Seven of the best music festivals to visit by train from the UK
From jazz in Rotterdam and hip-hop in Paris to brass bands on the beach in Blackpool, the Guardian’s music editor chooses the best European festivals that can be reached by rail
Womadelaide 2026: Grace Jones embraces the compulsion for dancing in the dark times
No matter the music, no matter the mood, the festival crowd moved and moved – in a celebration embodied by the liberated, messy and sexual stylings of the 77-year-old headliner
Golden Plains 2026 review – Basement Jaxx turn a regional farm into a surreal and heaving club
With standout sets from Cut Copy, Marlon Williams and Water From Your Eyes, the cult favourite Victorian music festival has become the hottest ticket in town
Echo and the Bunnymen review – Ian McCulloch leaves it to the crowd to sing these timelessly great songs
The frontman struggled to get through most of the band’s choruses but that left space for Will Sergeant’s glorious psychedelic shapes and a supportive sing along
Harry Styles review – Netflix concert is a communal love-in with some big pop moments
Recorded for the streaming giant, this performance wrestles songs from the star’s new album into more interesting shapes
Peter Millson obituary
Other lives: Musician who co-founded the Jazz Butcher band and recorded five solo albums
‘Someone’s paid a grand in cash’: fans camp out in Manchester for first Harry Styles concert since 2023
Styles will perform new album in full at Co-op Live arena show, with tickets being traded for well above £20 face value
Morrissey: Make-Up Is a Lie review – nostalgic, sentimental and dull, he is a shadow of what he once was
Dodgy conspiracy theories are thankfully kept to one track, but the rest is not much better, lacking insight even when Morrissey returns to his specialist subjects
Post your questions for Kim Gordon
The Sonic Youth musician will answer your queries ahead of the release of her third solo album Play Me
I had a front row seat at the Blur v Oasis frenzy – here’s what a new play gets bang on and bafflingly wrong
In 1995, the bands tussled for No 1 – and the Britpop crown. Our writer was on the inside of the mad-for-it contest. Does The Battle accurately capture this divisive moment? And what was Noel’s problem with risotto?
Waterbaby: Memory Be a Blade review – stellar singer-songwriter pieces post-breakup life back together
The Stockholm musician’s debut album is a fascinating character study with improvised lyrics and a light, pretty sound that belies its emotional depth
‘The beast inside me wants to move!’ The smart, slapstick world of Audrey Hobert, the Steve Martin of pop
She co-wrote Gracie Abrams’ hit album then struck out solo, winning a fervent cult for her funny, wordy songs. As her tour hits the UK, she explains why imperfection is so important in pop
Mitski review – pop meets performance art in a masterful spectacle
The Shed, New York CityAt a six-night residency, the singer creates an immersive world filled with wry humor and big emotions
Squeeze: Trixies review – finally completed first album proves teenage dreams are hard to beat
Squeeze’s first new album in nearly a decade is based on material written when they were teenagers. It’s endearing but callow
Bright and beautiful? The man causing millennial rapture with his school hymn singalongs
Primary School Bangers caused a sensation on TikTok, then at Glastonbury, and now it’s gone nationwide. Is it harmless nostalgia – or a symptom of an increasingly conservative culture?