Kate Mossman

The review contrasts the critic’s expectation of an irreverent, musically innovative adaptation of Trainspotting with the actual production. The musical’s first heroin-injection scene turns into a country-and-western line dance, using the song “C***s Run the Country”, written by house DJ Steve Mac with contributions from Irvine Welsh. The reviewer regards this treatment as an awkward mismatch for the heroin experience and questions the production’s distance from the drug crisis depicted in the original story.

Gracie Abrams' 16-track album Daughter From Hell is praised for its delicate melodies, acoustic finger-picking, vulnerability and Nineties-inspired sound. However, the review argues that its songs are too numerous and stylistically homogeneous, suggesting that a seven-track version would be more effective. Aaron Dessner's involvement is seen as a move away from the modern pop industry's multiple-writer formula.

Lola Young’s Brixton show exemplifies a new style of live music built around intense audience participation, with crowds singing entire songs back to artists rather than simply responding to spectacle. The heightened connection may reflect both a reaction to online life and fans’ deeper familiarity with artists’ personal struggles. However, the audience also shifted between fervent engagement and phone-driven withdrawal. When Young performed “Messy” at the end of the concert, the crowd’s subdued reaction suggested that listeners valued more than just her viral hit.

Paul Simon’s reluctance to describe his return to touring as a retirement reversal is considered alongside the spiritual and philosophical concerns of his music. His 2023 song cycle Seven Psalms, inspired by dreams between waking and sleeping, presents God through shifting images and playful dialogues, while Simon’s lyrics evoke the divine as something elemental and faintly visible in ordinary life and music.

Olivia Dean’s six sold-out shows at London’s O2 arena are presented as evidence of her broad appeal and increasingly assured artistry. Her album The Art of Loving, influenced by bell hooks and compared with Carole King’s Tapestry, blends soft rock, soul and classic pop while exploring vulnerability, growth and the meaning of love. The review praises Dean’s flawless professionalism, warm stage presence and timeless arrangements, while suggesting that her carefully crafted, understated arena production could sustain a long career and connect with audiences as they grow older.

Ringo Starr’s third country album, The Long, Long Road, is reviewed as a warm, polished tribute to his lifelong affection for classic country music. Produced and co-written by T-Bone Burnett, the record adopts a 1950s Western-swing sound and features collaborations with St Vincent, Sheryl Crow and Sarah Jarosz. The review places Starr’s enduring appeal in his age, distinctive voice and connection to musical history rather than in claims of genius.

The piece criticises the Michael Jackson biopic for ending in 1988 and omitting the extensive child abuse allegations against Jackson, arguing that control by the Jackson family and estate produced a sanitised account. It questions why Jackson remains largely uncancelled, concluding that the extraordinary appeal of his music and dancing has led fans to compartmentalise the allegations. The film is portrayed as a product for Jackson's enduring and growing fan base rather than an attempt at genuine rehabilitation.

Lena Dunham’s Famesick examines the physical and psychological costs of her sudden fame after Girls became a cultural phenomenon in 2012. The review describes her compulsive engagement with online criticism, struggles with illness and anxiety medication, and retreat from public life after conservative media attacked autobiographical passages in Not That Kind of Girl. It presents Dunham as a figure whose messy, humorous perspective helped normalize women’s candid creative work while exposing the public’s hostility toward that same honesty.

Cary Raditz recounts his two-month relationship with Joni Mitchell in Matala, Crete, during the period when she wrote “Carey” and “California” for Blue. The feature compares Raditz’s memories with Mitchell’s earlier accounts, describing him as a volatile, charismatic presence who acted as her protector and muse while she navigated emotional vulnerability and rising fame. Their relationship continued intermittently in California, Britain and the United States, including a period when Raditz accompanied Mitchell and James Taylor. Raditz later pursued careers in development work and banking but remained haunted by being immortalised in Mitchell’s songs. After decades of avoiding publicity, he now accepts that the fictionalised “Carey” has become an identity separate from his own.