From David Bowie to Fleetwood Mac and Eric Clapton, Mike Vernon’s ear was invaluable to British pop and blues
The musician, producer and label head, who has died aged 81, turned his boyhood passion for blues into a hugely impactful career
David Byrne review – in life during wartime, this show will restore your faith in humanity
Byrne again reimagines the possibilities of the live gig, creating a vision of egalitarianism backed by elastic bass and polyrhythms
Lily Allen review – pop star makes much-anticipated comeback – but where is the West End Girl?
Allen isn’t in the first act of her own show, only coming on after 45 minutes of a string ensemble to stiffly deliver her acclaimed album in full
‘My guitar was mangled – like my life!’ Goo Goo Dolls on how they made epic ballad Iris
‘I’m grateful to Taylor Swift, and others who have covered it, for introducing the song to a new generation. Three billion streams on Spotify is astonishing!’
‘We were just astonished’: Mental As Anything on their highs and lows – and hitting the road again
One of Australia’s most successful pop bands are reliving their career, with a new documentary and a tour bringing the ‘original flavour’ back on stage
‘Do what you really want to do while you’re still alive’: Masayoshi Takanaka, the Japanese guitar hero surfing a second wave in his 70s
Playing a surfboard-shaped axe, Takanaka was a stadium-level artist at home but little known in the west – until YouTube brought him a huge new audience
Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at Eurovision 2026
One of the country’s bestselling singers is heading to a contest mired in geopolitical controversy – but, she says, ‘I believe in the healing powers and hope of music’
Neil Sedaka obituary
Singer and songwriter of such pop canon hits as Oh! Carol, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do and (Is This the Way to) Amarillo
How Courtney Barnett made her new album by retreating to the desert: ‘It nearly drove me mad’
After closing her scene-making record label and moving to the US, Barnett decamped to Joshua Tree – where she learned to slow down and make noise again
Morrissey review – classic Smiths songs meet GB News-style talking points
Morrissey is in impressive voice and the old songs still retain their power, but the conspiracy theorising and nationalist rhetoric are miserable in all the worst ways
Harry Styles, fake stage invaders and a censored Peter Mandelson joke: the biggest moments at the Brit awards
The ITV censors had their work cut out in a protest-filled, relatively edgy ceremony that hosted ultra-expressive performances from Rosalía, Wolf Alice and more
Brit awards 2026: full list of winners
Olivia Dean tops the winners list with four, while Sam Fender bags two – see all the category winners here
Grace Jones review – chaos, nudity and endless costume changes: the disco legend’s show has it all
The 77-year-old is one of our greatest living performers, doing sit-ups, hula-hooping and even flashing the audience – but her rich voice is the true revelation
Olivia Dean sweeps the board at 2026 Brit awards, winning four including artist, song and album of the year
The 26-year-old dominates in Manchester, landing the night’s biggest prizes as Rosé, Wolf Alice and Mark Ronson also take top honours
Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe: ‘I feel like I have to work very hard to redeem myself’
After undergoing double bypass surgery two years ago, the band’s frontman talks about his band’s chaotic reputation, making it up to his fans, and his dream sandwich