The Last Mixed Tape

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 controversies, and his return to major stages like Wireless festival, this episode asks: Are we witnessing the “Death of the Author”… or the beginning of a Rebirth?

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 criticism.

But why are artists so often held to a higher standard than the governments shaping these conditions?

This episode looks beyond the headlines to examine cultural double standards, the role of political expression in music, and why the loudest conversations don’t always focus on the most important issues.

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 of performance art than a traditional live show, it moves between ballet, electronic music, religious symbolism, and club culture presenting multiple versions of Rosalía in real time.

So what does that say about pop music today?

This episode of The Last Mixed Tape looks at identity, culture, and what happens when local tradition meets global pop and refuses to disappear.

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 video essay examines why Skinty Fia feels like a defining record for modern Irish music.

We also explore how Fontaines D.C. fit into a wider wave of contemporary Irish artists redefining Irish identity in music, including Lankum, CMAT, Kneecap, Junior Brother, and The Mary Wallopers.

Is Skinty Fia the first great Irish album of the 21st century?

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 beneath the story from industrial decline and Irish migration in Birmingham to post-war trauma and modern anxieties about the future.
Rather than recreating the past, Peaky Blinders uses modern music to capture something more powerful: the emotional and cultural echoes between history and the present.