Plus: What music stars were really listening to in 2024
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Picks of the week
Scissor Sisters on their reunion, rightwing reactionaries – and riotous origins
‘We were strapped to this babbling circus’  
Scissor Sisters on their reunion, rightwing reactionaries – and riotous origins
Jake Shears, Del Marquis and Babydaddy are reuniting as a trio to celebrate 20 years since their debut album. They talk electroclash, Elton John and connecting with the UK’s ‘weird’ energy
2025 arts preview  
Billie Eilish, Sex Pistols and Beethoven’s skull: music to listen out for this year
‘We’ve been through the wringer’  
Doves on addiction, breakdowns – and touring without singer Jimi Goodwin
‘There is magic in the world. There’s something bigger’  
The ecstatic visions of musician Clarissa Connelly
Barcelona electro-punk duo Dame Area  
Seeing other women playing weird stuff made me want to try
Reviews
Alexis Petridis's album of the week  
Ethel Cain: Perverts – pink noise and punishment as cult star heads underground
Ethel Cain: Perverts – pink noise and punishment as cult star heads underground
Franz Ferdinand  
The Human Fear – stiffness sets in on stodgy sixth
Folk album of the month  
Bridget Hayden and the Apparitions: Cold Blows the Rain – wild weather and maternal lullabies
Film review  
Better Man – Robbie Williams monkeys around in a raw and emotional biopic
Spotlight
I appear on my own top 10 three times .. every stream helps!
What music stars were really listening to in 2024  
I appear on my own top 10 three times .. every stream helps!
Spotify’s end-of-year summary (other streaming services are available) is our chance to show off how much cool stuff we listened to this year. So what do the stars’ top track lists look like?
Classical
Ruth Gipps  
Orchestral Works vol 3 – an ambitious symphony and a bittersweet miniature
Orchestral Works vol 3 – an ambitious symphony and a bittersweet miniature
Add to playlist
Forget all your troubles, forget all your cares  
Petula Clark’s 20 best songs – ranked!
Petula Clark’s 20 best songs – ranked!
‘I’d turn that off if I was having sex!’  
Joanna Page’s honest playlist
The best songs of 2024  
That you haven’t heard
You may have missed
How one ‘camera girl’ captured the madcap style of 80s New York
‘Every night was Halloween’  
How one ‘camera girl’ captured the madcap style of 80s New York
Grace Jones, David Bowie and Debbie Harry feature alongside lesser known dancers in Sharon Smith’s Polaroids of the city’s club scene, where dressing up was your passport into the creative world
Desi rap, deep jungle and truck-stop concrète  
Five-star albums you may have missed this year
From Jordana’s sprightly soft rock to Pataka Boys’ collagist UK-Punjabi hip-hop, our writers pick their must-listen gems from 2024
‘Too many people try to over-intellectualise music’  
RIP Magic, London’s buzziest buzz band
Splicing indie-rock with weird electronics and snottily menacing vocals, this duo stick out from the rest of the capital’s scene – and have turned Tyler, the Creator’s head
‘Attention spans are short. People want that dopamine hit’  
Jordan Adetunji, the Belfast boy gunning for Grammys glory
Competing against Beyoncé, Future and others in the melodic rap category, the open-minded young vocalist explains how he ‘manifested’ his success
‘Wherever he sends us, we’re willing to go’  
Annie and the Caldwells on God, gospel and a debut album 40 years in the making
Fearing pop would lead them to the devil, Annie Caldwell recruited her daughters into her band. They’re now sending audiences into ecstasy with disco-tinged soul gospel
Live music this week
Phish  
Spiraling jams and communal bliss at Madison Square Garden
Spiraling jams and communal bliss at Madison Square Garden
Beyoncé NFL half-time show  
Country ho-ho-ho-down is playful and infectious
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