Arts review of 2023: Fiona Shepherd on the year in pop

Grassroots venues continued to struggle, but 2023 was all gravy for established artists playing arenas, writes Fiona Shepherd

Proving that rock’n’roll has long been an all-ages game, the return of those young bucks The Rolling Stones with their decidedly non-wrinkly album Hackney Diamonds was one of the big news stories of a year when music culture appeared to reset to the old “normal” – though they were almost overshadowed by their old rivals, The Beatles, releasing their “last” song Now and Then. Even Van Morrison stopped moaning about lockdown… which was not to say that venues – particularly the grassroots venues which operate on small margins – didn’t continue to struggle to weather the post-pandemic landscape.

It was all gravy, however, for established artists who re-emerged to show us their lockdown wares. Take That were content to embrace middle age with the classy This Life, recorded in sun-kissed LA. Conceptualising like crazy, Smashing Pumpkins produced a three-act rock opera, Atum, named after a primordial Egyptian deity. Dexys’ Kevin Rowland celebrated his journey from possessive Neanderthal to committed feminist on The Feminine Divine. Somehow, it was still all about him. Paul Simon’s Seven Psalms was a far more dignified acoustic meditation on the Book of Psalms, while Peter Gabriel embraced the cosmic by releasing a new track every full moon from his long, long, long awaited album i/o.

Blur were busy, not just with the release of comeback album The Ballad of Darren, encased in an atmospheric sleeve photo of Gourock’s outdoor swimming pool, but also individually. Damon Albarn helmed another Gorillaz album, Cracker Island, while drummer Dave Rowntree released his solo debut album, Radio Songs, at the age of 58 and guitarist Graham Coxon returned to his first instrument, the saxophone, in his collaboration with Rose Elinor Dougall as The Waeve.

Young Fathers PIC: Stephen Roe

In the summer, their Britpop peers Pulp headlined the TRNSMT festival to deserved fanfare, though grieving the loss of bassist Steve Mackey earlier in the year. Andy Rourke of The Smiths went too soon and, closer to home, Alan Rankine of The Associates, while Sixties legends Tina Turner, David Crosby and Robbie Robertson of The Band also passed away. There was particular sadness at the deaths of Sinead O’Connor and Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan, two firm friends and standout artists who didn’t have their troubles to seek.

Leading the live music charge, Beyoncé and Harry Styles may have graced Murrayfield, while Guns ‘N’ Roses rocked Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park but worldwide all eyes were on Madonna’s Celebration tour which kicked off in London in October, cramming more than 30 career-spanning hits into an autobiographical show.

There was plenty of action from her fellow divas. Country doyenne Dolly Parton discovered her inner rock diva on her mammoth Rockstar album, featuring a host of big name collaborations but only a handful of musical highlights, including Lizzo’s magic flute on Stairway to Heaven. Shania Twain and P!nk disappointed with their respective releases, Queen of Me and Trustfall, but brought the entertainment fizz to their live shows.

To no great surprise, Taylor Swift was named Spotify’s Global Top Artist of the year – aka thanks for all the streaming revenue. More contentiously, she also topped People Magazine’s Most Intriguing People of 2023 list, not to mention being named Time's Person of the Year. The considerably more intriguing Lana Del Rey continued her fertile run of stylised pop albums – and enigmatic titles – with the release of Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, while Kylie went for the dancefloor jugular with the ecstatic Tension and Janelle Monae celebrated her sensuality with The Age of Pleasure.

King Creosote PIC: Calum Gordon

The imperious Siouxsie Sioux played her first live shows in 15 years, while Chrissie Hynde remained at peak Pretenders with the Relentless album and tour. PJ Harvey returned from musical hiatus with her first new album in seven years. I Inside the Old Year Dying was a bewitching and befuddling psych folk collection which drew on Harvey’s recent forays into poetry with lyrics making rich use of archaic terms from her native Dorset. It was the only album this year (to our knowledge) which came with its own glossary.

A little background knowledge also went a long way in appreciating Corinne Bailey Rae’s Black Rainbows, an audacious fourth album from a singer previously associated with relatively lightweight pop. Inspired by a visit to the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago, Rae wrote a diverse collection of songs – from punk to jazz and all stops in between – inspired by different exhibits in its archive of Black cultural artefacts.

The peerless Young Fathers dominated the scene in Scotland and beyond. They may not have won the Mercury Prize for their exquisite Heavy Heavy album – that honour went to likeable jazzers Ezra Collective – but they did pick up their third Scottish Album of the Year Award while wiping the floor with the live competition as they toured like demons throughout the year.

That said, sultry soul boy Joesef made his mark with debut album Permanent Damage, Soup Dragons frontman Sean Dickson, aka Hifi Sean, produced a Happy Ending with the divine David McAlmont, Colin McIntyre aka Mull Historical Society collaborated with a host of authors on In My Mind There’s A Room, Idlewild frontman Roddy Woomble debuted new solo project Almost Nothing and Kenny Anderson claimed he was killing off his King Creosote moniker with swansong I DES. The King is dead, long live the King.

The Rolling Stones PIC: Mark Seliger

Finally, Lewis Capaldi sealed the deal as the nation’s sweetheart, not so much with his cumbersomely titled second album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent but thanks to his disarming honesty about his mental health struggles in Netflix documentary How I’m Feeling Now and on stage at Glastonbury.