Toby Mott spent his youth pogoing in a sweaty mosh pit, but made his name selling cute T-shirts to starlets. Now he's going back to his counter-cultural roots. God save the 70s, he tells Lydia Slater... more
Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut was one of the highlights of 2008, marrying afrobeat and pop to thrilling effect and earning the band comparisons with Graceland-era Paul Simon... more
He was almost as famous for his halo of blond curls as he was for his angelic voice. But while his dulcet tones are still going strong, Art Garfunkel appears to have lost a remarkable battle to keep hold of his second most famous feature... more
Since signing to London-based label XL, who found them via their MySpace page, Vampire Weekend have wasted no time building up a following. Their two UK tours to date have both sold out, while they are already pencilled in for a slew of summer festival appearances. The band have also been credited with rejuvenating the New York pop scene
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Kylie Minogue returns with her usual quality pop, Wyclef Jean continues to flourish and leading saxophonist Tineke Postma all feature in this week's top CDs.... more
Cover versions often suggest a dearth of ideas, but New York punk instigator Patti Smith has made a career out of creating arresting remakes of other people's songs.... more
What should Paul Simon do with his richly varied 49-year back catalogue? His answer was simple. At his Wembley gig he breathed new life into some old classics.... more
Lucinda Williams airs her bruised country rock, My Chemical Romance warm up for their Wembley gig and you should sell everything you own to get a ticket for Brian Wilson's West End show.... more
It's mystifying why Allen Toussaint doesn't work solo more often. As a one-man jazz-blues entertainer, this sophisticated old charmer from New Orleans has few rivals. ... more
Afternoon:
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