Plus: Yasmin Williams, folk’s fantastical fingerpicker
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Picks of the week
Stars and repentant stans on the terror of toxic fandom
‘It’s like, wow. I was really deranged’  
Stars and repentant stans on the terror of toxic fandom
Chappell Roan, Halsey and Tegan and Sara are among the music icons rebuking bad fan behaviour. From catfishing to sexual assault and death threats, singers and fans explore how pop became so dehumanised
John Chowning, godfather of digital pop  
My wife told me: I didn’t think I’d have to compete with a computer
‘Look at this. We are back’  
The impossible return of French touch titans Cassius
Yasmin Williams, folk’s fantastical fingerpicker  
Guitar Hero shaped my experimental approach
Reviews
Alexis Petridis's album of the week  
Jelly Roll: Beautifully Broken – country’s newest superstar grapples with fame and addiction
Jelly Roll: Beautifully Broken – country’s newest superstar grapples with fame and addiction
Charli xcx  
Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat – her lime-green imperial phase is unstoppable
Contemporary album of the month  
Surya Botofasina: Ashram Sun – Alice Coltrane-inspired expression of nature’s glory
MC5  
Heavy Lifting – an enjoyable coda for Detroit’s punk pioneers
The Linda Lindas  
No Obligation – viral LA teen punks are here to stay
Coldplay  
Moon Music – a cloyingly upbeat ride to the heavens
Spotlight
A timeline of allegations and charges
Sean 'Diddy' Combs  
A timeline of allegations and charges
A trial date has been set for May 2025 for the music mogul who faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering
Classical
Album review  
Strohl: Vol 3, Orchestral Works – an original female voice that needs to be heard
Strohl: Vol 3, Orchestral Works – an original female voice that needs to be heard
Opera  
Fidelio – Kratzer’s iconoclastic take turns Beethoven into something it’s not
Fidelio – Kratzer’s iconoclastic take turns Beethoven into something it’s not
Album review  
Brahms: Piano Concertos; Piano Pieces Opp 116-119 – Levit’s performance is utterly compelling
Brahms: Piano Concertos; Piano Pieces Opp 116-119 – Levit’s performance is utterly compelling
Live review  
Chromatica Orchestra/Politi/Balanas – group relaunches with punch and flourish
Chromatica Orchestra/Politi/Balanas – group relaunches with punch and flourish
Add to playlist
Ranked  
Dance into the fire! Duran Duran’s 20 greatest songs
Dance into the fire! Duran Duran’s 20 greatest songs
‘I can’t listen to Angels – Robbie Williams stole my drummer’  
James Blunt’s honest playlist
You may have missed
The bleak vision of noise rockers Chat Pile
‘Being alive is kind of painful’  
The bleak vision of noise rockers Chat Pile
Extracted from the vast US oilfields comes a pungent, heavy and energy-packed sound. Are noisenik outsiders Chat Pile about to become the region’s biggest export?
‘Synthesisers can convey emotion too’  
Zaho de Sagazan reinvents the French love song despite never falling in love
‘I like not knowing what I’ll do,’ says the 24-year-old who swept the board at the French Grammys and stole the show at Cannes film festival with her freeform dancing in socks
Music documentary  
In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon – heartfelt portrait of a generational talent
From his era-defining work with Art Garfunkel to the sometimes problematic legacy of 80s hit Graceland, Alex Gibney’s documentary strikes a pure and personal note
Ex-Black Midi star Geordie Greep  
Almost every band behaves like a corporation. Everything is a press release
After his abrupt dissolving of the spiky art rock favourites, the singer has returned intent on making music ‘for your ears, not your brain’
Author Geoff Dyer on Bob Dylan:  
The songs pour off his records like they’re written in my soul from him to me
Nobody ’Cept You, a newly released rarity, clocks in at under three minutes but contains multitudes, joining the dots between Dylan and DH Lawrence, and inadvertently echoing the spell the musician continues to cast
Live music this week
Lauryn Hill and Fugees  
Embattled reunion tour turns out to be utterly thrilling
Embattled reunion tour turns out to be utterly thrilling
Squeeze  
Slick pop perfection that refuses to show its age
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