Black Midi: Hellfire review – exhilarating ambition
The Londoners freely cram genres and ideas into their concept album about death
July 2021
The best original photographs from the Observer
Original Observer photography
Sir Ian McKellen, a seafood bonanza, and secrets of the pet detectives – the best photography commissioned by the Observer in June 2021
June 2021
Best culture of 2021 so far
The best albums of 2021 so far
The month's best album reviews
Olivia Rodrigo, DMX, Wolf Alice and more: June’s best album reviews
Kitty Empire's artist of the week
Black Midi review – punk-jazz power is a recipe for success
Edinburgh international festival returns with music-heavy lineup
May 2021
Black Midi: Cavalcade review – freakish parade of prog-jazz extremity
Reopening culture
From Latitude to Lady Gaga: what to see as music venues and festivals reopen
February 2021
Black Country, New Road: For the First Time review – one of the best albums of 2021
'30% hate us, 50% don't care': Black Country, New Road, Britain's most divisive new band
March 2020
Musical notes
Musical notes: how male pop stars are making love songs all about them
Our monthly column continues with further thoughts on festival equality and the lost soul star Kenny Carter. Please share your own observations in the comments
December 2019
Best music of 2019
The 50 best albums of 2019: the full list
Best music of 2019
Guardian albums and tracks of 2019: how our writers voted
September 2019
Mercury prize 2019: rapper Dave wins for 'exceptional' Psychodrama
The south London artist wins the £25,000 prize for an album the Guardian hailed as ‘fearless and incisive’
'Most political in years': critics hail Mercury prize's return to protest music
Artists including Little Simz and slowthai tackle climate crisis, austerity and racism
Mercury hopefuls Black Midi: 'All great art comes from self-indulgence'
Black Midi’s thrillingly unclassifiable racket has earned them industry hype unheard-of for a guitar band today. So how did the diehard experimentalists emerge from the same talent school as Adele?
June 2019
One to watch
One to watch: Black Midi
Alexis Petridis's album of the week
Black Midi: Schlagenheim review – the weirdest buzz band of the year
