Sleevenotes | Sleater-Kinney on the lessons of grief – and how music healed them

Plus: The forgotten bands going supersonic thanks to gen Z Sleeve Notes | The Guardian

Support the Guardian Support us   Fund independent journalism with £5 per month Picks of the week ‘It feels so arbitrary, to be alive’   Sleater-Kinney on the lessons of grief – and how music healed them A sudden death turned the feminist punks’ lives upside down. They explain why they were determined to carry on and stay weird – especially in a world that underestimates older women ‘We’re on TikTok? What’s TikTok?’   The forgotten bands going supersonic thanks to gen Z ‘I used to sing in front of In-N-Out Burger’   Victoria Monét’s long road to pop stardom The reader interview   Busta Rhymes: ‘David Bowie’s Hunky Dory is the illest music ever’ ‘I just loved to sing!’   Brenda Lee on inspiring Elvis, Lennon and Taylor Swift – and topping the chart at 78 The weird world of celebrity training   How Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Madonna get in shape for their shows Reviews TV review   An Audience With Kylie – so fabulously extravagant it needs a camp-o-meter Album review   Thomas Bartlett: Standards Vol 1 – an intimate, spare solo piano set of American classics Album review   Neil Young: Before and After – an acoustic solo trip down memory lane Album review   Tate McRae: Think Later – the TikTok star eyes the mainstream Album review   Erskine & Kavuma: Ultrasound – hard bop with soft notes Spotlight Today in Focus podcast   How Madonna changed pop culture for ever It’s 40 years since Madonna began scandalising and delighting fans and critics around the world. But is she still misunderstood? With Mary Gabriel Classical Bittersweet symphonies   UK classical music 2023 in review Concert review   LSO/Noseda – Prokofiev’s curious Fourth alongside very fine Brahms The Guardian picture essay   Hallelujah! The Gospel Messiah comes to the UK Concert review   BBCSO/Oramo – the freshness Oramo brought to Sibelius was a joyous revelation Add to playlist The 50 best albums of 2023   50 to 6 The 50 best albums of 2023, No 6   Lana Del Rey: Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd The 50 best albums of 2023, No 7   Yaeji: With a Hammer The 50 best albums of 2023, No 8   Blur: The Ballad of Darren The 50 best albums of 2023, No 9   Amaarae: Fountain Baby The 50 best albums of 2023, No 10   Olivia Rodrigo: Guts You may have missed ‘I feel more like myself when I’m Morrissey’   The bizarre lives of tribute acts With tickets for big-name stars at a premium, it’s a great time to be a tribute act. Artists from ‘Tina Turner’ to the Arctic Numpties take us into their bizarre lives ‘We were working like crazy’   The studio players behind music’s A-list Documentary Immediate Family follows the unsung heroes who worked alongside Stevie Nicks, Carole King, James Taylor and others On my radar   Radie Peat from Lankum’s cultural highlights The Irish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist on her favourite tattoo artist, the TV show she watches with her children and a pagan one-man show Kendrick Lamar   Concert in Kigali kicks off drive to put Africa on the global gig circuit Move Afrika, launched by grandson of Nelson Mandela, aims to draw on success of Afrobeats and support a new generation of musicians Alicia Keys, Elton John … and Joe from the Guardian   Why they’ve all played the St Pancras piano Who doesn’t love a station piano? They spread joy to the people – especially when a music megastar drops by to boost their social media One to watch   Florence Rose The British film-maker and model has moved into music, with an EP of darkly cinematic dream pop and a distinctive gothic visual identity Live music this week Shabaka Hutchings   Soaring to unfettered heights Kitty Empire's artist of the week   Danny Brown – a thrilling bounce back Hozier   Who says pop can’t be political? Get in touch If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com Manage your emails | Unsubscribe | Trouble viewing? You are receiving this email because you are a subscriber to Sleeve Notes. Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396