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From pubs to festivals to arenas, out and about with tQ
The Quietus goes to Birmingham and only a bit of our brains come back, thankfully carrying these words on Turbonegro, Cut Hands, Barn Owl, Electric Wizard, Envy, Byetone, Scorn and more more more. Words by Manish Agarwal, John Doran, Rory Gibb, David Moats, Luke Turner & Adam Anonymous. Photos thanks to Shot2bits.net
Kevin E.G. Perry travels to Berlin to see a showcase performance of Xaver Von Treyer's new audiovisual project in the slightly bizarre setting of an Adidas shop, and takes the opportunity to further explore the city's relationship with music
Chris Roberts attends a mostly-rave festival in Copenhagen in search of "hyggelig" and finds people spinning in the sky, drunk acrobats, Peaches singing ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’, a hippie paradise and daredevil cyclists.
Neil Kulkarni breaks his no-festival rule and braves the corporate overkill of Wireless to see his Pulp. His verdict? They "now stand mighty amidst the dwarfed mediocrity of modern indie" and, crucially, they're a band we need so much, right now. Photograph by Hayley Hatton
Stephen Dalton at the Manchester International Festival finds Damon "the Martin Amis of Britpop" Albarn's musical about the life of Dr John Dee to be a flawed production. Perhaps he should call intended collaborator Alan Moore to help him fix it?
Melissa Bradshaw heads back to Sonar in search of fresh experiences - and finds that it's the newer sounds, rather than familiar faces, that are the festival's lifeblood. Photos by Pere Masramon for Red Bull Music Academy