Opinion & Essays
Clear-sighted and well informed opinion on the culture of our past, present and future
Anniversary
45 Years Later: Closer & The Last Days Of Joy Division
Because of the death of Ian Curtis and the nature of the band's last recordings, Joy Division's Closer is an album around which a stillness has settled. In truth, says Jonathan Wright as he talks to Peter Hook and Paul Morley, no band evolved so rapidly. This feature was originally published on 13/07/2020
Black Sky Thinking
Confronting & Celebrating the Limits of the Body: Black Sabbath Live at Villa Park
Keith Kahn-Harris argues that the Back To The Beginning show highlighted the pivotal role that the imperfections of the body play in metal. Live photographs courtesy of Ross Halfin. With thanks to Jasmine Hazel Shadrack
Black Sky Thinking
The Jonathan Swift of NYC: an Appreciation of Larry Cohen
Whether working in Blaxploitation, horror or sc-fi, auteur Larry Cohen was often battling against constraints created by money, time and his own skill set, says Mat Colegate, but ultimately he trained a satirical eye on America few could match
Black Sky Thinking
O Superfan: How Rock & Pop’s Elite Screw their Loyal Supporters – and why it won’t Work
The mainstream music biz reckons that devoted fans are the golden geese that'll keep laying, and the streaming services are about to get in on the grift. Eamonn Forde explains why this makes no business sense
Black Sky Thinking
Essays, investigation and opinion on today’s cultural landscape
Black Sky Thinking
Some Might Not Say: What a Glut of New Oasis Books is Leaving Unwritten
Oasis are back, and a publishing supernova of new biographies examines the Manchester band... but for most of their lifespan, they were appalling. Fergal Kinney asks how do writers confront Oasis after their peak
Black Sky Thinking
Why it’s Time to Support Grassroots Venues with a £1 Ticket Levy
A small levy on the price of tickets for large capacity gigs would be revolutionary in protecting grassroots, finds Dan McCarthy. So why is there a delay in the government making this law?
Black Sky Thinking
How Women are Changing Greater Manchester’s Grassroots Music Scene
Perturbed by a study that found young women in the north of England are struggling to feel musical, Lottie Brazier set out to speak to the promoters, artists and managers who are helping shift the dial in the region
Black Sky Thinking
Some Might Not Say: What a Glut of New Oasis Books is Leaving Unwritten
Oasis are back, and a publishing supernova of new biographies examines the Manchester band... but for most of their lifespan, they were appalling. Fergal Kinney asks how do writers confront Oasis after their peak
Black Sky Thinking
How Women are Changing Greater Manchester’s Grassroots Music Scene
Perturbed by a study that found young women in the north of England are struggling to feel musical, Lottie Brazier set out to speak to the promoters, artists and managers who are helping shift the dial in the region
Low Culture Essay
Illuminating treasured cultural artefacts
Low Culture Essay
Low Culture Essay: James Cooray Smith on David Lynch Sitcom, On The Air
Although David Lynch's 1992 sitcom was a quickly forgotten flop, James Cooray Smith argues that it has enough of the director's mercurial strangeness to be considered alongside his finest work
Low Culture Essay
Low Culture Essay: A Tale of Two Normans – Wrongtom On Beats International’s ‘Dub Be Good To Me’
In this month's Low Culture Essay, Wrongtom weaves the life of his jazz pianist grandad into his encounter with Norman Cook & co's 1990 hit single, and explores how it changed his own musical trajectory
Low Culture Essay
Low Culture Essay: A Tale of Two Normans – Wrongtom On Beats International’s ‘Dub Be Good To Me’
In this month's Low Culture Essay, Wrongtom weaves the life of his jazz pianist grandad into his encounter with Norman Cook & co's 1990 hit single, and explores how it changed his own musical trajectory
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Subscribe NowAnniversary
Spotlighting the impact of cultural landmarks
Anniversary
Thriller in England: Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout at 40
Fergal Kinney traces Steve McQueen's two very different masterminds, its influence on Arthur Russell and Caroline Polachek, and the path not taken to a British indie both sensual and modern
Anniversary
Auto-Invention: The Soft Boys’ Underwater Moonlight Revisited
Nobody wanted what The Soft Boys were selling in 1980, but as David Bennun recounts, their superb swan song, Underwater Moonlight, made them a Velvet Underground for new generations of jangle and psych bands. This feature was first published on 29/06/20
Anniversary
The Chameleons’ What Does Anything Mean? Basically, at 40
This relatively obscure, nihilistic and resigned second album by a near forgotten Mancunian post punk group was released decades before the birth of writer Lina Adams in the early 00s; so why does it speak so clearly to her life today?
Anniversary
Auto-Invention: The Soft Boys’ Underwater Moonlight Revisited
Nobody wanted what The Soft Boys were selling in 1980, but as David Bennun recounts, their superb swan song, Underwater Moonlight, made them a Velvet Underground for new generations of jangle and psych bands. This feature was first published on 29/06/20
Anniversary
The Chameleons’ What Does Anything Mean? Basically, at 40
This relatively obscure, nihilistic and resigned second album by a near forgotten Mancunian post punk group was released decades before the birth of writer Lina Adams in the early 00s; so why does it speak so clearly to her life today?
Beyond The Hits
A deeper dive beyond the charts
Beyond The Hits
Stronger Than Pride: Beyond The Hits Of Sade
Sade superfan Alex Macpherson celebrates the release of a career-spanning box set by selecting lesser known gems from their back catalogue
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