Cello belonging to artist John Constable to be played for first time in 100 years

Exclusive: Landscape painter was also a keen musician and played a cello made for him by his friend and mentor

‘We were going off the cliff’: Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil on inventing grunge – and losing Chris Cornell and Kurt Cobain

As he publishes a memoir, the pioneering guitarist talks about rejecting spandex and hair metal, his fears for breakthrough hit Black Hole Sun – and completing nine unfinished Soundgarden songs

French star Patrick Bruel held by police investigating new sexual assault allegations

Two new rape complaints have been filed against the 67-year-old singer and actor, who denies the claims

‘You escape the slaughter. But there’s a long tail of sadness’: musician Bedouine on the strangeness of Arab life outside the Middle East

With roots in Armenia, Syria and Saudi Arabia, the singer-songwriter now lives in the US. But despite her Carole King-style sound, her homelands are never far from her mind

Post your questions for David Byrne

As the former Talking Heads frontman releases his concert film American Utopia in 4K, he will join us to answer your questions

‘In prison, I made a little studio in my head. It kept me sane’: Ibrahim Alfa Jr, British techno’s great survivor

He moved from Nigeria to middle England and was swept up into the rave scene – then battled through incarceration and near-death illness. After making 500 tracks while living on porridge and lettuce, he explains how he kept going

Is Australian music at risk of extinction? Here’s what the data tells us

Forty years of Aria chart history shows big changes to our listening habits – and local artists have a huge fight ahead

Aria music quiz: how well do you know the Australian charts?

We’ve looked at the Aria charts since 1998 to see who Australians can’t stop listening to. Take our quiz to find out if you know your chart toppers and fan favourites

Manchester Camerata review – mental torments build up to a royal meltdown

A clever programme brought a mounting sense of lost grip, from Errollyn Wallen voicing the shame of Hamlet’s Ophelia, to Schumann’s fraught love declaration, and Peter Maxwell Davies’s Eight Songs for a Mad King

Readers reply: If an alien asked you: ‘What is music?’ what would you play for them?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions comes up with an epic extraterrestrial playlist for Earth’s first contact from beyond the stars

The Marriage of Figaro review – Danielle de Niese’s deft direction weds finery with fun

A touring show was quite a challenge for the opera star’s first directorial gig, but dynamic singing, charismatic orchestral play and clever stage jokes pull it off brilliantly

Hilarious or a nightmare? Exhibition displays the worst album covers ever

Museum hosts the collection of Steve Goldman, who buys records based on the sheer awfulness of the sleeve

‘So rogue’: country superstar Shania Twain turns London pub into saloon

Fans from across UK descend on Shacklewell Arms for intimate gig that leaves them wanting one more song

‘At my funeral I want people dancing in the aisles to Madness’: David Gray’s honest playlist

The singer knows all the words to Grease and channels Kenny Rogers at karaoke. But which classic musician does he liken to Picasso?

Hello, goodbye: the Beatles’ chaotic, controversial final tour – as never seen before

Tired, emotional and besieged by fans and enemies alike, by 1966 the Fab Four were ready to quit touring for good. A new collection of images by rock photographer Jim Marshall captures their last gigs