Plus: Spoken-word artist Joshua Idehen on fighting hate with hope

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Picks of the week
Is Live Nation holding it back?
There’s a £1 idea that could save small music venues  
Is Live Nation holding it back?
Artists including Coldplay and Katy Perry have got behind a plan to fund small venues from big gigs – but owners say that without Live Nation on board, it could fail
‘We’ve all done stupid things but we’re all capable of redemption’  
Spoken-word artist Joshua Idehen on fighting hate with hope
‘I want to hear harmonica in the strip club!’  
The bold ideas and bleak visions of British musician Klein
‘Are the neighbours’ curtains twitching? Good!’  
Avril A, the 80s housewife who became a star of Manchester’s gay scene
‘People screamed. Cried. Threw up’  
10 extraordinary life lessons from Ozzy Osbourne’s new memoir
Reviews
Alexis Petridis's album of the week  
Blawan: Sick Elixir – it’s man vs machine in an oppressive, ominous trip down the rabbit hole
Blawan: Sick Elixir – it’s man vs machine in an oppressive, ominous trip down the rabbit hole
Folk album of the month  
Širom: In the Wind of Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper – a cacophonous folk kaleidoscope
Hannah Frances  
Nested in Tangles – ramshackle arrangements power restless revelations
Film review  
Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl – lazy big screen cash-in
 

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Spotlight
From boom to backlash: has Taylor Swift lost her touch?
Today in Focus  
From boom to backlash: has Taylor Swift lost her touch?
She’s a global pop star who appears relatable even as her tours alter a country’s economy. But her new album has sparked surprisingly fierce criticism. Alexis Petridis and Laura Snapes explain.
Classical
‘I’m a composer. Am I staring extinction in the face?’  
Classical music and AI
Classical music and AI
Album review  
Beethoven 5 Vol 4: Salvatore di Sciarrino – classical weight, contemporary subtlety
Beethoven 5 Vol 4: Salvatore di Sciarrino – classical weight, contemporary subtlety
Live review  
BBCSO/Stasevska: Become Ocean – elemental, unsettling and beautiful
BBCSO/Stasevska: Become Ocean – elemental, unsettling and beautiful
Live review  
Giustino – sublime, and ridiculous, Handel rarity returns to Covent Garden
Giustino – sublime, and ridiculous, Handel rarity returns to Covent Garden
Live review  
Arvo Pärt at 90 – impassioned and authoritative performances from Estonia’s finest
Arvo Pärt at 90 – impassioned and authoritative performances from Estonia’s finest
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