Dan McCarthy

How Community Ownership can Save our Grassroots Venues

With our precious small music venues continuing to struggle, Dan McCarthy investigates how the model of mutual ownership pioneered by the Working Mens Club movement offers hope for the future

Black Sky Thinking

Why it’s Time to Support Grassroots Venues with a £1 Ticket Levy

A small levy on the price of tickets for large capacity gigs would be revolutionary in protecting grassroots, finds Dan McCarthy. So why is there a delay in the government making this law?

Previously Read

Anniversary

The Abyss Stares Back: Nine Inch Nails’ Broken Revisited

As Broken turns 30, Darran Anderson revisits a blazing and uncompromising record that would take Nine Inch Nails to new heights, as well as depths that Trent Reznor almost did not escape

Art

Art Comes In Spurts: Allison Katz’s Artery

John Quin goes with the flow at the Camden Art Centre

Live Reviews

Crushed Beats & Anaesthetic Charm: Den Haag’s Rewire Festival

Joe Snape heads to the REWIRE Festival in The Netherlands' Den Haag, and encounters smart, well-conceived collaborations and a club full of bassy delights

Art

Big Pictures: At The Biennale De L’Image En Mouvement

At Geneva's 21st Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement, Will Jennings encounters work by Hannah Black, Simon Fujiwara, Camille Henrot, Juliana Huxtable, and Grau, curated by DIS and Andrea Bellini for the Centre D'Art Contemporain

Album of the Week

Alex Macpherson On Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN.

Following the release of Kendrick Lamar's fourth album, Alex Macpherson takes a look at where the record sits in his discography and what it tells us about the rapper's progression

Black Sky Thinking

25 Years After Its Imperial Phase: Who Killed Shoegaze?

With the release of MBV's Loveless, 1991 marked the high water mark for shoegaze before the music press turned its back with a nose-high snort of derision. Ben Cardew looks over the history of the genre and asks if its decline was simply because the music just got boring

The Quietus International

Rockfort! French Music For June Reviewed By David McKenna

David McKenna flags up some French compilations released in response to the Covid-19 crisis and reviews new music from Felicia Atkinson, Franco-Senegalese rapper Zuukou Mayzie and the final album from Black Devil Disco Club

Anniversary

Revelling In Failure: Bruce Springsteen’s Shut The Fuck Up Tour

25 years ago The Boss played Brixton Academy as part of his least successful tour since his first but, says, Liam Inscoe-Jones, while he may have been underperforming catastrophically in financial terms, this was also a time of creative rebirth

A Quietus Interview

Thunder Thunder Lightning Ahead: Underworld On Dubnobasswithmyheadman

With a new tour announced and the reissue of their landmark album imminent, Joe Clay meets Karl Hyde and Rick Smith to discuss the record twenty years on and their upcoming Royal Festival Hall show

Black Sky Thinking

Graham Massey On 808 State’s Blueprint

Graham Massey returns to write us another fantastic piece, this time an overview of tracks from the new 808 State anthology, Blueprint with photos taken from his own archive

Track-by-Track

SALEM: King Night Track-By-Track Review

"I’ve never known anyone to make music as physically affecting as Salem’s," says our Kev Kharas as he gives his first impressions of _King Night_

Baker's Dozen

All For The Songs: Edwyn Collins’ Favourite Music

On the verge of a new album and his final ever tour, Edwyn Collins takes Jude Rogers through 13 records that have defined his life, from indie, soul and country classics to his encounters with Sparks and The Cribs

Books

GUTS: Viv Albertine Interviewed

The Slits guitarist chats to Aug Stone about the intuition, coincidences, and going all the way that went into writing her autobiography

Live Reviews

Leaving The Comfort Zone: Station Narva Estonia Reviewed

Richard Foster travels to the Russian Estonian border where he finds music that is mind expanding, never stuffy or bombastic

The Quietus International

Rockfort! French Music For November Reviewed By David McKenna

In the final look at the French scene in 2021, David McKenna reviews releases from L’Ocelle Mare, Aquaserge and the new star of French drill Ziak, and rounds up a few overlooked gems. Home page photograph: Soporific

Black Sky Thinking

Musicians Speak Out About Small Venue Closures

As live music venues are awarded £2.2m in emergency government funding, Fergal Kinney asks if it is enough and speaks to artists about the small venues that they love

Don’t Miss The Quietus Digest

Start each weekend with our free email newsletter.

Help Support The Quietus in 2025

If you’ve read something you love on our site today, please consider becoming a tQ subscriber – our journalism is mostly funded this way. We’ve got some bonus perks waiting for you too.

Subscribe Now

Dan McCarthy

How Community Ownership can Save our Grassroots Venues

How Community Ownership can Save our Grassroots Venues

Why it’s Time to Support Grassroots Venues with a £1 Ticket Levy

Why it’s Time to Support Grassroots Venues with a £1 Ticket Levy

Most Popular

Burnt Ends: Slackk’s Favourite Albums

A Heartbeat That Resonates: Ghetto Priest’s Favourite Albums

Sonic DNA: Natasha Khan Of Bat For Lashes’ Favourite Albums

Strength In Strangeness: The Anchoress’ Favourite Albums

Community in the Ukrainian Underground, Part One: “Nyzhnoyurkivska”, 20 Ft Radio and The Module Project

Alan Wilder Of Recoil & Depeche Mode’s 13 Favourite LPs

Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde’s Favourite Albums

Gold Dust Of Our Musical Worth: Ian Anderson’s Favourite Albums

Trace The Bloodline: Jerry Cantrell Of Alice In Chains’ Favourite Albums

Songs Are Syringes: Kristin Hersh On Her Favourite Tracks

Soul Searching: Lisa Stansfield’s Favourite Albums

Pin Ups: A David Bowie Baker’s Dozen Compilation

Never Gonna Give ‘Em Up: Rick Astley’s Favourite Albums

Previously Read

The Abyss Stares Back: Nine Inch Nails’ Broken Revisited

Art Comes In Spurts: Allison Katz’s Artery

Crushed Beats & Anaesthetic Charm: Den Haag’s Rewire Festival

Big Pictures: At The Biennale De L’Image En Mouvement

Alex Macpherson On Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN.

25 Years After Its Imperial Phase: Who Killed Shoegaze?

Rockfort! French Music For June Reviewed By David McKenna

Revelling In Failure: Bruce Springsteen’s Shut The Fuck Up Tour