Eurovision Semi Final 2
Semi-Final 2 feels like the more unpredictable of the two Eurovision semi-finals this year. While there are a handful of songs that look like near-certain qualifiers, much of the line-up sits in that dangerous grey area where staging, live vocals, and running order could make or break a country's chances.
In Conversation: Charmian Devi
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Canadian/British artist Charmian Devi is entering a bold new chapter following the release of her debut solo album Diamond Hour in May 2026. After living in Montreal, New York City and London, she has now relocated to Brighton, UK, where she is continuing work on her second album, Till Eternity Breaks.
James Morrison Rediscovered On Tour
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Twenty years ago James Morrison released his debut album, Undiscovered - a collection that was packed full of memorable and melodic songs, all delivered in his trademark raspy and soulful voice. The record was a huge commercial success around the world, being the launchpad for a career that has flourished vividly since.
In Conversation: Midge Ure
Few artists have CVs that read as impressively and variedly as Midge Ure's. From his emergence from the Glasgow music scene in the mid-seventies via the group Slik, whose debut single Forever and Ever reached Number One on the singles charts, to then becoming a member of the punk group The Rich Kids, and then a few years later, he diversified musically with Ultravox.
Grassroots Music Venues Unite For Everywhere At Once Weekend
More than 400 grassroots music venues across the UK will unite from June 26 to 28, 2026, for Everywhere At Once — a three-day celebration staged on what would have been the Glastonbury Festival weekend. From Falmouth to Aberdeen, over 2,000 artists will perform across hundreds of live music events, spanning genres and showcasing the diversity of Britain's music scene.
Stephen Sanchez - Old School Soul In Manchester
When support act Tors called the Manchester Academy crowd one of the politest they've played to in the city, it spoke volumes about the fanbase Stephen Sanchez attracts. His music — old-school soul wrapped in a modern delivery, somewhere between Mika without the innuendo and James Blunt without the self-mockery — pulls in a thoroughly mainstream audience.
Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final One Predictions
The road to the Grand Final begins with what looks set to be one of the most competitive and eclectic semi-finals in recent Eurovision memory. Semi-Final One offers everything Eurovision fans could ask for: riotous party anthems, dramatic ballads, polished radio pop, bold staging concepts, and even a closing burst of metal.
Sporty Spirit Soars As Melanie C Electrifies Manchester
Back in the day Victoria Beckham was involved in a famous chart tryst with Sophie Ellis-Bextor as she launched her solo career with the Dane Bowers/True Steppers collaboration Out Of Your Mind. Fast forward 26 years, and Melanie C is currently locked into a big chart battle with KNEECAP as both acts attempt to achieve their first-ever #1 charting album in the UK.
Conan Gray Casts A Spell On Manchester's Devoted Coneheads
Conan Gray has only once graced the UK official Top 20 singles, back in 2020 with the anthemic Heather. However, while the album that spawned his biggest commercially successful UK single, Kid Krow, reached number 30 in the official album charts, each subsequent release has charted higher than the previous.
Genius, Construction, Or Carefully Managed Myth?
I remember watching a television documentary in which George Martin, speaking quite matter-of-factly, referred to Yesterday as something he had ‘written’ - while a caption on the screen attributed the song to John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
In conversation: Leo Sayer
After more than five decades on the road, beloved British music icon Leo Sayer is preparing to return to the UK in autumn 2026 for what will be his final full nationwide tour. While he insists he is not retiring completely, Leo says the tour marks the end of an era as he begins to slow the pace of live performances after 54 years on stage.
Classical Music: Brahms & Contemporaries, Volume 3
This release is another triumph in what has been a marvellous three-volume traversal, and the news that Kaleidoscope's exploration of Brahms alongside his lesser-played contemporaries is to continue beyond the piano quartets — pairing the master with further unjustly neglected voices — is very welcome indeed. On this evidence, one can hardly wait.
Classical Music: Lionel Rogg Organ Works
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Born in Geneva in 1936 and Professor of Organ at the city's Conservatory until 2002, Rogg has also been a composer of quietly persistent originality, and it is to this side of his work that Anne Page now turns in a thoughtfully chosen recital for Regent.
The programme she has assembled covers a wide range. At one end sit the modest Neuf pièces brèves; at the other, the substantial Hommage à Takemitsu, the radiant Yorokobi-Pièce Joyeuse, and two virtuoso toccatas, which frame the disc with an appropriate flourish
Albums: Eurovision Song Contest 2026
The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is now literally just around the corner. The bookies have been favouring Finland ever since Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkonnen romped to victory with Liekinheiten at this year's edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu. However, with 35 entrants competing to take the crown from Austria's JJ on May 16, there is plenty of new music to discover at this year's contest.
In conversation: Deco
Deco return with Dreamhouse, the serotonin-soaked title track and first single from their forthcoming second album: a confident, uplifting statement that introduces a bold new chapter for the Nottingham-born five-piece.
The CBSO Announces New 2026-27 Season
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) has announced its 2026–27 Season: a year of artistic ambition, civic pride and musical breadth under Music Director Kazuki Yamada. The season brings together major symphonic journeys – including Beethoven and Mahler cycles – with new commissions, international touring and landmark moments such as the CBSO Chorus’s 1000th performance.
Cougar Live Comes To Keighley
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JLS and UB40 featuring Ali Campbell will headline the inaugural Cougar Live Music Experience at Keighley Cougar Park on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th July 2026. Announced by Cougar Live and Horlock House, the new festival will see Brits award winners JLS open proceedings on the Friday night, with reggae icons UB40 featuring Ali Campbell taking the main stage on Saturday.
Yorkshire Choir Stages Northern Premiere Of Jazz-Infused Missa Latina at Wentworth Woodhouse
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A 70-strong Yorkshire choir will bring a rare and vibrant fusion of classical music, Latin jazz and klezmer to Wentworth Woodhouse this month. Coro Amici will perform Missa Latina by contemporary German composer Bobbi Fischer on Sunday 10 May, in the historic Marble Saloon.
Eurovision26 Bandidos De Cante
Portugal has long held a distinctive place in the Eurovision Song Contest—an identity shaped by authenticity, musical heritage, and the quiet confidence that culminated in its landmark victory in 2017. That win didn’t just mark a high point; it reaffirmed the country’s commitment to songs that feel rooted rather than manufactured, intimate rather than bombastic.
Albums: Sarah Jane Morris And Tony Remy - The Sisterhood 2
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The album starts off with a folk tune, Longing To Be Free, dedicated to influential American folk singer and activist Peggy Seeger. The emotion in Morris’ voice comes through on the track, she herself sounding like a reformer and aiming to lead the way.
Albums: Melanie C - Sweat
Sweat is an album that lives up to its title. Melanie C has made something of a name for herself with her dance-leaning anthems, and Sweat is chock-a-block full of them. Yet, these aren't just meaningless dance floor anthems with filler lyrics; she has retained the honesty of her lyrical approach that has become something of a signature of her solo releases.
Albums: Kacey Musgraves Middle of Nowhere
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From the opening track, there is a sense of ease that runs through the record. Acoustic guitars shimmer instead of twang aggressively, percussion stays loose and organic, and melodies unfold with an inviting softness. But beneath the comfort is sharp craft. Musgraves has always had a talent for writing lines that feel conversational until they suddenly land with a sting, and Middle of Nowhere is full of those moments.
Jazz: There's a Yearnin'
There’s a Yearnin' There’s a Yearnin Music for Winds and Voice Cruxifiction (not a word) (Lederer); Dolphy Wind Sextet; Coleman Forms and Sounds 1,2,3; Nelson/lyric LaRose Images; Lem and Aide; Nocturne; There’s a Yearnin’; Three Seconds Little (i) Music, May 2026 Jeff Lederer's Ther…
Classical Music: Arcadi Volodos Plays Schubert And Schumann
Seven years is a long silence from a pianist of Arcadi Volodos's stature, and the wait for a new recording from the St Petersburg-born musician has been considerable. His return, captured live in the architecturally arresting surroundings of Frank Gehry's Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, finds him once again in the company of Schubert, to whose music he has devoted some of his most penetrating recorded statements, and turning for the first time on disc to Schumann's Kinderszenen.
Classical Music: French Orchestral Favourites
The programme itself is a familiar parade of favourites — Dukas's Sorcerer's Apprentice, Debussy's Clair de lune, Chabrier's Marche joyeuse, Ravel's Une barque sur l'océan, Saint-Saëns's Danse macabre and selections from Bizet's Carmen Suites — and the playing is, as one would expect from this hand-picked ensemble, exquisite.
Manic Street Preachers And Suede Announces Co-Headline Tour
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Two of the UK’s most pioneering and celebrated bands Manic Street Preachers and Suede have announced a co-headline tour of some of the UK’s biggest arenas for autumn 2026. The tour kicks off at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro on 28th October, before hitting stages in Leeds, Manchester’s massive new Co-op Live, Cardiff Utilita Arena over two nights, London’s O2, Birmingham, Nottingham and Bournemouth.
Ne-Yo And Akon - Having The Time Of Their Lives In Leeds
The idea of having two artists tour together with each taking turns on stage is not an entirely new one: Paul Simon and Sting pulled it off together on tour many years ago. Whilst their own music might have been entirely different from each other, the pairing of Ne-Yo and Akon is a good one – both come from the same pop, soul and R&B backgrounds.
Classical Music: Mahler: Symphony No. 5
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Runnicles confidently judges the pace from the stark severity of the opening Trauermarsch, which features well-phrased trumpet solos. Runnicles is a conductor who paints in broad strokes without sacrificing detail, and each section of the orchestra phrases with evident care. The drama is conveyed with real conviction, and he shifts mood with the kind of assurance that comes from long acquaintance with this music.
Louis Tomlinson Takes A New Direction In Leeds
As the former One Direction singer, Louis Tomlinson took to the stage at Leeds First Direct Arena; the confetti cannons exploded in a sea of yellow as he, along with the rest of the band, arrived on stage to perform Lemonade – a track from his latest album, How Did We Get Here. That is a question which finding the answer to is not that easy.
Olivia Dean Sparkles In Manchester
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For anyone wishing to know the current health of British soul and pop music, then they need to look no further than the Olivia Dean tour to discover that everything is in top shape. Jalen Ngonda provided the ideal match to open for Dean on the second of two sold-out nights at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.