[rating=5]
Charli XCX, August 22, 2012

Little Bastard is astounded by the energy of Charli XCX in her Sebright Arms gig, August 22, 2012.

“Charli XCX headbangs, she pounds every inch of the stage, and she does it all in vintage platform buffalo trainers (from eBay). She not only owns the stage, but she makes it difficult for anyone to occupy it again! “

The Old Sorting Office, New Oxford St, London – WC1 • August 5-31, 2012

House DJ David Guetta and artist Mr Brainwash, Thiery Guetta, put on an exhibition that is defined by hype but is in the end more than hype.

“At that moment, I stopped caring about the Mr Brainwash hype machine, whether he is real or whether his art says anything, and I became truly moved by something that was in front of me.”

The Sentencing of Madonna.

It seems these days that everybody hates Madonna, writes Little Bastard. But do the critics reveal more about their assumptions and prejudices than they do about her?

“It’s an artist’s raison d’être to challenge the political landscape and this has always been a part of Madonna’s work. As her platform gets bigger and the world slowly gets closer to hell in its hand basket, Madonna’s shows have become more intensely political.”

[rating=5]
Released June 11, 2012
Heartbreaks and Earthquakes has Charli XCX taking a chainsaw to the pop mainstream.

“The dark and dirty dubstep of opener ‘Champagne Coast’ is as if Charli is hiding behind PopStep starlet Delilah’s door with a chainsaw.”

[rating=4]
Released July 23, 2012
The soundtrack to his feature film of the same name,, iLL Manors is his third studio album and is as startling and brutal as his debut album.

“The album is an opus, where each song is vital and none is more important or better than another, delivered with his usual lyrical recklessness.”

[rating=5]
Walk A Mile/2012 Hours Against Hate, July 24, 2012

2012 Hours Against Hate and the Walk A Mile initiative, headed by Hilary Clinton, launched on July 24 at The Hospital Club in London.

“Music has always been a unparalleled way of uniting people and, despite the twitter feed from those watching the live stream who announced that the audience at the Hospital Club looked bored, there was a wonderful atmosphere in the venue.”

[rating=4]
Karmin, July 16, 2012

Karmin: hip hop without the ghetto, white rap without the poverty. The music journalists have this band all wrong..

“Amy raps at high speed and is a powerhouse vocalist and the music has a sense of fun to it that can be missing from pop music – a kookie kitsch-ness, like Daphne And Celeste but with talent, if you will.”

Get Ready for iLL Manors.

Polari’s music reviewer Little Bastard takes a look at the career of Ben Drew, and argues that he is the poet for a generation.

“A punch-in-the-face social drama with a pop video aesthetic, iLL Manors sweats “debut film” from every pore – and whilst it is a flawed film, creativity and brutal style ooze out of every frame, and it left me feeling thoroughly violated for several hours afterwards.”

[rating=4]
Released July 12, 2012
‘Fantasea’ has an authentic, underground, raw sound that separates it from the other American hiphop mix tapes flooding the internet.

“If you grew up with Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliot and have a taste for filthy, feisty Femcees then you should love Azealia Banks. She’s Nicki Minaj without the commercial kookiness.”

[rating=5]
Released June 19, 2011
Often eccentric but brilliant Fiona Apple releases a startingly new album.

“The resulting album is beautifully bare, almost live sounding in places, allowing you to focus on the confessional lyrics.”