At the 69th annual International Festival of Contemporary Music in Venice, performances by the Kamigaku Ensemble, Jasmine Morris and Sunn O))) leave Robert Barry pondering what we mean when we call music 'heavy'
John Grindrod discovered his sexuality in the streets of Croydon, always looking up the tracks to London, and argues that no other artist articulate this tension between city, suburbia and LGBT+ lives quite so beautifully as did Messrs Tennant and Lowe. This BST comes with a Pet Shop Boys Suburbs vs City playlist exclusive to our Subscriber Plus supporters.
Ahead of the release of magnificent new Swans album To Be Kind, Michael Gira speaks to John Doran about that LP's ferocious grooves, his role as band leader, Haitian history, the early days of the group, and his terror at the ever-increasing commercialisation of our society. Photography by Jennifer Church, Sebastien Sighell and Matias Coral
Esme Bennett presents her picks from the performances at this year's Heroines Of Sound festival in Berlin, dedicated to experimental and multifaceted works of the world's most forward-thinking female and non-binary composers. Photos by Ulla C. Binder