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Fri 4 Sept 2026

Picks of the week

‘Why not try to be the best in the world, just for the fun of it?’

Art Garfunkel on a rich, restless life – and reconciling with Paul Simon

He taught maths and walked across Europe, trying to leave his demons behind. As he goes back on tour aged 84, the folk-pop legend explains how he came back to singing
Portrait of Art Garfunkel in black jumper and baseball cap
Waxahatchee performing at London’s Kentish Town Forum in 2024.
‘It’s more freaky, more balls to the wall’
How alt-country won over a new generation
A black and white photo of Godflesh, with Ben Green in the background and Justin Broadrick in the foreground
‘I want to go further’
Justin Broadrick on retiring Godflesh, playing with Phoebe Bridgers – and his new band
KD Lang by the roadside in a wide, open landscape
‘I have an obsession with barber shops’
kd lang on her prairies upbringing, Patsy Cline and being shaved by Cindy Crawford
Merzbow performing in 2007 with a strange industrial looking instrument held like a guitar
‘Get up, get breakfast, noise’
The teen going viral for enduring all 400 of Merzbow’s ear-splitting albums
Taylor Zantingh singing into a microphone under red stage lights
‘Men calling us woke need our show more than most’
Punks Piss on finding strength in visceral confrontations of sexual violence
Discover more music from the Guardian view more
 

Reviews

The pop star Adéla wearing a red ballerina tutu and white tights, standing en pointe in front of a luxurious red velvet curtain
Alexis Petridis's album of the week
Adéla: Prima – Slovakian star smashes the fourth wall to bask in pop’s cynicism and seduction
★★★☆☆
The three members of Sairie standing on a sandy track dividing two fields of yellow flowers
Folk album of the month
Sairie: Beneath the Spreading Tree – exquisite 70s-inflected folk heralds a move into autumn’s chill
★★★★☆
The four members of Chat Pile posing by a balustrade by the sea
Chat Pile
Who Loves the Sun – sludge metallers resurface with a slightly limiting alt-rock rebrand
★★★☆☆
Discover more album reviews from the Guardian view more
 
 
Make a Feast out of anything

The Feast app: your most useful kitchen utensil
Get inspired with more than 7,000 recipes from our world-class cooks and smart, exclusive features to make cooking a breeze.

 

Spotlight

quote  Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme kicked a woman and his ex-wife alleged domestic abuse. Why the cosy makeover?

Laura Snapes
Like Johnny Depp and Chris Brown before him, Homme has got past his chequered history to retain an adoring fanbase. Almost a decade post-#MeToo, audiences no longer seem to care
Josh Homme performing with Queens of the Stone Age last year.
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Classical

Composer Kaija Saariaho, with curly red hair and glasses, clasps her hands thoughtfully
Album review
Vista, Saarikoski Songs, Three Preludes – Saariaho’s iridescent visions evocatively rendered
★★★★☆
BBC PROMS Berlin Phil Credit Berliner Philharmoniker Lena Laine (10)
Live review
Berlin Philharmonic/Petrenko – insightful Elgar and Tchaikovsky holds Proms audience in thrall
★★★★★
the Berlin Philharmonic perform in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on 26 August 2026.
quote  Simply the best? Is the Berlin Philharmonic really better than all the rest?
Tom Service
Discover more classical from the Guardian view more
 

Add to playlist

The musician Nueen standing outside a block of apartments
Add to playlist
The churning darkness of Barcelona producer Nueen and the week’s best new tracks
Jennifer Herrema standing against a chain fence under a blue sky.
Jennifer Herrem