Neil McCormick
The Telegraph
The Telegraph has published 170 articles by Neil in this 12-month period, ranging from reviews of concerts, albums, books and films to interviews, think pieces, general features and emotional tributes to deceased musicians. He is among the most trusted and popular writers by Telegraph readers, his articles attracting vociferous reader comments and regularly top viewing figures for the Telegraph’s online Culture section.
Neil’s review of the first night of Taylor Swift’s stadium tour is an example of his entertaining and informative style, all the more remarkable because it was turned around under extreme deadline pressure. The Telegraph billed it as “the definitive review” because it pulls together all the strands of Swift’s career through the prism of one concert. The online version received more than 1,000 comments and was quoted by numerous news outlets worldwide.
Like all of Neil’s work, it demonstrates an acute awareness of his mainstream newspaper audience. He knows he is not writing for a specialist music publication and does not assume intimate knowledge on behalf of the reader, nor does he baffle with jargon. Neil is adept at finding angles to entertain and inform general readers, building concise explanations and potted histories into reviews, while leaving space to develop wider critical points. He does not talk down to readers, nor is he dismissive of diverse tastes.
His music knowledge is vast, as demonstrated by the range of artists he confidently covers. Reviews this year have included new pop sensations Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, breakout talents Wunderhorse and English Teacher, mainstream superstars from Beyoncé to Eminem and such vintage heroes as Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks and Barry Manilow.
Most of all, there is passion in Neil’s reviews. His love for popular music is evident, and while he is adept at snappy jokes and wry asides, he is at his best conveying what makes a particular work or artist special, as evidenced by his moving review of a recent album from veteran Goth band The Cure. Also notable is his narrative construction. Neil’s pieces – though necessarily often composed to tight deadlines – flow from first to last, strong intros developing into critical insights with punchy payoffs.
An increasingly significant part of every major music critic’s work in the modern news environment is responding to the deaths of famous musicians. This, too, is something at which Neil excels. These are not pre-prepared obituaries, they are on-the-spot tributes focussing on whatever makes a particular loss significant, serving as first comment after news breaks. In the past 12 months, Neil has written exceptional tributes to Steve Harley, John Mayall, Herbie Flowers, Liam Payne, Kris Kristofferson and Quincy Jones. His funny, insightful and touching tribute to Shane MacGowan last November was a huge hit with readers and widely republished and quoted elsewhere.