David Cheal | Financial Times

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Monday, 3 February, 2020

FT SeriesWellness 2020
Feeling Good — Nina Simone’s anthem of liberation
Written for a 1964 musical, this exhilarating track has been covered by dozens of artists
Friday, 3 January, 2020

Music
A riff down Memory Lane: how dead stars live on
Tribute gigs offer an excuse for nostalgia, but they’re also a means of canon-building
Tuesday, 3 December, 2019

Music
Can live music clean up its act?
British band Massive Attack are hoping to bring ‘super-low carbon’ to the business of touring and performing
Friday, 29 November, 2019

ReviewFilm
On digital: Never Look Away / Blinded by the Light
A film loosely based on the life of the artist Gerhard Richter; a story about a young immigrant’s passion for Springsteen
Friday, 22 November, 2019

ReviewFilm
On digital: Spider-Man Far From Home / Pavarotti
The Marvel hero returns the comic book movie to innocent thrills and director Ron Howard documents the life of the great tenor
Friday, 1 November, 2019

ReviewFilm
On digital: The Souvenir / Diego Maradona
An intimate, moving film about art and toxic love; an absorbing documentary about the Argentine footballer
Friday, 18 October, 2019

ReviewFilm
On digital: Support the Girls / Hitsville: The Making of Motown
Friendship and feminism in a Hooters-style bar; and a fascinating insight into the workings of a pop factory
Friday, 6 September, 2019

ReviewFilm
On digital: Extremely Wicked, Incredibly Evil and Vile / Amazing Grace
An account of the prolific serial killer Ted Bundy; Aretha Franklin’s live album recorded in a Los Angeles Baptist church
Monday, 2 September, 2019

ReviewMusic
End of the Road Festival, UK — familiarity and adventure
This year’s festival offers new discoveries amid the expected with performances from Mitski and Kate Tempest
Promoted Content
Thursday, 18 July, 2019

The 50th anniversary of the Moon landing
Lunar tunes: how music responded to the era of space travel
From Pink Floyd and Sun Ra to the ‘human theremin’ of the Star Trek theme tune
Friday, 5 July, 2019

Music
James MacMillan re-enters the turbulent realm of the spirit
The composer’s Fifth Symphony gets its world premiere
Friday, 3 May, 2019

ReviewFilm
On digital: Stan and Ollie / Colette
The comedy duo Laurel and Hardy in their twilight; a French author ghostwriting for her husband
Friday, 12 April, 2019

ReviewFilm
On digital: Mary Poppins Returns / Aquaman
Emily Blunt as a plummier version of Julie Andrews, with a dash of 21st-century sauce; Jason Momoa as the underwater superhero destined to be king of Atlantis
Monday, 1 April, 2019

Life of a Song
Gloria — Van Morrison’s song became an anthem for punky young singers
A hit for Them in 1965, the track resonated among acts with a certain attitude and energy
Wednesday, 20 March, 2019

InterviewMusic
Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey on drugs, drummers and fish
The Who veterans banter, bicker and reflect as they prepare to play Wembley and hit the road again
Monday, 25 February, 2019

ReviewMusic
Massive Attack — dystopian anxiety and crystalline beauty at the O2 Arena
To mark 20 years since Mezzanine, the band have collaborated with film-maker Adam Curtis for a potent mix of music and imagery
Monday, 28 January, 2019

Life of a Song
Can’t Help Falling in Love — haunting melody, or aural Heinz beans?
Made famous by Elvis Presley, a tune that began life in the 18th century has been loved and loathed over the centuries
Monday, 17 December, 2018

Life of a Song
Fairytale of New York — the Christmas song for people who hate Christmas songs
The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl recorded a sozzled classic whose lyrics have stirred controversy
Wednesday, 17 October, 2018

ReviewMusic
Richard Thompson, Barbican, London — furiously brilliant
Whether on acoustic or electric guitar, the British musician is in a class of his own
Monday, 3 September, 2018

ReviewMusic
Guitars reign supreme at the End of the Road
Artists from St Vincent to Wild Billy Childish demonstrated the instrument’s power and versatility
Friday, 24 August, 2018

ReviewAlbums
Ohmme: Parts
The album’s elements — voices, guitars, drums — sporadically coalesce into moments of crunchy rock or tense funk
Friday, 24 August, 2018

ReviewAlbums
Glenn Jones: The Giant Who Ate Himself
Blues is the chief ingredient here, though there is ragtime and a more abstract approach in scritch-scratch guitar
Friday, 24 August, 2018

ReviewAlbums
Ariana Grande: Sweetener
The singer continues her journey to proper adult performer in an album that has the luxurious sheen of quality and money
Friday, 24 August, 2018

ReviewFilm
On digital: Funny Cow — grim but very funny
Adrian Shergold’s story of a stand-up comedian and her miserable milieu ticks all the gritty-northern-period-drama boxes
Friday, 17 August, 2018

ReviewAlbums
Our Girl: Stranger Today
The London trio’s debut album celebrates the gloriously solid, slabby, roaring sound of a Fender Telecaster