’INDESCRIBABLE PAIN’ FORCES MADONNA TO CANCEL LIVE SHOW

WELCOME

The word on the street when we were first thinking

SURPRISE REUNION FOR EURYTHMICS AT STING’S RAINFOREST BENEFIT SHOW

Eurythmics reunited for the first time in five years

1.HIT WONDER

GOT TO GET

NEW YEAR REVELLERS’ TOUCHING SALUTE TO ROXETTE SINGER

Eighty thousand fans paid an emotional tribute to late

NEW CO-WRITER FOR LATEST ORB LP

Electronica godfather Alex Paterson has a new co-writer

LOST & FOUND

ROMANTIC?

HUEY LEWIS DEFIES THE ODDS TO RECORD NEW STUDIO ALBUM

Huey Lewis And The News’ new album Weather is reviewed

PET SHOP BOYS HINT AT GLASTO RETURN

Are Pet Shop Boys about to pull on their Glastonbury

CLASSIC POP Q+A

THE CHINA CRISIS FRONTMAN FOLLOWS UP LAST YEAR’S ACCLAIMED SOLO ALBUM GONE FROM HERE WITH LUNA LANDINGS, A BEAUTIFUL SET OF UNRELEASED 80S SYNTH INSTRUMENTALS. ANDY JONES FINDS OUT MORE.

CLASSIC POP Q+A

THE HI-NRG ICON TALKS STOCK AITKEN WATERMAN, A SONG FOR EUROPE AND BEING A DISCO DIVA WITH DOUGLAS MCPHERSON

IAN PEEL‘S A TO Z Of POP

2020 SEES THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF WHEN RAVE ‘WENT POP’. WAS IT REALLY SUCH A BAD TIME FOR MUSIC?

THIS MONTH IN POP

IN OUR ROUND-UP OF FEBRUARY 1986’S BIGGEST MOMENTS IN MUSIC, DIRE STRAITS HIT THE TOP SPOT, BOY GEORGE TAKES ON THE A-TEAM AND WHAM! CALL IT A DAY…

POPARAZZi

READERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE PHOTOS AS THEY GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN PLANET POP

SUPER FAN

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA

THE STRAY CATS RELEASE THEIR DEBUT ALBUM

FEBRUARY 1981

I’M ON THIS CONTANT MERRY-GO-ROUND- I’M SCARED TO STEP OFF

RECENTLY, MARC ALMOND HAS BEEN TALKING OF RETIREMENT. ARE WE REALLY ABOUT TO SEE ONE OF OUR BEST-LOVED STARS STRIDE TOWARDS THE EXIT? MARC’S THRILLING NEW ALBUM COULD BE SEEN AS A DEFINITIVE SUMMARY OF HIS CAREER - AND IT ALSO SEES HIM OPEN UP ABOUT THE LASTING EFFECTS OF HIS MOTORBIKE ACCIDENT ON HIS CAPACITY TO LOVE.

ROCK ‘N SCROLL

AFTER FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE WONDERS OF NATURE, MARC HAS HIT THE BOOKS AND IS STUDYING TO BE A DRUID

GRETA EXPECTATIONS

THE 17-YEAR-OLD CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST MAY HAVE BEEN A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE NOMINEE, BUT MARC ALMOND ISN’T AN UNEQUIVOCAL FAN…

THE BIG REISSUE

MARC ALMOND MAY BE ONE OF OUR MOST TREASURED ARTISTS, BUT MUCH OF HIS MUSIC REMAINS OUT OF REACH

READING, WRITING AND ARITHMETIC

THE SUNDAYS: MIXING THE FEATHERY WHIMSY OF THE COCTEAU TWINS AND THE JANGLING MELODICISM OF THE SMITHS, THE SUNDAYS WERE TIPPED FOR HUGE STARDOM. ONLY PROBLEM WAS: THEY WEREN’T READY TO PLAY THE POP GAME…

TOP 40 80s DEBUT POP ALBUS

YOU DON’T GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION, SO MANY ARTISTS THROW EVERYTHING INTO THEIR DEBUT STUDIO RECORDINGS. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE FINEST EXAMPLES BY SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE ACTS - IN MANY CASES, THEY NEVER BETTERED THEM…

THE GONG SHOW

JUST HOW DID THE BRIT AWARDS GO FROM YAWN-FEST TO APPOINTMENT TV AND BACK AGAIN? FELIX ROWE TAKES A LOOK AT THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF THE UK’S MOST FAMOUS NIGHTS OF MUSIC INDUSTRY BACKSLAPPING.

ALISON MOYET

ONE O F THE F INEST VOCAL ISTS OF H ER GENERAT ION, THE EX-YAZOO FRONTWOMAN’S SOLO CAREER I S A LSO A T ESTAMENT TO HER D IVERSE SONGWRI T ING ABI L I T Y

2020 THE YEAR AHEAD

NOT ONLY A SHINY NEW YEAR LIES AHEAD, SO TOO A BOX-FRESH DECADE ANTICIPATING WHAT MUSICAL GEMS AND HAIRCUTS WILL CHARACTERISE THESE SO-CALLED ’NEW TWENTIES’. NATURALLY, IN THE MEANTIME, SOME FAMILIAR FACES WILL BE RETURNING TO ENTERTAIN FANS OF CLASSIC POP, TOO. PET SHOP BOYS AND MARC ALMOND GOT A HEAD START ON EVERYONE WITH EXCELLENT EARLY JANUARY ALBUMS, BUT THERE IS PLENTY MORE TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDARS INCLUDING SIGNIFICANT ANNIVERSARIES ALONGSIDE SOME SPECIAL TOURS. AND, OF COURSE, DON’T FORGET MADONNA’S RIDING CROP WILL BE WARMING UP THE WINTER MONTHS AT HER MADAME X PALLADIUM RESIDENCY IN LONDON.

I was strong enough not to chase fame

OVER 25 YEARS AFTER DREAMS MADE GABRIELLE A PHENOMENON, SHE REMAINS ONE OF THE FINEST POP SINGERS BRITAIN HAS PRODUCED. OVERCOMING REMARKABLE ADVERSITY, AT 50, SHE’S FINALLY READY TO ACCEPT HER TALENT…

2019 READER AWARDS

THE VOTES ARE IN FROM ACROSS OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND WE‘VE DONE THE NUMBER CRUNCHING. HERE‘S OUR ROUND-UP OF YOUR VERDICTS ON THE GREAT AND THE GOOD OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR…

I’m trying to be a better man… whatever that is

THE CHORUS OF COURTEENERS’ RECENT SINGLE BETTER MAN SUMMARISES SINGER LIAM FRAY’S ATTEMPTS AT SELF-IMPROVEMENT AND THE IMPOSTOR SYNDROME HE FEELS ABOUT HIS BAND’S STATUS AS ONE OF THE LAST ROCK & ROLL STADIUM OUTFITS LEFT STANDING. FRAY TELLS JOHN EARLS HOW THESE ISSUES INFORMED THEIR DAZZLING NEW ALBUM.

THE HOT LIST

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT AT CLASSIC POP TOWERS THIS MONTH

PET SHOP BOYS HOTSPOT

CONCLUDING THE TRILOGY THAT BEGAN WITH 2013’s ELECTRIC, PET SHOP BOYS’ LATEST CELEBRATES LIFE’S UPPERS AND DOWNERS IN BERLIN

NENEH CHERRY RAW LIKE SUSHI: 30TH ANNIVERSARY

30 YEARS ON, NENEH CHERRY’S DEBUT ALBUM IS SHOWING ITS AGE A LITTLE, BUT IT’S STILL AN ICONIC DANCERAP CLASSIC

KIM WILDE KIM WILDE/SELECT/CATCH AS CATCH CAN

IT WASN’T ALWAYS ABOUT THE SINGLES… KIM WILDE’S FIRST THREE ALBUMS FINALLY GET THE REISSUE TREATMENT

ROBBIE WILLIAMS WEMBLEY SSE ARENA, LONDON

VEGAS-SIZED GLITZY SPECTACLE MEETS SELF-MOCKING MUSIC-HALL HUMOUR AS THE FORMER TAKE THAT STAR HOSTS HIS VERY OWN CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME

LET’S ROCK RETRO WINTER TOUR WEMBLEY SSE ARENA, LONDON

THE CHRISTMAS LINE-UP HAD MORE STUFFING THAN TESCO WITH A BUMPER CROP OF BIG NAMES - AND ONLY THE HEADLINER DIDN’T QUITE BRING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT

THE NEW POWER GENERATION O2 INSTITUTE, BIRMINGHAM

FORMER PRINCE SIDEMEN CELEBRATE HIS MASSIVE LEGACY WITH A CHARGE THROUGH SOME GREATEST HITS AND MORE. DANCE. MUSIC. SEX. ROMANCE. IT’S ALL HERE.