hitmakers

Two years ago, Simple Minds’ singer Jim Kerr told the Guardian how, in the early 2000s, the band would drive past stadiums they used to sell out en route to playing a club that wasn’t. Now, they’re back in arenas, which the frontman regards as “intimate – but not too cavernous”. Their fortunes have turned around as more people have woken up to the pioneering brilliance of their early albums. Meanwhile, a retooled seven-piece line-up including two women have brought a new energy. Sarah Brown shares lead vocals occasionally…

Sir Elton John ‘knew Dua Lipa wouldn’t be at his farewell Glastonbury show’(Photo Credit: Bang Showbiz/Instagram) Sir Elton John has reportedly said he knew Dua Lipa would be absent from his Glastonbury show. The ‘Rocket Man’ singer, 76, played his last ever show in Britain to close the festival at Worthy Farm, Somerset, on Sunday (25.06.23) night, and instead of turning up as expected, 27-year-old Dua posted pictures of her having a dinner party while millions of fans watched the gig on TV and at the event. As Dua…

Whether it’s indie, rap, rock, Afroswing, grime, pop or anything else, the UK has always had a seat at the global top table. Part of that is an ever-healthy underground music scene, whose breakout stars rise up to dictate how the charts are going to look, but perhaps even more important than that are the behind-the-scenes players shifting and adjusting on a hairpin—the songwriters.In years gone by, songwriters played a number of different roles. The Brill building in New York, for example, was the motor that ran the…

It’s got to be one of the worst jobs in showbiz: being a-ha’s official photographer. Here’s the poor guy after a particularly awkward, everyone gritting their teeth photo shoot: “It’s very hard as a photographer when people don’t want to be together. It shows.” And it really does show. Watching this 40th-anniversary documentary, you might conclude that what a-ha really need is a band therapist, not a photographer.Four years in the making, a-ha: The Movie is the comprehensive story of the Norwegian trio (about 20 minutes…