Important events in our universe
At the sixth edition of CRACK magazine's Simple Things – amidst performances from Karen Gwyer, Kano, and Death Grips — Karl Smith and Danny Riley find a festival both reflective of and feeding on the conditions 2016 has provided, and rallying against them. (Photographs by Perry Gibson, Ro Murphy and Rebecca Cleal)
Part of the Barbican's Transcender series, in performances by Parissa and the Meshk Ensemble, Sam Mackay finds both a testament and challenge to the idea of musical universalism and a rebuttal to cultural and social authoritarianism. (Photograph: Bilâl Değirmenci)