Big Thief has always been an intimate affair. A lot of the time, it seems like the band’s members — vocalist/guitarist Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek, drummer James Krivchenia, and, until his recent departure, bassist Max Oleartchik — can’t get close enough to one another. On stage, no matter how much space they’ve got, they’ll set up and play crammed close together in the center. In photos, they’re usually touching each other, and sometimes they’re on the floor draped over each other in a cuddle puddle. In one interview, Oleartchik said that he felt like the four of them had “melted into each other.” Incidentally, a Twitter search for Big Thief polycule is not short on results.

Sunday afternoon, the defunct girl group Fifth Harmony’s Twitter/X account posted for the first time in seven years. #FifthHarmonyFollowSpree, it read. What was this about? Within a few hours, the answer would be clear.

In The Number Ones, I’m reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart’s beginning, in 1958, and working my way up into the present. Book Bonus Beat: The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music.

That’s a wrap on Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour. The ’80s pop icon has brought out some special guests throughout the tour, and Saturday night at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl was no exception: John Legend came out to duet “Time After Time,” SZA was there for “True Colors,” and Cher lent an assist on “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.” And after covering Joni Mitchell songs many times over the years, Lauper even got Mitchell herself to come out for a rendition of her Blue classic “Carey.” See some clips from the audience below.

Over the weekend Gorillaz kicked off their House Of Kong residency in London, where they’re playing a few of their most beloved albums in full to celebrate 25 years since Damon Albarn founded the project. On Friday night they ran through their eponymous 2001 debut, and last night was dedicated to their star-making sophomore album, 2005’s Demon Days. They played songs like “November Has Come” and “All Alone” for the first time in over a decade, and they also brought out a few guests: Bootie Brown, Michelle Ndegwa, Skye Edwards, and, yes, the surviving members of De La Soul. They also performed Demon Days-era rarity “We Are Happy Landfill” live for the first time ever.

The mass exodus from Spotify continues: After Godspeed You! Black Emperor, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, and Hotline TNT pulled their music from the streaming service, WU LYF explained why did back in April, along with every other streaming service. They’ve also now pulled their latest song as well.

In 2021, the Neighbourhood went on a break. The following year, they kicked out drummer Brandon Fried after he groped the Marías’ María Zardoya, who spoke up about it and called him a “complete creep.” Now, the band has announced their return, and Fried is back in the group.

Earlier this year, Tom Waits made an appearance in a homelessness documentary. Now, he’s starring in Jim Jarmusch’s new film Father Mother Sister Brother alongside Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, and more.

In June, two men broke into Macklemore’s Capitol Hill home, sprayed the nanny with bear mace, and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry, watches, and shoes. Police arrested a primary suspect on Friday (Aug. 30) named Patrick Maisonet.