The Portal

The Portal: 24 November 2025

As we compile this week’s edition of The Portal, news reaches us of the death of Jimmy Cliff – so we’re going to start today with John Doran’s interview with “the true original and the owner of one of the sweetest voices in popular music”. We also pay our respects to Mani with Gordon Moakes’ tribute from a bass player that went live on Friday, plus two pieces from the archive – a Primal Scream interview from 2008 and John Tatlock’s reflections on the politics of The Stones Roses’ debut album. As Radiohead play much-hyped gigs around the UK and Europe, we’ve an archival piece in which Paddy Clarke reflects on how his experience of the band live at Glastonbury seemed to be wildly different to everyone else’s. On Friday, I was lucky enough to see Cabaret Voltaire play an astonishing gig at London’s ICA, during which the audience sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Chris Watson. We celebrate the great sound recordist with a Strange World Of interview that takes in Cabs to working with David Attenborough. We’ve also brought up an rchive interview with Stars Of The Lid, Katie Gately’s Baker’s Dozen, an Organic Intelligence on Iranian pop, and Fergal Kinney’s celebration of Coronation Street. Thanks, as ever, for reading tQ.