In Conversation: Florrie
With more than 85 million streams to her name, Florrie has long occupied a distinctive corner of British pop. A drummer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, she has built a career balancing studio innovation with undeniable pop instincts, collaborating with everyone from Girls Aloud and Kylie to George Ezra and One Direction.
Kathryn Tickell Brings The Haunting Sound Of Northumbria To Kynren – The Storied Lands
The haunting sound of the Northumbrian pipes will echo across Kynren – The Storied Lands this summer after legendary folk musician Kathryn Tickell joined the creative team behind one of the attraction's spectacular new productions.
Take That: Bring The Circus To Manchester
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When many other acts undertake a tour that celebrates an album that was a milestone in their career, Take That have chosen to look back instead at one of their most extraordinary tours over the years – The Circus Tour. The original 2009 tour was their most successful, besides being the most extravagant one to date.
In Conversation: Bird
It had been a few years since Bird and I had last spoken, so when we connected over Zoom, catching up felt wonderfully warm and familiar. Before we even reached the subject of new music, our conversation wandered through life reflections, favourite records, memorable holidays and the simple pleasures that make us who we are.
Classical Music: Live From The Aspen Music Festival And School
She opens with the lyrical and rather lovely Handel Violin Sonata in D major — rhythmical and expressive, with delightful accompaniment from Bai. The playing throughout is perfectly balanced and crisply articulated, the dynamics judged with care, each movement elegantly shaped.
Classical Music: Debussy: Piano Duets, Vol. 2
The disc closes with a winning account of La plus que lente, beautifully turned and rounding off what is, in sum, a most agreeable album. There is creativity and no shortage of skill in these interpretations. Rêverie, in particular, charms from the first bar. Much of that charm comes down to sound as well as substance: the recording was made on a Bösendorfer 280VC concert grand in the Concert Hall at Snape Maltings, Suffolk, and Chandos's engineers have captured its warmth with their customary skill.
In Conversation: The Entitled Son
Fresh from a raucous performance at The Great Escape Festival and ahead of the release of their powerful new single Epitaph (Not There), The Entitled Sons are showing no signs of slowing down. The independent five-piece have just announced an intimate record store tour, giving fans the chance to hear new music and get up close with the band.
In Conversation: Minute Taker
Minute Taker, who has emerged from the underground music scene, has established a reputation for creating deeply emotional, cinematic songs that blend elements of dream-pop, electronica, and alternative storytelling.
Skunk Anansie And Garbage Disturb The Peace In Halifax
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Two bands from the same era came together for what was the most rock-orientated affair so far in the summer series of concerts at the Piece Hall in Halifax. Skunk Anansie and Garbage were two of the biggest rock bands in the late nineties, both offering their take on the alternative side of the genre.
Igor Levit Launches His Own Label With A Defiant Message For Troubled Times
The Russian-born German pianist Igor Levit, one of the most politically outspoken and intellectually restless musicians of his generation, is to launch his own record label — NO SILENCE — with three debut releases due on 23 October 2026 in partnership with Sony Classical.
In Conversation: Sons Of Sevilla's Reuben Vaun Smith And Henry Smith
With their third album It Could Be Today set for release this October, Sons of Sevilla are entering a new creative chapter. The West Yorkshire sibling duo, Reuben Vaun Smith and Henry Smith, have expanded their dreamy blend of psychedelic soul, dream-pop and West Coast influences following a transformative tour across the United States.
In Conversation: Jack And Finlay From Walt Disco
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Fresh from signing with EMI North, Glasgow’s walt disco return with their electrifying new single, Coup de foudre – a bold, dancefloor-ready anthem that signals an exciting new chapter for one of the UK’s most distinctive alternative bands.
Lola Young at Birmingham's O2 Academy
For Lola Young, this tour feels less like a victory lap than a hard-won return. The past year has transformed the South London singer from cult favourite to international star, with Messy becoming an unexpected global phenomenon and catapulting her onto some of the world's biggest stages. Yet the success came at a cost.
Albums: Myles Smith My Mess, My Heart, My Life
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The songs here sound big and bold and connect easily with a euphoric energy and will sound perfect on his upcoming arena tour this autumn.
In Conversation: Micko & The Mellotronics
Following a string of acclaimed singles exploring everything from illicit affairs to the realities of 'proper jobs', Micko & The Mellotronics return with their ambitious third album, The Trinity. Released on 12th June, the record blends sharp songwriting, personal reflection and eclectic musical influences, spanning everything from ’70s new wave to contemporary sounds.
From Rugby Pitch To Rock Venue: Jack Cullen's 22-Marathon Mission
Fresh from his first headline European solo tour, Jack Cullen is preparing for his most ambitious challenge yet: running 22 ultramarathons in 22 days from Berlin to London ahead of his biggest headline show to date at Oslo Hackney.
Classical Music: House of Wonder – Sally Beamish Celebrates 70 Years
House of Wonder, assembled to mark Beamish's seventieth birthday, is above all a personal album, and that comes through in every bar. To celebrate the occasion, Beamish has returned to the instrument that first shaped her career as a performer in the 1980s: the viola. Crucially, the instrument she plays throughout is a viola made in 2014 by Stephanie Irvine—a gift that, in Beamish's own account, rekindled her relationship with the instrument entirely. The album gathers works written by Beamish for herself to play alongside new commissions from her three children—all accomplished musicians in their own right—and a circle of close collaborators.
Classical Music: Mel Bonis Orchestral Music
The music is, for the most part, elegantly crafted rather than profoundly searching—these are miniatures that delight in surface and atmosphere rather than structural ambition—and there were moments when the lush, exotic colouring put me in mind of Rimsky-Korsakov, particularly the languorous orientalism of Shéhérazade.
Albums: Olivia Rodrigo You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love
A devastatingly beautiful release from beginning to end, Olivia Rodrigo’s third album is a triumph of songwriting, performance and emotional storytelling. It is bold, vulnerable and endlessly compelling — the kind of album that deepens with every listen. More importantly, it feels like a defining statement from an artist who continues to surpass even the highest expectations. Her finest moment to date.
The Jacksons Return To The North
The Jacksons are heading back to the UK this November for a very special run of headline shows, celebrating the timeless hits and extraordinary legacy of one of the most influential groups in pop history.
Davóne Tines – Meet The ‘Electrifying’ Singer Rewriting The Rules
US-born baritone Davóne Tines, renowned for his work in opera and gospel, has been described as an “electrifying” performer (The Guardian). The Grammy-nominated singer, named Musical America’s Vocalist of the Year in 2022, is appearing at the Wesley Centre, in Harrogate, on 12 June.
In Conversation: Maisy Kay
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British-born, Los Angeles-based alt-pop artist Maisy Kay is enjoying a landmark year. Returning to the UK this June to support LANY on their arena tour, including a milestone performance at OVO Arena Wembley, the Shropshire native is bringing her cinematic, emotionally charged sound to her biggest home audiences yet.
The Circus Is Back In Town — And It's Bigger, Bolder And More Magical Than Before
Having returned from the musical wilderness back in 2006 after an 11-year absence, Take That had proven with Beautiful World that they were still a chart-topping force to be reckoned with. However, the pressure was on for their 2008 release, The Circus, to meet these heightened expectations.
Gold In Halifax Shed Seven
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Shed Seven, York’s favourite sons, opened up a summer series of concerts at the Piece Hall in Halifax, undoubtedly the best historic open-air venue in the country. The inaugural night felt aptly justified and celebratory – and for good reason. With the thirtieth anniversary of the album A Maximum High, the band had plenty to celebrate.
Opera North Offer Pay What You Want Concert For All Ages
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This month brings some of the most well-known and best-loved music into the centre of Leeds as Opera North performs Classics in the Square, a celebration of Leeds 400 and the latest addition to the summer series being held by Leeds City Council in Millennium Square.
Albums: Now Yearbook- Vault ‘85
Now Yearbook- Vault ‘85 The Now Music series continues with the release of this four track CD which concentrates on songs from artists who might not be as famous as some of their other tracks.
In conversation: Tiffany
Fresh from delighting audiences on The Masked Singer, preparing for a major UK tour with Kim Wilde and celebrating the release of her new cookbook, Pop Life, Tiffany is as busy as ever. Yet despite a career spanning decades, she remains wonderfully down-to-earth, warm and refreshingly easy to chat to.
Albums: Niall Horan Dinner Party
Albums: Alyssa Bonagura America's Backroads
America's Backroads is a masterclass in modern country-rooted songwriting and further proof that Alyssa Bonagura deserves far greater recognition than she currently receives. Few artists are capable of wearing so many creative hats while maintaining such a consistently high standard, and even fewer can make it look this effortless. This is the work of an artist operating at the peak of her powers, delivering one of the strongest releases of the year. If there is any justice, America's Backroads should be the album that finally introduces Alyssa Bonagura to the wider audience she has long deserved.
Classical Music: Arcadia Quartet — Weinberg String Quartets, Vol. 6
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What a conclusion to the Arcadia Quartet's Weinberg series this volume is. The ensemble has spoken movingly of the moment they first encountered these string quartets—music, they say, that felt like "a glow of light surrounded by the darkness of the unknown"—and across these recordings they have made good on their ambition to dilute those shadows. This final volume crowns that mission magnificently.