Albums: Razorlight Planet Nowhere

Rather than simply spending their time trying to emulate what drove them to success the first time around, it is clear that they have instead concentrated their efforts on crafting an album that is thematically and sonically related to them now. At times bolshier and bolder than their radio-driven early sound, Planet Nowhere is an eclectic, more punk-leaning take on indie pop than they have previously explored

Albums: London Grammar: The Greatest Love

a laid-back sound that is pleasing to the ear with strong melodies that weave into your subconscious.

Classical Music: The Kurt Weill Album

The rarely heard two symphonies are excellent. The 24-minute modernist movement Symphony 1 begins with a cacophonous series of chords that create an expansive sound, which the orchestra fills with an animated and magisterial strength.

Classical Music: Philip Glass Complete Piano Etudes

Let this disc transport you to a world where dimensions and parameters are unrestricted, allowing your consciousness to expand into new perceptual areas as the beautiful melodies sweep around. Let your imagination take over. This is the apogee of mindfulness, where music can speak powerfully.

Classical Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams The Grinke Legacy

The disc begins with RVW’s concerto for violin and strings. The work isn't a typical showy virtuoso work, and paradoxically, it is ahead of its time, having more in common harmonically with later neo-classical works like those of Hindemith. Grinke's performance is expressive, particularly in the lovely adagio and the final movement.

In Conversation With Vonda Shepard

Vonda Shepard first shot to fame in the late-nineties via her long-running appearances, performances, and musical accompaniment on the wildly popular US TV show Ally McBeal. The show cast her as the resident performer in the bar where the characters would hang out at the end of each episode.

Sheffield Chamber Orchestra Appoints Laurence Perkins As Artistic Director

Sheffield Chamber Orchestra has announced the appointment of Laurence Perkins as its new Artistic Director. A celebrated bassoonist and conductor, Laurence brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for classical music to this leadership role.

The Magic Flute - An Early Christmas Present?

Ok, I'm convinced. The part of Papageno in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute should always be sung by a Welshman. There's something about Emyr Wyn Jones' lovely lilting Welsh accent in Opera North's season-opening production that is just so right.

In Conversation: Brand New Heavies

In 1994, The Brand New Heavies shot from underground acid jazz favourites to mainstream success with Brother Sister.

Albums: Terrorvision: We Are Not Robots

The new set continues Terrorvision's tradition of stomping rock, which always wears a smile on its face.

Classical Music: Welcome Joy – A Celebration of Women’s Voices

With a group of 12 upper voices, they excel in their ensemble blend and word clarity. Crowley has curated a programme of exquisite repertoire, encompassing a century's worth of music for upper voice and harp.

Classical Music: Puccini Love Affairs

The 29th of November 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of Puccini’s death, and as a tribute, Jonas Kaufmann is marking the occasion with a superb album where he has selected for the new recording six great duets and scenes with six outstanding sopranos—legendary love scenes, emotionally charged love affairs. 

Canadian Pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko Wins 21st Leeds International Piano Competition

Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, 24, has won the 21st edition of the Leeds International Piano Competition. Performing with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan at St George’s Hall in Bradford, Izik-Dzurko was chosen as the winner by the jury after a performance of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No.

Skinny Living Take Their Place In The Charts

This Wakefield band took me by surprise. Both in my introduction to them (happy accident) and the quality and honesty of their music. And they may well have surprised themselves, their fans and those who undoubtedly are soon to be, by hitting the top forty on Friday. No mean feat for an unsigned band.

Albums: Paco Versailles – Ole Maca

A French flair meets a dash of Spanish guitar, creating a sound that is as refreshing as a summer breeze felt under the hot Italian summer sun.

Albums: Snow Patrol: The Forest Is The Path

Snow Patrol return with their first new album in six years—the wait, it appears, has been worthwhile.

Classical Music: Schurmann - Orchestral Works

Be prepared, because, as Conway writes, although his harmonic language absorbed aspects of serialism, Schurmann never confined his material inside strict tone-rows, preferring instead to adapt some of the discipline of a restricted palette to very personal artistic ends.

Classical Music: Aigul

This stunning album will mesmerise you; what a voice! It will melt you with such gorgeous versatility in a programme that demonstrates her gracefulness and agility.

Albums: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel World Première Complete Recording

John Wilson and his London Sinfonia treated us to Oklahoma last September; a year later, the Chandos team once again regaled us with a world première recording of the complete score, which features every note of music played at the first Broadway performance in the full 35-piece orchestration that Don Walker created for the original production.

In Conversation: Bailey Tomkinson

Bailey Tomkinson took her baby steps towards a recording career back in 2018. Since then, the Daily Mail has hailed her as the UK's answer to Taylor Swift, and she has released a steady flow of singles. While her solo material was garnering heavy spins, she has decided to branch out and become the vocalist of a 70s-inspired group. We caught up with her to learn a little more.

Coldplay Announce Hull Concerts

Following the spectacular sellout success of the summer 2024 European leg of Coldplay’s record-breaking Music Of The Spheres World Tour, the band have announced six new shows at London’s Wembley Stadium and two at Hull’s Craven Park Stadium, for August 2025. These are the only UK/European cities where the band will perform next year.

A Playful Will Young On Tour

Will Young has had yet another phenomenal year. Having released his ninth studio album, Light It Up, to both critical and commercial acclaim earlier this year, he has barely left the BBC Radio 2 playlist and went on to sell out a truly extraordinary number of shows for his very extensive UK tour in celebration of the record.

In Conversation: Gemma Hayes

Having taken the time and space she needed to figure out what she wants to tell the world. Gemma Hayes has plenty to say, with her sixth album Blind Faith diving into themes of longing, empowerment, freedom, and repression.

In Conversation: Shed Seven

For the irrepressible Shed Seven, it's been a big week in a gargantuan 30th anniversary year.

In Conversation: Rubberband Girl

Rubberband Girl’s debut single South Suburban Weekend earned their first wave of discovery, with tastemaker attention from Notion, Women in Pop, and House of Solo adding to previous positive comparisons to Susanne Sundfør and Kate Bush. There’s now much more to come from Rubberband Girl—founded and fronted by Caitlyn Scarlett—as she unleashes her debut album.

New Appointments To Boards Of Opera North And Kino

Opera North, the national opera company in the north of England, has announced the appointment of three new trustees to its Board: Anthony Freud OBE, Kaley Gardiner and Ani Kaprekar.

In Conversation With Kim Wilde

Kim Wilde has had an enviable career. After being the most charted solo female artist in the UK in the 1980s, she went on to become an award-winning gardener. She was a constant presence on the live circuit before returning to chat with 2018's Here Come The Aliens.

Skipton Music 2024-2025 Concert Season

Skipton Music’s exciting 2024-2025 concert season kicks off on Tuesday 24 September with a piano recital by Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, one of the hugely talented Kanneh-Mason family. A finalist in BBC Young Musician 2018, Jeneba has won multiple awards, was named one of Classic FM’s ‘Rising Stars’ and has appeared on various TV and radio programs.

Albums: Mike Tramp - Songs Of White Lion Volume 2

Tramp has re-recorded many of the classic White Lion songs and added a new twist to the album.

Classical Music: Chopin Études Yunchan Lim

Prepare to be astonished by this album. Enthusiasts and those discovering Chopin for the first time will relish this disc. There is plenty to excite and discover on this exhilarating new album on the Decca label, especially as the PR blurb rightly describes Yunchan Lim as one of the most talked-about classical artists on the planet.