Best music in 2025: Irish Times critics choose the albums and acts of the year
From CMAT to Chappell Roan, and Maria Somerville to Rosalía, women have ruled the industry this year
Bruce Springsteen
Jeremy Allen White on playing Bruce Springsteen: ‘Learning guitar was the hardest part’
Preparing for his starring role in the biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, the actor had a moment of panic when he realised his fingers wouldn’t co-operate
Bruce Springsteen biopic review: Jeremy Allen White broods beautifully in Deliver Me From Nowhere
Director Scott Cooper’s reflective biopic captures The Boss at a creative crossroads
Music books: From Mark Ronson’s insight into being a DJ in 1990s to Bruce Springsteen’s 50th anniversary book
Releases include Night People: How to Be a DJ in ‘90s New York City; Blitz: The Club That Created the 80s and more
‘The measure of my dreams’: Rainy Night in Soho lives on, almost 40 years after its release
One of Shane McGowan’s best-loved songs has been covered by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Lisa O’Neill, Nick Cave and more
Four music books chart unconventional lives in the industry
Influences and life moments behind the musicians from the ‘70s to ‘90s are revealed
The Bear review: The restaurant needs a recipe for success if it is to survive, both on screen and in reality
Television: The restaurant needs a recipe for success if it is to survive, both on screen and in reality
Ireland was a rock’n’roll backwater when Henry Mount Charles brought Dylan, Springsteen and The Rolling Stones to Slane
As the profile of Slane as a rock venue grew, Mount Charles lapped it up
Zach Bryan: Who is he and why is he so popular in Ireland?
A side from Taylor Swift with 220,000 monthly listeners, Bryan has become the most streamed artist on Irish Spotify
Bruce Springsteen: Tracks II – Lost albums brim with emotional generosity, suppressed pain, and machismo
These 83 songs run the gamut from old-school rock’n’roll to rumpled country pop via new wave, indie rock and cinematic mood music
Pioneering producer Arthur Baker: Bono called me up and said, ‘Can you get me a guitar? I want to write a song’
Baker’s new autobiography charts his work producing and remixing Springsteen, Dylan, New Order and Afrika Bambaataa
Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band: Land of Hope & Dreams review – A roiling, righteous anti-Trump onslaught
Stay true to what we believe in, the great blue-collar bard urges on this live EP recorded in Manchester
Donald Trump attacks ‘dried out prune of a rocker’ Bruce Springsteen and ‘no longer hot’ Taylor Swift
Veteran musician’s fiery speeches trigger angry insults from US president
Bruce Springsteen’s Glory Days is a tribute to a late friend and unrealised teenage sporting potential
The universal theme of unrealised teenage sporting potential was immortalised in Springsteen’s ode to his friend Joe DePugh
The Waterboys: Life, Death and Dennis Hopper review – Sprawling, unpredictable and wholly delightful
Mike Scott isn’t telling us the story of the Hollywood bad boy’s life so much as allowing us to experience it for ourselves
Bruce Springsteen to release seven ‘lost albums’ in June
Collection of 83 songs will include 74 that have never been officially released
Mike Scott: ‘Ireland is recovering from a long trauma, and opening out in to a liberal future. I feel very at home’
The Waterboys frontman on his adopted home and the band’s ambitious new album, based on the life and times of the Hollywood maverick Dennis Hopper
Leo Burdock takeaway review: Does Bruce Springsteen’s favourite Dublin chipper live up to billing?
A legend, but not quite the boss any more. This was considerably below the brand’s general reputation
How to have a number one album, from U2 to The Beatles: An Irish expert shares his music industry experience
Michael Mary Murphy’s new book hails the managers who have steered U2, Hozier and The Beatles to the top of the charts
Sam Fender: People Watching review – Emotional resistance is futile
Devastating observations about the trials of everyday life are part of what the English singer-songwriter is all about
In 1975, Dylan, Patti Smith, Bowie and Marley woke up a cosseted music culture. It’s a 50th anniversary worth celebrating
2025 marks the golden jubilee of some fine records, to be sure, but also of a time when punk came to sack rock’s citadel and popular music began to go in new directions
Henry Mount Charles: A Lord in Slane – The strange blend of fact and fiction around one of the last Anglo-Irish eccentrics
Television: Much we think we know about the custodian of Slane Castle is conjured from thin air, as becomes clear in this absorbing documentary
The Music Quiz: Charli XCX has sampled a song by which blues great?
Plus: What is the name of the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White?
Soccer Mommy: ‘The whole thing with Liam Payne is really sad. The industry is very hard on people’s mental health’
Going on the road as a young artist is psychologically and physically draining, says Sophie Allison, who has just released Evergreen, her new album
Why are so many old rockers still touring? ‘It doesn’t matter how much money they have. Musicians live for the next gig’
David Hepworth, author of Hope I Get Old Before I Die, on why rock stars never retire
Pa Sheehy: Maybe It Was All for This – Ignore the sombre track titles. These songs are winners
Gigging with Bruce Springsteen in summer 2023 influenced the creative direction of this solo effort from a former member of Walking on Cars
The Irish Times view on Irish summer festivals: outstanding in a field
In a world largely mediated through a screen, the IRL event commands a premium price
Croke Park on All-Ireland Sundays still has a timeless power to enthral
The GAA headquarters is now open for all sorts of business but for the All-Ireland hurling and football finals the ground is a player too
Best new music books: A joy strictly for Radiohead fans; and priceless memories about the band that changed Irish music
Look out also for a breezy page-turner about promoting artists such as Paul McCartney and David Bowie; and a work featuring a world of wonder around Britain most famous recording studio
What happens a musician when shoulder, elbow or hand pain prevents them from working?
A new non-profit organisation which aims to provide free care for underinsured professional musicians is launching in Ireland
No matter what anyone says about Tony O’Reilly’s motivations, he knew how to live a full life
O’Reilly and Springsteen understand a similar truth about the world - you can’t start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart
Bruce Springsteen promoter apologises to fans stuck in queues as Croke Park concert began
Glare on ticket scanners is cited as a factor by organisers as fans criticise ‘shambles’ outside stadium
‘What a night of pure joy’ – Bruce Springsteen fans give their verdict on ‘corker’ Croke Park gig
The Boss played his final Irish concert of this tour in the capital on Sunday
In pictures: Bruce Springsteen rocks Croke Park on a sunny Sunday evening
The Boss bid farewell to Ireland with an energetic and emotional concert in Dublin
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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