Black Sky Thinking

Dumbfuckingstan vs. British Art School Rock – It’s No Contest Says Swells

One For The Road – Carol Clerk Gets Banned From Israel With Hanoi Rocks

To get banned from a drinking establishment takes practice; to get banned from a whole country requires a different kind of dedication. Our friend Clerkie looks back to a session that nearly ended in a two year prison sentence.

Uncle Agony Aidan Moffat’s First Sex Advice Column For The Quietus

Two Decades Of Sub Pop. Steve Jelbert Celebrates In Seattle

From Mudhoney to CSS, Sub Pop has remained one of America's most important indie labels for twenty years now. We cast our eye back over their history.

The Dark Knight of the Soul? Chris Roberts on Heath Ledger’s Untimely Death

Has Heath Ledger's tragic death complicated our viewing of his final performance? Chris Roberts untangles the man from the clown.

Radiohead Part II: On The Road With The Mercury Prize Nominees

More fun on the road with Radiohead . . .

In the second part of his epic feature, Andrew Mueller talks to Thom Yorke and the rest of Radiohead about fatherhood, globilization and Pakistani daleks.

Radiohead by Andrew Mueller. On The Road With The Mercury Prize Nominees

While researching his new book _I Wouldn't Start From Here_ Andrew Mueller enjoyed privileged access to one of the world's biggest bands... and their instant coffee.

The Unusual Sensation Of Feeling Sorry For Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong

Today Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong revealed that they've scrapped their debut album. Yet Luke Turner can still find it within himself to shed a tear.

Lydongate! Johnny’s Behaviour Rotten? Swells On The ‘Racist’ Ruckus

Forget Morriseygate! Here's Lydongate!

Swells has produced a cut out and keep guide to help you work your way round the tricky fact that John Lydon seems to be a bit of a tit.

The 20 Most Controversial and Ill Thought Out Album Sleeves Of All Time

John Doran casts a baleful eye over some of the least well thought out album sleeves to grace record store shelves.

Funky House: A Profile Of The Scene

As the budget flights take the nation's youth off for the summer season in Ayia Napa, Melissa Bradshaw gives The Quietus the lowdown on what's happening in the funky house scene.

Dylan vs. Cohen

With Leonard Cohen's current unexpected tour astounding audiences across the world, Luke Turner asks if it is time to see him, rather than the "doggerel"-spouting Bob Dylan, as the finest poet of his generation?

Jarvis Cocker on Sheffield’s post-punk legends Artery

Artery are one of the great unsung bands of the post punk era, but found a champion in Jarvis Cocker, who invited them to close last year's Meltdown Festival. In this article for The Quietus, Cocker explains how Artery changed his life.

Dead Horse Flogging With Sid Vicious at the Camden Stables Market

Brighton based lensman Greg Neate casts his eye over two North London photo exhibitions: Sid Vicious: No-One is Innocent and Snap! - Mencap's 2008 photo competition winners at Proud Gallery, Camden

Swells on Topshop playlisting The Rotted

Topshop, popular outfitter to the nation's youth, have recently added malignant grindcore types The Rotted to their instore playlist. Swells explains why this means he should have been an A&R man, rather than working in Morrisons, back in '77

Cutting the Beef: Rappers unite as 50’s marketing ploy fails

As 50 Cent vainly attempts to flog another album on his label with a tired round of beefing, Adam Narkiewicz looks at how a new generation of rappers are re-introducing a spirit of community and collaboration to the genre.

Is The BBC The Enemy Of Hip Hop?

Last week amongst the detritus thrown at UK rapper Lethal Bizzle by the audience at Download was a banana skin. Forget about this though - a bigger problem facing UK hip hop stars, argues rapper/writer Adam Narkiewicz is the media itself

Part VI

Kanye West, Sensitive Soul

Quietus Editor John Doran gets drunk, falls over, destroys phone, makes noise like "broken panther" and has Proustian recall of two run ins with the "resolutely mediocre" Kanye West

Swells in NYC

Mr Agreeable: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit He Hates

North Of Purgatory: A Coma Diary. Part V

Metallica – . . . And Reviews For All!

Black Sky Thinking: Metallica Take Internet, Give It A Big Kiss

Luke Turner wonders why mildly bonkers, vaguely hysterical and ever so slightly control freakish Q Prime are up in arms about a tiny blog site describing Metallica's new album as good. Is it because they're launching their own UK website Emission Metallica? Not so much breaking a butterfly on a wheel as dropping an SUV on a termite, perhaps?

Part IV

In Defence Of: Coldplay

Part III

The First Column: Superstar DJs

Record decks that a brain injured giraffe could use will soon be in the shops. 'Good', says John Doran because it takes him one step closer to having Tom Cruise come in his ears

Black Sky Thinkin: Tinging Outside The Box

The Quietus' titanium attack dog Swells has tiny cocked indie boys who hate 'anyone with a cunt who sings' in his sights. Is he talking about The Police?

Black Sky Thinking: The Credit Crunch Is Good For Rock n’Roll

The Tories are gloating over the Crewe by-election, the economy is sinking down Alistair Darling's plughole and we can't afford to eat. But, says Brother John Robb, this might just rescue us from insipid indie

Part II

Black Sky Thinking: Baby Got Back?

Why women love dirty boy music, by Christina McDermott