Michael Cragg
The Guardian
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Michael:
‘We had to reclaim what was rightfully ours’: the triumphant return of the Sugababes
The OG lineup of Mutya, Keisha and Siobhán returned a decade ago as MKS, but were thwarted by industry shenanigans. Now they’re back, with the Sugababes name under their control, and won’t let anything – or anyone – stand in their way → Read More
Fred Again review – restless mood swings from rave ringmaster
An enthusiastic crowd laps up Fred Gibson’s collective-healing vibes, but the pacing is off and the emotional moments don’t always connect → Read More
Ashnikko: ‘I’m the sort of person who laughs in a therapy session’
For the provocative singer and rapper, viral success came with some negative attention. But now, with help from mushrooms and the Welsh countryside, they’re in a better place → Read More
‘A true genius’: Denniz Pop, the late Scandi-pop architect behind Max Martin, Robyn and NSync
With songs for Backstreet Boys and many more, he turned Sweden into a pop powerhouse – then died tragically young. His peers reflect on an underrated legacy → Read More
Alison Goldfrapp: ‘I like the intensity of a sweaty club’
With her debut solo album, the singer has ditched the brainy precision pop for a sound aimed squarely at the dancefloor → Read More
Give it some welly: the 30 best UK music festivals still available to book
The summer’s big events sell out sooner every year but, whether you like gnarly moshpits, banging dance tents, kid-friendly jazz retreats or gastro entertainment, there’s still time to take your pick and get looking for your camping gear → Read More
Frog sounds and electropunk freakouts! Why 00s pop was odder than the X Factor
Beyond the talent-show ballads and mass-market fluff that dominated the early 2000s was a wave of brilliant leftfield pop, with debauched lyrics sung over ‘crunchy and horrible’ music → Read More
‘There were fist-fights down at CD:UK’ – 90s pop remembered by those who lived through it
Conflict between bands, conflict within bands, booze, breakdowns and awards-show agony: in these extracts from oral history Reach for the Stars, Five, Steps, Pete Waterman and more spill about the dark side of the decade → Read More
‘We’ve always been very divisive’: Måneskin on fighting fascists and breakfast with Chris Martin
First The X Factor, then victory at Eurovision, now a Grammy nod: the Italian glam rockers have taken the road less ordinary on their way to worldwide fame. So long as they can be themselves, they wouldn’t have it any other way → Read More
Samia: Honey review – blackly comic indie-rock confessionals
On her second album, the Nashville-based musician dwells on broken relationships, toxic behaviour and addiction all too relatably → Read More
Yule love it: the best culture of the festive season
From magical ballet to adult panto, Arthurian exhibits to a touring troupe of comics, we present December’s hottest remaining tickets → Read More
Lil Nas X review – defiantly queer showcase for rap pioneer’s triumphant career
Divided into three acts, this giddily theatrical show combines Y2K excess with a glorious affirmation of a none-more contemporary pop superstar → Read More
Dylan: The Greatest Thing I’ll Never Learn review – messy, punky pop thrills
In a post-Paramore world, the Suffolk songwriter’s scuffed-up songs of emotional turmoil make a lot of sense → Read More
Tegan and Sara: Crybaby review – soundtrack to the world’s bleakest house party
The Quin twins return to a more indie-rock style on this unwavering account of unsteady emotional times → Read More
In-demand producer Fred again.. : ‘I was fortunate not to be good at anything else’
He’s worked with Ed Sheeran and Stormzy but, for his own records, Fred Gibson is more often found on buses, tubes and trains with his finger on the record button, waiting for inspiration to strike → Read More
The 1975: Being Funny in a Foreign Language review – a surprising but welcome paring back
The band have given up irony and bombast in favour of heartfelt snapshots of millennial life – though, as ever, frontman Matty Healy can’t quite resist going too far → Read More
‘Adele gave us hope’: the inside story of the Brit School
Vital springboard for the likes of Adele and Amy Winehouse? Or conveyor belt for beige pop? Staff, famous alumni and critics of the Brit performing arts school consider its complicated legacy → Read More
Britney Spears and Elton John: Hold Me Closer review – a star is reborn
Spears’ first recording since 2016 is a reworking of two pop classics but filled with a power and poignancy of its own → Read More
Post your questions for the Proclaimers
Whether there’s something you don’t know about mega-hit I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), or you have other things to ask about their 34-year career, the chart-topping twins are on hand to answer → Read More
Darius Campbell Danesh: an alluring mix of naivety, panache and genuine talent
His journey from tryer to survivor to established success story is unlike anything else seen in TV talent show history → Read More