Music

Metronomy interview: ‘A return to form’

Joseph Mount is not a nostalgic person. You might think the mastermind of Metronomy is, given that his latest album is entitled Summer 08. Certainly French journalists do, since their press release states it’s a “nostalgic” album, and resulting interview questions have been vexing him.

How international music festivals are battering UK ones

Thom Yorke walks back out on stage to raucous applause from a crowd stretching as far as the eye can see. “Can you turn the fucking monitors back on, please?” he shouts down the mic at Primavera Sounds’ over-zealously punctual stage team. For a breathtaking moment it seems as if there will be no encore, but with a few taps from the drums Radiohead launch into ‘Creep’ for the second time live in 10 years. 

  • Review

Open’er Festival, Gdynia, Poland, review

The first day of Open’er Festival in Gdynia, Poland, was like a proverbial middle finger to the UK’s decision to leave the EU, showing just how much Europe has to offer on a cultural level. With a line-up rivalling that of Glastonbury, combining mainstream acts such as Florence and the Machine with accomplished up-and-comers like Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco, Open’er failed to disappoint. 

  • Review

Idomeneo, Garsington Opera, Wormsley, review

Saved from shipwreck by the gods, King Idomeneo of Crete promises a blood-sacrifice, but discovers the victim must be his son Idamante; the Trojan princess Ilia is torn between love for Idamante and hostility towards Idomeneo (who has killed her father); jealous Elektra also loves Idamante; a plague strikes, and a monster must be slain.

  • Review

A disjointed barrage maybe, but Beyoncé is still the master show-woman

It’s a grey night in Brexit Central as Beyoncé begins her European tour. Sunderland’s football stadium is anyway a happy, welcoming place for a woman whose sixth solo album has raised her artistic game. Rough times with apparently errant husband Jay Z were ruthlessly converted into artistic opportunity on Lemonade, which treats Big Dog Jay Z as a stray dog she drags to heal. Beyoncé has asserted herself as the dominant creative partner. She now calls the tune.