Ed Sheeran, Fuse ODG: do they know they’re dead right about Band Aid? Africa needs more than a singalong

No wonder pop stars and others feel uneasy about the project. However well-intentioned, it now does more harm than good, says author and broadcaster Nels Abbey

Two Bee Gees drummers die within days of one another

The band’s original drummer, Colin Petersen, died four days before Dennis Bryon, who played throughout their imperial Saturday Night Fever phase

Ripple Effect Band: the all-female rock group singing in a language spoken by about 50 people

Playing a saltwater blend of reggae and blues, Ripple Effect Band are the first all-female group from Maningrida, Arnhem Land, where music is traditionally a male pursuit

‘A road trip like no other’: my epic drive on Kraftwerk’s Autobahn

Fifty years ago, the electronic pioneers released a 23-minute song about a road – and changed pop music for ever. Our writer hits the speed-limit-free highways of Düsseldorf and Hamburg in search of its futuristic brilliance

MJ Lenderman review – songs of solace and goofy poetry from lauded indie darling

The North Carolina musician and his band comfort the crowd with a set of smart, beguiling songs played with skill and camaraderie

The Mars Volta: ‘The world we were in was very sexist and homophobic’

An intimate new documentary takes us behind the highs and lows of a band who were touched by many tragedies

Ed Sheeran: I wish I wasn’t on 40th-anniversary version of Band Aid

Singer says his ‘understanding of the narrative’ around Do They Know It’s Christmas? has changed since 2014 appearance

Charles Dumont, composer of Édith Piaf’s Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien, dies at 95

Singer-songwriter also composed melodies for stars including Dalida, Jacques Brel and Barbra Streisand

‘Happy hour in reverse’: where dynamic pricing may creep further

After the Oasis ticket row, experts say fluctuating charges could become the norm in other industries

Ghostface Killah review – Wu-Tang vet coasts as fans take up the slack

This lopsided night lacks atmosphere, but the enduring magnetism and mythos of Wu-Tang Clan lifts it a little

From the salon and the scarf dance … to silence: the music of Cécile Chaminade

Her work was played at Queen Victoria’s funeral, and her compositions celebrated all over the world – but today she is barely known. Stephen Hough on why he is putting Chaminade in his current season

‘Sometimes it can get tiring’: how Royel Otis became indie’s next big thing

The Australian duo went viral twice – for a Sophie Ellis-Bextor cover, then a Cranberries cover. Now they have eight Aria nods and a US and Europe tour

Three things with Tim Rogers: ‘Reading is the only real way to quell bad thoughts’

In Guardian Australia’s weekly interview about objects, the veteran musician shares the anxiety-quelling powers of fiction and the reason he travels with leaves in his pockets

Khruangbin review – exquisite dreamy grooves get lost in the ether

Playing latest album A La Sala in full the Houston trio showcase their sophisticated mid-paced melancholy, but their detached vibe diminishes their impact

‘I’m often the only woman in the room’: the female music managers changing the industry’s tune

With women now comprising 38% of its 1,500-strong membership, the Music Manager’s Forum typifies the changing face of the industry