Emily Bootle
New Statesman
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Past articles by Emily:
An ode to the Great British music festival
From Green Man to Glastonbury, the best festivals are UK festivals. → Read More
The Coleen Rooney ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial is over. But it lives on in our hearts
Rebekah Vardy has lost her libel case against Coleen Rooney. This irresistible feud will entertain scholars of British culture for decades to come. → Read More
If you don’t already have a hangover, Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s Christmas song will give you one
Ed Sheeran is dancing in a Christmas romper. I don’t feel so good. → Read More
Adele’s new single “Easy On Me” is an instant classic
The singer’s first single after a six-year hiatus is straightforward, unfussy and catchy. → Read More
William Shatner in space: the most elitist spiritual experience imaginable?
Watching Jeff Bezos send the 90-year-old actor speeding into the atmosphere was equal parts thrilling and creepy. → Read More
William Shatner in space: the most elitist spiritual experience imaginable?
Watching Jeff Bezos send the 90-year-old actor speeding into the atmosphere was equal parts thrilling and creepy. → Read More
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Cole Porter album is a love letter to their friendship
On their second album of mid-century jazz standards, their theatrics are superb – if you like that sort of thing. → Read More
Addictive and subversive, Lil Nas X’s Montero is a masterpiece of contemporary pop
Lil Nas X was an online sensation before he was a rapper - his first album is as subversive as it is assured. → Read More
The only thing we can learn from Sexy Beasts is that we are living in the era of Stupid TV
Do you remember where you were when you first saw the Cats trailer? When the image of a rotund, feline, top-hat beclad James Corden first jolted through your synapses; when the trauma of the furry mounds on the lady-cats’ chests was implanted in your visual cortex and then lodged in your long-term memory? Of course you do. I’m only sorry that if there is any room left in your → Read More
There may be little left to say about Love Island – but what does it say about us?
If I screw up my eyes for a second, I can imagine what’s going on in the minds of Love Island dissenters. They think that those of us who care about the manipulated relationships of a handful of bikini-clad 20-somethings are being sucked into a void of inauthentic interaction on which we become dependent for excitement and fulfilment. They would be wrong. In fact, we are being → Read More
The best football songs
There are two things permitted into the metaphorical nightclub of conversation in summer 2021. Coronavirus is definitely not on the list – sorry mate, I don’t make the rules. You’re just bringing the whole vibe down. Love Island, wow, you look gorgeous. You can have free entry. And free drinks all night. The second and final topic on the list of acceptable conversations is, of → Read More
Why we must listen to Britney Spears
Yesterday, the singer Britney Spears told a court that she is “traumatised”. Speaking over the phone as part of an LA hearing, Spears asked a judge to free her from her 13-year conservatorship, which gives her father Jamie Spears control over her finances, work schedule and personal life, including which therapists and lawyers she is allowed to employ, and which medications → Read More
Can Covid free us from the saccharine charade of wedding culture?
Everyone loves a wedding. Warm tingly feelings, music, booze, a raison d’être for the otherwise inexplicable accessory that is the fascinator. Nobody, arguably, cares more than the bride and groom, for whom it is both the most important and the most eye-wateringly expensive day of their lives. Much to the dismay of Big Headwear, Covid-19 has got in the way. The last wedding I → Read More
Wolf Alice's Blue Weekend is a masterpiece by a British band in their prime
On “Play the Greatest Hits”, two and a half minutes of driving uptempo punk that comes three quarters of the way through Wolf Alice’s new album Blue Weekend, lead singer and guitarist Ellie Rowsell shout-sings: “I don’t look too far forward, I definitely don’t look back.” It’s not designed to be the most profound moment of the album, which elsewhere is soaring and expansive – → Read More
The Brit Awards 2021: celebrity posturing reminds you that some things never change
There were no surprises at the in-person ceremony at the O2 arena, part of the government's trial scheme for large events. → Read More
Birdy's Young Heart: intimate but homogeneous heartbreak folk
After a hiatus, "Skinny Love" singer Birdy returns with a record of Woodstock-inspired crooning. → Read More
On This is Really Going to Hurt, Flyte perfect the art of the break-up album
The London three-piece's second album of indie folk is a poignant reflection on a long-term relationship. → Read More
Katy Kirby's Cool Dry Place: soft but subversive folk-pop
Kirby’s sharp lyrics, layered melodies and complex manipulation of rhythm mark her out as an exciting and sophisticated songwriter. → Read More
Dolly Parton's fresh reworking of "9 to 5" is an uber-capitalist, girlboss hellscape
The star's rewrite of her 1980's classic for a SuperBowl ad is nothing but a sell-out to toxic "side hustle" culture. → Read More
Black Country, New Road are one of the most exciting and original British bands in years
With their debut For the First Time, the septet from Cambridgeshire have created a thrillingly chaotic sound. → Read More