From CMAT’s provocative pop to Taylor Swift’s 12th album, plus tours from Kneecap, Lady Gaga and Stereolab, here’s the pop not to miss – while in classical, Mark-Anthony Turnage adapts The Railway Children
See the rest of our unmissable autumn arts preview picks here
For Byrne’s first album since his hugely acclaimed American Utopia tour – and the subsequent Spike Lee-directed film – he’s working with an orchestra, as well as St Vincent and Paramore singer Hayley Williams, among others. The two tracks released so far, She Explains Things To Me and Everybody Laughs, have proved to be sweetly sunny and driven by acoustic guitar. The accompanying tour – due to reach Europe next year – will apparently “blend visual art, storytelling and music into one compelling live performance”.
Released 5 September
Saint Etienne have been an endlessly fascinating fixture on the leftfield of pop for 25 years, spawning everything from Top 10 singles to documentaries about the Lea Valley and the South Bank. Their most recent albums I’ve Been Trying To Tell You and The Night have delved into concept-driven ambient experimental territory with hugely rewarding results, but International is to be their final release. Something of the breadth of their approach is revealed by the list of collaborators, which stretches from DJ Erol Alkan to 80s heart-throb Nick Heyward.
