Rob Garratt
The National
United Arab Emirates
Contact Rob
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Past articles by Rob:
Review: Pearl Jam's Gigaton is their best album in 12 years, but that doesn't make it good
With their 11th studio outing, the band have aged too easily into a late-career heritage rock status → Read More
Why Radiohead's Public Library is about more than artists taking back control in the digital age
The project contains all the band's officially released music, as well as live footage, artwork, TV appearances, forgotten webcasts, curated playlists, fan club newsletters and plenty more → Read More
From holograms to advertising: Is Whitney Houston's legacy being preserved or exploited?
On August 31, 10 years ago, Whitney Houston released her seventh and final album I Look To You → Read More
Pop star Zara Larsson on chasing success, feminism and introducing Ed Sheeran to her parents
Having known fame now for more than half her years, one senses an insatiable hunger in Larsson that she self-diagnoses as not entirely healthy → Read More
'I've heard that before': here's why some songs sound familiar
We go on record to explain the various compositions of modern melodies that find their base in classics → Read More
Jennifer Lopez at 50: why she is the definition of a celebrity who is ageing backwards
A performer, film star and entrepreneur at the top of her career, J Lo defies the entertainment industry’s ageism towards women → Read More
Orientalism in art: a patronising view of The East, or a snapshot of history?
A new exhibition in Dubai showcases works from notable European artists who spent their lives offering snapshots of life into the Islamic world → Read More
Mood music: how technology is beginning to dictate what we listen to
As streaming services pick up a fresh headwind in the UAE market, we look at how technology is shaping not just what we listen to, but why we listen at all → Read More
Ready for November Rain? Here's what to expect at the Guns N' Roses concert this Sunday
This really could be your last chance to catch the most iconic rock band of the past 30 years, says Rob Garratt → Read More
Why 1993 was the year that changed music forever
It was a year of violence, vendettas and a truly avant garde vibe, but pop music has never managed to hit the same high note since → Read More
Doing it together: How women (finally) took over the music charts in 2018
We examine how a new wave of female artists are challenging the music business patriarchy by choosing collaboration over catfighting → Read More
Composer Bruno Vlahek on how he found inspiration from the Burj Khalifa
'I remember arriving in Deira at night, and seeing the tower rise into the sky from so far away, lights flickering up and down, sparkling very fast – it had a dramatic effect on me' → Read More
A hip-hop journey through the halls of the Louvre Abu Dhabi
On Wednesday, the artist better known as Lobito Brigante will become the first turntablist to appear as part of the museum’s live cultural programme → Read More
Dxbeats: Yasmine Hamdan unloads baggage from her glory days
Revolutionary artist says she tried to make sense of the Lebanese civil war through her music. We speak with dxbeats’ headline act → Read More
A night at the studio – Dubai opera’s chamber music revival
A scene has emerged in cultural circles that is both exclusive and inclusive. ‘Music in the Studio’ creator Amira Fouad tells us about the experience → Read More
Record Store Day in the UAE: the releases you should pick up
While initially founded as a celebration of note-0independent outlets and independent releases, it wasn’t long before major record labels starting co-opting the buzz to launch new music from their roster of household names → Read More
Angélique Kidjo on mixing her influences
Angélique Kidjo tells The National why she’s taking on Talking Heads for her Abu Dhabi gig → Read More
How the UAE could benefit from a cassette tape revival
The global cassette comeback is particularly welcome in the UAE, where vintage Khaleeji tapes are part of its culture → Read More
The acquisition of Shazam by Apple raises questions over control of our tastes
The buyout represents an ongoing stranglehold of our everyday entertainment technology by an elite few corporations → Read More
Meet the contrasting musical personalities that make up the World Peace Trio
Individually renowned for channelling their distinct musical heritage through the prism of jazz, each soloist is a celebrated bandleader with an extensive back catalogue → Read More