The Last Mixed Tape

Julian Casablancas sparked controversy after comparing American Zionists to Black people living under slavery on SubwayTakes . It was a comparison I believe was historically clumsy, rhetorically reckless and ultimately damaging to the point he was trying to make. But five weeks later, at the Oxford Union, Casablancas returned to the subject with a clearer argument centred on settlements, expansion...

Phoebe Bridgers is back with Lost Boys , her first solo music in six years — a song haunted by nostalgia, isolation, masculinity and the machines we carry in our pockets. At its centre is a dark inversion of one of the most famous slogans in protest music. Where Woody Guthrie wrote “This Machine Kills Fascists,” Bridgers sings: “This machine is killing me.” In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape ,...

Following renewed controversy around Roisin Murphy over comments about transgender people, criticism from artists including The Blessed Madonna and CMAT, and a growing divide between Murphy and the LGBTQ+ community that helped shape her career, this episode explores a larger question. What happens when an artist becomes estranged from the community that gave their work meaning? From queer club cul...

Olivia Rodrigo’s latest album features Robert Smith of The Cure, but this collaboration tells a much bigger story than a pop star working with one of her heroes. In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, we explore why The Cure continue to resonate with younger listeners, how TikTok and streaming have transformed music discovery, and whether modern audiences are inheriting music differently than pre...

Following the recent unrest in Belfast, I found myself returning to one of the most powerful songs in Irish music: Christy Moore’s Viva la Quinta Brigada . What begins as a song about Irish volunteers who travelled to Spain to fight fascism during the Spanish Civil War reveals a much deeper story about Ireland itself. In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, I explore the Connolly Column, the Blues...

When reports emerged that an AI-powered version of Ozzy Osbourne could continue interacting with fans after his death, many people focused on the technology. I found myself thinking about something else. For most of human history, art survived the artist. Using Ozzy Osbourne as a starting point, this episode explores digital resurrection, AI, memory, grief, nostalgia, Mark Fisher’s “slow cancellat...

When CMAT won Best Album at the Ivor Novello Awards, she used her acceptance speech to challenge fellow artists to stop “sitting on the fence” as fascism and far-right politics continue to rise across Britain and Ireland. It was a speech that immediately made headlines. But this episode isn’t really about one speech. It’s about the role artists play during moments of political and social tension....

For much of the twentieth century, the Catholic Church shaped almost every aspect of Irish life education, sexuality, family, politics, shame and silence. But long before Ireland changed politically, Irish artists began documenting the emotional cost of that world through music. From Christy Moore’s response to the death of Ann Lovett… to Sinéad O’Connor tearing up a photograph of the Pope on live...

“I think the dance floor is dead… so now we’re making rock music.” One sentence from Charli XCX sparked immediate online discourse. Was this the end of Brat ? A reinvention? A provocation? Or something much bigger about modern music culture itself? In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape , Stephen White explores Charli XCX’s Rock Music as a case study in artistic reinvention during the streaming er...

Kate Bush described Running Up That Hill as a song about a man and a woman trying to understand each other. But what makes the song endure goes far beyond romance. In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape , Stephen White explores how Kate Bush used shifting narrative perspectives across Running Up That Hill , Cloudbusting , and This Woman’s Work to examine empathy, identity, transformation, and the...

What does the word “Fenian” really mean and can it ever be reclaimed? In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape , we explore Fenian , the new album from Kneecap, and the complex history behind one of the most loaded words in Irish identity. From its origins in Irish mythology and the Fianna, through revolutionary movements and into its use as a sectarian slur during the Troubles, “Fenian” is a word s...

Is the Eurovision Song Contest really apolitical or has it always been shaped by politics? With over 1,000 artists calling for a boycott of Eurovision 2026 and multiple countries withdrawing from the contest, this year’s competition has become one of the most controversial in its history. With the question of Isreal’s participation at its core. Drawing on past moments from Bosnia’s wartime entry i...

At Coachella 2026, two performances sparked completely different reactions. Justin Bieber took to the stage with a laptop, revisiting old performances and creating a stripped-back, introspective set that divided opinion. Some called it lazy. Others called it art. Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter delivered a full-scale headline performance choreography, costume changes, live band and was praised for do...

In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, Stephen White explores the meaning of Ali Ghamsari’s recent performance a US targeted Power Plant in Iran, placing it within a wider history of artists who have faced real consequences for their work from Sarajevo to the North of Ireland to Tehran.

In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, I explore Kanye West’s latest album Bully and the uncomfortable questions it raises about how we engage with art in 2026. This is a deeper look at the relationship between artist and audience, and whether it’s still possible to separate the art from the artist in an era where context is impossible to ignore. Drawing on the reaction to Bully, Kanye’s recent c...

In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, we explore the reaction to Kneecap ’s recent trip to Cuba and what that reaction reveals about the relationship between music, politics, and public discourse. As Cuba faces ongoing blackouts, shortages, and economic strain shaped in part by the long-standing United States embargo against Cuba Kneecap’s decision to speak out has drawn both support and critici...

Rosalía ’s Lux tour is being described as something more than a concert. In this episode, we explore why. From her early work in flamenco to the global success of Motomami and now Lux, Rosalía has built a career on blending tradition with modern pop without ever losing the cultural identity at the centre of her music. But with the Lux tour, that idea evolves further. Structured more like a piece o...

Is Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C. already a modern Irish classic? In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, we explore the cultural impact of Fontaines D.C.’s third album Skinty Fia and ask whether it deserves to stand alongside the greatest Irish records ever made. Looking at the album through five key criteria; cultural relevance, popular resonance, iconic status, influence, and artistry — this vide...

In Peaky Blinders, the music is completely wrong. The story is set in the early 20th century, yet the soundtrack is filled with modern artists like Nick Cave, Fontaines D.C., Lankum, and Amyl and the Sniffers. So why does it work so well? With the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, this episode of The Last Mixed Tape explores how the show’s anachronistic soundtrack reflects deeper themes...

Ireland have been drawn against Israel in the Nations League and the question of boycott has resurfaced. But musicians have been facing this question for decades. From the Sun City boycott during apartheid South Africa, to artists like Brian Eno, Roger Waters, and Lorde refusing to perform in Israel and others like Nick Cave and Radiohead rejecting cultural boycotts the debate is not new.

In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, Stephen White delves into U2’s Days of Ash EP and breaks down the contrast between “American Obituary” and “One Life At A Time,” explores the tribute to Sarina Esmailzadeh in “Songs of the Future,” and asks whether U2’s latest release is truly their most political work or a carefully calibrated one.

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime show transformed the cultural stage in America. From Puerto Rican symbols, wedding moments, Spanish language performance and the message “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” this halftime show became a cultural flashpoint of unity, backlash, and identity. In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, we unpack why the backlash revealed more about America tha...

This week on The Last Mixed Tape, we look at how the announcement of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer exposed a deep cultural divide in America. The backlash from right-wing politicians and commentators, and the creation of an “alternative” halftime show framed around faith and tradition, reveal a fight over identity, belonging, and who gets to define what “American” means.

This episode of The Last Mixed Tape examines how pop culture is increasingly absorbed into the machinery of state authority from government agencies such ICE using pop music without consent, to the quiet violence through aesthetics, familiarity, and sound.

Women in music are often celebrated for their honesty until that honesty becomes inconvenient. From Nina Simone and Sinéad O’Connor to Courtney Love, Phoebe Bridgers, FKA twigs, Megan Thee Stallion and Chappell Roan, a familiar pattern emerges: when women assert creative control, speak politically, or refuse to be agreeable, they are labelled “difficult.” This episode of The Last Mixed Tape explor...