Charli XCX

Bon Iver: Sable, Fable review – From carefree Supermac’s fan to angsty melancholy and, now, romantic yearning

Advance press described Sable, Fable as Bon Iver’s “sexiest” album yet, which is misleading. There’s a lot of romantic yearning, however, as Justin Vernon traces the arc of a relationship from infatuation to connection to contentment, a journey that he explores via blissed-out yacht rock (Everything Is Peaceful Love) and fuzzy Radiohead-style dirge rock (If Only Could Wait, a duet with Danielle Haim)

Fri Apr 11 2025 - 05:21

Tracy Chapman: ‘I have been labelled as a protest singer, and it’s not a label that I accept’

Chapman looks back on her self-titled debut and its powerful hit Fast Car, which has gained a second life as a country song

Thu Apr 10 2025 - 06:00

From Brat to Brits: Charli XCX wins five awards, while Fontaines DC take one

Hozier lost out to Chappell Roan, who paid tribute to Sinéad O’Connor as she celebrated win

Mon Mar 03 2025 - 11:42

More sex, please: Bridget Jones, Colin Firth and the astonishing rebranding of Jane Austen

Thirty years ago, one event made Austen more popular than almost any other contemporary or close successor

Sun Feb 09 2025 - 05:30

Irish musician Cian Ducrot wins Grammy Award for songwriting

Beyoncé secures album of the year award for Cowboy Carter after previously missing out four times

Mon Feb 03 2025 - 08:17

Fontaines DC and Hozier pick up Brit awards nominations as Charli xcx leads male-dominated lists

Brat scores British pop star Charli xcx five nominations, while Irish acts Fontaines DC and Hozier get nods in international group and song

Thu Jan 23 2025 - 19:13

From Billie Eilish to Electric Picnic: 85 unmissable concerts and festivals in Ireland in 2025

From Charli XCX to Olivia Rodrigo via Oasis and The Wolfe Tones, here’s how the calendar’s shaping up from January to November

Sat Jan 11 2025 - 05:15

At Newstalk, Ciara Kelly gets righteously annoyed

The breakfast host seems to court listeners who once complained about the PC brigade but now prefer to decry the woke mob

Fri Dec 13 2024 - 05:00

South Korean drama of a fictional kind as Netflix winds up the Squid Game hype machine in Paris

Planet Business: Words of the year, Intel’s interim arrangement and the Death Clock app that claims to predict your likely date of death

Sat Dec 07 2024 - 06:15

Charli XCX announces two gigs in Ireland for 2025

Get ready for Brat summer 2.0 as the English pop sensation is set to play two outdoor concerts

Wed Nov 20 2024 - 14:42

The Music Quiz: Charli XCX has sampled a song by which blues great?

Plus: What is the name of the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White?

Wed Nov 20 2024 - 05:00

Are celebrities preparing Donald Trump takedown speeches ahead of awards season? Don’t bet on it

Ignore the right-wing blowhards: awards ceremonies are rarely as politically partisan as they like to pretend

Sun Nov 17 2024 - 05:00

‘Brat’ chosen as Collins Dictionary word of the year

Another word on this year’s list - Era - underlines the role of female music icons in shaping popular culture

Fri Nov 01 2024 - 00:01

Nilüfer Yanya: ‘People are really harsh towards female or female-presenting artists. Especially the big pop ones’

After a decade of resisting the not-so-subtle pressures that women in the music industry face, the singer is more determined than ever to stick to her guns

Sat Sept 07 2024 - 05:15

Brat summer: Annoying, dirty, hedonistic, bra-less, is this the end of the clean girl era?

Charli XCX’s new album, Brat, is not promoting a new feminine ideal, but shows how many young women currently aspire to live

Wed Jul 24 2024 - 05:00

Charli XCX: Brat review – Banging tunes sandwiched between snarl and snark

Amid so much sanitised pop, Charlotte Aitchison’s innovation has never been so essential

Fri Jun 07 2024 - 09:15

CMAT breaks the UK: ‘It’s definitely happening over here. She’s getting bigger and bigger all the time’

It has been Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson’s year, with a chart-topping second album, sold-out gigs and a growing reputation in Britain and the US

Sat Dec 16 2023 - 05:15

Electric Picnic 2022 line-up: Dermot Kennedy, Tame Impala and Arctic Monkeys to headline

With 70,000 expected attendees, this year’s festival is set to be its largest on record

Thu Mar 10 2022 - 13:34

Glastonbury 2022: Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar to headline

Majority of acts announced feature women as festival recovers from pandemic hiatus

Fri Mar 04 2022 - 10:12

Shygirl’s tracks are, for want of a better word, filthy

‘I love it when art makes me uncomfortable, because I have to question where that’s from’

Mon Jul 05 2021 - 06:00

Tame Impala: ‘I wondered if I was ever going to finish the album’

Kevin Parker talks about album delays, plagiarism and gender equality in music

Sat Feb 01 2020 - 05:00

Longitude reveals headline acts for 2020 festival

The three day festival will return to Marlay Park in Dublin next July

Fri Dec 06 2019 - 15:30

Elton John: ‘George Michael was too stubborn to get sober’

Elton answers questions from celeb fans Victoria Beckham, Billie Eilish, Bob Dylan and more

Mon Oct 14 2019 - 06:00

Christine and the Queens at Electric Picnic: Standout show from a singular performer

Review: ‘Stay freaky, my friends,’ urges the intense, sultry and captivating Chris

Sat Aug 31 2019 - 22:16

Charli XCX at Electric Picnic: pop nirvana, then a surprise, then it gets really good

Review: Charli XCX has the Electric Arena crowd in the palm of her hand from the off

Sat Aug 31 2019 - 20:38

Poptastic party at Electric Picnic: This week’s best rock and pop gigs

Charli XCX, Shura, Mitski and Róisín Murphy turn Stradbally into pop heaven

Sat Aug 31 2019 - 05:00

New Artist of the Week: Chai

Plus songs to hear from Elma Orkestra/Ryan Vail and Crome Yellow

Sat Mar 23 2019 - 05:00

Mercury prize 2018: full list of nominations for album of the year

Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, Noel Gallagher, Florence + the Machine among nominees for album of the year

Thu Jul 26 2018 - 12:33

The 12 best overlooked albums of 2018 (so far)

From an ambient legend to punk newbies, discover the music that deserves a second listen

Tue Jul 03 2018 - 06:15

Taylor Swift at Croke Park: Everything you need to know

Unlike Swift’s previous tours, where tickets were like gold dust, they're available for both gigs

Wed Jun 13 2018 - 16:15

Taylor Swift: Why is it so difficult to support her?

Victimhood, narcissism and ‘squad goals’ distract from genuine feminist expression

Sat Jun 09 2018 - 05:00

Dua Lipa: Our New VBF

The effortlessly cool, razor-sharp pop star's music is a magic mix of fun, fluff and edge

Sat Jan 27 2018 - 05:00

Charli XCX: Our New VBF

The trendsetting pop star says she's under-rated. We think so too

Sat Jan 20 2018 - 05:00

Preview 2018: The year of the Monkeys – and Vampires

Arctic Monkeys and Vampire Weekend come out of hiatus with new albums, while Liam Payne gets off the pot and Sigrid and Saint Sister show why they’re tomorrow’s women

Sat Dec 30 2017 - 05:00