GORDON PARSONS recommends an entertaining account of the years between Germany’s defeat in WWI and Hitler’s seizure of power
Loads of great debut recordings around at the moment, and my joint albums of the year are two fine examples, solo offerings from two generations inspired by punk.
Steve Drewett gained a lot of respect for his work with seminal 1980s cult punk heroes Newtown Neurotics, so in one sense his solo album Jenga Society (Cruel Binary), his first new release for 26 years, isn’t a debut album at all.
BEN COWLES samples the many sonic and social therapies of Manchester Punk Festival 2026, and is ready again to smash capitalism
SUSAN DARLINGTON swoons in the presence of a magnetic frontman
JULIA TOPPIN recommends Patti Smith’s eloquent memoir that wrestles with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime
WILL STONE applauds a comprehensive survey of love in its many moods and musical forms



