Features

Beardymam, a.k.a. Darren Foreman, uses technology as well as comedy and props to create classic beatbox shows

The art of noise: How Beardyman and his fellow beatboxers are revolutionising music

It is simplicity itself: a microphone and the human voice. On the eve of their UK championships, Lena Corner meets the key members of the beatbox generation

Inside Features

It's all a Blur: An A-Z of Britpop's returning heroes

Sunday, 14 June 2009

They created Britpop, could party for England and clashed with Tony Blair. Now Blur have reformed for a major UK tour. Will they put the squabbles and solo projects aside long enough to complete it?

Parties: Beth burns up the art world

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Nicky Haslam says Beth Ditto isn't beautiful, just fat. "Parties" wouldn't dream of wading into such a spat, but we can report that the Gossip girl was operating on Gas Mark 8 at the Royal Academy of Arts' summer exhibition party last week, first to shimmy up the blue carpet and last to leave, belting out her songs on a specially erected stage as the well-refreshed throng tripped into the night.

Poetry's life of grime: Why young rappers are the natural successors to Tennyson

Sunday, 14 June 2009

As it celebrates its centenary, the Poetry Society is reliving its youth. Katy Guest went to spit a rhyme with a real slam poet, and saw the experts in action

I Bet You Think This Song is About You...

Friday, 12 June 2009

Open letters to lost lovers, dark hints at lust for friends' wives, or selected because they offer opportunites for a rhyme? Ben Walsh delves into the tunes that name names ...

Dolores O'Riordan - 'I went nuts. I was so lonely all that time'

Friday, 12 June 2009

The former Cranberries singer, Dolores O'Riordan, has had a crash or two, she tells Arifa Akbar. Now, with a second solo album in the offing, she's living at a slower pace

The Barometer: The Low Anthem; Alan Pownwall; Donae'o; Neil Young; Jay-Z; Yoko Ono

Friday, 12 June 2009

What's hot on our playlist

Observations: Pioneers of the iPhone pop app

Friday, 12 June 2009

When Apple first launched iTunes in Europe, indie labels complained they were offered worse terms than the majors. Its mobile phone, though, is offering a more level playing field from the off, as shown by fizzy electropop outfit Heads We Dance. The Leeds band have made minor history as the first to stream an album ahead of release via an iPhone application. Artists from Pink to Depeche Mode offer their own app to keep in touch with fans, but getting accepted by Apple is not that straightforward.

Party of the Week: Kicking about at the Emirates

Friday, 12 June 2009

Meg Mathews took her daughter Anais Gallagher and Jude Law's daughter Iris to the Capital 95.8 FM Summertime Ball at London's Emirates Stadium, where they were seen dancing and eating candyfloss. The snazzy VIP hospitality area, for 1,200 invitation-only guests, had its own private entrance, designed like a giant radio with speakers. It was reached through a hall of fame tunnel, with moving images of all the performers, including Katy Perry and Dizzee Rascal, who were taking part in the mini pop festival.

My Fantasy Band: Jack Penate

Friday, 12 June 2009

Vocals: Joanna Newsom, Kate Bush and Thom Yorke
They all have a lot of personality and I'd really like to hear them harmonise together. If they can perform one of my songs, that'd be the dream.

Refugees find their voice – will we listen?

Friday, 12 June 2009

In the debate on immigration, "refugee" is a term we hear little of now. Yet these are often the most vulnerable arrivals. Forced from their homes, they might well have undergone long-term persecution as well as the trauma of dislocation.

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