Sophie Heawood
Sophie Heawood grew up in York, where she went to the local schools while longing to attend Mallory Towers. She studied languages at Kings College London but dropped out and eventually got her degree at night school. She has lived in Barcelona, where she was a teenage au pair, Hong Kong, where she acted as an extra in low-budget Chinese soap operas, and Los Angeles, where she interviewed celebrities for British newspapers. Her journalism career began writing pop music reviews for the Guardian and she now writes for The Guardian, Observer, Sunday Times and Vogue. Sophie now lives in Hackney, East London with her daughter and their dog, Chips. Her bestselling memoir, The Hungover Games, was published by Cape in 2020 and has been optioned for TV.
78 articles
List of articles in the library
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 30 March 2005
THE PROBLEM with turning your life into your career is that you never get a day off. This irony dawns on Lady Sovereign tonight, as ...
Laura Cantrell: Jazz Cafe, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 3 June 2005
WHEN YOU BURST INTO TEARS ON STAGE, forget the words to several songs and introduce your double bass player as a guitarist, chances are you're ...
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 22 July 2005
WHEN YOU GO SOLO after spending eight years in a duo, how do you fill that nagging gap beside you on the stage? Easy: take ...
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 12 October 2005
"BUT ANYWAY, back to the album ... " This will prove the leitmotif of tonight's show, as the Roll Deep collective find themselves yo-yoing between ...
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 14 October 2005
WHAT A DIFFERENCE a Mercury nomination makes, as frontwoman Ninja discovers when she bounces on to the stage to announce "We're The Go! Team," and ...
Animal Collective: Scala, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 29 October 2005
LIKE WATCHING SPEEDED-UP FOOTAGE of the dawn, you don't quite notice when one part of an Animal Collective set has ended and another has started. ...
The Fiery Furnaces: ICA, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 31 October 2005
GREAT GIGS, LIKE GREAT DRAMA, require an element of conflict, and The Fiery Furnaces have the advantage on that one: they are brother and sister. ...
Roots Manuva: Kentish Town Forum, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 28 November 2005
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING of the drunk-uncle-at-a-wedding about Roots Manuva, so it's as much of a surprise for him as for us to see ...
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 16 December 2005
BETH ORTON has always been accompanied by a narrative of loneliness. The death of her parents inspired many of her early songs, which told of ...
Kid Creole & The Coconuts: Kid Creole and the Coconuts: Jazz Café, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 25 January 2006
IN AN EXCHANGE which seems quite fair —we get the Scissor Sisters, the Americans get Gavin Rossdale — US acts often make it big here ...
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 27 February 2006
JD SALINGER CLAIMED he was a paranoid in reverse who suspected people of plotting to make him happy. The Concretes seem to be gripped by ...
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 6 March 2006
WHERE DO OLD RAVERS GO when they retire? They get drunk and go to Lou Rhodes gigs. Tonight the Scala is a sea of dirty ...
Mark Morrison: ’I'm the most reallest black artist in England'
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 8 March 2006
After the court cases, the jail time and the unfounded rape allegation, Mark Morrison is keen to put his bad boy image behind him. He ...
Candi Staton: "I was so drunk I fell on to the stage"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 24 March 2006
DISCO DIVA CANDI STATON lost everything to alcohol and abuse, but the song she recorded for a diet video saved her. Now, at 66, she's ...
Plan B: Islington Academy, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 1 April 2006
THERE ARE THINGS that get said only for the shock factor, and then there are things that are just shocking. Plan B's subject matter, with ...
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 6 April 2006
FOR A ONE-HIT WONDER, Roachford sure has a lot of tunes. Gone are the early gigs, as a diehard fan reminds him tonight, where he ...
Salsa Celtica: Islington Academy, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 12 April 2006
IT IS NOT OFTEN that a salsa concert takes a break for a bagpipe solo, but that juxtaposition is Salsa Celtica's unique selling point. As ...
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 14 April 2006
IF ANYONE BOUGHT A TICKET for tonight's show because of an advertisement, in which hundreds of coloured balls tumble gaily down a San Francisco hill, ...
Placebo: Alexandra Palace, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 15 April 2006
WHEN PLACEBO FIRST HIT THE CHARTS in the mid-1990s, Brian Molko's thick black eyeliner and androgynous posturing caused a bit of a stir, as much ...
Panic! at the Disco: Astoria, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 29 April 2006
PANIC! AT THE DISCO'S DEBUT ALBUM may be called A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, but tonight their obsessive fans are trying to do just ...
Hard-Fi: Brixton Academy, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 16 May 2006
BILLY BRAGG MIGHT SEEM an unlikely guest to support a pop-rock band like Hard-Fi, but both acts are often referred to as "of the people". ...
The Rakes: Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 17 May 2006
IN THE CURRENT SURFEIT of guitar bands named after collective nouns, a group needs something singular if they are not to fall prey to NME ...
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 24 May 2006
"I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THAT, four years on, we're doing an arena tour!" announces Nadine Coyle with genuine astonishment. She's not the only one. While ...
Hot Chip: King's College, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 3 June 2006
HOT CHIP are five white Englishmen who stand in a straight line across the stage, as if waiting to be shot. They claim to love ...
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 9 June 2006
In a bid to shake off their clean-cut image, Keane have been exploring murkier territory — and hanging around with Bret Easton Ellis and Irvine ...
The Automatic: Not Accepted Anywhere
Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 16 June 2006
BLAME THE AMERICAN EMO BANDS, or the palpable fury of those nu-metal teenagers who skulk around with stares that could kill kittens, but indie is ...
Busta Rhymes: Hammersmith Apollo, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 17 June 2006
LOOKING AS IF HE'S BEEN STYLED BY MR T, and garlanded in enough bling to sink a small island, Busta Rhymes bounces on to the ...
Mary J. Blige: Mary J Blige: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 19 June 2006
THAT MARY J BLIGE HAS BEEN THROUGH some troubles in her life is well known; it's what makes her an icon of strength and survival ...
Gnarls Barkley: Hammersmith Apollo, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 8 July 2006
"I WAS GONNA STRIP FOR ALL THE GIRLS tonight but they said I'd get locked up. You can have a little peep though," says Cee-Lo, ...
Razorlight: Cut throat Razorlight
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 14 July 2006
They're riding high, but this triumph of Anglo-Swedish discord is still looking daggers. ...
Erykah Badu: Somerset House, London
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 17 July 2006
IN HER BILLOWING WHITE ROBES, with hair piled into a gigantic afro mohican, Erykah Badu looks incandescent and remarkable against the night sky at this ...
Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 4 August 2006
THE NAMES ON THIS ALBUM might be unfamiliar to some, but their work is all-pervasive in the pop landscape. Whose Mary J Blige remix apparently ...
Amy Winehouse: She's Class with a Glass: Amy Winehouse
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 3 November 2006
Cockney chanteuse Amy Winehouse thinks rehab is for wimps. But will her battles with her addictive personality deprive her of her rightful place in musical ...
Faithless: To All New Arrivals
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 24 November 2006
FAITHLESS have abandoned big rave anthems, but they'll still bite your legs ...
Belinda Carlisle: In a Provence hideaway, Belinda goes native
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 9 February 2007
'80s pop star Belinda Carlisle loves France so much she's gone native, she tells Sophia Heawood. ...
Bloc Party: Party people turn political
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 10 February 2007
Their fiery mix of pop and passion is turning Bloc Party into a key band. Our writer met them. ...
Amy Winehouse: Booze and cheers
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 8 April 2007
AMY WINEHOUSE sings like an angel, drinks like the devil and loves her festivals. ...
The Noisettes: In with a shout
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 21 April 2007
ARMED POLICE can't stop the Noisettes from making themselves heard. ...
Suzanne Vega — Still in the spotlight
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 16 June 2007
IT'S 20 YEARS SINCE Tom's Diner, but Suzanne Vega sounds as contemporary as ever. ...
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 27 July 2007
Frozen moments is how Interpol sees its intelligent, dark-edged brand of rock. Sophie Heawood met the quirky quartet. ...
Review by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 4 August 2007
YOU WOULD THINK that Richey Edwards from the Manic Street Preachers carving "4 real" into his arm, in 1991, might have ended the British fascination ...
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 28 December 2007
Universally tipped for stardom in the coming year, Adele has a mouth on her and she's not afraid to use it. ...
Lenny Kravitz: Justifying his lack of love
Report by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 25 January 2008
THERE ARE DRY PATCHES, there are droughts, and then there are deserts — and it seems that Lenny Kravitz is living through his own personal ...
The Kills: Midnight Boom, madness, Mosshart and Kate Moss
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 7 March 2008
THE ACHINGLY HIP BAND have made a surprisingly solid album, while many of their trendy peers have fallen by the wayside. ...
Josh Ritter: An unlikely candidate for a rock god
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 15 March 2008
THE MUCH-ADMIRED SINGER-SONGWRITER owes his creativity to reading, walking and narcoleptic cats. ...
The Kooks: Kooks: "I am a hit machine ... I just roll 'em out!"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 4 April 2008
Skinny jeans and catchy hooks have made the Kooks a "priority act" in the post-boyband world. Sophie Heawood follows them to Japan to find out ...
Lightspeed Champion: Meet the Lightspeed Champion Devonté Hynes
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 17 May 2008
Wacky tunes, specs and furry hat? Our correspondent meets an unlikely new champion of indie cool. ...
The Zutons open up with their third album You Can Do Anything
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 30 May 2008
The Zutons wrote 'Valerie' about a friend. Now their new album is based on other personal stories. ...
Alanis Morissette: "I'm the smartest stupid person you'll meet"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 14 June 2008
NOW SHE'S DONE with growing up, the million-selling confessional singer can relax and even laugh at herself. ...
Beth Rowley: from backing singer to Top Ten star
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 21 June 2008
At school she sang behind Ronan Keating; now the retro-chanteuse from Bristol is a solo smash hit. ...
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 29 November 2008
JESCA HOOP is gleefully pulling a wad of vintage lace out of her shopping bag. Layer after layer appears — is a grandmother somewhere being ...
Little Boots is the big sound for 2009
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 10 January 2009
She's Blackpool's answer to Kylie and a fan of unhinged escapism — Little Boots is a hot prospect ...
Grace Jones: Grace under pressure
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 23 January 2009
The rigours of the road do nothing to cool the unexpected warmth of Grace Jones, says Sophie Heawood ...
Keane are cool at last: touring Brazil with the boys
Report and Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 27 March 2009
ONCE OUR GUILTIEST PLEASURE, Keane are now openly admired by their peers. Our correspondent went on tour with them. ...
Goldie Lookin Chain: Goldie Lookin' Chain on their career highs
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 4 April 2009
IF ONLY THE NOVELIST Julie Myerson had realised that, instead of kicking her son out of the house for smoking weed, she should have encouraged ...
Iron Maiden: Britain's biggest heavy metal export
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 11 April 2009
Long a byword for uncool, Iron Maiden are now our biggest musical earners abroad after the Police and ahead of Coldplay. With a Brit in ...
Shontelle: "The army brought out my tough side — but I wanted to be fabulous"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 11 May 2009
WHEN SHONTELLE LAYNE got a call last year saying that her song 'Battle Cry' had been picked for Barack Obama's campaign album Yes We Can, ...
Thom Yorke and Flea: Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 5 October 2009
THE NEWS THAT THOM YORKE had come to Los Angeles and formed a temporary supergroup with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers was surprise ...
Snow Patrol: "We're not ready for greatest hits"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 30 October 2009
Though their music may be ubiquitous, Snow Patrol are relatively anonymous pop stars — much to the modest band's relief. ...
Review by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 21 November 2009
MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T, but it's impossible to listen to Rihanna's new record without hunting for clues about her feelings towards Chris Brown, the former boyfriend ...
Snoop (Doggy) Dogg: The new mellow Snoop Dogg still has bite
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 4 December 2009
Snoop Dogg: "Now that I'm more concerned and caring and a father and a husband — it seems the less respect I get" ...
John Mayer: Is John Mayer a rock god — or just a celebrity boyfriend?
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 2 January 2010
He's deadly serious about his music career — just ask Jennifer, Jessica and Cameron. ...
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 14 January 2010
Grizzly Bear, the vocal harmony group beloved of the hip-hop elite, talk about touring with Radiohead and the truth behind the Brooklyn scene. ...
Julian Casablancas on the Strokes and going solo
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Sunday Times, 18 January 2010
He's the privileged kid who with The Strokes shaped the future of, among others, Kings Of Leon and Arctic Monkeys. Now he's all alone ...
Joanna Newsom: The Conversation: Joanna Newsom
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 20 February 2010
She is a homebody who models for Armani, a harpist and possibly the best composer of her generation ...
Broken Bells: the surprise supergroup
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 25 June 2010
Danger Mouse and the bloke from the Shins are set to seduce Glastonbury with their wistful lyrics and uplifting choruses. ...
Roky Erickson: The Roky Erickson road to greatness
Profile and Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 7 July 2010
The pop musician has survived madness and drugs — if only just. His rocking tunes still make sense to the kids. ...
Katy Perry: What Katy Perry did next
Comment by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 27 August 2010
For a moment Lady Gaga looked to have outgunned her, but the singer is back on top. We look at what drives her ...
Scissor Sisters: "Being on stage is some sort of revenge"
Report and Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Times, 11 September 2010
Scissor Sisters talk supporting Lady Gaga, breaking the no-clowns rule at Bestival and their filthy new live show ...
Sade: Why Sade is bigger in the US than Adele
Profile by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 13 March 2012
BRITAIN MAY have all but forgotten her, but 80s popstar Sade is a huge star in the US since her 2010 comeback. So what's the ...
Keane: As Keane bow out in Berlin, I pray it's not for good
Essay by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 11 November 2013
Unbearable as it is to contemplate, the release of a greatest hits album by the band from Battle could mark their split. ...
Interpol on supermodels, surfing and (not) hanging out with the Strokes
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 28 August 2014
THINGS HAVE CHANGED on the eve of the New Yorkers' fifth album, El Pintor. Not only is it their first without bassist, Carlos D, they ...
Björk: "I couldn't just write a disco song"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 12 March 2015
Björk's new album Vulnicura documents the mess and pain of a breakup, but she's not downhearted. She talks about the influence of British punk and ...
Florence and the Machine: "I funned myself out"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 25 June 2015
Big nights and big feelings left "a trail of absolute destruction" in Florence Welch's wake. As she prepares for the biggest night of her life ...
Coldplay: Chris Martin: "Coldplay are saying the opposite of walls and Brexit"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Guardian, 23 June 2016
IT IS RATHER GRATIFYING, when meeting a band who have sold 80m albums and are about to headline the world's biggest music festival for the ...
Cat Power: "I didn't know I loved myself when I was younger"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Observer, 23 September 2018
Erratic stage shows, psychotic breakdowns, rehab… Cat Power's chaotic life is in direct contrast to her soulful music. Now a new album and motherhood have ...
Jarvis Cocker: "I've lived in my head for most of my life"
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Observer, 19 May 2019
He's never been one to stick to the script. Asked about his new music, the singer talked instead about raves and caves, fatbergs and fatherhood, ...
Interview by Sophie Heawood, The Sunday Times, 13 October 2019
CHRISTINA AGUILERA was just 14 when she made her first record — a child in an industry where older men made all the decisions. Now ...
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