Romy review – a masterclass in bittersweet feeling
Showcasing her debut solo album, last year’s Mid Air, the xx frontwoman escapes the elegant restraint of her band with a set full of euphoric rhythms and unambiguous hymns to her wife
September 2023
Top of the List
Best things to do in Australia this weekend: what to watch, read and cook
In a new weekly column, the team behind pop culture newsletter Saved for Later recommend their latest and/or forthcoming obsessions
August 2023
Alexis Petridis's album of the week
Romy: Mid Air review – xx singer shines through dancefloor gems
Expertly produced with Jamie xx, Fred Again and Stuart Price, Romy Madley Croft’s debut solo album tops off vivid house and trance tunes with pop smarts and personal lyrics
May 2023
On my radar
On my radar: Romy’s cultural highlights
The xx singer-songwriter and guitarist on the film that reminds her of holidays with her dad, reliving the Lionesses’ big win and her housework listening
December 2022
Best music 2022
The 50 best albums of 2022
In an unprecedented year of change in music, albums of all genres confounded expectations – from vulnerable rap to pop with gravitas. Listen your way to our No 1 album of the year
September 2022
Oliver Sim: Hideous Bastard review – raw frankness on xx singer’s solo debut
Though he struggles to match the devastating lead single, Sim reveals new emotional range
August 2022
Autumn arts preview 2022
Oliver Sim: ‘The way I dealt with shame in the past hasn’t worked at all’
Prior to his first solo album, the xx’s musician opens up about queerness, his love for horror baddies, and why he is finally a believer in sharing – in real life and in music
November 2020
Club culture
The xx's Romy: 'I can now write about loving a woman and not feel afraid'
Her forthcoming solo album is a love letter to formative years of queer clubbing and 00s Euro-dance, as the singer swaps black clothes and bleak moods for Technicolor euphoria
September 2019
Best culture of the 21st century
The 100 best albums of the 21st century
We polled 45 music writers to rank the definitive LPs of the 21st century so far. Read our countdown of passionate pop, electrifying rock and anthemic rap – and see if you agree
July 2018
Ranked
Every Mercury prize-winning album – ranked!
Tainted love: how Drake started pop’s erotic comedown
June 2018
Parklife festival review – Manchester turns night to day with punishing party energy
Liam Gallagher is incongruous, but prompts massive singalongs, while the xx and Confidence Man are other big successes
May 2018
All Points East review – Björk brings life to corporate festival newcomer
Big-hitting headliners such as LCD Soundsystem and Lorde made the first All Points East a success, but thin afternoon bills and a fuzzy identity didn’t help
March 2018
Bon Iver, Frank Ocean and … Shania Twain? Here are the most influential artists in music today
To mark Bon Iver’s reissue of his super-influential debut, Guardian music writers make the case for the musicians they think have had the biggest sway on music right now
January 2018
Liam Gallagher, Skepta and the xx to headline Manchester's Parklife festival
Selfies! Smoking! Snogging! Why pop stars love a house party
December 2017
Best music of 2017
The best albums of 2017: the full list
St Vincent tops our countdown of this year’s most outstanding sounds, from complex rap to moody rock, alt-R&B, inventive grime and more
October 2017
All Points East festival announced for London, replacing Field Day and Lovebox
The xx, the National and the War on Drugs are currently confirmed for the 10-day event in May 2018 held in Victoria Park, London
September 2017
Mercury prize 2017: Sampha wins for Process – as it happened
