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Neil McCormick

@neil-mccormick.bsky.social
525 followers 160 following 276 posts

Telegraph music critic. Author. Opinionated hack. Failed rock star.

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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Not all school reunions are like this. #U2 www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/m...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The details about life on the road in the sixties in this roadie's eye view of Jimi Hendrix are astonishing. www.telegraph.co.uk/books/non-fi...
telegraph.co.uk
Sex, drugs and smashed guitars – Jimi Hendrix’s roadie tells all
Eric Barrett’s exhilarating memoir recalls life on the road beside rock’s greatest guitarist, from reckless excess to Woodstock chaos
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
You will never hear a more joyous sing-along of a murder ballad in which a pop princess is done in by a leering goth. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/concer...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Went to @spaceacreband.bsky.social in a dingy London dive, so in a few years I can brag about seeing them up close before they played stadiums. Pure aural ambrosia for an old alt rock fan like me.
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Ariana Grande has warned fans that her new album, Petal, comes from a place of “unfiltered rage”. Its like being attacked by a particularly lovely butterfly 🦋 www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/a...
telegraph.co.uk
Ariana Grande’s temper tantrum is like being attacked by a lovely butterfly
The pop singer describes Petal as an ‘experimental’ album. But her usual cascade of harmonies give you nothing short of a sugar rush
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Glen Hansard was a shining light of Irish music. I was thinking about him this morning, before I heard the devastating news. What a loss. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/g...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
How I learned to love prog rock. Ok, "love" is too strong. But "how I learned to grudgingly admire prog" doesn't have the same ring to it. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/concer...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
The Rolling Stones still know how to throw a party.
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. I've been listening to the new Madonna album. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/m...
telegraph.co.uk
Madonna throws a sweaty dance party to reclaim her crown
A sequel to her biggest album of this century, Confessions II pairs euphoric club highs with unexpectedly intimate late-career reflections
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
No original members: how bands turn into brands www.telegraph.co.uk/music/interv...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Now Jagger's voice has got to be some kind of musical miracle. At 82, he sounds better than he did 40 years ago. And as for the banging production of this record, it's an object lesson in how to record guitars. Rock'n'roll will never die etc. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/t...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I am not sure if I got the balance right in this review. I am a lifelong fan of Elvis Costello's. His aim isn't always true & his voice is getting ragged. But so was mine by the end of the night & I'd still go & see him play anywhere, anytime. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/e...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Got a lesson in Self Esteem at the new Arc venue ar Olympia
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
For anyone sceptical about the quality of modern pop ... Olivia Rodrigo might offer the Cure (see what i did there? 😉) www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/o...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
He shoots, he scores. Harry at Wembley. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/concer...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
I have also written about Ed Sheeran's commercial decline but so far no offended Eddies have stormed the Telegraph offices calling for my head. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/e...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Over on Twatter (where I'm contractually obliged to retain a presence) Swifties are gleefully predicting my imminent demise coughing up blood because I only gave her pleasant Disney fluff theme song 3 out of 5 stars. That's modern fandom. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06...
telegraph.co.uk
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
After a few months off due to health n safety issues, I am back on the gig circuit. Can you guess which famous London venue I am in with which famous German band? 🤔
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
I spoke to Andrew Watt about producing a Beatle and the Stones www.telegraph.co.uk/music/interv...
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Reposted by Neil McCormick
Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
A books cartoon for @theguardian.com from a while back
1. Freed from their labours By bots and AI, The writers wander into the wilderness. 

2. Living on grasses and dew, their bodies grow light as thistledown and they flutter on the breeze, murmuring poctic fragments to the flowers and hummingbirds. 

3. An unexpected gust blows sally rooney Into the fiction-generation district Where a robot is Outputting content For the 'normal people' franchise. 

4. Sally whispers something, but before the robot can open the triple-glazing, the plant's exhaust fumes have carried her off into the stars.
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
All sides of Paul McCartney, old and new, ancient and contemporary, come together on The Boys of Dungeon Lane, the 27th studio album of his post-Beatles career. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/p...
telegraph.co.uk
You are seeing this page because our security systems have detected some unusual activity on this connection. To regain access to The Telegraph website please try the following:
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
How Bulgaria saved the Eurovision from itself. My verdict on last night's shenanigans. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/e...
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
My Music War & Peace podcast is returning as The Music Bridge. We've have a special episode with naturalist @ChrisGPackham exploring the power of science, art & music to create positive change. Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/7CSCSRn296o?is…
youtu.be
S2 E1 Chris Packham | The Music Bridge
YouTube video by thebridge.musicc
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
I vividly remember a night in 1982 when I was driving along the deserted Dublin seafront and Clannad's Harry's Game came on the radio, shifting me into another dimension of sound and senses. Moya's voice was like a beacon, lighting Ireland old and new. www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2...
telegraph.co.uk
Moya Brennan, singer with Clannad who was hailed as the ‘First Lady of Celtic Music’
She formed Clannad with her two brothers and two uncles, and they found fame with atmospheric themes to Harry’s Game and Robin of Sherwood
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Locating a copy of the Rolling Stones new vinyl white label top secret single to review was an absolute bastard ... worth it though. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/r...
telegraph.co.uk
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Reposted by Neil McCormick
Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
I can't stop laughing at this post. It's perfect.
A guy asking ChatGPT to review a series of fart sound effects and getting a serious kiss ass response that calls it atmospheric
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Reposted by Neil McCormick
singemonkey.bsky.social @singemonkey.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Absolutely extraordinary thread. The bizarro-future immediate realities of predictions markets and specifically being able to make bets on wars and assassinations.
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Reposted by Neil McCormick
Stuart Anthony @stuartanthony.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Check out this Spotify playlist curated by @neil-mccormick.bsky.social of @telegraph.co.uk with The Bridge:Music, War & Peace. Mine & Larry Beckett's cover of Jacques Brel's 'The Dove' is included alongside U2, Springsteen, Dylan etc!!! open.spotify.com/playlist/0jo... #music #peace #war #nowplaying
open.spotify.com
Music War & Peace (Curated by Neil McCormick)
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Who needs substance when you have (Harry) Styles? www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/h...
telegraph.co.uk
Harry Styles’s new album has all the emotional heft of a perfume advert
The former One Direction superstar’s album is strange, shallow and soon to be inescapable
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
This is where I was last night. Afterwards, I had a brief encounter with the great man. "Neil, I read your stuff," he said, gripping my hand. ""Well Paul, I listen to your stuff," I replied. He had a little chuckle and I will die happy.
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I am thankful that some artists are ready to stand up and be counted. The protest song is back with a bang. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/u...
telegraph.co.uk
U2 are back on the barricades with their most political work in years
Born of bloodshed from Minnesota to the Middle East, this fierce EP even ropes Ed Sheeran into its protest cry
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Florence Welch joked about only receiving a four out of five star review for her last show at the O2 Arena, when she broke her foot. She even wrote a song about it (Music By Men). I am a huge fan, but I am going to add another four out of five stars to her CV. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/concer...
telegraph.co.uk
A triumphant return from Florence + the Machine’s magnificent enchantress
Welch has developed a compelling onstage persona, but muddy acoustics left her most delicate songs fighting to be heard
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
It annoyed President Tramp but Bad Bunny’s historic #GRAMMYs    triumph reminds us that in the modern streaming world English can no longer take its status for granted as the universal language of pop. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/g...
telegraph.co.uk
Grammy Awards 2026: Olivia Dean’s win shows that Britain still has a firm grip on pop
Bad Bunny also wins big at ceremony dominated by criticism of US immigration crackdown
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
I have been lamenting the silence of major musical figures at this febrile moment in history. Then up pops the Boss. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/b...
telegraph.co.uk
Bruce Springsteen’s new Trump protest song has just upped the ante
The Boss renews his long-standing feud with the president, forgoing subtlety in a searing attack on ICE
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
This is a very succinct and philosophical essay about "failure" in the arts. It took me a whole book (Killing Bono) about my own band's failure to make the same point. astndbh.substack.com/p/everyone-r...
astndbh.substack.com
Everyone Runs. Only One Gets Remembered.
Why talent, effort, and doing everything right still are not enough in music, media, or modern careers.
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Aperture is an odd but winning comeback. Instead of coming out all guns blazing with big beats and thrusting choruses, the impression is that Styles has just slipped quietly back in with the anthem of the summer. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/h...
telegraph.co.uk
Harry Styles has become Britain’s biggest pop star without even trying
Breaking his two years of silence with new single Aperture, the singer has slipped back into the running for reigning superstar of the age
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
My friend Kas Mercer is going to sit on top of a flying plane to fundraise for the animal shelter where she volunteers (when not being a high powered PR). She's clearly insane but she's a cat lover, so that's a given. 😼 Support her here: www.justgiving.com/team/teammer...
justgiving.com
Team Mercer (Kas and Joe) are fundraising for Raystede Centre For Animal Welfare Limited
Help Kas Mercer raise money to support Raystede Centre For Animal Welfare Limited
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine hung up on me during this interview. Given that he once threatened to snap my colleague Ian Winwood's neck, I probably got away lightly. Fascinating character, nonetheless. I genuinely enjoyed talking to him. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/interv...
telegraph.co.uk
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine: ‘All I wanted was to be heavier and faster than Metallica’
The lead singer and guitarist sits down for a volatile interview with our critic, on everything from late-night fights to finding faith
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
The Brits are back, with a couple of plucky veterans showing the young ones how it should be done. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/b...
telegraph.co.uk
The bland Brits should thank their lucky stars for Lily Allen
With the exception of the West End Girl singer, this year’s contenders are woefully predictable. Here are the nominees in full
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
I doubt the prospect of Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams collaborating on a tribute to maverick indie icon Morrissey was on anyone’s Take That bingo card... www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/r...
telegraph.co.uk
Robbie Williams sounds like Oasis and Blur’s love child on his first album in a decade
Loud, swaggering and steeped in self-mythology, Britpop is less a comeback than a long-held Nineties fantasy fulfilled
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Raffle prizes at Limbonauts charity concert at the Water Rats, London on Thursday (Jan 15). Special edition sets of Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen & red vinyl U2. Raffle tix just £2 each at the show, raising money for Rozdil orphanage in Ukraine. Come on down. limbonauts-live-london.eventbrite.com
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
You often hear it said that "Those who can do, do; those who can't ... become critics." The theory will be put to the test on Thursday at the Water Rats in London, raising money for the Rozdil orphanage in Ukraine. Come & heckle for a good cause. limbonauts-live-london.eventbrite.com 👽👾🤖
limbonauts-live-london.eventbrite.com
Limbonauts: Live in London
The London live debut of interstellar sensations the Limbonauts. Over 200,000 streams. Rock from an Alternative Dimension.
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
It is 2026: the world teeters on the brink of war, climate crisis, stock market collapse and AI technological meltdown. Enter one of Britain’s greatest lyricists, returning from years of silence to tell us not to place our trust in mascara. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/m...
telegraph.co.uk
Morrissey’s melodramatic new single sounds like a Eurovision pastiche
As the comeback of one of Britain’s greatest lyricists, Make-up Is a Lie isn’t quite up to scratch
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
I can neither confirm nor deny rumours that I may (or may not) be involved with this band of alien miscreants making their live debut next week. But I will sure as hell be there😉 so if you're in #London come along and say hi. limbonauts-live-london.eventbrite.com It's all for a good cause!
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Hope he made it home. www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/c...
telegraph.co.uk
Chris Rea winced when I mentioned his hits. He shouldn’t have
Any musician would feel proud to have penned songs half as gorgeous and touching as his
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
If you are amongst the remaining sceptics who think Taylor Swift has been perpetrating a mass delusion on the minds of millions of vulnerable young pop fans – well, her dazzling new fly-on-the-wall tour documentary series might just change your mind. www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/taylor-...
telegraph.co.uk
Taylor Swift’s tearful documentary will convert even hardened sceptics
Disney’s The End of an Era underlines why the pop star is the all-conquering entertainer of our times
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Help. Spotify made me 10 years older overnight. 😳#SpotifyWrapped www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/s...
telegraph.co.uk
Spotify Wrapped: Is your listening age wrong, or are you in denial?
As the streaming platform’s personalised annual round-up drops, a new feature is causing our critic consternation
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Went to the opening night of Camille O'Sullivan at the Soho Theatre. The Irish chanteuse is such a high wire act, she seems to be coming apart and reassembling herself in songs by Bowie, Cave, Radiohead, Brel, Sinead & Shane McGowan. Somewhere between interpretive masterclass & a nervous breakdown.
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
“Paul and I are going to do some stadiums next year," announces George.” “Mud wrestling,” says Paul. “I think we can pull it off too.” “I’ll be the ref,” deadpans Ringo. The last stand of @thebeatles www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/the-bea...
telegraph.co.uk
The Beatles Anthology’s ‘new’ episode proves familiar, but achingly poignant
The seminal documentary series returns looking better than ever, and now marking George Harrison’s last stand as a Beatle
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Neil McCormick @neil-mccormick.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Jimmy Cliff has crossed his final river www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/j...
telegraph.co.uk
Jimmy Cliff made some of the most beautiful records anyone could ever hope to hear
The Jamaican singer-songwriter put soul into reggae. He should be remembered as one of the greats
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