Dave Simpson
Dave Simpson has written extensively for The Guardian, as well as for Melody Maker, i-D, Uncut and many other publications.
465 articles
List of articles in the library
Fields Of The Nephilim: Leeds Polytechnic
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Record Mirror, 4 June 1988
AND IT CAME to pass that a fog did descend upon the earth, and out of the mist there did come... a RIFF! ...
New Model Army: Henry Moore Gallery Forecourt, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 6 May 1989
THE PERFECT setting fora New Model Army open air bash: a drab, dull, grey, freezing cold afternoon in a rain-pelted northern town. The drizzle washes ...
The Sundays: The Warehouse, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 27 May 1989
THE SUNDAYS' SECOND COMING is so utterly majestic, so unquestionably celestial, so distinctly holy, that it is too good. They are too good to be ...
The Go-Betweens: Warehouse, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Record Mirror, 17 June 1989
THIS IS getting a bit ridiculous y'know! For years now virtually every pop scribe in the country has been telling you, the public, how wonderful ...
Jayne County: The Duchess Of York, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 2 September 1989
FLASHBACK TO 1977. Punk rock sets England ablaze and in a sweaty club somewhere near you a transvestite called Wayne County shrieks "If you don't ...
Kitchens Of Distinction: the Duchess Of York, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 9 September 1989
"Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen... stumbling in the neon glow." — The Doors, 1967. ...
Lush, Pale Saints: Pale Saints, Lush: Warehouse, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 9 December 1989
Saint Errant ...
Inspiral Carpets: Leeds University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 5 May 1990
MAGIC CARPETS ...
Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 12 May 1990
THE FLIES in the ointment return. Formed at the onset of punk, Wire's art school background was far removed from the council estate mentalities of ...
James: The Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 26 May 1990
THE INORDINATELY beautiful riverside buildings, rather middle England airs and homicidal cyclists of Cambridge are 150 miles and several worlds south of Manchester. The only ...
Shack: The Duchess Of York, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 8 September 1990
SHACK APPROACH the popular song like a long-lost prodigal, giving it a big hug and a "great to have you back". Formed from the ashes ...
Swervedriver: the Duchess Of York, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 8 September 1990
THE MAJOR cool nature of this gig (the much-touted Chapterhouse in support) can be judged by the amount of serious hip-talk going on. A bloke ...
The Lemonheads: Evan Dando: Whole In One
Profile and Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 22 September 1990
"Came to the end once again/Start over now, just can't win/Do it all again Gotta learn to fight ... /Slide right to the bottom Climb back ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 18 May 1991
OUT OF ORBIT ...
BOB, Langfield Crane, Pulp: Pulp, BOB, Langfield Crane: Halifax Festival, Piece Hall, Halifax
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 21 September 1991
WELCOME TO the otherworld. Halifax, deep in the Yorkshire moorland, is the north's equivalent of the Forgotten Planet, a fearsome anachronistic hell-hole where middle-aged women ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 12 October 1991
DETERMINEDLY INDIE and doggedly downbeat, The Field Mice explain to Dave Simpson how they're getting bigger by staying small. ...
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 8 February 1992
SETANTA HAS PROVED to be a prolific nurturing ground for new talent lately, with acts like Power of Dreams, Into Paradise and the Frank and ...
Derrick May: Godfather of Techno: Derrick May
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 20 June 1992
These are weird times for techno. It dominates the chart and provides the soundtrack to thousands of blissed-out lives, but there are battles building up ...
Pulp: Lower Refectory, Sheffield University, Yorkshire
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 19 December 1992
IT HASN'T BEEN a great year for the pop iconoclast. For most of '92, prime movers from Ashcroft to Robinson have defined themselves by the ...
Brand New Heavies: Town & Country Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 9 January 1993
MY MOTHER warned me about getting into cars with strangers. Perhaps she should have also told me about the dangers of accepting voyages into strange ...
System 7: 777 (Weird & Unconventional/Big Life)
Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 20 March 1993
THOSE OF you with reasonably tolerable faculties or recall may remember my late '91 review of System 7's first album, (Are you taking the piss, ...
The Orb: The Academy, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 1 May 1993
BALL OF CONFUSION ...
Mark Burgess: The Witchwood, Ashton-under-Lyne
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 30 May 1993
SO HERE IS is, then, Mark Burgess, former singer with the Chameleons, the great lost '80s band who prompt more letters to the Maker's Info ...
µ-ziq: Tango N'Vectif (Rephlex)
Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 22 January 1994
THE WAGES OF SYNTH ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 12 February 1994
IT'S THE windiest night of the decade. There are fallen trees all over the roads and high-sided vehicles that have blown onto their high sides. ...
Cypress Hill: The Royal Court, Liverpool
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 26 February 1994
'POOL 'N' THE HILL ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 9 April 1994
DESPITE WHAT WE read in the live pages, many gigs these days are sterile, perfunctory affairs. Bands arrive, playing the roles they're comfortable with and ...
Snoop Doggy Dogg: Afro American: Snoop Doggy Dogg: Brixton Academy, London
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 14 May 1994
THEORY HAS IT that an artist gets the audience he deserves. So what the f*** the theory would make of Snoop Doggy Dogg at Brixton ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 14 May 1994
PC is shite! The The NWONW bands just need a good shag! Meat-eating is cool! Meet LOUISE WENER of fizzy power-poppers SLEEPER, who tells DAVE ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 25 June 1994
THREE YEARS AGO this month, an unboxed demo tape marked only "Thieves" arrives at The Maker offices. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 3 September 1994
SO HERE I am, it's 12.15pm, the f***ing cab driver's turfed me out onto the street. I've got miles to walk to the flamin' festival ...
Massive Attack: Haçienda, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 7 December 1994
MASSIVE ATTACK promised us a "multi-media experience" and, boy, they gave us one. The traditionally grey, post-modern confines of the Haçienda were swamped in camouflage ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 February 1995
A GREAT song and a video are no guarantee of credible pop success. It helps to have a Talking Point as well. No-one understands this ...
PJ Harvey, Tricky: Red-blooded Chameleon — PJ Harvey, Tricky: Town & Country Club, London
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 March 1995
Enigmatic as ever, PJ Harvey returns in red satin and fine form, with Tricky in support ...
Garbage: Life is Modern Rubbish
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 18 March 1995
You may not have heard of GARBAGE, but you WILL have heard of Butch Vig, the God who produced Nirvana's Nevermind. And now you're going ...
Elastica: Under the Influence — Elastica: Sheffield University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 March 1995
Elastica, the vanguard of the new new wave bands, smash and grab their way through classic punk pop in Sheffield ...
The Boo Radleys: Irish Centre, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 7 April 1995
AS MUSIC biz jokes go, The Boo Radleys are a very, very good one. Formed in Liverpool in 1989, their topsy-turvy career (taking in baldness, ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 April 1995
Oasis play the rock 'n' roll game in a one-night stand at the Sheffield Arena. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 May 1995
Hormonesapoppin' as E17 storm the Sheffield Arena. No prisoners taken ...
Therapy?: Town & Country Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 June 1995
Dahmer karma and splenetic rage ...
The Verve: Northern Soul Asylum
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 15 July 1995
The Verve have split the voters ever since they appeared in '92 as The Band Most Likely To after Suede. Some loved their experimental prog-rock ...
Black Grape: Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 July 1995
BLACK GRAPE are currently the hottest new property in British rock. Even prior to their first single, acres of music press coverage had signalled the ...
Foo Fighters: Academy, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 7 September 1995
Spooky survivor ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 28 September 1995
STEREOLAB have been on the verge of a major breakthrough for longer than Damon Hill. They've been steadfastly supported by music press darlings for the ...
Madonna: Um, Forgettable: Madonna: Something To Remember (Maverick/Warners)
Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 11 November 1995
She's trying to get all sophisticated in her old age, isn't she? Record company supremo, new cultured, metropolitan image, and a collection of her slower, ...
"Mad" Frankie Fraser: Criminal records
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 November 1995
Dave Simpson talks to former gangland killer turned recording artist 'Mad' Frankie Fraser about his foray into pop music ...
Charlatans, The (UK): The Charlatans: Up For It
Interview by Dave Simpson, i-D, December 1995
Dismissed as Madchester's also-rans, the Charlatans gave out but never gave up. While their peers crashed and burned, Burgess and his boys simply survived. A ...
Take That, Robbie Williams: Robbie Williams: Take One New Man
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 December 1995
There is life after Take That. Robbie Williams, the lad who broke ranks (and rules), is growing up. Dave Simpson finds him talking politics, paparazzi ...
The Stone Roses: Still Storming Heaven
Interview by Dave Simpson, i-D, January 1996
Stoned and dethroned? This was a strange year for the Roses. Resurrection, personal dilemma, professional discontent... and finally, with their first British tour in five ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 20 January 1996
In 1990/91, LUSH were the original Female Fronted Rock Band, godmothers of Sleeper, Elastica and Echobelly, all spiky guitars and Oxfam glamour. Then Suede and ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 March 1996
RECENT WARNINGS linking club-going to ear damage have got it all wrong. Never mind amplified Jungle or cranium-pounding dub, the real threat to the nation's ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 March 1996
Two trumps for a busted Lush ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 30 March 1996
So Jarvis Cocker is innocent. But that doesn't mean he's got off the hook — we still want a word or two with Michael Jackson's ...
Orbital: De Montfort University, Leicester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 May 1996
DANCE MUSIC is the most innovative genre around, but Orbital are leaving that behind. Six years on from their rave smash 'Chime', the Hartnolls' recent ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 25 May 1996
THE WORDS that come to mind are the ones uttered by Eric Cantona to an adoring Leeds crowd after winning the League Championship in 1992. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 1 June 1996
TRACE RELATIONS ...
808 State: Castlefield Amphitheatre, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 June 1996
THINK OF A free open-air gig on the first day of summer and you'd probably imagine hippies, loud rock music and lots of mud. All ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, i-D, July 1996
It's been two years since Shampoo ram-raided the pop charts with their spunky cartoon-style naughtiness. Now the wash and go-go girls are back, but they're ...
808 State: Castlefield Amphitheatre, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 6 July 1996
IS THIS THE way the future's really meant to feel? Or just 20,000 mutants standing in a cobbled amphitheatre? Either there's an extremely mad scientist ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 July 1996
Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr, two of the great icons of eighties pop, tell DAVE SIMPSON what keeps them going ...
The Eagles: McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 July 1996
IF YOU were wondering what happened to the British summer, then spare a thought for the residents of Hell, California, whose habitat has frozen over. ...
3 Colours Red, Heavy Stereo, Super Furry Animals: Furry Tale of New York
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 28 September 1996
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Take Melody Maker out to New York with three of CREATION RECORDS' brightest new bands — 3 COLOURS ...
Andrea Parker: 'The Rocking Chair' (Mo' Wax EP)
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 25 October 1996
The chill factor: Dave Simpson enjoys a spooky orchestral set ...
The Chemical Brothers: The Chemistry Set — The Chemical Brothers: Academy, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 October 1996
Dave Simpson takes some Anadin with The Chemical Brothers ...
Erasure: Town & Country, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 November 1996
SIZE IS everything in Erasure pop world. For their last tour, they put on one of the biggest shows on earth, a theatrical triumph of ...
The Stone Roses: The Long Goodbye
Memoir by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 9 November 1996
After their disastrous performance at this year's Reading Festival, the general consensus was that THE STONE ROSES should do the decent thing and split up. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 November 1996
Rusty metal with extra irony ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 30 November 1996
Great rocker, poor jazzer. Dave Simpson catches Sting in Sheffield ...
Sleeper: Town & Country, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 December 1996
LOUISE Wener is a curious phenomenon. Hers is the face that has launched a thousand front covers; her sharp tongue has spawned a million "quotable ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 December 1996
Rumours of East going west fuel night of confusion and great pop ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 February 1997
High on the Placebo effect ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 March 1997
ONCE UPON a time, modernists (ha!) fought running battles with rockers along the seafront at Brighton; now their descendants congregate at Brighton Beach in, um, ...
James: Wrinklie riot — James: Town & Country, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 March 1997
The fans are older, their knees are shot and they can't dance any more (if they ever could) Dave Simpson joins James's sell-out tour ...
Supergrass: Town & Country Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 May 1997
Just Alright on the night ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 17 May 1997
BECK TO THE FUTURE ...
The Verve: Academy, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 August 1997
Dave Simpson witnesses the miracle works of Richard Ashcroft, reunited with the apostles of The Verve ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 September 1997
THERE'S A current joke that goes "Why haven't New Order spawned a tribute group? Because Peter Hook got there first." Boom boom, and indeed, booming ...
Oasis, the Verve: Earls Court, London
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 4 October 1997
THURSDAY ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 1 November 1997
THESE ARE the sort of men my mother warned me about as a small child, and — metaphorically, at least — they want me to ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 20 November 1997
In our occasional Tour Diary series, we find out why Dave Grohl of FOO FIGHTERS always chews gum onstage, loves punk rock and why he ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 November 1997
WHEN SHAUN Ryder recently sang Black Grape's comeback hit 'Get Higher', he no doubt afforded himself a mischievous grin. For years, Ryder was the dark ...
Joy Division: Torn Apart: Joy Division and the death of Ian Curtis
Retrospective and Interview by Dave Simpson, Uncut, December 1997
Joy Division were the most crucial of all the post-punk bands. But, on the eve of their first US tour, lead singer Ian Curtis committed ...
Manic Street Preachers: Richey Edwards: Vanishing Point
Report by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 31 January 1998
It's now three years since Richey James disappeared — and he's still "The Most Sadly Missed" in The Maker Polls. We trace his early, confused ...
Ian Brown, The Stone Roses: The Rise And Fall Of The Stone Roses
Retrospective and Interview by Dave Simpson, Uncut, February 1998
In his first major interview since The Stone Roses split, Ian Brown looks back on the career of a band who could have had it ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 28 February 1998
All we wanted was to have a few laughs, japes and capers in Venice. But oh no, SHED SEVEN say they're now serious musicians. Aha, ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, April 1998
IT'S LIKE Last Night Of The Proms without the flags, pomp, and dubious patriotism and with infinitely better music. To my left, the first of ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, April 1998
ONCE UPON a time, when James performed their most famous song 'Sit Down', whole audiences would do just that. Nowadays it's tempting to suggest the ...
Beck, The Verve: The Verve, Beck: Haigh Hall, Wigan
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, May 1998
HAIGH DUDE! ...
Jeff Buckley: Grace under fire
Retrospective by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 May 1998
Singer Jeff Buckley lived in the shadow of his father Tim's death. Dave Simpson remembers meeting the visionary of pain and loss, and hears the ...
Saint Etienne: Garage, Glasgow
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 May 1998
IN THEIR perfect world, Saint Etienne's new album, Good Humor, would be battling it out with the Beatles and the Prodigy. The Prodigy? Yes, because ...
Robbie Williams: Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 28 May 1998
HE LIVES under the gaze of photographers; he's had public battles with fluctuating weight and unfeasible hairstyles; he's slaughtered by the press if he nips ...
Lo Fidelity Allstars: Lo-Fidelity Allstars: The Cockpit, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 20 June 1998
THAT'S BLOWN IT! ...
Embrace: These charming men — Embrace: Limelight, Belfast
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 June 1998
Two brothers, one hell of a sound. Dave Simpson salutes Embrace, Huddersfield's Oasis ...
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 11 July 1998
SHE MAY LOOK like an angel, but behind the exterior lies and acidic tongue, waiting to be unleashed. We meet Shirley from GARBAGE on the ...
Morrissey: Heaven knows he's miserable now...
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 July 1998
He lives with his mum, he's been dumped by his label and he's going to court. Finally, Morrissey really has something to be fed up ...
Report by Dave Simpson, Uncut, August 1998
THE PHONE RINGS at the Sunset Marquis Hotel, Los Angeles. ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, Melody Maker, 26 September 1998
REPUBLICA are now so successful that Cher asks permission to copy Saffron's hairstyle. We talk to them about their lengthy climb to the top, fame, ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 October 1998
Kenickie's in a twist ...
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 November 1998
They're narcissistic coke fiends with no interest in music, or so the legend goes — yet A&R men shape the future of pop. Surely, asks ...
Natalie Imbruglia: Natalie lmbruglia: Apollo, Manchester ***
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 November 1998
IF ANYONE doubts the thespian talents of Neighbours, they should look at Natalie lmbruglia. While her displays as Beth were hampered by scripts and career-threatening ...
The La's: Lee Mavers: The Lost Boy
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 December 1998
Lee Mavers of the La's was a star in the early nineties and idolised by Oasis. Then he fell foul of drugs and disappeared. Amid ...
Black Star Liner: Bengali Bantam Youth Experience! (WEA)
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 January 1999
Dave Simpson adores Black Star Liner's mix of Bollywood soundtracks and skyscraping dance beats ...
Terrorvision: Parr Hall, Warrington ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 February 1999
THE ROCK scene is currently as serious as a pub that's running low on booze. Oasis, The Verve and Pulp are the loudly-voiced Men At ...
Orbital: Town & Country Club, Leeds ***
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 March 1999
IS IT REALLY 11 years since acid house? Yup, the members of the Class Of '88 haven't reached for their pipe and slippers yet, but ...
Moby: Grow out the roots — Moby: Play (Mute) ****
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 May 1999
Dave Simpson on Moby's return to what he does best ...
Gay Dad: Leisurenoise (London)
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 28 May 1999
Hyped to the hilt, Gay Dad's album isn't worth the wait, says Dave Simpson ...
The Chemical Brothers: Chemical Brothers: Surrender
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 June 1999
THIS ALBUM SOUNDS like the Chemical Brothers threw one hell of a party. Banging on the door with 'Let Forever Be', in his first dalliance ...
Celine Dion: Up Too Close And Personal: Celine Dion: Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 July 1999
THREE SONGS IN, a smiling Celine Dion decides she wants to talk to us, "personally". ...
Secret Knowledge: Kris Needs: I Snogged Debbie Harry
Profile and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 August 1999
If you can't be a rock star, you can always get your kicks by hanging out with them. Kris Needs tells Dave Simpson how it's ...
Roots Manuva: The Venue, London ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 August 1999
YOU COULD probably write the history of British hip-hop in this space. The problem is less a dearth of homegrown talent than a lack of ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 August 1999
Madonna loves their parodies; so do Elton, Mick and Boy George. Dave Simpson meets Aussie sensation Supergirl ...
Pulp — A Quiet Revolution: Queen's Hall, Edinburgh ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 September 1999
Blinds have more fun ...
Hawkwind: Epoch Eclipse 30th Anniversary Box Set
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 September 1999
HOW DID HAWKWIND GET A REPUTATION as peace-loving hippies? They were a barking mad, space-age fusion of druggy menace and joyous sonic mayhem, and they ...
Whitney Houston: Sheffield Arena **
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 September 1999
Diva takes a nosedive ...
Fine Young Cannibals, Roland Gift: Roland Gift: Not the man he used to be
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 7 October 1999
Roland Gift tells Dave Simpson why he has no reason to mourn the demise of the Fine Young Cannibals ...
Beth Orton: Academy, Manchester ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 October 1999
Real angry woman ...
Campag Velocet : Music Box, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 October 1999
Market rap an outrage ...
Basement Jaxx: Academy, Manchester ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 November 1999
Big cheese party ...
Atomic Kitten: Who the hell are Atomic Kitten?
Profile by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 November 1999
So, who the hell are they? Liverpudlian about-to-be pop sensations Elizabeth McLarnon (18), Kerry Katona (19) and Natasha Hamilton (17). ...
Spice Girls: Robotic Neurotics: Spice Girls: Evening News Arena, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 December 1999
YOUR BAND may take a year off, but if you are a Spice Girl you just can't keep out of the headlines. ...
Birth: Who The Hell Are They?: Birth
Profile by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 December 1999
So, who the hell are they? He, actually. The rather oddly-named Bournemouth export Dawm Lanten, who understandably prefers to be called DL. ...
Royal Trux: Bang, Crash Brilliance: Royal Trux: Scala, London
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 December 1999
ROYAL TRUX don't give a damn and don't care who knows it. ...
Report by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 December 1999
Dave Simpson tunes into the latest pop cult ...
Death in Vegas: The Cockpit, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 February 2000
Better listen at home ...
Inner City Jam: A musical about rundown north London. In Leeds
Comment by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 April 2000
Inner City Jam is a colourful portrait of King's Cross. So why couldn't it find a theatre in the capital, asks Dave Simpson ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 April 2000
Bad grrls live forever ...
David Pajo, Papa M: Papa M: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 April 2000
How to avoid an audience ...
The Dandy Warhols: A Toast To The Wasted: The Dandy Warhols: The Cockpit, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 June 2000
AS IGGY POP would testify, you can always rely on the British public to take a drug-frazzled American wacko to their hearts. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 June 2000
FOR THEIR ardent supporters, Coldplay are the great white hopes of British angst rock. For their equally vociferous detractors, they are miserable musos who have ...
Graham Coxon: Sheffield Leadmill
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 July 2000
Grunge therapy ...
Sleater-Kinney: Cockpit, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 July 2000
IT’S HARD ENOUGH being a 21st-century, radical feminist post-punk band, but Sleater-Kinney have a further enemy in the sound system. "This is our fourth member," ...
Crescent, Movietone: Movietone: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 31 July 2000
HOW DO YOU know when a "pop" band is part of the underground? There are probably several definitions, but one of them must surely be ...
Andrew Weatherall: My brilliant career
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 September 2000
Andrew Weatherall helped to invent both dance music and the superstar DJ. Then, burnt out and disillusioned, he went underground. As he emerges with a ...
Melanie C: St George's Hall, Bradford
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 September 2000
OF THE MANY routes to solo stardom open to a Spice Girl, being a rock chick is not one of them. Just ask Mel C. ...
Smashing Pumpkins: Manchester Apollo
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 November 2000
FINAL FLING for the painful Pumpkins. ...
Cosmic Rough Riders: Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 November 2000
IT'S SEVEN YEARS since Alan McGee "discovered" Oasis blowing 18 Wheeler off the stage in King Tut's, Glasgow. Since then, his Creation label has gone ...
Eliza Carthy: Manchester University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, Guardian Unlimited, 11 November 2000
Eliza Carthy goes pop ...
Marti Pellow: Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 November 2000
ANYBODY WHO EVER WONDERED how Marti Pellow managed to live with himself after producing the excruciating 'Love Is All Around' — 14 weeks at number ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 November 2000
WE’RE HEADING for the silly season. For the next month or so, the TV companies will dig out those old episodes of Top of The ...
Craig David: City Hall, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 November 2000
PEOPLE ARE DIVIDED on Craig David. For some, he is the spearhead of UK garage, whose pioneering "two-step" music has swept him to two number ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 November 2000
WITH A NAME like And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, you could say these Texan noise-punks are looking for trouble – ...
Richard Ashcroft: Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 December 2000
THE VERVE MAN rises again in style ...
Jean-Jacques Burnel: Manchester University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 December 2000
JEAN-JACQUES BURNEL is one of rock's most notorious characters. In the Stranglers' authorised biography, No Mercy, 20 pages tackle the subject of "Burnel, violence". ...
The Human League: Human remains
Report by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 December 2000
What are the Human League doing playing a bank's Christmas do? Dave Simpson reports ...
Report by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 January 2001
The Brits shortlist will spark a hunt for the next Coldplay or Craig David. Dave Simpson despairs ...
Profile and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 January 2001
LAST NOVEMBER, 29-year-old Dido Armstrong and her boyfriend Bob were discussing their day at work. Bob had gone to the office and relaxed with a ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 February 2001
Natalie Cole has been a prostitutes' tout, a junkie and the winner of no fewer than eight Grammys. She tells Dave Simpson about scandal, success ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 February 2001
EMINEM'S REPUTATION as world's number one bad boy rapper precedes him. Amid scenes reminiscent of the Sex Pistols, his records have been banned by student ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 February 2001
Lina's delicious smoky big band sound ...
Retrospective and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 February 2001
One little store inspired a new breed of musician and turned the record industry on its head. Dave Simpson celebrates 25 years of Rough Trade ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 February 2001
AS THE BAND remind us from the stage, they are the only group to have their first five British singles enter the chart at number ...
Kylie Minogue: Camping with Kylie: Kylie Minogue: Manchester Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 March 2001
HAVING RECOVERED FROM the pretensions of duets with Nick Cave and songwriting with the Manic Street Preachers, Kylie has returned to the fluffy pop we ...
Linton Kwesi Johnson: Wardrobe, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 March 2001
IT'S 26 years since Linton Kwesi Johnson became the world's first and foremost dub poet with the single 'Dread Beat An' Blood'. For this rare ...
The Deftones, Linkin Park: Linkin Park/Deftones: Manchester Apollo
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 March 2001
The boy band, nu metal style ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 April 2001
Cheek-sucking Muse camp it up ...
Starsailor: Plain Sailing: Starsailor
Profile and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 April 2001
Starsailor have been tipped as the most exciting band since Coldplay. Has that been a curse or a blessing, asks Dave Simpson. ...
Cosmic Rough Riders: Fibbers, York
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 25 April 2001
RECENT MONTHS have seen Cosmic Rough Riders bask in an enviable reputation as rock critics have fallen over themselves to hail the band as the ...
Goldfrapp: "The Mercury prize? Oh God, that would be great. I deserve something"
Profile and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 May 2001
Singing sensation Alison Goldfrapp tells Dave Simpson why her time has come. ...
S Club 7: Pop's Magnificent Seven: S Club 7: Arena, Sheffield ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 May 2001
FOR THEIR FIRST TOUR, S Club 7 are taking risks. Dark-haired Hannah is lowered in on a parachute, while clean-cut Jon clambers out of the ...
Erykah Badu: Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 July 2001
I HAVE SEEN Bowie atop a giant glass spider and U2 stuck inside a lemon, but I cannot recall an entrance like Erykah Badu's. ...
The Chameleons: Irish Centre, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 August 2001
THERE'S A WONDERFUL – if apocryphal – story about the major-label A&R team that was dispatched to Manchester in the 1980s with instructions to sign ...
Charlatans, The (UK): The Charlatans: Leadmill, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 August 2001
LAST WEEK'S shock revelations that keyboard player Tony Rogers is suffering from testicular cancer was a rare occurrence of a rock band making the national ...
Blade, Roots Manuva: The home boys: Roots Manuva and the UK posse
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 September 2001
Who needs Eminem and P Diddy when we've got perfectly good British rappers? Dave Simpson talks to Roots Manuva and the UK posse ...
Preston School of Industry: Barfly, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 September 2001
IN THE EARLY 1990S dark ages before Britpop, homegrown guitar music was going through a painful obsession with America. At one point almost any Statesider ...
Richie Hawtin: Manchester Sankey's Soap
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 September 2001
ON THOSE RARE NON-DJ-ING NIGHTS, when Richie Hawtin sleeps, perhaps he dreams that he was part of the Detroit stable of artist-DJs who invented techno, ...
Groove Armada: Leadmill, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 October 2001
ACKNOWLEDGED KINGS of chill-out, Groove Armada's music works best in certain environments, ideally a Mediterranean beach, hours after closing time. However, presenting chilled-out sounds within ...
Freeheat: Who the hell are... Freeheat
Overview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 November 2001
A regular guide to new bands heading your way ...
The White Stripes: L2, Liverpool
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 November 2001
THE CURIOUS success of the White Stripes is proof that rock'n'roll fairy tales can still happen. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 November 2001
WATCHING STEPS brings to mind George Orwell's image of the future as "a boot stamping on a human face for ever". The band inhabit their ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 December 2001
THE COVER of Cold House depicts the Yorkshire moors, blurred, as if something is happening just beyond the lens. This desolate region is best known ...
Alien Ant Farm: Manchester Academy
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 February 2002
EVERY POP movement worth its salt needs a bunch of pranksters. The hippies had Neil Innes's satirists the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, punk boasted the ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 February 2002
IF SHAGGY wasn't called Shaggy, his whole career might not have happened. Bonky would have been too rude, Rumpy not suggestive enough. ...
Ian Brown: Rock City, Nottingham
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 February 2002
IF THE STONE ROSES had not crumbled beneath him, Ian Brown would never have become a solo artist. Four years ago he was even considering ...
The Faint: Who the hell are ... The Faint
Profile by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 February 2002
So, who the hell are they? Newer Romantics Todd Baechie (synths, vocals), Clark Baechie, Jacob Thiele (synths), Joel Petersen (bass) and the not inappropriately ...
The Electric Soft Parade: Manchester University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 28 February 2002
DESPITE THE FERVOUR for hot American bands the Strokes and the White Stripes, Britain has not forgotten how to make effortlessly classic, exciting guitar-based pop. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 April 2002
TWO YEARS AGO in this newspaper, Alan McGee decried the "bedwetters" of modern pop. Where, he asked, were "the characters" and "the great rock'n'roll music ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 May 2002
LEADING LIGHTS of the electroclash movement, New York art-fashion strategists Fischerspooner come armed with a manifesto ("Style is substance", superficiality is something to be lauded), ...
Depeche Mode, Dave Gahan: Dave Gahan: New life
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 May 2002
In the early days of Depeche Mode, cider was Dave Gahan's worst vice. Then came speed, smack and a trip to hospital. Now, he tells ...
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 June 2002
Why would anyone want to turn punk classics like 'Pretty Vacant' and 'White Riot' into kids' lullabies? Dave Simpson reports ...
The Libertines: Cockpit, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 June 2002
THE LIBERTINES are the latest group to be thrust into the ring as the industry tries to find a UK guitar band capable of taking ...
Baxter Dury: Len Parrott's Memorial Lift
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 July 2002
WARY OF THE FATE that befalls pop offspring who impersonate their parents (hello, Julian Lennon), Baxter Dury has journeyed as far beyond his dad Ian's ...
Mudhoney: Boat Club, Nottingham
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 September 2002
BEING AN AMERICAN grunge rocker must be one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Past incumbents, from Nirvana to Alice in Chains to ...
Aqualung: Who the hell are ... Aqualung
Profile by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 September 2002
Aqualung... dreaming of badass rap and bruising beats ...
The Coral: Newcastle University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 October 2002
THEIR EPONYMOUS DEBUT has made the Coral one of the most talked-about bands of the year. Despite missing out on the Mercury prize last month, ...
Kathryn Williams: Dancehouse, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 October 2002
THIS IS THE MUSICAL EQUIVALENT of a late night on someone's sofa: where love and laughter come tumbling out with secrets. The stage set consists ...
Puressence: Liverpool University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 October 2002
AROUND A DECADE AGO, four scruffy Mancunian street urchins took to the stage of London's Tufnell Park Dome. Their music was raw and unformed but ...
Nickel Creek: Memorial Hall, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 October 2002
AS ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES and careers advisers often tell us, presentation is everything. But nobody appears to have told San Diego four-piece Nickel Creek. Formed around ...
(British) Sea Power: British Sea Power: Night and Day, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 October 2002
IF TOP OF THE POPS depicts current pop as an endless procession of identically styled wannabes with no discernible individuality, British Sea Power are determined ...
The Vines: Academy, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 30 October 2002
NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HYPE better than the Vines. Launched in a blaze of hyperbole earlier this year, they have been called everything from the "Australian ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 November 2002
IN A MYTHICAL COMPETITION to find more than seven wonders of the world, ZZ Top's beards must be in with a shout. Although this is ...
Joni Mitchell: "I'm quitting this corrupt cesspool"
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 November 2002
Why Joni Mitchell has had it with the music business ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 November 2002
A DOVES GIG isn't exactly like witnessing Bon Jovi. There aren't any rising drum platforms, spinning motorcycles or banks of flailing hair. Nobody says "Rock'n'ROLL!" ...
Jesse Malin: Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 November 2002
JESSE MALIN IS TELLING US A STORY. At 11, he says, he was obsessed with having sex with his babysitters. When he got $40 for ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 November 2002
EVERYTHING ABOUT Nickelback is huge — from their big rock, a more radio-friendly version of Nirvana, to the big truck that brings them to this ...
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster: Rocket, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 November 2002
OF THE MANY odd pop movements born in the 1980s, few were quite so peculiar as psychobilly. A mutant blend of punk, rockabilly and Vincent ...
Fine Young Cannibals: Leadmill, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 December 2002
IN 1999, ROLAND Gift told The Guardian: "I'd rather shovel shit than live off my past." Three years on, as the lost soul singer reactivates ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 January 2003
THREE YEARS AGO Virgin records had the novel idea of importing a Mexican pop band. Titan were a wacky bunch. Their posters proclaimed a cross ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 February 2003
A FEW YEARS AGO, someone suggested that one way to fill churches would be to throw the doors open to pop concerts. The idea was ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 March 2003
AMERICA HAS LONG BESTOWED huge success on unlikely British groups who barely make it in their homeland: A Flock of Seagulls, the completely unmemorable Fixx ...
Liberty X: City Hall, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 March 2003
NOTHING CAPTURES the British public's imagination quite like a victorious underdog. A year ago Jessica, Kelli, Tony, Michelle and Kevin were rejected by the Popstars ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 28 March 2003
WITH THEIR SECOND ALBUM, Mis-Teeq shift further from their garage roots towards the more internationally lucrative R&B. ...
Inspiral Carpets: Leeds University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 April 2003
OF THE SO-CALLED "Holy Triumvirate" that rescued British pop in the early 1990s, Inspiral Carpets always plays third fiddle to the Stone Roses and Happy ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 April 2003
WHILE BLUR AND OASIS can flit from mansion to stadium, fate has been less generous to Britpop's other leading lights. While many have abandoned pop ...
Panjabi MC: The Album (Dharma/Showbiz)
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 May 2003
PANJABI MC has already provided one of the most refreshing hits of the year with January's 'Mundian To Bach Ke', which fused bhangra, breakbeats and ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 May 2003
EARLIER THIS WEEK it emerged that government expenditure of £650m has failed to make much of an impact on truancy. Perhaps it's time ministers consulted ...
Jason Mraz: Waiting for My Rocket to Come
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 June 2003
THE COVER DEPICTS the 25-year-old Virginia singer-songwriter sat in the gutter with a cockerel, haplessly waiting for the rocket of fame to hit him. ...
OK Go: Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 June 2003
WITH THE STROKES at one end of the spectrum and Busted at the other, powerpop is gradually replacing dance music as the chief currency in ...
Bonnie Raitt: Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 June 2003
IF SHE HADN'T SOLD MILLIONS of country-blues-rock records and won a stetson-full of Grammies, Bonnie Raitt could have had a career peddling the secrets of ...
Kelly Osbourne: Rock City, Nottingham
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 June 2003
KELLY OSBOURNE URGES THE AUDIENCE to put their hands in the air. The boys are instructed to make fists and the girls to hold up ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 July 2003
BEFORE MARILYN MANSON and Nine Inch Nails, Chicago's Ministry pioneered industrial music and outrage. Journalists visiting the studio of Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker would ...
Yo La Tengo: City Varieties, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 7 July 2003
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT with Yo La Tengo. The Hoboken veterans' 11 albums cover bouncy surf-pop, frazzled Velvet Underground noise and jazz doodling. ...
Sparklehorse: Manchester University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 July 2003
SPARKLEHORSE'S MARK LINKOUS had a dramatic start to an enduring career. In 1996, he was briefly clinically dead after an overdose of Valium and antidepressants. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 July 2003
SHACK'S MICK HEAD has had a few plaudits hurled his way: in 1999 the NME put him on the front cover and billed him as ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 August 2003
WITH BRITAIN'S OBSESSION with dance music finally dwindling, Bristol's Kosheen have ditched the million-selling formula of 2001's Resist for something altogether darker and rockier. ...
Snow Patrol: Witchwood, Ashton-Under-Lyne
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 August 2003
SNOW PATROL have had a curious journey. They began as Belfast popsters the Polar Bears. Then they moved to Glasgow and became fey, jangly contemporaries ...
Matchbox 20: Matchbox Twenty: Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 September 2003
AS WITH AMERICAN GAS-GUZZLING CARS, the big blustery rock band is a species under threat. Stereophonics' new album is a mere platinum (its predecessor was ...
The Dixie Chicks: Dixie Chicks: Birmingham NEC
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 September 2003
"ANYONE AWARE of the incident March 10?" asks singer Natalie Maines, referring to the band's last UK visit, when a remark that she was "ashamed" ...
Spiritualized: Leadmill, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 September 2003
THERE ARE RULES that generally apply at rock concerts. Artists tend to speak to the audience, if only to say "Hello", lead singers tend to ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 September 2003
ALTHOUGH PUNK ROCK is still reeling from the death of Clash icon Joe Strummer, the movement is probably in its healthiest commercial state for 25 ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 October 2003
EVER SINCE the Beastie Boys went serious and Salt 'n' Pepa pushed it as far as they could, the world has lacked an act who ...
Damien Rice: Metropolitan University, Leeds ***
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 October 2003
DAVID GRAY achieved his first major success in Ireland, something else he has in common with Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice. They share the same management ...
Thea Gilmore, Adam Masterson: Thea Gilmore/Adam Masterson: Liverpool University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 October 2003
WITH SO MANY SINGER-SONGWRITERS around, establishing an individual identity has never been more difficult. When Adam Masterson cranks up his croaky voice and harmonica, the ...
Amy Winehouse: Dietrich with a nose-stud
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 28 October 2003
Her voice belongs in a 1940s jazz bar. But Amy Winehouse may be the future of hip-hop. Dave Simpson meets her ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 November 2003
SOME WHILE after Beyoncé is due on stage, a voice announces that the support act won't be appearing and that Beyoncé will be with us ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 November 2003
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS with seeing "classic" bands some 20 years on is the physical decline, particularly in the case of a band like Blondie. ...
Belle and Sebastian: City Hall, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 December 2003
THE OLD "GREAT ON RECORD, BUT DON'T SEE THEM LIVE" adage could have been invented for Belle and Sebastian. Folk who've witnessed their gigs recount ...
Explosions in the Sky: The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 December 2003
IF THE IDEA of an album of instrumentals filled with titles such as 'First Breath After Coma' sounds like heavy going, this Texan four-piece are ...
Electric Six: Leeds Metropolitan University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 December 2003
IN JUNE THIS YEAR, Detroit pranksters Electric Six crammed the traditional pop rise, fall and rise again into one bizarre moment when they split up ...
Basement Jaxx: Leeds University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 December 2003
THE MOOD OF CRISIS in dance music won't have been helped by this week's news that ecstasy use is in decline. For dance music's acts ...
The Durutti Column: Manchester University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 December 2003
THE DURUTTI COLUMN were the first signings to Factory Records before the label went all Joy Division-shaped. Frontman Vini Reilly co-wrote Morrissey's first solo hit ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 January 2004
NEWCOMERS RAZORLIGHT are proof that pop careers are being built ever faster. The London band were signed to the Vertigo label last year in the ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 February 2004
IT MAY BE SYNONYMOUS WITH 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, but the Sussex town of Battle doesn't call much else to mind, least of ...
Atomic Kitten: Manchester Arena
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 February 2004
THE OFFICIAL LINE is that Atomic Kitten are taking time off mainly so that Natasha Hamilton can look after her young son, Josh. However, a ...
Monster Magnet: Manchester University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 February 2004
MONSTER MAGNET have always displayed an ability to be in the right place at the right time. Formed in 1989, when Nirvana's fury revitalised all ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 March 2004
FEW ARTISTS CAN BOAST a number one album at the age of 19, but the most curious aspect of Katie Melua's success is her audience. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 March 2004
EVERY NIGHT, Pink goes down on Christina Aguilera. She pins her to the floor and dominates her sexually before serenading her with one of her ...
Richmond Fontaine: Post To Wire
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 April 2004
RICHMOND FONTAINE frontman Willy Vlautin has a growing reputation as the writer of some of the most depressing songs in America. In his narrated snapshots ...
John Martyn: The Lowry, Salford
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 May 2004
IF JOHN MARTYN hadn't become a folk/blues/rock legend, he could have knocked out a career as a mimic. At one point, he perfectly impersonates Alf ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 June 2004
The true spirit of Glastonbury is alive and well — but you'll find it at a farm in Leicester not Somerset. Dave Simpson meets Kasabian ...
Jamelia: Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 June 2004
THERE'S OFTEN A GULF on the live circuit now between current acts with records to promote and returning veterans with back catalogues, which is unfortunately ...
Pete Doherty: Peter Doherty: Fez Club, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 31 July 2004
IN recent weeks, Peter Doherty has been reported as having racked up a heroin/crack addiction costing £250 a day, skipped out on three attempts at ...
Har Mar Superstar: Welly Club, Hull
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 August 2004
THE WELLY isn't a place you'd expect to find a "superstar". Its name implies somewhere you'd only really want to step into when it's raining; ...
The Dears: Who the hell are The Dears?
Profile by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 August 2004
So, who the hell are they? Canadians Murray Lightburn (vocals/guitar), Natalia Yanchak (keyboards/vocals), Valerie Jodoin-Keaton (keyboards/flute), Martin Pelland (bass), George Donoso III (drums) and Patrick ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 September 2004
GENERATIONS OF HAPLESS YOUNG MEN have been attracted by the archetypal "girl next door" on the grounds that beneath that innocent exterior lurks some undiscovered ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 September 2004
ON PAPER, Interpol's second album should offer more grist to the mill of those who think they're too indebted to Joy Division. ...
McFly: Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 September 2004
SIGNS IN WOLVERHAMPTON CIVIC HALL READ: "Tonight's concert will be very loud. Ear defenders are available on request." The danger comes not from McFly but ...
Estelle: "The only way I'm going on the cover of FHM is in a body bag"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 September 2004
Estelle, the loudest new voice in hip-hop, talks to Dave Simpson ...
Two Lone Swordsmen: Basics, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 October 2004
FOR MOST OF THE LAST DECADE Andrew Weatherall was one of dance culture's prime movers. He produced Primal Scream's hallowed Screamadelica and lived it large ...
The Detroit Cobras: Detroit Cobras: Baby
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 October 2004
DETROIT COBRAS' biggest fans include the White Stripes and Coca-Cola, who are currently using their take on Hank Ballard's 'Cha Cha Twist' in an advert. ...
The Thrills: Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 November 2004
WHEN THE THRILLS first blazed out of Dublin in 2002, there was something sweetly charming about a bunch of naive Irish lads writing eulogies to ...
The Bravery: Roadhouse, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 December 2004
In the annual December search for next year's "next big thing", New York five-piece the Bravery are possibly in pole position. Signed to Island Def ...
Hawkwind: Manchester University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 December 2004
THESE PSYCHEDELIC VETERANS' 35-year career is not for the fainthearted. However, the original psych-rockers are showing few signs of slowing down. Surprisingly sprightly founder member ...
Adam Green: Joseph's Well, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 February 2005
"LET'S GET LOOSE," says Adam Green. "You guys are all going to get laid anyway. I'm just the lubrication." This is typical of the mischievous ...
The House of Love: You Only Live Twice
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 February 2005
Ten years ago, the House of Love fell apart, fists flying. They tell Dave Simpson what brought them back together. ...
Death from Above 1979: Cockpit, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 February 2005
WITH SO MANY FOUR-PIECE guitar bands clogging up the live circuit, Canada's Death from Above 1979 are certainly a bit different. A two-piece featuring the ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 25 February 2005
WHILE EVERY THIRD BRITISH BAND mines 1979-80 post-punk, Arcade Fire, from Canada, have stolen a march by investigating the US "no wave" of the same ...
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 25 February 2005
The Manchester that Doves grew up in has disappeared. They take Dave Simpson on a guided tour of the city — and show him the ...
Profile by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 March 2005
So, who the hell are they? Alexander Greenwald (vocals), Jacques Brautbar (guitar), Darren Robinson (guitar), Sam Farrar (bass) and Jeff Conrad (drums. Their absurdly catchy single, ...
Bright Eyes: Metropolitan University, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 March 2005
THERE ARE PROBABLY TEAMS of record-company scientists striving to create the perfect amalgam of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, but Bright Eyes singer ...
Sophie B. Hawkins: Sophie B Hawkins: Roscoe, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 April 2005
AN INTERNATIONAL pop star with 1992's smash 'Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover', Sophie Ballantine Hawkins has since fallen out with her record company ...
Billy Corgan: TheFutureEmbrace
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 June 2005
THE FORMER SMASHING PUMPKIN has long endured a deserved reputation as the most egotistical, whining man in rock. However, maturity and the clipping of Corgan's ...
Snoop (Doggy) Dogg: Snoop Dogg: Manchester Arena
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 July 2005
SEARCHING AUDIENCE MEMBERS with metal detectors as they file in suggests the authorities are expecting trouble. But the rapper who was once up on a ...
Hayseed Dixie: Southern-Fried Metal
Profile and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 July 2005
Hayseed Dixie aren't your average AC/DC covers band: they come from Nashville, play banjos and read The Guardian. ...
Cut Copy: 'It's Certainly Not Knob Twiddling'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 October 2005
When they are not letting off fireworks in people's houses, or rugby tackling Mylo off the stage, Australia's Cut Copy are the future of synth-pop. ...
Maximo Park: Tales of Woe and Vodka
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 October 2005
To get over the girls, he turned to drink. To get over the drink, he turned to music. At last, with Maximo Park, Paul Smith ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 October 2005
POP MARK E SMITH IS MISSING, and whispers in the crowd ponder whether the notoriously unpredictable frontman has finally gone the way of the 40-odd ...
Corinne Bailey Rae : Corinne Bailey Rae: 'I Was Speechless, Just Squeaking!'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 November 2005
Burt Bacharach thinks she's fabulous, and Jools Holland said her voice made him melt. Dave Simpson meets Corinne Bailey Rae, the singer they are calling ...
Gogol Bordello: Night and Day, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 December 2005
NEW YORK-BASED "Gypsy punks" Gogol Bordello are providing an interesting spin on Beatlemania. A girl dancer clad in multicoloured Romany-type rags is hauled onstage specifically ...
The Fall: "Excuse me, weren't you in the Fall?"
Retrospective and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 January 2006
Mark E. Smith's band is legendary for its ever-changing line-up. Dave Simpson made it his quest to track down everyone who has ever been a ...
Katie Melua: International Conference Centre, Harrogate
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 January 2006
KATIE MELUA is popular with men of a certain age. Producer (and former Womble) Mike Batt discovered her, Wogan and Parky championed her, and her ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 February 2006
WHEN PEOPLE SUGGEST that Pete Doherty would have been so much better without the drugs, they should listen to the Kooks. The Brighton-based foursome have ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 March 2006
THE CONCRETES' second album is as changeable as the seasons. Songs such as 'On the Radio' and 'Change in the Weather' are full of the ...
The Beta Band, King Biscuit Time: Steve Mason: 'I've Had Enough'
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 May 2006
Steve Mason, the former Beta Band frontman, should have been on tour this week. Instead, he's quit music — and disappeared. By Dave Simpson ...
Orson: Metropolitan University, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 June 2006
THE HOME OFFICE has more to worry about than escaped prisoners trying to attack us in our beds. Our communities are being invaded by floppy-haired, ...
Hype and glory: How to Create a Buzz
Report by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 June 2006
As Alan McGee books a made-up band, Dave Simpson looks at the science of creating a buzz. ...
Guillemots: Through the Window Pane
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 July 2006
IS THAT PRONOUNCED "gillmots" or "gee-mo"? Arguments rage, but after three attempts to finish their debut, Birmingham's most oddly named band make the classic mistake ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 July 2006
IT'S BEEN EIGHT YEARS since the last Golden Smog album, which may be down to the logistical problems of assembling a band including Wilco's Jeff ...
Paolo Nutini: Night & Day, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 July 2006
NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Italian-Glaswegian Paolo Nutini used to work in his parents' chip shop. Then his debut single 'Last Request' crashed into the top five. His working ...
CSS: Cansai de Ser Sexy (Sub Pop)
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 July 2006
IF A pile of 1979-80 disco and post-punk records washed up on a Brazilian beach, the lucky beneficiaries would party like CSS. ...
Devendra Banhart: Metropolitan University, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 September 2006
HALFWAY THROUGH Devendra Banhart's gig, something unusual happens. The singer, who has been slurping something strong from a bottle on his amp, gets into conversation ...
The Killers: Empress Ballroom, Blackpool ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 September 2006
YOU CAN ALMOST imagine the delight when some bright spark suggested the Killers launch their big comeback in the "Vegas of the North", and the ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 September 2006
FEW POP "retirements" have caused as many eyebrows to raise as that of Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z. ...
The Horrors, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Sisters of Mercy: Back in Black: The Goth Revival
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 September 2006
THE FAVERSHAM, a pub close to Leeds University, is a brightly decorated bar, popular with lawyers and office workers. But a couple of decades ago ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 October 2006
IN THE DAYS WHEN Bryan Adams bestrode the charts, Canadian music was a credibility free zone. So much so that the Dears' frontman Murray Lightburn ...
Kasabian: "We're for all the people stuck in crap jobs"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 December 2006
Kasabian have crossed swords with Keane, the Stones and even Showaddywaddy. But really they're just a bunch of ordinary lads who want to be loved. ...
Deicide: Music Box, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 January 2007
FLORIDA MAY be the Sunshine State but it is forever shrouded in darkness as home to the world's leading proponents of satanic death metal. Deicide ...
The Hours: Back From The Brink
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 January 2007
The Hours have been through drugs, death and abandonment. But adversity has turned them into Britain's most powerful new band. Dave Simpson caught up with ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 February 2007
GHOSTS ARE LIVING PROOF of the old adage about the tortoise and the hare. The bandmates' long and bewilderingly dubious past includes soft rock, Britpop ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 April 2007
RAZORLIGHT'S MOTORMOUTH FRONTMAN Johnny Borrell grabs the headlines, but the band's unsung hero is drummer and co-songwriter Andy Burrows. It's no coincidence that since he ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 April 2007
RECENT YEARS have not been kind to the 1990s megaclub generation. However, despite frequently threatening retirement, London-based collective Faithless have proved as difficult to shift ...
Laura Veirs: Manchester University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 April 2007
"WE HOPE YOU LIKE our embroidered outfits," begins Laura Veirs. "We went that extra mile." She is referring to her floral dress and the suits ...
Justin Timberlake: Arena, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 30 April 2007
LATELY, pop has been dominated by guerrilla gigs and scruffily clad bands — but no one told Justin Timberlake. ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 June 2007
JOINING EDITORS backstage at a gig in Amsterdam, Dave Simpson tries to solve the riddle of the band's songs: how can misery sound this good? ...
Rilo Kiley: Academy 3, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 August 2007
TO WALK INTO A Riley Kilo gig is to aurally enter a world of dangerous or illicit sex. Their song 'Smoke Detector' contains lines about ...
The Kissaway Trail: Roadhouse, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 November 2007
IF DANISH QUINTET the Kissaway Trail's live act were more like their tremendous eponymous debut album, there would be choirs and orchestras on stage. Swans ...
Amy Winehouse: Carling Academy, Newcastle
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 November 2007
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES after Amy Winehouse is due on stage, there is still no sign of the singer, which offers an opportunity to ponder the latest ...
MGMT: "We want to scare the squares"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 February 2008
MGMT make "future '70s" music, want to be produced by Barack Obama and have played gigs as giant snowmen. Confused? You should be, says Dave ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 March 2008
ROCHDALE'S SEAN BOOTH AND ROB BROWN have become leading practitioners of what has been tagged "intelligent dance music", a term synonymous with former ravers who ...
Panic! At the Disco: University, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 March 2008
THE RED-HAIRED GIRL AT THE BAR is having a crisis: she has been declared too young to buy alcohol and furiously hurls an apparently bogus ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 May 2008
BANDS GENERALLY BREAK UP then reform some years later to trot out the hits to fill up their pension funds, but Wire have never played ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 November 2008
DIZZEE RASCAL, who in 2003 carried off the Mercury music prize, recently told Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman he was thinking of running for prime minister. He seems ...
Secret Machines: Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 February 2009
IN AN IDEAL WORLD, the Secret Machines would be playing in a volcanic crater at Pompeii, or taking the stage in the Rocky Mountains as ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 April 2009
GIVEN THAT THE HOURS' SINGER Antony Genn lost much of his life (and dental work) to drug addiction, he's hardly going to let a setback ...
Girls Aloud: Sheffield Arena ***
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 April 2009
THE RECESSION does not appear to be affecting Girls Aloud, whose entrance involves pyrotechnics, hydraulic platforms and the whipping-off of glittering white ballgowns to reveal ...
Lady Gaga: Academy, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 July 2009
THE 23-year-old formerly known as Stefani Germanotta must be pop's most ruthlessly effective self-promoter since Madonna. ...
Fleetwood Mac: Manchester Arena
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 October 2009
"THIS BAND have a complex emotional history," begins guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, hinting at Fleetwood Mac's rollercoaster of bedhopping, cocaine, mental illness and religious cults, which ...
Cocteau Twins: Elizabeth Fraser: The Cocteau Twins and me
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 November 2009
For 18 years she was the "voice of God" in the Cocteau Twins. Now Elizabeth Fraser finds it too difficult even to think about her ...
The Bravery, Girl Thing, Andrew WK: Yesterday's promising music stars: where are they now?
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 December 2009
THEY HAD THE RIGHT BACKERS and the buzz, but suddenly ... nothing happened. What went wrong with these three much-touted noughties acts, Girl Thing, the ...
Laura Veirs: Academy, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 January 2010
LADY GAGA HAS A BRA FIRING SPARKS; La Roux has that gravity-defying quiff. Pacific north-western chanteuse Laura Veirs's only visual prop is the large bulge ...
Hot Chip: Academy, Newcastle ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 February 2010
HOT CHIP walk on to deafening applause… on tape. Then the real audience start clapping, not just at their arrival, but at the audacity of ...
Whitney Houston: Why someone in Whitney Houston's condition shouldn't be on stage
Report by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 February 2010
WHITNEY HOUSTON has a problem. In fact, she seems to have a lot of problems. According to reports from Monday night's concert in Brisbane, Australia ...
Kate Nash: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 March 2010
ONE OF POP'S most curious phenomenons sees formerly squeaky pop stars rebelling against what made them famous. Just as the manufactured Monkees ended up singing psychedelic songs ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 April 2010
N-DUBZ SHOW that pop's generation gap is alive and well. For anyone over 21, the north London trio's trademark hats look like the sort of ...
Obituary by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 April 2010
THE IMPRESARIO and iconoclast Malcolm McLaren, who has died aged 64 from the cancer mesothelioma, was one of the pivotal, yet most divisive influences on ...
John Grant: Queen of Denmark (Bella Union)
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 April 2010
JOHN GRANT used to front the Czars, whose failure to translate acclaim into sales no doubt further fuelled his supersized self-loathing. ...
Fool's Gold: The Cockpit, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 May 2010
FROM VAMPIRE WEEKEND TO FOALS, afrobeat has become a part of pop lately, but there's nothing quite like this. Fool's Gold aren't — as one ...
Foals: "I built a fortress around myself"
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 May 2010
IN AN AMSTERDAM square, tourists all around, Yannis Philippakis is pouring his heart out. The singer of Foals is describing how he has kept a ...
Scouting for Girls: Academy, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 May 2010
AFTER MEETING AT SCHOOL and in the cub scouts, Harrow three-piece Scouting for Girls have become absurdly successful. Their 2007 debut went double platinum and ...
The Gaslight Anthem: Manchester Academy
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 June 2010
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S GUEST APPEARANCE with the Gaslight Anthem at last year's Glastonbury cemented the UK's continuing relationship with sweat-soaked Americana and further propelled New Jersey's ...
Little Axe: From blues to hip-hop and back
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 July 2010
SKIP MCDONALD was playing a gig in Portugal, billed as just him and guitar. A fair portion of the audience had seen the billing and ...
Black Lace, Jive Bunny, Stock Aitken Waterman: Novelty Records: When pop goes bad
Retrospective by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 September 2010
The excruciatingly catchy novelty song was a hallmark of the 1980s. Is it back? And how do you write one? Dave Simpson talks to the ...
The Duke & The King: The Duke and the King: Long Live the Duke and the King
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 September 2010
ONLY A YEAR after their acclaimed debut, Simone Felice's post-Felice Brothers band's follow-up is undeniably lovely. ...
of Montreal: Academy 2, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 7 October 2010
THE STAGE IS DOMINATED by a large, caped figure, wearing a three-foot goldfish on his head, and firing fake guns at the crowd. This bizarre creature ...
Brandon Flowers: Academy, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 October 2010
FROM THE STROKES' Julian Casablancas to Mick Jagger, rock frontmen have often stumbled over the transition to solo singer — but Brandon Flowers has never ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 October 2010
ROBYN CARLSSON is one of a rare breed who bridge the divide between pop fluff and cool electro. Her throbbing electronic music nods to mainstream ...
Egyptian Hip Hop: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 November 2010
SINGER LA ROUX recently pronounced the electro genre "over" — perhaps because of an upsurge of balding 1980s originals whose careers have been revived by ...
Jedward: Grand Opera House, York
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 November 2010
"BY DAY WE HAVE FLAT HAIR, at night we stick our hair up and become superstars," shrieks the John Grimes half of Jedward, explaining the ...
Shakira: Manchester Arena ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 December 2010
"I'M HERE to please you," begins the Colombian superstar Shakira. Then, wearing what may be a coat of paint rather than trousers, she hauls girls ...
Jason Derulo at Academy, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 February 2011
"You're the one for me," sings Jason Derulo, into the eyes of a girl hauled from the audience on to the stage. They embrace so ...
The Unthanks: Howard Assembly Room, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 March 2011
THE UNTHANKS' startling folk has all the eerie power of their native Northumbria's coast. Backed by trumpet, drums and a female string section reminiscent of ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 April 2011
EVEN IF Adele Adkins's record-breaking 11 weeks at the top of the album chart ends on Sunday – and it looks like the Foo Fighters ...
The Horrors: Academy 3, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 June 2011
THE HORRORS are true pop chameleons. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 7 September 2011
"THIS IS ANOTHER ONE of those, er, singalongs," says Beirut's Zach Condon, sounding slightly embarrassed by what's going on around him. Once again, the cavernous ...
Lianne La Havas: Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 November 2011
THE LATEST ARTIST to appear on Later With Jools Holland before releasing a note, Lianne La Havas is a Paloma Faith backing singer turned major ...
The Black Keys "We've put in more hours than anyone"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 December 2011
THE BLACK KEYS' singer/guitarist, Dan Auerbach, surveys his surroundings — a five-star hotel in one of the more salubrious parts of London — and seems ...
The Smiths: How we made: Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce on the Smiths' first gig
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 January 2012
Andy Rourke, bass ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 April 2012
A DECADE AFTER the acrimonious split documented in last year's Steps Reunion TV series — which painted the group as living a budget version of Fleetwood ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 May 2012
Gaz Coombes, once the cheeky, cheery Supergrass frontman, now reads French authors and writes brooding songs about bombs. ...
Grimes: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 May 2012
"I'VE GOT NO VOCALS," begins Grimes, aka 24-year-old Montreal-based artist Claire Boucher. It turns out she isn't plugged in, but the gig's beginning is only ...
Lee Ranaldo: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 June 2012
THE APPARENT END of Sonic Youth has produced the unlikely emergence of the band's co-founder as a sweetly tuneful rocker. After 30 years crafting walls ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 July 2012
FORMED IN 1986, the Swedish duo Roxette were one of the biggest pop phenomena of the 1980s and 1990s. In 2012, the vast arena isn't ...
Damian Marley: 30 minutes with … Damian Marley
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 July 2012
THE REGGAE STAR on the bittersweet pleasure of watching footage of his father, why people have started calling him "Gong Zilla", and how Jamaica has ...
Razorlight: Myrtle Park, Bingley
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 September 2012
IN THE DAYS when Razorlight's Johnny Borrell happily compared himself to Bob Dylan and Charles Dickens, he would not have expected to rock up at ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 7 October 2012
CANADIAN ROCKERS Nickelback aren't universally popular. Some 55,000 American football fans once signed a petition to attempt to stop them playing at half time. A ...
Dirty Projectors: Gorilla, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 October 2012
WHEN ALICE COOPER recently accused today's rock stars of lacking testosterone and "playing from the brain", he could have had David Longstreth in mind. ...
Grizzly Bear: Academy, Manchester
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 October 2012
GRIZZLY BEAR DON'T HAVE LAVISH VIDEOS featuring big cars and girls, expensively produced songs about bling or even an easily recognisable frontman. However, none of ...
Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra: Manchester Cathedral
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 25 October 2012
AMANDA PALMER IS NO STRANGER TO CONTROVERSY. The former Dresden Dolls singer writes songs about her experiences of date-rape and abortion. She somehow coaxed her growing ...
Civil Wars, the: The Civil Wars at Apollo, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 31 October 2012
On paper, the Civil Wars shouldn't work at all. Joy Williams is 29, brought up in California and grew up on blues and country. John ...
Beth Orton: Memorial Hall, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 28 November 2012
"GOOD EVENING Shef-f-f-f-f-iel-d-d-d," begins Beth Orton, as an incorrectly set microphone makes her voice sound as if it has been remixed by King Tubby. Then ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 December 2012
"C'MON," says Seal, holding back the first verse of his signature tune 'Killer' until the audience is clapping from front row to back. Then he leaps ...
Johnny Marr, The Smiths: Johnny Marr on the Smiths, Morrissey and putting politics back in pop
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 January 2013
With the release of his first solo album The Messenger, the former Smiths guitarist talks about finally embracing his old sound, David Cameron and why ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 February 2013
A DECADE AGO, when reality TV show Popstars: The Rivals pitted Girls Aloud against favourites One True Voice, you wouldn't have put money on the ...
Adamski, Seal: Seal and Adamski: How we made 'Killer'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 March 2013
The singer and producer recall the acid house anthem that took them from illegal raves to stardom and a No 1 hit. ...
Bring Me the Horizon: Cockpit, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 April 2013
"'OW THE FUCK ARE WE FEELING, LEEDS?" asks Oli Sykes, frontman of Bring Me the Horizon, to roars of approval. His Sheffield quintet are leading ...
(British) Sea Power: British Sea Power: Metropolitan University, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 April 2013
TEN YEARS AFTER THEIR DEBUT, The Decline of British Sea Power, the Brighton-based oddballs remain one of the most quixotic, enigmatic presences in British pop, ...
Jason Derulo: "I couldn't even tie my own shoelaces"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 July 2013
JASON DERULO is back in the charts — despite breaking his neck after a back flip went wrong. So is the R&B sensation still doing acrobatics? ...
Pond (Australia): Pond: Hobo Rocket
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 August 2013
INCLUDING TWO CURRENT MEMBERS of Tame Impala and one ex-member in Nick Allbrook, Aussie band Pond are a slightly jokier but no less productive relation ...
Chase and Status: Arena, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 November 2013
CELEBRATING THEIR 10TH YEAR as a dance act by progressing to arenas, Saul "Chase" Milton and Will "Status" Kennard stand knob-twiddling behind lasers, giant jets ...
Maroon 5, Robin Thicke: Maroon 5/Robin Thicke: LG Arena, Birmingham
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 January 2014
IT MUST BE STRANGE being Robin Thicke. There he was, bouncing along with a solid if unremarkable 10-year career in R&B and suddenly 'Blurred Lines' ...
Lamb of God: Academy, Newcastle
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 January 2014
"LAMB OF GOD! LAMB OF GOD!" cry north-east England's metal hordes in a room where ritual is king. Pints are hurled and tattoos are compared ...
Suzanne Vega: The Sage, Gateshead
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 February 2014
The black-clad singer-songwriter gives her new album an ethereal feel, but still delivers her crowd-pleasing classics — and pays homage to a legendary fellow New ...
Dream Theater: Apollo Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 February 2014
CAPE-WEARING former Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman recently told The Guardian where prog rock went wrong in the 1970s. "We had this thing where bands ...
Angel Haze: Gorilla, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 March 2014
"I KNOW I haven't done a bunch of shows, so thanks y'all for coming out to see me eventually," says Angel Haze, reflecting on her ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 March 2014
Incorrigible showmen unite with a superb band in a smallish venue to give an enthusiastic young audience a treat ...
Drake, The Weeknd: Drake/The Weeknd: Manchester Arena
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 March 2014
ABEL TESFAYE, aka the Weeknd, is receiving the kind of cheers you rarely hear for what is technically a support act. The fast-rising 22-year-old Toronto ...
The Stranglers on 40 years of fights, drugs, UFOs and "doing all the wrong things"
Retrospective and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 March 2014
Legend has it the Stranglers started a fight with the Clash, took heroin for a year, exploited strippers on stage, and incited a riot in ...
Justin Timberlake: Sheffield Arena
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 31 March 2014
THE FIRST THING Sheffield sees of Justin Timberlake is his giant silhouette on an enormous backdrop. ...
Slint's Spiderland: the album that reinvented rock
Retrospective and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 May 2014
IN 1991, TEENAGE BAND Slint recorded Spiderland, a brooding, sinister record that invented post-rock and influenced a generation of musicians. What inspired a group of ...
Janelle Monáe: The Institute, Birmingham
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 May 2014
"JANELLE! MON-ÁE!" yells the Birmingham crowd as the singer is pushed on in a wheelchair, wearing a straitjacket. She leaps up, throwing off the garment ...
One Direction: Stadium Of Light, Sunderland ***
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 May 2014
There may be yet more trouble ahead but it will clearly take more than a whiff of controversy to blunt 1D's appeal ...
The Eagles, Bernie Leadon: Eagles: Leeds Arena
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 25 June 2014
"WE'LL PLAY TOGETHER AGAIN when hell freezes over," insisted the Eagles' Don Henley when the 70s' biggest-selling American band fell apart in 1980, amid drug ...
Tame Impala: Albert Hall, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 July 2014
IT MUST BE STRANGE for Tame Impala's Kevin Parker to have written an album about isolation and loneliness and then be required to share his ...
Katy B: Pride, Liverpool waterfront
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 August 2014
Out of her natural club environment, and thrust on to a pigeon-strewn, rainy promenade, Katy B compensated by having something for everybody. ...
Retrospective by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 August 2014
From the tragedy of Ian Curtis's suicide emerged one of the defining groups of the '80s, combining pop smarts with experimental leanings. Here are 10 ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 September 2014
Sublime hooks and textures ...
Adam Lambert, Queen: Queen and Adam Lambert: Arena, Newcastle
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 January 2015
AS FANCIFUL AS IT SOUNDS, in Lambert the legendary rock band have found a flamboyant showman with the Freddie factor ...
Slipknot: Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 January 2015
"IS THAT FUCKIN' Sheffield I hear?" asks Corey Taylor, Slipknot's horror-masked frontman. ...
Django Django: The Wardrobe, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 February 2015
DJANGO DJANGO have always favoured doing things with a twist. Their eponymous debut was hailed for its innovative, modern take on psychedelia, offering a beaty ...
The Strokes: How we made Is This It
Retrospective and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 March 2015
ALBERT HAMMOND Jr, lead guitar: ...
Django Django: "After our first album, everything went nuts"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 March 2015
Django Django's first record propelled them from back-room gigs to the top of festival bills. How did they escape second-album syndrome? ...
Gaz Coombes: The Cluny, Newcastle
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 May 2015
WITH PSYCHEDELIC SYMPHONIES and darkly ecstatic drug meltdowns, the ex-Supergrass frontman takes the crowd on a ride from melancholia to euphoria. ...
Pharrell Williams: First Direct Arena, Leeds ****
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Observer, 14 June 2015
The effortless party-starting superstar may be a jack of all trades, but he's masterly at most ...
Sarah Cracknell: Gorilla, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 June 2015
"YOU MAY NOTICE that I've got a bad throat," begins Sarah Cracknell, ominously. For the next couple of songs, she struggles to hit the higher ...
Michael Head & The Strands: The Olde World
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 25 June 2015
AFTER FRONTING the revered-but-unsuccessful Pale Fountains, Shack and the Strands alongside his guitarist brother John, Michael Head was once dubbed "Britain's greatest songwriter (recognise him?)" ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 July 2015
The Chicago band's ninth album successfully blends Bowie space-glam, Beatles psychedelic singsong and Captain Beefheart weirdness ...
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 August 2015
From Suzi Quatro to Saxon's Biff Byford, rock's pioneers have been making music for more than 40 years. Here they talk about leather jumpsuits, performing ...
Wolf Alice: Newcastle University
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 September 2015
IN AN AGE OF INSTANT EVERYTHING, Wolf Alice prove that the tortoise can still beat the hare. After they formed (initially as an acoustic duo) ...
The Lemonheads: Ritz, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 October 2015
Without the drugs, and supported by the youthful enthusiasm of bassist Jen Turner, Evan Dando gives his hit parade the care it deserves – and ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 28 October 2015
"THIS ONE'S GOING to be in near darkness," mutters the man on the door, and Beach House emerge in so much gloom that if one ...
Mumford & Sons: Mumford and Sons: Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 30 November 2015
THE WAISTCOATS may have been abandoned in favour of leather jackets, widescreen rock and lasers, but pandemonium erupts for every stomping oldie. ...
Alien Ant Farm: Northumbria University, Newcastle
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 January 2016
THE LIKES OF KORN and Limp Bizkit may have been the stars of nu-metal, but Californians Alien Ant Farm were the movement's successful pranksters. While ...
Shearwater: Jet Plane and Oxbow
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 January 2016
SHEARWATER'S SOMETIME naturalist frontman, Jonathan Meiburg, describes the band's ninth and finest album as a "protest record", and it finds him surveying a world embattled ...
Barry Adamson: "I've been called the outsider's outsider"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 February 2016
The Bad Seeds and Magazine bassist on writing music for David Lynch, being ignored by Morrissey and moving to Moss Side to recuperate after the ...
White Denim: The Deaf Institute, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 February 2016
THEY DON'T HAVE the sheen of contemporaries the Black Keys, but fired-up guitar solos and soulful falsettos get the crowd whooping ...
Bill Ryder-Jones: The Deaf Institute, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 March 2016
A MAGICAL TALENT spills melody and emotion. Co-founder of the Coral takes the solo route to fuse grunge and gentleness in compelling tales of everyday ...
The Sound: Cult heroes: The Sound – critical darlings who were crowded out by kings of angst
Retrospective by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 March 2016
With the zeal of Joy Division, the majesty of the Bunnymen and the melancholy of the Cure, it's one of music's eternal mysteries why this ...
Explosions in the Sky: The Wilderness
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 31 March 2016
TEXAN FOUR-PIECE Explosions in the Sky have developed an international cult following as their post-rock instrumentals have appeared everywhere from film soundtracks to TV trailers. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 July 2016
Beguiling fairytales, big choruses — as the crowd declare love, it beggars belief that Belly have spent so long in cold storage. ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 August 2016
LIKE THEIR PEERS the Chills, the Moles' gently psychedelic, impassioned indie-rock strayed into the elemental. Now reactivated around Australian founder Richard Davies after interest was ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 August 2016
IT'S 14 YEARS since Lisa Hannigan first came to attention as the second voice on Damien Rice's debut, O, and five since her last album, ...
Ed Harcourt: "I'm coming out with fists flying"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 September 2016
It's taken seven albums, visions of the child catcher and Billy Bunter's reflection in the mirror, but the English songwriter has finally refound his voice ...
Arab Strap: The Cluny, Newcastle upon Tyne
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 October 2016
Aidan Moffatt and Malcolm Middleton revive tales of chaotic lifestyles for Brexit Britain, with music that ricochets between folk, pop and intense dance. ...
Chance the Rapper: Academy, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 November 2016
The hip hop boundary-breaker had a triumphant night in Manchester, keeping his audience on their toes with a mix of humility, eclecticism and spirituality. ...
The Lemon Twigs: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 December 2016
Michael and Brian D'Addario dress like they're in a 70s panto, but any suggestions of pastiche are demolished by the humbling beauty of their songs. ...
The Blue Aeroplanes: Academy 2, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 16 January 2017
With their constantly changing lineup, poetic lyrics and unstoppable dancer Wojtek, the Bristol band show no signs of landing. ...
Jesca Hoop: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 29 March 2017
THE TRADITIONAL music business strategy of finding a distinctive style and sticking to it doesn't apply to Jesca Hoop. ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 May 2017
Steaming cauldrons and drum riser acrobatics … Bruce Dickinson and co's languid brand of British heavy metal embraces all and shows no signs of rust ...
Chesney Hawkes, Nik Kershaw: Chesney Hawkes and Nik Kershaw: How we made 'The One and Only'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 22 May 2017
Chesney Hawkes, singer My dad was in the Tremeloes. As a kid, I watched him — Len "Chip" Hawkes — in his leather trousers with his ...
Broken Social Scene: Albert Hall, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 May 2017
THE DAY AFTER THE ARENA BOMBING, Manchester city centre is almost deserted and police patrol the streets. Evening sunshine pours through stained glass windows into ...
Declan McKenna: What Do You Think About the Car?
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 July 2017
WITH A MAJOR LABEL DEAL and a super televised Glastonbury appearance under his belt at the age of 18, Declan McKenna has the youthful self-confidence ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 August 2017
LAST YEAR, Wolf Alice singer Ellie Rowsell told the Observer that she was reading Michael Azerrad's book Our Band Could Be Your Life, which had ...
The Mountain Goats: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 6 October 2017
John Darnielle was on gloriously shambolic form as music's goth capital was treated to a chaotic evening that merged flute solos with satanic worship. The Mountain ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 October 2017
Indie polymath moves from hurtling shoegaze to blissed-out electronica. ...
Insane Clown Posse: Riverside, Newcastle
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 November 2017
CONTROVERSY SEEMS to follow Insane Clown Posse around. The Detroit "horrorcore" duo have seen albums pulled from shelves and their army of fans, the Juggalos, ...
Liam Gallagher: First Direct Arena, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 December 2017
Raw power and energy radiate from the former Oasis frontman as he draws on songs from his solo debut and era-defining classics in a dynamo ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 January 2018
MANY A BAND has stumbled trying to take a cult following with them into the uber-mainstream. However, since re-forming in 2013, Fall Out Boy have ...
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 30 January 2018
"If this is a hit," I said, "I'll run naked down Hollywood Boulevard." ...
Macklemore: Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 April 2018
WHEN HE WAS A STRUGGLING UNKNOWN, Seattle's Ben Haggerty, AKA Macklemore, pondered being a white rapper: "I give everything I have when I write a ...
Shame: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 April 2018
The young Londoners make no bones about thieving ideas from other bands, but their blend of intense rhythms and sarcastic banter is unique. ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 May 2018
IN 2016, ELEANOR Friedberger spent a month in Athens, Greece, ending up in what the half-Greek American describes as an "'80s goth disco" – called ...
Hollywood Vampires: Genting Arena, Birmingham
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 June 2018
THE ORIGINAL HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES drinking club included the likes of John Lennon and Harry Nilsson. Today, the band of the same name are a curious ...
Ty Segall and White Fence: Joy
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 20 July 2018
CALIFORNIAN CULT GARAGE ROCKER Ty Segall is a textbook example of how to succeed in the modern music industry on one's own terms. Over the ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 17 August 2018
IT'S 25 YEARS SINCE Gabrielle scored a No 1 with her first single, 'Dreams' ("can come true …"), virtually the story of her mercurial rise ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 August 2018
OH HOW WE LAUGHED when these two teenage former child actors emerged from Long Island in 2016. Their garish soft-rock 70s jackets and mullets made ...
Idles: Joy As an Act of Resistance
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 31 August 2018
POP MUSIC TAKES US to some wonderful places in 2018 but, Sleaford Mods aside, doesn't often reflect the sharp end of austerity, post-referendum Britain. But, ...
Prince: Piano & a Microphone 1983 — revelatory listen from a colossal talent
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 September 2018
THE RECORDINGS on this posthumous Prince album weren't originally intended for release. But they capture Prince Rogers Nelson at the peak of his powers, alone ...
What crisis? Why music journalism is actually healthier than ever
Report and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 October 2018
A steady decline in circulation of the music press, epitomised by the closure of NME this year, has created new opportunities for stalwarts and niche ...
Architects: Holy Hell - Addressing Tragedy With Gravity And Defiance
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 9 November 2018
IN 2016, Brighton metalcore giants Architects were sent reeling when founder guitarist and songwriter, Tom Searle — brother of drummer Dan — died of skin ...
Judge Jules: How we made: Ministry of Sound
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 November 2018
"I found a car park in Elephant and Castle, south London, with a roof covered in pigeon poo. I walked in and thought, 'This is ...
Bring Me the Horizon: Arena Birmingham
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 November 2018
AHEAD OF THEIR FORTHCOMING sixth album, the Sheffield pop-metal band provide catharsis but stop short of being true spokesmen for a troubled generation. 'We'll never sell ...
The Good Bad & The Queen: The Good, the Bad & the Queen: North Pier theatre, Blackpool
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 December 2018
DAMON ALBARN JABS A FINGER at Brexit Britain's divisions but the show turns bawdily riotous and, with the help of a male voice choir, inspirational Away ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 December 2018
THIS TIME LAST YEAR, Wooden Shjips were working on a "summer record", but external events impinged on the creative process. There was America's climate of ...
The Cardigans: Manchester Apollo
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 4 December 2018
The guitar-pop band reconvene to play their biggest-selling album, Gran Turismo — but shine brightest when they leave its darkness behind. ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 25 January 2019
"It ain't heavy metal, but that's alright" ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 18 February 2019
IF RAMI Malek hadn't landed the part of Freddie Mercury in the Bohemian Rhapsody film, it should surely have gone to Luke Spiller. The Struts' ...
Billie Eilish: Academy, Manchester
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 28 February 2019
A teenage talent not quite eclipsed by screaming fans: the LA singer had her young audience shouting her empowering lyrics as she worked the room ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 March 2019
Ahead of their fifth album, Yannis Philippakis and co. blend the avant garde with football-terrace energy. ...
Foals: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part I
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 March 2019
Foals have found a new zip to their grooves: this is a fitting soundtrack for a world mired in uncertainty ...
Baroness: Gold & Grey – ambitious rockers go beyond metal
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 June 2019
BARONESS HAVE CERTAINLY paid their dues. A bad 2012 bus crash, resulting in traumatic injuries and the departure of three members, played havoc with the ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 August 2019
OVER THE LAST 11 YEARS, Californian cult garage rocker Segall has released 13 solo albums, collaborated with Tim Presley on last year's excellent Joy, played ...
Mel B: Grand Theatre, Leeds - A Brutally Honest Evening
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 August 2019
THIS SHOW IS BILLED AS "brutally honest" so let's be brutally honest. Mel B's audience isn't full – although neither is it the sales disaster ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 1 November 2019
The soulful singer's third LP is timeless and contemporary at the same time, with shades of everything from What's Going On to Screamadelica. ...
Lil Peep: Everybody's Everything
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 15 November 2019
LIL PEEP'S DEATH from a drugs overdose in 2017 hasn't stopped a thriving industry continuing in the emo rapper's wake. Last year's Come Over When ...
Snow Patrol: How they made 'Run'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 26 November 2019
"I WENT ON a three-day bender in Glasgow and woke up blind in one eye with teeth missing. After I recovered, songs started pouring out ...
Roxette: 'It Must Have Been Love': Roxette's power ballad is a masterpiece of pain
Essay by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 December 2019
By following the Motown blueprint of blending ecstatic music with agonised lyrics, Roxette created the ultimate breakup song — and the late Marie Fredriksson delivered ...
James Blunt: How we made 'You're Beautiful'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 January 2020
'It's portrayed as a romantic song but it's actually a bit creepy. It's about a guy — me — stalking someone else's girlfriend while high' ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 14 February 2020
Perth's disco dork returns after a four-year hiatus with an album that finds existential meaning in genre-surfing dance music ...
Michael Kiwanuka: O2 Academy, Birmingham
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 March 2020
The two-time Brit nominee rejects a brash victory lap in favour of a deep dive into his socially conscious hit album ...
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 March 2020
Although some routines are getting well-worn, Cullum hops between hip-hop, crooning and one-liners with aplomb ...
Rick Astley, Stock Aitken Waterman: Rick Astley: How we made 'Never Gonna Give You Up'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 23 March 2020
"One day I was making the tea for Bananarama. The next I was at No 1." ...
Clannad: How Clannad made 'Theme from Harry's Game'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 April 2020
"The chorus comes from ancient Irish music. Some people thought I was singing, 'On the dole, all day'" ...
Discharge, GBH: 'They made Sex Pistols sound like Take That': the fury of Midlands punk
Profile and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 21 April 2020
Discharge, GBH and other scrappy bands rose up out of a scene where gigs were like wars. Clay Records' leading lights recall how technique came ...
XTC: How we made 'Making Plans for Nigel'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 27 April 2020
"British Steel responded by rounding up a lot of workers called Nigel and getting them to say their jobs were actually great." ...
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 8 May 2020
WITH HIS FOURTH solo album the acclaimed producer faces down the confusion of modern life with intoxicating calm. ...
Working Men's Club: Working Men's Club (Heavenly)
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 2 October 2020
The West Yorkshire band take the stark electronics of the post-punk scene and warm them with Detroit techno and Italian house – while addressing Andrew ...
Faithless: How we made 'Insomnia'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 October 2020
"MTV FORCED US to change the first line. It was originally: I only smoke weed when I need to" ...
Roland Gift: "I went back to where being pretty didn't matter"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 December 2020
He was "the first black punk in Hull" and was named one of the world's 50 most beautiful people. But the singer turned his back ...
Sean Paul's teenage obsessions: "My Coventry grandmother cooked me bubble and squeak"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 11 March 2021
Ahead of two new albums this spring, the dancehall superstar recalls the poignancy of his first love, and how water polo took his mind off ...
Rose Royce: How we made 'Car Wash'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 July 2021
"THIS WILL never be a hit, we told each other — we are literally singing about a car wash!" ...
The Boo Radleys: "It seemed to capture a wave": How the Boo Radleys made 'Wake Up Boo!'
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 13 September 2021
"MARTIN WROTE THE SONG while watching The Big Breakfast on acid. Then, when we recorded the song in Wales, there was a night when some ...
Fontaines D.C.: University of Liverpool
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 October 2021
The Dubliners burst brilliantly back on stage with literary-hearted rock that's up there with the Smiths or the Pogues ...
Sam Fender: Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Live Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 19 November 2021
A RAPTUROUS CROWD offer a hero's welcome to the singer whose epic anthems deliver eeriness, intimacy and utter exhilaration ...
Leftfield: "Having a colonoscopy was like being in a nightclub"
Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 10 October 2022
If the UK electronica pioneers' new album sounds urgent, that's because Neil Barnes has faced divorce, depression and a cancer scare. "I thought: if I ...
The Vaccines: Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations
Review by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 12 January 2024
High-octane sonic euphoria: The indie rockers' sixth album offers more of the same boisterous widescreen anthems and big singable choruses — but with some subtler ...
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