Entertainment

I don’t know if it’s the clean-slate nature of January, the turning of new leaves, the refreshing of the arbitrary loadbar of life, but the first playlist of the year is a real crisp one. Maybe some of the cooler musicians on the scene were waiting for gaudy Bublé Christmas to clear off before releasing their best stuff, like a palette-cleansing aperitif. Listen to that opening run of Lowly, Noname and The Japanese House and tell me you don’t feel...

Critical praise on a debut album is a boon, but also a rod for the backs of new artists. Oslo’s Spielbergs have demonstrated some serious chops on This Is Not The End, producing a composite of familiar post-hardcore tropes and melodic pop sensibilities. It’s a stride out the gates, but expectations for album two are already crystallising in the early hype. There are favourable comparisons to be made: ‘Distant Star’ is a lost The Xcerts vocal melody – with more bite,...

Thanks to solar power, Jamaica’s future is bright in Ira Poyser’s visionary debut novel, which imagines the Caribbean island as a powerhouse of economics, sport and global affairs. By Lucy Bryson It’s portrayed as an idyllic island blessed with blue skies, white sandy beaches and warm Caribbean seas. But away from the affluent tourist spots where holidaymakers sip expensive cocktails to reggae music lies a country struggling with crime, violence, poverty, inequality and unemployment. For all of Jamaica’s accomplishments –...

HMV's Oxford Street store is among the 27 stores in line for closure after Canadian music entrepreneur Doug Putman confirmed he had bought the retailer this morning. The closure will end a 98-year residence on one of the world's most famous high streets, and joins a number of culls elsewhere in London. An outlet in Westfields Shepherds Bush is due to be closed as well as stores in Wimbledon, Uxbridge and Watford. The Fopp in Covent Garden, as well as stores in...

@ O2 Academy, Brixton, London25/01/2019Support: Kvelertak, Mutoid ManPictures: Graham Berry (@blktphotography) Atlanta metal-sluggers Mastodon closed out January with a sold out show at the O2 Brixton Academy, bringing power stances and muscular riffs to the end of the Victoria Line. New jams from the band's seventh album, Emperor of Sand, sounded massive in the Academy, which was the venue Mastodon selected to use for their first live DVD in 2012. Check out the full gallery below, including support from Kvelertak...

"I've never been more sure that inclusivity starts from the youngest possible age. I hope these stories will be used for years to come."

John McDevitt cannot hear but uses vibrations to help him mix tracks

Award winning comedian and News Quiz favourite Jeremy Hardy has died after battling cancer his publicist has announced. Tributes from the greats of broadcasting, comedy and social activisim have poured in this morning (see below). The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Jeremy Hardy was a dear, lifelong friend. He always gave his all for everyone else and the campaigns for social justice. You made us all smile. You made us all think. Rest in peace, Jeremy." The comedian was 57 and...

Jak Roome and Jack Slymm are stuck in their car on the A39 between Bude and Wadebridge in Cornwall