Sunday 14th September 2025

Music

Night School: Oxford’s after-hours curriculum

The first time I saw Nahom and Ethan, it wasn’t on a night out – it was an early morning. I was shuffling through the half-awake crowd when my...

Oxford Commas at the Fringe – Interview

The Oxford Commas are a contemporary gender-inclusive a capella group who had their Fringe...

‘Aca-demic Weapons’ at the Fringe: Oxford Commas Review

★★★★☆ A capella groups from Oxford have long been favourites at the Edinburgh Fringe, with...

St Anne’s goes All-Steinway: A purposeful and bold commitment to music

In a move that lives up to its motto of ‘Consulto et Audacter’ (purposefully...

Cherwell Introducing: Zahra

In our Introducing series, Cherwell will be bringing you the best up and coming artists in Oxford. This week, Joseph interviewed Zahra.

Forget her not: Rediscovering women in music: Week 0

"Stumbling upon Fiona Apple’s 1999 album When The Pawn… actually inspired the concept of this column."

Bands to Watch Out For in 2024

"As the new year unfolds there is no better time to expand your music taste and explore genres and artists that you may not otherwise have chosen to listen to"

The Queer Pop Perfection of Chappell Roan 

"Chappell Roan is the newest pop star who is quickly rising through the ranks, and charts; she is confident, queer, and bold."

Why Don’t We Have Any ‘Mega Popstars’ Anymore? 

This August, Billboard released an article asking the question: where have all our mega popstars from the 2000s and early 2010s gone? It was...

Noah Kahan: Music Sensation or One-Album Wonder?

I know very little about music. A vast amount of my Spotify wrapped includes Taylor Swift (about whom I know a lot), and what...

Loyle Carner: A new poignant, personal, and political voice of rap

Loyle Carner’s 2022 album Hugo openly grapples with his heritage and identity, his performances openly discuss climate change and racism, and he even samples...

Manele: the controversy around Romani music in Romania

Manele is a modern form of Romani (or Roma) music in Romania. Using traditional Romani instruments and sounds, it also fuses other genres from...

‘He eagerly played the lead guitar whilst simultaneously thrashing a piano chord with his foot’ – A review of Jacob Collier’s Bristol concert

'With at least 12 different musical instruments on stage, Collier tirelessly leapt from one instrument to another across the stage'

Kesha ‘Gag Order’: A review

'The album is all Kesha, a meticulously crafted and finely tuned testament to her prowess as a songwriter.'

Between Love and Hate: The Strokes’ Guide to Staying Together

'US-based pop-rock band The Strokes have encountered just about all of rock’s common killers. And yet, 22 years on from their first album, they are still here – and reportedly working on a seventh.'

‘Ornamented choral what?’ – your favourite early sacred music like you’ve never heard it before

'What is ‘polyphony’? I hear you cry. Why is it ‘choral’ and what makes it ‘ornamented’?'

Is That an Angel? No, it’s Maisie Peters – Tour Review

'The Good Witch, embarking upon her first headlining tour, has brewed up a concoction of heartbreak and hope, insecurity and exuberance'

Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’: A Tenth Anniversary Retrospective

'What is there in our current pop landscape that could possibly have its roots in Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories?'

Ready For Takeoff: My Little Airport and the Hong Kong Indie Scene

Hong Kong indie, like the city, has plenty of gas left in the tank.

The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band – Planet Lam review

"An exemplary of the international force of genre-bending, experimental music, this album represents a kind of music in which boundaries are transgressed and influences intermingled, creating an intensely enjoyable, diverse listening experience."

Sam Smith’s Gloria is Queer, Controversial Perfection

"For the queer community as a whole, this album is a welcome addition to queer culture"

Florence and The Machine: Dance Fever Tour Review

"It takes a powerful vulnerability to shoulder the burdens and joys of helping others, through art or any other means. Welch does it beautifully"

Jockstrap Live at The Bullingdon

"I’m convinced they have one true goal... to ensure that you have an obscene amount of fun"

Voëlvry: South African’s Rock’n’Roll Revolution

"The Voëlvry artists clearly aimed to provide an example of a way to be both distinctly Afrikaans and disagree with the conservative government"

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