With the new Surgeon album one of the highlights of 2023 so far, Anthony Child guides Luke Turner through a psychedelic journey that takes in The Cure, King Tubby, Sylvester and Alice Coltrane, and John Taverner’s quest for the sonic divine
The penniless genius creating work in his or her garret is a long-standing staple of popular culture, exploited for good PR by artists from Bob Dylan to Seasick Steve and Pete Doherty. But, says Eamonn Forde, the reality of life faced by artists like Lawrence of Mozart Estate, is not something to be celebrated by lazy music fans
Arusa Qureshi was never allowed a skateboard, but the soundtracks to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series of computer games were a vital introduction to music – one that, she argues, was far more effective than today's algorithm-driven discovery mechanisms