](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/24/meg-white-white-stripes-fascination) _2026-08-24 · Annie Zaleski · Music | The Guardian_ Recent incorrect attempts to reveal the White Stripes star’s whereabouts reflect how much we’re still obsessed with the one-of-a-kind drummer In February 2011, the White Stripes announced they were no longer going to tour or release new music. The decision wasn’t based on “artistic differences” or “health issues”; instead, the decision was “mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about… ## [Breakout indie band Westside Cowboy on rejecting tech and loving imperfection: ‘We’re not hermits!’](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/24/westside-cowboy-indie-fourpiece) _2026-08-24 · Daniel Dylan Wray · Music | The Guardian_ Despite their fast rise, the Manchester indie-pop band are happily going at their own pace. But what – if anything – did they learn from the advice of Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon? When Westside Cowboy played Later … With Jools Holland earlier this year, fellow guests Duran Duran offered some advice. “Nerves are just your mind telling you that you’re about to do something extraordinary,” Simon Le… ## [‘So many people say things about my appearance – it’s not normal’: Jorja Smith on burnout, body-shaming and finding freedom](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/23/jorja-smith-what-are-the-odds-interview) _2026-08-23 · Emma Loffhagen · Music | The Guardian_ Being recognised by the Brits, Grammys and Drake made the singer one of British music’s most famous names – and also left her exhausted. Now, after decompressing in her home town she returns with a record made for raving It is a sticky, sweltering July afternoon, and I have accidentally found myself at a wake with Jorja Smith. I’m told that the pub where we have met, in the leafiest part of leafy… ## [Four blokes and a zebra crossing: the banality and beauty of the Beatles’ Abbey Road cover](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/22/the-beatles-abbey-road-album-cover-zebra-crossing) _2026-08-22 · Jonathan Jones · Music | The Guardian_ Much-copied and parodied picture captures dynamic between the individuals and the band with eerie perfection It’s not really the four blokes on the zebra crossing who make the cover of the Beatles’ Abbey Road memorable, but the street behind them. Vanishing towards a perfect blue sky, with summer trees veiling in bright green what might otherwise be dour brick houses, it could be a hyperreal vista… ## [Watch Chovy Code Live (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/riiR8cYQJ68E) _2026-08-22 · **Sponsored**_ Join live coding streams with real-time collaborative screen sharing, open source and free. ## [‘It brings me joy’: how young people are making CDs cool again](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/22/young-people-buying-all-in-one-cd-players) _2026-08-22 · Lauren Cochrane · Music | The Guardian_ Compact discs are back, with searches for players up 96% at John Lewis and popular models sold out online With more than 800 million people subscribing to a music streaming service, wireless speakers have become a familiar sight in homes. But expect to get reacquainted with a different object to play music soon: the CD player, once consigned to obsolescence, is back. John Lewis report that… ## [‘I could have put a deposit on a house or do this crazy experiment’: the British musician playing 365 gigs this year](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/21/isaac-neilson-british-musician-playing-365-gigs-this-year) _2026-08-21 · David Renshaw · Music | The Guardian_ Isaac Neilson is burning through his savings to play a gig every day in 2026 in a bold bid to break through – and champion Britain’s struggling grassroots music scene In a lively pub in Oxford this week, Isaac Neilson picked up his guitar and performed live for the 231st day in a row. The singer-songwriter’s performance at the Old Bookbinders is part of a marathon effort to play a gig every day… ## [Mike D: ‘After Yauch died I couldn’t make music. I’d open a computer file and just feel sadness’](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/21/mike-d-diamond-beastie-buys-inteview-solo-album-thank-you) _2026-08-21 · Alastair Shuttleworth · Music | The Guardian_ As part of the Beastie Boys, the rapper shot to fame and notoriety in the 80s, before bandmate Adam Yauch’s death saw him withdraw from the spotlight. He returns with a solo album that sees him reckon with greed, mortality – and his past ‘It’s funny how far a joke will get you,” Michael Diamond grins. This time 40 years ago, the New York rapper known as Mike D was working with schoolfriends Adam… ## [Daily Mail accused of stalking woman mistaken as White Stripes drummer Meg White](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/21/meg-white-daily-mail-white-stripes) _2026-08-21 · Sean Craig · Music | The Guardian_ The tabloid boasted in a now-deleted article that they found White and promised to reveal her ‘secret new life’ The Daily Mail newspaper secretly tailed and photographed a woman in Detroit and then published an article and photographs falsely accusing her of being former The White Stripes drummer Meg White, even after she told the newspaper it had mistaken her identity, multiple sources have told… ## [Add to playlist: the righteous jangle and snaking melodies of Jawdropped and the week’s best new tracks](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/21/add-to-playlist-jawdropped) _2026-08-21 · Huw Baines and Laura Snapes · Music | The Guardian_ The LA-based powerpop project’s triumphant debut is a celebration of low-stakes creativity in the slacker-skater tradition From Los Angeles Recommended if you like the Lemonheads, Sugar, the Muffs Up next Secret to Spare released 18 September Maybe it’s to do with getting older, maybe it’s to do with the broad-spectrum grimness of it all, but the thrill of low-stakes creativity, of making… ## [Stella Lefty: Long Way Home review – Boston singer’s debut is bland, boilerplate and beyond banal](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/21/stella-lefty-long-way-home-review) _2026-08-21 · Laura Snapes · Music | The Guardian_ (Atlantic Outpost) The breakout 24-year-old country star’s debut is stunningly unremarkable, offering little in the way of artistic identity or her peers’ originality Anyone railing against nepo babies taking over culture has already lost: the rage they engender is as key to the publicity plan as their ready-made profile. But once in a while, you meet one so egregious that it’s hard not to want to… ## [‘I need to think like a CEO’: Weezer on the shifting sands of success, ugly feelings and the joy of spreadsheets](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/20/weezer-rivers-cuomo-patrick-wilson-ceo) _2026-08-20 · Stevie Chick · Music | The Guardian_ As the self-professed geeky rockers release their conceptual 20th album, Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson discuss dodging failure, being saved by fans and their obsessive creativity The first song Rivers Cuomo wrote for Weezer’s new album, their 20th, blatantly mimics the US rockers’ 1994 debut single, Undone (The Sweater Song). On the track CEO, the singer-guitarist grumbles over a slow, Velvets-y… ## [Amy Lee of Evanescence: ‘I could happily do an entire album of nothing but Portishead covers’](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/20/amy-lee-of-evanescence-i-could-happily-do-an-entire-album-of-nothing-but-portishead-covers) _2026-08-20 · As told to Dave Simpson · Music | The Guardian_ As her band hits the road, the metal trailblazer answers your questions on sexualisation in show business, finding inspiration in dreams and Spinal Tap moments on tour You wrote Bring Me to Life when you were 19 . When you perform it now, how do you relate to the younger you? becgoldsmith I was in an abusive relationship, so Bring Me to Life was partly about processing the reality of that abuse… ## [Lambchop: Punching the Clown review – spectral, spellbindingly ambiguous stirring of US history](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/20/lambchop-punching-the-clown-review) _2026-08-20 · Alexis Petridis · Music | The Guardian_ (City Slang) Sounding weathered but undimmed, Kurt Wagner feels as if he’s standing right in front of you as he sings superb, choir-swathed songs that invite and unsettle Thirty-two years on from their debut album – and 26 from Nixon , the gorgeous country/soul confection that brought “Nashville’s most fucked-up country band” to a wider audience – Lambchop find themselves in a curious position.… ## [‘We never apologised for our rage or revenge-seeking’: riot grrrl legends Heavens to Betsy reunite](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/19/we-never-apologised-for-our-rage-or-revenge-seeking-riot-grrrl-legends-heavens-to-betsy-reunite) _2026-08-19 · Jenn Pelly · Music | The Guardian_ Alongside Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, Corin Tucker and Tracy Sawyer created a feminist punk vernacular that’s still inspiring the likes of Olivia Rodrigo. They recall the clarity and conviction of their historic teenage exploits Back in June, a cut-and-paste photocopied flyer began appearing on telegraph poles around Portland, Oregon, promoting a DIY show by an apparently defunct band at an… ## [From any door to your door (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/T0jrfDNUIjea) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ Book rides, errands, deliveries, groceries and home help in one app ## [Post your questions for kd lang](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/19/post-your-questions-for-kd-lang) _2026-08-19 · Laura Snapes · Music | The Guardian_ As her supergroup with Neko Case and Laura Veirs celebrates the 10th anniversary of its sublime album, the Ingénue herself will answer your questions A decade ago, three of the finest voices in Americana got together to make a sublime supergroup record. Case/Lang/Veirs, in case the title didn’t make it plain, brought together Neko Case of the New Pornographers, stalwart Portland songwriter Laura… ## [Jah Wobble on covering the Beatles, London buses and why punk went wrong: ‘Being kind is seen as square’](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/19/jah-wobble-interview-beatles-bassist-public-image-ltd) _2026-08-19 · Fergal Kinney · Music | The Guardian_ The maverick former Public Image Ltd bassist takes us on a typically picaresque journey through his ‘Kafka-esque’ days at Transport for London, being named by Sid Vicious and his spiritual learnings Sometimes, on the top deck of a London bus, pension-age punks will politely disturb the concentration of a man on his iPad. “They’ll say: ‘Are you Jah Wobble?’” recounts the musician born John Wardle,… ## [Tupac Shakur trial: lawyers share full account of killing as witnesses still refuse to testify](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/18/tupac-shakur-trial-day-one) _2026-08-19 · Lois Beckett · Music | The Guardian_ Murder trial of Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, 63, former South Side Compton Crips gang leader, opens in Las Vegas For nearly 30 years, the unsolved murder of 25-year-old rapper Tupac Shakur has sparked lawsuits , theories and conspiracies . Now, decades after his death in a September 1996 drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, local prosecutors are finally offering a detailed official account of Shakur’s… ## [Gang of Youths are back: ‘Does it sound like a cynical gesture towards pop radio stardom?’](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/19/gang-of-youths-new-music-single-things-take-time-dave-leaupepe) _2026-08-18 · Sian Cain · Music | The Guardian_ Four years since their last album, the anthemic Australian band are back with a fresh sound and new music about finally being ‘overwhelmingly OK’ When tickets for the first Gang of Youths shows in Australia in four years went on sale last month, a one-off show in Thirroul sold out in 45 seconds; two shows at Sydney Opera House went in minutes. Though I have loved the band for years, I was… ## [Kanye West to become biggest western act to play in Russia since start of Ukraine war](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/18/kanye-west-announces-tour-dates-st-petersburg-russia-ye) _2026-08-18 · Pjotr Sauer · Music | The Guardian_ Artist also known as Ye, who has attracted controversy in recent years over antisemitic outbursts, to perform two shows in October Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, will perform two shows in St Petersburg this October, becoming the most well-known western star to play in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine four years ago. The artist has attracted controversy in recent years, with his… ## [Phoebe Bridgers review – high priestess of ambiguity turns grief Technicolor in intimate church show](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/18/phoebe-bridgers-review-union-chapel-london) _2026-08-18 · Aimee Cliff · Music | The Guardian_ Union Chapel, London Ahead of playing arenas this winter, Bridgers gives her third album, Lost Weekend, a stripped-back UK debut that makes its bewitching songs sound even more astounding Three days after the rapturous release of her third album, Lost Weekend , Phoebe Bridgers invites 900 people into her bedroom to hear her play some of its devastating songs live – or at least, that’s how it feels… ## [Tupac Shakur murder trial: gang leader plotted killing to avenge beating of nephew, court hears](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/17/tupac-shakur-murder-trial-duane-davis) _2026-08-17 · Dani Anguiano and Sam Levin · Music | The Guardian_ Prosecutors accuse Duane Davis of orchestrating 1996 shooting in retaliation for attack by rapper’s entourage The trial of a former gang leader accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap star Tupac Shakur began in a Las Vegas courtroom on Monday, featuring testimony from a witness to the shooting and a former police officer. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is on trial for murder for his alleged role… ## [‘She never forgot where she came from’: Bonnie Tyler mourners turn out for Swansea service](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/17/bonnie-tyler-mourners-swansea-service-funeral) _2026-08-17 · Bethan McKernan Wales correspondent · Music | The Guardian_ Many in the crowd watching on screen outside minster have stories of meeting or knowing singer, who died in July Bonnie Tyler’s songs have echoed through her home town of Swansea in recent days in memory of the late singer, but on Monday the church bells stopped and wellwishers lining the streets fell silent as her coffin arrived for a service celebrating her life. As the white coffin, covered in… ## [‘You’ve got to see this girl!’ Tanita Tikaram on making Twist in My Sobriety](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/17/tanita-tikaram-on-making-twist-in-my-sobriety) _2026-08-17 · Interviews by Dave Simpson · Music | The Guardian_ ‘People tell me it helped them with their rehab. I have to explain: Sorry, it’s not about alcohol – I was just a kid singing about injustice’ I wrote the lyrics on the floor of my bedroom in Basingstoke when I was 16 or 17, as a way of decompressing from studying for my A-levels. I had the idea for “Twist in my …” something, but didn’t know what else to put in there. I tried “Twist in my gravity”… ## [Thom Yorke, Romy and Brian Eno among 200 musicians urging PM to reject new North Sea drilling](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/17/massive-attack-paris-paloma-musicians-burnham-rosebank-north-sea-drilling) _2026-08-17 · Lauren Almeida · Music | The Guardian_ Robert Smith, Olly Alexander and Paris Paloma also among signatories to letter saying exploitation of Rosebank and Jackdaw fields defies climate reality Business live – latest updates More than 200 musicians including Massive Attack and Brian Eno have written to Andy Burnham urging him to reject plans for more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. The letter, signed by 211 artists such as Bobby… ## [Install Manifest V3 Extension (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/CcouzzX5EKzX) _2026-08-17 · **Sponsored**_ Get this Manifest V3 extension from the official TronBrowser Store listing. ## [‘I had to learn how to be a feminist’: Greg Dulli on surviving grunge, shunning misogyny, and Afghan Whigs’ glorious return](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/17/greg-dulli-grunge-misogyny-afghan-whigs-glorious-return) _2026-08-17 · Stevie Chick · Music | The Guardian_ With a soulful sound and soul-baring lyrics, the Afghan Whigs rode the post-Nirvana boom to the big leagues. Their frontman explains his exploration of the male ego – and how Usher got the band back together The Afghan Whigs were always heavier than their grunge-era brethren. Not musically – their turbulent, sophisticated rock was rooted in soul and funk, and frontman Greg Dulli says the group… ## [Post your questions for actor and musician Samantha Morton](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/17/post-your-questions-for-actor-and-musician-samantha-morton) _2026-08-17 · Guardian music · Music | The Guardian_ As the reader interview goes to Green Man festival, tell us what you would like to ask the garlanded British artist, fresh from her turn as Circe in The Odyssey At this weekend’s Green Man festival, Samantha Morton will join Guardian writer Kate Hutchinson to discuss a career spanning acting, directing and music. From her Oscar-nominated performances in Sweet and Lowdown and In America to Morvern… ## [Brandon Flowers: Thrasher review – Killers frontman’s country pivot is a rootin’ tootin’ cowboy-bootin’ hoot!](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/17/brandon-flowers-thrasher-review-killers-frontman-country-album) _2026-08-17 · Shaad D'Souza · Music | The Guardian_ (Island) Even a couple of bafflingly misguided social commentary songs can’t detract from the joys of Flowers’ classically full-throated commitment to the Nashville bit Here are three immutable facts about Brandon Richard Flowers: he was born just outside Las Vegas, Nevada. He is 45 years old. And he never does anything by halves. When he and his band the Killers debuted in the early 2000s, as… ## [‘His ache is real’: Bob Dylan and more on the wild genius of honky-tonk hellraiser Gary Stewart](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/17/bob-dylan-gary-stewart-honky-tonk-hellraiser) _2026-08-17 · Garth Cartwright · Music | The Guardian_ Worshipped by everyone from Willie Nelson to Joe Strummer, the country star with the amazing voice imploded in a blaze of guns, knives, drugs and infidelities. What’s behind his astonishing posthumous rediscovery? ‘He sings like a man arguing with destiny. It sounds like the ache is real, that the ruin is real,” Bob Dylan tells me. “There’s a cracked truth there. What’s unsettling about him is… ## [Ariana Grande Eternal Sunshine tour review: pop illusion at its most effective – for good and bad](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/16/ariana-grande-eternal-sunshine-tour-review-o2-london) _2026-08-16 · Kate Solomon · Music | The Guardian_ The O2, London On her last live dates before she steps back from the public eye, Grande holds her own – but it’s also impossible to avoid feeling concerned for her wellbeing There’s a thrum of excitement in the air as an eight-minute countdown starts and Ariana Grande’s unmistakable silhouette appears on a giant backlit curtain on the stage of the O2. Is it actually her? Posing there for eight… ## [Rock stars Ash look back: ‘Mark broke his feet jumping off a balcony – for the rest of the tour he self-medicated with gin and buckets of ice’](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/16/indie-rock-stars-ash-look-back-tim-wheeler-mark-hamilton-rick-mcmurray) _2026-08-16 · Harriet Gibsone · Music | The Guardian_ The Northern Irish band on jamming together at school, booze and breakdowns, and being a weirdly functional family Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray are the founding members of Ash. School friends from Downpatrick, County Down, they started out as a covers band called Vietnam in 1989. As Ash, their debut full-length album, 1977, went to No 1 in 1996. Shining Light, from 2001’s Free All… ## [‘I thought – if I die, I’ve had a good innings’: producer James Ford on life, death and making an album from his hospital bed](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/16/james-ellis-ford-music-producer-interview-lost-in-another-world-leukaemia-arctic-monkeys-florence-machine) _2026-08-16 · Nosheen Iqbal · Music | The Guardian_ The Arctic Monkeys, Pet Shop Boys and Pulp collaborator was at the height of his powers as Britain’s most in-demand music producer when leukaemia struck. ‘I realised life is exceptionally fragile,’ he says There was a moment outside the door of a recording studio in rural France, staring at a half-eaten apple that he believed possessed psychedelic properties, when James Ford knew things had really… ## [‘Have I tried having sex to my own music? God, no!’: Natalie Imbruglia’s honest playlist](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/16/natalie-imbruglia-honest-playlist-michael-jackson-joni-mitchell-torn) _2026-08-16 · As told to Rich Pelley · Music | The Guardian_ The singer was wooed with some knocked-off Joni Mitchell and might even be persuaded to sing Torn at karaoke. But what fan comment winds her up the most? The first song I fell in love with My dad gave me California Dreamin’ by the Mamas & the Papas on vinyl for my fifth birthday. I said: “Oh thanks, Dad,” but really, I thought: “Who is this weird bunch of people?” Obviously, the present was really… ## [Thousands of Bonnie Tyler fans gather to pay respects as coffin brought home](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/15/bonnie-tyler-fans-gather-pay-respects-swansea) _2026-08-15 · Aneesa Ahmed · Music | The Guardian_ Fans line streets, singing Total Eclipse of the Heart ahead of Welsh singer’s Swansea funeral Thousands of Bonnie Tyler fans lined the streets of her home town in south Wales to pay respects to the singer as her coffin was brought back to her former home. The singer, whose real name was Gaynor Sullivan, died unexpectedly on 8 July in Portugal at the age of 75. Continue reading... ## [Thirty years after Tupac Shakur’s killing, can a murder trial offer justice?](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/15/tupac-shakur-duane-davis-murder-trial) _2026-08-15 · Uwa Ede-Osifo · Music | The Guardian_ Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis faces trial on Monday over rap star’s death that marked notorious chapter in hip-hop’s history In September 1996, rap star Tupac Shakur was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas strip, succumbing days later to his injuries. His killing, which remained unsolved for decades, gave rise to fervent conspiracy theories and conjecture. Thirty years later, one man is… ## [The Guide #256: Norovirus, giant puddles, sit-ins and no beer – how can festivals survive the worst?](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/14/norovirus-giant-puddles-sit-ins-and-no-beer-how-can-festivals-survive-the-worst) _2026-08-15 · Gwilym Mumford · Music | The Guardian_ In this week’s newsletter: ​As promoters like James Scarlett prove​,​ the UK’s ​f​estival circuit continues to weather each disaster with remarkable grit • Don’t get The Guide delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Running a festival is not for the faint-hearted. The list of potential weekend-derailers is dauntingly long – licensing issues, awol bands, freak weather events to name but a few – and… ## [Add to playlist: the heartbreak post-mortems of Cape Town’s Rowlene and the week’s best new tracks](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/14/add-to-playlist-rowlene) _2026-08-14 · Mary Chiney and Laura Snapes · Music | The Guardian_ The South African singer has been a memorable guest artist, but the unhurried, emotional tracks on new album Some Strings Attached show she’s ready for the spotlight From Cape Town, South Africa Recommended if you like Summer Walker, SZA, Shekhinah Up next Some Strings Attached out now Rowlene Bosman learned to sing in a Cape Town school choir, and the discipline never left her: she is a precision… ## [Henry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer, Dafnis Prieto: Fifteen review – Pulitzer winner stirs gorgeous improv patterns](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/14/henry-threadgill-vijay-iyer-dafnis-prieto-fifteen-review) _2026-08-14 · John Fordham · Music | The Guardian_ (Nonesuch) By turns gleeful, sensitive, urgent and ruminative, this is a brilliant set that plays to the trio’s formidable strengths Though the century-old Pulitzer prize – launched as a celebration of the craft and social necessity of good news reportage – was eventually expanded to include fiction and music by 1943, the US-born art of jazz has only been represented by Ornette Coleman and Wynton… ## [Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal: Doomed! review – caustic, crushing breakup album flirts with catharsis](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/14/open-mike-eagle-and-kenny-segal-doomed-review) _2026-08-14 · Will Pritchard · Music | The Guardian_ (Backwoodz) The rapper-producer duo muster a breakup record with glistening beats and lovelorn lyrics that mull over grievances without resolve Tough as they may be, breakups make for good material. Doomed! is Open Mike Eagle’s entry into that wide canon – sitting alongside Tyler, the Creator’s Igor and Ye’s 808s & Heartbreak in the alt-rap subcategory – and finds the LA-via-Chicago rapper every… ## [‘It was lonely being a young queer artist’: Sam Smith on finding health, happiness – and their hazel-eyed fiance](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/14/sam-smith-hazel-eyes-unholy-my-guy) _2026-08-14 · Juan A Ramírez · Music | The Guardian_ On their new album, Smith is subverting their singer-songwriter roots to tell a queer love story. They talk about their shifting fanbase, the nasty undercurrents of fame – and finding sanctuary in New York City Sam Smith logs on to our video call with the username “Lily of the Valley”, the May-born singer’s birth flower. It sets a serene tone. They’re in Guadalajara, Mexico, for the latest stop of… ## [Billion-streamers, Beyoncé and heart-bruising beauty: Frank Ocean’s 20 best songs – ranked!](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/13/frank-ocean-20-best-songs-ranked) _2026-08-13 · Alexis Petridis · Music | The Guardian_ It’s a decade since the Los Angeles musician released the seminal album Blonde. To lessen the pain of his hiatus, we count down the best of an artist who redefined R&B Frank Ocean’s pre-fame demos are hard to find – there’s a fan-made, 64-track compilation called The Lonny Breaux Collection floating around – but worth checking out, as evinced by this brief but potent piano ballad. Sweet but… ## [Chelsea Wolfe: The Dark review – existential reflection goes from whisper to gothic scream](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/13/chelsea-wolfe-the-dark-review) _2026-08-13 · Dave Simpson · Music | The Guardian_ (Loma Vista) The genre-blending Californian artist casts off past toxic influences with a powerful set of tender, brooding and emotionally charged songs that wouldn’t feel out of place as festival anthems When Chelsea Wolfe was interviewed by the Guardian in 2015 about her fourth album, Abyss, she revealed that her music had been informed by the bouts of sleep paralysis she’d suffered from since… ## [Post your questions for Amy Lee of Evanescence](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/12/post-your-questions-for-amy-lee-of-evanescence) _2026-08-12 · Laura Snapes · Music | The Guardian_ The metal icon is here to answer your questions about the band’s 90s origins, MTV fame and being trailblazer in a male dominated genre It is 23 years since Evanescence released one of the defining debut singles of the 2000s, Bring Me to Life, frontperson Amy Lee’s account of escaping an abusive relationship. Since then, the Arkansas band – essentially Lee’s project – have become a towering force… ## [‘Today’s Brazilians have no idea what it feels like to lose democracy’: Joyce Moreno on her battles to become a Latin musical great](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/12/todays-brazilians-have-no-idea-what-it-feels-like-to-lose-democracy-joyce-moreno-on-her-battles-to-become-a-latin-musical-great) _2026-08-12 · Jane Cornwell · Music | The Guardian_ After her defiant femininity outraged many in Brazil, she lived through a military dictatorship and was boycotted for years. But after more than 30 albums, she explains how she kept going At 78, Joyce Moreno is one of Brazil’s musical icons, but for decades that status seemed far from assured: this headstrong singer, guitarist and composer was frequently viewed as a threat by her country’s… ## [‘For this record, I took an edible and said, screw it’: jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner on confronting the trauma of Hurricane Katrina](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/10/jazz-pianist-sullivan-fortner-leave-that-in-there-katrina-new-orleans) _2026-08-10 · Hugh Morris · Music | The Guardian_ The New Orleans native is a three-time Grammy winner at the top of his game – and is now using his instinctive style to celebrate the resilience and clarity of Katrina survivors ‘Black music is forward and upward in movement, you know? Never forward or upward,” pianist Sullivan Fortner declares. “It’s a tornado that’s always getting bigger and moving faster,” he adds, whizzing his fingers around…