Hit Singles

Hit Singles

Kim Deal, Barbican Hall, London, March 1, 2025

As one deal falls apart spectacularly in the Oval Office, a very different kind of Deal is bringing it all together across that big, beautiful ocean. US indie slacker heroine Kim Deal has taken over the 2,000-capacity Barbican Hall for her sold-out debut solo UK show and packed the stage with 25 musicians, including a nine-piece string section, four horns and the Shards vocal quintet, as well as her six-piece band. It’s a big splash for the modest star – the overheads must be eye-watering – but Deal wants to do justice to her excellent solo album Nobody Loves You More and also, well, why the hell not? “This is a classy place,” says Deal, centre-stage in blue denim and surrounded by black-clothed players, “and we’ve been working very hard.” Advertisement THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW It’s somehow fitting that the show takes place on the first day of spring because Deal herself has undergone a kind of rebirth with this new record. After close to 40 years in the business – she joined Pixies in 1986… Read More →

Hit Singles

Beautiful Monsters: Makes My Blood Dance’s Genre Rebellion “Time and a Place”

Brooklyn’s musical mutineers, Makes My Blood Dance have returned to terrorize genre purists with their latest single “Time and a Place,” which dropped just now. It’s another middle finger to convention from the self-proclaimed “DiscoMetal” architects who refuse to color within the lines. Recorded with producers Mikal Blue (OneRepublic) and Brett “Epic” Mazur (Crazy Town), the track is a disorienting cocktail of contradictions—screaming guitars and pulsing beats, vulnerability and aggression, all crashing together like colliding planets. It’s messy, it’s jarring, and that’s precisely the point. Lead vocalist EV0’s lyrics cut deeper than their previous work: “How can I compete/There is no one left to ask now/When I’m down here on my knees.” There’s a raw desperation here that punches through the theatrical facade the band typically employs, revealing the bleeding human underneath all that makeup and swagger. Their accompanying video continues their tradition of visual excess—described as a “Dancing with the Stars meets Burning Man” fever dream. As 360 Magazine aptly put it, this is “Saturday Night Fever meets Guitar Hero 2099,” and the description couldn’t be more perfect for their chaotic aesthetic. The single precedes their upcoming nine-track album Z3r02LGHTSp33D, with the band hitting the road March 20th in… Read More →

Hit Singles

David Johansen: “I can look back and say, ‘Yeah, that was really something…’”

From Uncut’s July 2023 issue, Uncut’s final interview with David Johansen, the New York Dolls frontman turned bouffant nightclub act, country-blues singer and more… Advertisement THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Sipping PG Tips from a dainty blue-and-white teacup, David Johansen considers the long, strange journey that has taken him from high-heeled frontman of the New York Dolls to bouffant nightclub act, country-blues singer and beyond. “There are certain phases in the history of New York, especially in my life,” he says, “that I can look back and say, ‘Yeah, that was really something.’” This month, several of these glorious incarnations are celebrated in Martin Scorsese’s Personality Crisis: One Night Only – a documentary that covers the span of Johansen’s work, both before, during and after the Dolls. Speaking today over Zoom, Johansen very much inhabits the role of New York music’s grandee, a veteran player who’s navigated his way from downtown scenester to uptown habitué. Accompanied, off-camera, by his wife Mara, who supplies him with a steady diet of biscuits, he chooses his words carefully, rich and… Read More →

Hit Singles

Jack White, Troxy, London, February 28, 2025

The last time Jack White was in the UK, it was a blitzkrieg tour of small venues to promote his stealth-released album, No Name. This European tour is a little longer and the venues are a bit larger, but the general vibe remains the same. On the first night of two at the Troxy, White pounds across the stage, strangling the guitar like a toy chicken while his three-piece band heroically try to keep up. Kudos especially to Raconteurs‘ drummer Patrick Keeler, who White goads into ever-escalating feats of kit-bashing to the point that Keeler eventually wrecks a cymbal stand, hurling it to one side following a frenzied “Lazaretto”. Advertisement THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Although the No Name tour was forged in unpredictability, it’s now found a regular rhythm, albeit a very loud and entertaining one. There are extended jams at the start of the show and before the encore – one of the few moments when Bobby Emmett’s organ will be allowed to be heard above the sound of White’s guitar. The musicians will never… Read More →

Hit Singles

Introducing…The History Of Rock

About 10 years ago, we at Uncut started a collaboration with our friends at NME to release a series of magazines which would revisit the archives of New Musical Express and Melody Maker and present an unrivalled archive trip through rock’s golden years. Advertisement Times have changed, but the quality of the friendship (and the publications) remain very much the same, so we’ve agreed to re-issue the series, in a limited number, for anyone who missed them the first time around. The first couple of these issues are available from our shop now. In 1965, you’ll find The Beatles on top of the world, but still up for a chat. There’s a visit to John Coltrane’s hotel room for a rare interview and to observe a pre-festival warm-up. There are hit singles reviewed by hit artists – and the Tamla crew arrive in the UK. More? How about the Byrds, Marianne Faithfull, The Kinks and The Walker Brothers! In 1966 our cover star Bob Dylan’s back in the UK again, on a mission to electrify and bamboozle. We retreat into the studio with The Beatles, meet Eric Clapton’s new band Cream, and watch the Who in action: “It looked like… Read More →

Hit Singles

Stereolab: “We’re here to create the world that we desire”

Taken from Uncut’s January 2020 issue Advertisement In an old church by the Thames, the “groop” put together an 18-minute track with a message – here they take Uncut through the creation of “Jenny Ondioline”. “This song is about shifting the perception…” The centrepiece of Stereolab’s second album, 1993’s Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements, “Jenny Ondioline” has come in many forms: the 18-minute LP version, the snappy single version, and somewhere between those extremes on stage. In any variation, though, there are motorik rhythms, restless guitars, loping bass, droning organs, layered vocals and radical, politically charged lyrics. “We played this song just last night,” says Lætitia Sadier on the phone from her hotel in Mexico City, where Stereolab are finishing up a lengthy American tour. “It went down very well. We don’t always perform it, and for a while it was not ready to be played, but now we’ve re-adapted it and it feels more friendly.”2019 has seen the group reform for stellar live dates, nominally in support of deluxe remastered reissues of seven of their finest albums, including 1996’s classic Emperor Tomato Ketchup and 1993’s noisier, abrasive Transient…. “‘Jenny Ondioline’ encapsulated everything about Stereolab at that time,” says their… Read More →

Hit Singles

Steve Reich – Collected Works

The thunder lizards of classical and romantic music, from Haydn to Wagner, bestrode the earth for hundreds of years. They achieved musical domination by imposing a sense of form and narrative upon Western music, to express the warp and weft of human emotion and fate. Statement, development, recapitulation, climax, applause. A little over 120 years ago, music began to atomise, harmonies soured, familiar structures devolved into atonalism, spectral texture and formal experiments with microtones and alternative scales. Advertisement THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Post-war, as avant-garde music drifted towards the hardiest of specialist audiences, another tendency took shape. This one has proved more popular, and commercially viable. US composer Steve Reich is a figurehead of this development, sometimes called minimalism, a term almost none of its protagonists care to associate themselves with. In the mid-’60s, Reich was a music enthusiast based on the West Coast, involved in the experimental music scene around the San Francisco Tape Music Center collective featuring Morton Subotnick, Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley, Ramon Sender and others. Shortly after performing in the premiere of… Read More →

Hit Singles

Edwyn Collins – Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation

In the video for “Knowledge”, the first single from Edwyn Collins’ 10th solo album, the clan chief of Postcard Records stands like a monument in the wintery landscape around his home in Helmsdale, on the north-east coast of Scotland. It is a grey day. There is snow on the ground. The joyous gospel harmonies can’t disguise the note of disquiet that leaks from the song. “Knowledge” is about unease, the loss and recovery of fond memories. Knowledge, Collins sings, with a nod to Amazing Grace, “first was lost and now it’s found”. The chorus underlines the point, while the video cuts through subliminal flashes of the singer’s musical trophies, rolling into a series of fast cuts of Collins in his popstar pomp, all arch sideburns and long spear collars. He pouts like Elvis, he machine-guns the audience like Eddie Cochran. “Hard to let my old self go,” Collins sings, repeating the point for emphasis. “So hard…” Advertisement THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW It’s a strange thing, listening to “Knowledge”. It sounds so familiar, as if the melody… Read More →

Hit Singles

Luci Rain’s “Fong La”: A Spiritual and Cultural Reawakening

Luci Rain has crafted a bold intersection of ancient spiritualism and futuristic sounds with her latest music video for “Fong La.” The Amsterdam-based artist invites us into a visual and sonic journey deeply rooted in Chinese mythology, yet profoundly aware of Western and modern influences. With its intricate blend of house beats, Afrobeats rhythms, and evocative Chinese motifs, “Fong La” is not just a track—it’s an invocation. Luci Rain, inspired by her Buddhist grandmother’s teachings and her own transformative experiences, draws from the legendary tale of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess. The video portrays Rain as a Moon Princess, standing resolutely in a Western church—an act that symbolizes the merging of Eastern mysticism and Western spirituality. It’s a choice that reflects Rain’s broader mission of creating spaces for self-realization and spiritual connection through her music, which transcends cultural divides. Her journey, both spiritual and artistic, is a celebration of the fluidity between traditions. As she explains, authenticity is not about clinging to tradition but embracing the emotional truths that resonate across time and cultures. The fusion of ancient and contemporary music elements might challenge purists, but it serves as a dynamic vehicle for Rain’s personal exploration of identity, self, and… Read More →

Hit Singles

Neil Young and the chrome hearts to headline BST Hyde Park in July

The latest headliner to be announced for London’s BST Hyde Park series is neil young and the chrome hearts. Young’s new, all-lower-case band – featuring Spooner Oldham (Farfisa organ), Micah Nelson (guitar and vocal), Corey McCormick (bass and vocal) and Anthony LoGerfo (drums) – will play the London park on July 11. THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW This is the first officially announced UK date of neil young and the chrome hearts’ previously advertised world tour, although others are strongly rumoured to follow. Also on the bill at Hyde Park on July 11 are Yusuf / Cat Stevens and Van Morrison, with more names to be added in due course. Morrison has just announced that his new album, Remembering Now, will be released on June 13. Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Wednesday (March 5) although there are also various pre-sales in operation – full details here.

Hit Singles

LCD Soundsystem announce 8-night residency at Brixton Academy

LCD Soundsystem are returning to the UK for an 8-night residency at London O2 Academy Brixton. The run of shows will take place from Thursday, June 12 – Sunday, June 15 and from Thursday, June 19 – Sunday, June 22. THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW LCD previously played a sold-out six-night residency at O2 Academy Brixton in 2022, followed by last year’s shows at Glastonbury and All Points East. Tickets for the new dates go on general sale at 9:00am on Friday, March 7 and will be available from here. The dates are: Thursday, June 12Friday, June 13Saturday, June 14Sunday, June 15 **Thursday, June 19Friday, June 20Saturday, June 21Sunday, June 22 ** ** Sunday shows are early shows and run from 5pm – 9pm.

Hit Singles

Rod Stewart: “You’ve got flair or you haven’t…”

From Uncut’s November 2015 issue [Take 222]. Jaan Uhelszki visits ROD STEWART at home in Beverly Hills… Advertisement Rod Stewart was never, it seems, a natural songwriter. “I was too busy,” he says, “having a good time.” In autumn 2015, the good times continue unabated for British rock’s most storied playboy. On the eve of a new album and that long-awaited Faces reunion, Rod The Mod opens up his LA mansion to Uncut and, uncharacteristically, reveals all. About Jeff Beck, Britt Ekland and the rock giant who looks “a bit too much like Bin Laden”. About cancer, the old bandmate who drank too much, and the correct way to tie a scarf. And about why The Faces couldn’t reform ’til now: “Mac was a bit of a fly in the ointment…” YOU kNOW YOU’RE getting close to Rod Stewart’s house when your ears pop. For the past four decades, Stewart has lived on one of the highest points of Beverly Hills, in an exclusive enclave called Beverly Park. Accessible only through two guarded checkpoints, the estate is dominated by sprawling gated properties, with fine views out across the city itself. Once you’ve cleared security, however, it’s no small task finding… Read More →

Hit Singles

Black Sabbath: the making of “Paranoid”

From Uncut’s October 2020 issue [Take 281]. Ozzy and co on the story of Sabbath’s masterpiece. “There was no-one doing this sort of thing,” they tell John Robinson. Advertisement IF you play video games you’ll perhaps have heard it on Guitar Hero 3, or Freestyle BMX 2. Enjoy films? It’s shown up in everything from Dazed And Confused to Suicide Squad, even the Angry Birds Movie. If you’re either of a certain age or a fan of archival British pop shows, you may even have witnessed its appearance on Top Of The Pops, and marvelled at a long-haired band at sea within a bopping studio audience, a hard-rocking albums outfit, quite unused to this kind of thing. Such was and remains the peculiar reach of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, two and a bit minutes which helped unlock new worlds for the band: the singles charts, television, instant recognition. Pedants have suggested the song doesn’t stand up to clinical evaluation, but the power of the music – a choppy riff , a simple vocal melody, an ancient-sounding guitar solo – remains undeniable. During its 50 years of service so far, it’s been misheard (during the mid-1980s “satanic panic”, concerned parents heard its… Read More →

Hit Singles

Jenny Lewis: Lady of the Canyon

From Uncut’s October 2008 issue [Take 137]. High in Lauren Canyon, you’ll find JENNY LEWIS, third generation showbiz kid and snarky queen of LA’s young bohos. Stephen Troussé takes a seat by the pool as Lewis tells all about her journey from child actress to American indie superstar… Advertisement In real terms it’s just a short cruise south through the city, from the sprawl of the San Fernando Valley to the winding lanes of Laurel Canyon. But in the American dreamlife of LA, it’s a world away: the kind of journey people spend a lifetime trying to make, plotting their escape, from obscurity and suburban smog to verdant hillside freedom high above Hollywood. Not coincidentally, it’s the journey that’s been made over 30 years, with the odd Nebraskan detour, by Jenny Lewis. She was recently honoured by the City of Los Angeles for her services in putting Silver Lake, the hipster enclave that spawned her band, Rilo Kiley, 10 years, on the cultural map. And, in truth, thought she was born in Los Angeles, it’s hard to think of a more exemplary modern Angelino outside a Paul Anderson movie. A third generation showbiz kid, she was born on the cabaret… Read More →

Hit Singles

Newly restored Pink Floyd At Pompeii due in cinemas and IMAX this April

Pink Floyd’s 1972 concert film At Pompeii – MCMLXXII, directed by Adrian Maben, will return to cinemas and IMAX worldwide from April 24. The film has been digitally remastered in 4K from the original 35mm footage, with enhanced audio newly mixed by Steven Wilson. Advertisement THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW In addition, the accompanying live album will be reissued by Legacy Recordings on May 2. This will be the first time the album has appeared on vinyl, or in Dolby Atmos. Watch a clip of the band playing “Echoes (Part 1)” from the new version of Pink Floyd At Pompeii – MCMLXXII below: [embedded content] “Since 1994, I have searched for the elusive film rushes of Pink Floyd At Pompeii, so the recent discovery of the 1972 original 35mm cut negative was a very special moment,” says said Lana Topham, director of restoration for Pink Floyd. “The newly restored version presents the first full 90-minute cut, combining the 60-minute source edit of the performance with the additional Abbey Road Studios documentary segments filmed shortly after.” Advertisement Tickets… Read More →

Hit Singles

The second Uncut New Music Playlist of 2025

With another issue of Uncut done, dusted and due to hit newsagents’ shelves / your doormat later this week – read all about it here – it’s time to share some of the tunes that helped us to put it together. Advertisement THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Below, you can sample new music from Bryan Ferry, Jason Isbell and Valerie June – all of whom give candid and illuminating interviews in the latest issue. There are sighters for soon-coming new albums by Bon Iver, Beirut, Perfume Genius, William Tyler, Ezra Furman and Sparks (their 28th!), plus one-off singles by Fontaines DC, Hurray For The Riff Raff and Tindersticks, a double dose of Thom Yorke and much more. Dig in! Hurray For The Riff Raff “Pyramid Scheme”(Nonesuch) Advertisement [embedded content] Valerie June“Joy, Joy”(Concord) [embedded content] Bon Iver “Everything Is Peaceful Love”(Jagjaguwar) [embedded content] Bryan Ferry And Amelia Barratt “Orchestra”(Dene Jesmond) [embedded content] Sparks“JanSport Backpack”(Transgressive) [embedded content] Fontaines DC“It’s Amazing To Be Young”(XL) [embedded content] Little Barrie & Malcolm Catto “Electric War”(Easy Eye Sound) [embedded content] Perfume Genius “No Front Teeth (ft. Aldous Harding)”(Matador)… Read More →

Hit Singles

Neil Young and the chrome hearts announce world tour

Neil Young has confirmed tour dates for 2025, including his first European shows since 2019. Young will be joined by his new band, the chrome hearts: Spooner Oldham (Farfisa organ), Micah Nelson (guitar), Corey McCormick (bass) and Anthony LoGerfo (drums). Advertisement THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW The tour begins in Sweden on June 18 and travels through Europe before reaching North America in August. No UK shows are currently listed, though Young says “More dates will be added shortly.” Tickets will be available beginning Tuesday, February 25, through an exclusive, 48-hour presale for Neil Young Archives members. General on-sale begins on Friday, February 28. More information on North American dates is available through Ticketmaster. Advertisement Young and the chrome hearts released their debut studio recording, “Big Change“, in January. Neil Young’s 2025 ‘Love Earth’ World TourJune 18 – Rättvik, Sweden @ DalhallaJune 20 – Bergen, Norway @ Bergenhus FortressJune 22 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ TiørenJune 26 – Dublin, Ireland @ Malahide CastleJune 30 – Brussels, Belgium @ Brussels Palace Open Air, Palace SquareJuly 1 – Groningen, Netherlands @ Drafbaan StedparkJuly 3 – Berlin, Germany @ WaldbühneJuly 4… Read More →

Hit Singles

The new Uncut: Led Zeppelin, Marianne Faithfull, Jason Isbell, The Waterboys, Bryan Ferry and more

For bands, navigating the past can often be a tricky business. In some cases, there is an avowed refusal to engage in anything other than the work in front of them – as if stopping to look back will somehow derail hard-won forward momentum. In others, it can be somewhere they’d rather not revisit; a place of bad memories or difficult circumstances. For Led Zeppelin, the past is a source of extraordinary triumphs but also, ultimately, great loss. How, in other words, do you reconcile the good times with the bad times? Advertisement CLICK HERE TO ORDER A COPY For this month’s cover story, we have reunited Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones for a series of exclusive interviews to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Physical Graffiti – the immense double album that marked the loftiest peak of their formidable imperial phase. The three musicians take us far inside the album – but along the way, the story becomes unexpectedly reflective. It’s not simply that, 50 years on, Physical Graffiti continues to work its powerful magic on its principals. But as it deepens, our cover story often feels like an intricate study of the relationships between Plant, Page… Read More →

Hit Singles

Uncut April 2025

CLICK HERE TO GET THE NEW ISSUE OF UNCUT DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR Advertisement Every print edition of this issue of Uncut comes free with a free CD called Time To Fly, featuring 15 tracks of the month’s best new music, including Black Country, New Road, Brown Horse, Dean Wareham, Iko Ishibashi, Tobacco City, Florist and more LED ZEPPELIN: Exclusive! In brand new interviews, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones revisit the magic and epic majesty of their 1975 masterpiece, Physical Graffiti. “There was such an exchange of great energy,” we hear. JASON ISBELL: Twenty years into his solo career, Isbell is about to release his first solo acoustic album, partly inspired by the confessional singer-songwriters of the ‘70s. Just don’t expect raw truths. “There’s a whole bunch of real personal stuff,” he confides. “But it’s not always coming from a trustworthy narrator’s perspective.” Advertisement MARIANNE FAITHFULL: Farewell to a key instigator of the ‘60s pop culture revolution who was cruelly cast out of the inner circle, only to return, bloodied but gloriously unbowed, as a guiding light for future generations of lost souls. “She gave everything and you got everything,” marvels one of Marianne Faithfull’s many collaborators…. Read More →

Hit Singles

Send us your questions for Suzanne Vega!

Much like Bob Dylan, Suzanne Vega came up through the Greenwich Village folk scene. And much like Dylan, she made her name by writing massively popular songs that brought societal issues to wider attention (see: “Luka”, a global Top 10 hit in 1987). Advertisement THE APRIL 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING LED ZEPPELIN, JASON ISBELL, BRYAN FERRY, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, THE WATERBOYS, DAVID BOWIE, MADDY PRIOR AND MORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW The connections continue on Suzanne Vega’s forthcoming new album, Flying With Angels, which as she revealed to Uncut in our 2025 albums preview contains a kind of answer song to Bob Dylan’s “I Want You”, written from the point of view of the chambermaid. Her first album of original material in almost a decade, is poised to be an eclectic collection. You may have already heard the excellent, dance-punky single “Rats”; but as Vega told us, “some songs are more classic rock’n’roll, there are a couple that are sort of folk-rocky, and a couple that are just plain folky. The other surprise is probably a song called ‘Love Thief’, which is almost like an R&B/Motown song.” Advertisement The album is due out on May 2. She’s also touring… Read More →

Hit Singles

Yazz Ahmed – A Paradise In The Hold

Trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer Yazz Ahmed has created her most exquisite sonic world yet on A Paradise In The Hold, 10 tracks of magnetic, boundary-transcending jazz that intricately blend influences from her British-Bahraini heritage. Drawn to storytelling, Ahmed writes compositions that tend to have a narrative flow. On this record, her approach is shaped by two traditional forms: joyful Bahraini wedding poems and the sorrowful work songs of the pearl divers. It’s a natural pairing of her interests, incorporating the cultural expressions of weddings with the pure folklore of the pearl divers, who no longer exist in terms of a workforce but remain enshrined in the memory of the uniquely Bahraini genre known as fidjeri, or sea music. Advertisement THE MARCH 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING WILCO, A FREE WILCO CD, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, PATTERSON HOOD, THE WHITE STRIPES AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW The journey that led to this album began in 2014, during a research trip taken by Ahmed to Bahrain, the island nation between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia where she spent her early childhood. Some of the former pearl divers have formed choirs that tour around the Gulf, so she was able… Read More →