Mark Savage

5 days ago | bbc.com | Mark Savage

Magic spells, innuendo and riddles: Your guide to all 37 Eurovision songsMark SavageAlma BengtssonAustralia's Go-Jo is one of 37 artists hoping to lift the Eurovision trophy in Basel, SwitzerlandThe 2025 Eurovision Song Contest pops its cork on Sunday, with a "turquoise carpet" parade featuring competitors from all 37 nations. But the competition really begins on Tuesday, when the first semi-final will see five countries unceremoniously kicked out.

6 days ago | bbc.com | Mark Savage

The 2000s indie heroes who are back and bigger than everMark SavageGetty ImagesThe Kooks and Hard-Fi were among a wave of guitar bands who sold millions of records in the 2000s"I'm pretty sure we hung out in Brixton. Hopefully I didn't embarrass myself."Luke Pritchard, the eternally youthful lead singer of The Kooks, is reintroducing himself to fellow indie survivor and Hard-Fi frontman, Richard Archer. Both admit the 2000s, when they each sold millions of records, are a bit of a blur.

6 days ago | bbc.co.uk | Mark Savage

In the 2010s, Hard-Fi's guitarist Ross Phillips retrained as a tiler, while Archer formed the short-lived blues band OffWorld. But when he streamed an acoustic set of Hard-Fi songs during Covid, the response was big enough to tempt the band back on stage. A one-off gig at London's Forum sold out in minutes. "The response was just so warm. I was quite taken aback by it," says Archer. The show led to a full reunion.

6 days ago | bbc.co.uk | Mark Savage

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Smokey Robinson was vice president of Motown Records and has worked with everyone from Diana Ross and Dolly Parton to Elton John and Gary BarlowMotown legend Smokey Robinson has denied allegations of sexual assault that were made by several former employees. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, four female housekeepers accused the singer-songwriter of sexual battery including rape, plus false imprisonment and a number of labour violations.

6 days ago | bbc.com | Mark Savage

Smokey Robinson denies sexual assault allegationsMark SavageGetty ImagesSmokey Robinson was vice president of Motown Records and has worked with everyone from Diana Ross and Dolly Parton to Elton John and Gary BarlowMotown legend Smokey Robinson has denied allegations of sexual assault that were made by several former employees.