New Statesman

New Model Army: Top of the Antipops: New Model Army

Profile by Barney Hoskyns, New Statesman, 1984

PUNK IS DEAD in letter but not in spirit. That is the message from a new school of groups who do not make videos and ...

Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Phenomenal: Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Report by Barney Hoskyns, New Statesman, 1984

THAT A GROUP should make the fourth-best selling British single of all time with their first release is remarkable; that they should follow it up ...

Michael Jackson: Out of His Life: Michael Jackson

Report by Barney Hoskyns, New Statesman, August 1984

BY NOW, of course, you’ve been told more than you could possibly want to know about Michael Jackson. Such has been the media saturation of ...

U2, Big Country : Epic Affirmation: U2 and Big Country

Essay by Barney Hoskyns, New Statesman, November 1984

WITH ALL THE hype of chart pop proving more contagious that ever, what chance does the passionate old dream of rock now stand? If Jon ...

Smiths, The, Associates, The: The Smiths: Meat Is Murder; The Associates: Perhaps

Review by Barney Hoskyns, New Statesman, Spring 1985

MORRISSEY OF The Smiths is still the unlikeliest pop star of all. Watching him jerk and flounder about on Top Of The Pops last week, ...

Soul II Soul: Jazzie B and the New Black Economy

Report and Interview by Cynthia Rose, New Statesman, June 1988

A thriving underground enterprise culture has grown up around music – bootlegged vinyl, pirate radio, warehouse parties. It’s a black economy powered by black aesthetics ...

Shamen, The: No Right To Party: Acid House

Report by Mark Sinker, New Statesman, April 1990

2005 note: Unforgivable as actual real journalism – I made no effort to represent the anti-drug position – this still works as a snapshot of ...

Lily Allen, Joanna Newsom, Amy Winehouse: Year Of The Woman

Overview by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, December 2006

At the beginning of 2006, the prospects looked bleak for strong, idiosyncratic female pop acts. Jude Rogers meets three remarkable artists who changed all that ...

Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

Review by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, March 2007

MONTREAL'S ARCADE FIRE are the band of the moment. To the critical mob and clued-up music fans, they are the fresh-faced heirs to the epic-pop ...

Mark Ronson: Version

Review by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, April 2007

POP MUSIC in 2007 is glorious – energetic, intelligent and glowing with life. Its master of ceremonies is Mark Ronson, a charismatic London-born New Yorker ...

Burial: Untrue (Hyperdub)

Review by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, November 2007

To a different beat: With jagged, fragile soundscapes, the mysterious Burial has created a modern classic, writes Jude Rogers ...

Spice Girls, The: The Spice Girls: Never Mind The Bum Notes

Live Review by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, January 2008

The Spice Girls: O2 Arena, London ...

Björk: Björk: Independence Day

Interview by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, March 2008

Independence Day: Björk's cry of "Tibet, Tibet" at a recent concert in Shanghai pre-empted the riots in Lhasa and outraged the Chinese authorities. It was ...

Beach Boys, The, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes: The Lure Of The Beach

Report and Interview by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, June 2008

A new generation of US bands cites the Beach Boys as a huge inspiration. Why now? ...

Dolly Parton: Warmth, Wonder and Wisdom: Dolly Parton, O2 Arena, London

Live Review by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, July 2008

The superstar country singer proves her worth as a feminist icon ...

Madonna: Seen It All Before: Madonna, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Live Review by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, September 2008

After 25 years of pop hits, Madonna's shock tactics are just embarrassing  ...

Tom Jones, Glen Campbell, Tony Christie: Crooners: The Second Coming

Overview by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, October 2008

Inspired by Johnny Cash with his ring of fire, a slew of ageing crooners are pursuing their desires ...

A Different Kind Of Organ

Comment by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, November 2008

Radio 2, beset by scandal, is still the home of gloriously odd programming ...

Michael Jackson: Blame it On the Good Times: The Life and Living Death of Michael Jackson

Essay by Barney Hoskyns, New Statesman, July 2009

IN SEPTEMBER 1979, my friend Davitt Sigerson – then a very good white writer on black music; later the chairman of Island Records in America; ...

Blur, Oasis: Look Back In Anger: Britpop

Retrospective by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, August 2009

Fifteen years ago, a teenage Jude Rogers was enchanted by a new pop sound and a new politics, both of which promised to change the ...

Beatles, The: You Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle For The Soul Of The Beatles by Peter Doggett

Book Review by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, October 2009

BY NOW all of us should have recovered from our latest dose of Beatlemania, occasioned by the release of the Beatles' remastered back catalogue on ...

Top Of Their Voices

Overview by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, December 2009

From accents to Auto-Tune, singers fought to stand out from the pack ...