Sampa the Great: Nu Zamrock review – a full-circle moment for a world-class act
Sampa Tembo’s genre-hopping third album meets the moment with charisma and cheek
The Big Moon: Forever review – the hell of hearing loss inspires a defiantly hopeful pop-disco marvel
After frontperson Juliette Jackson lost half her hearing, she wrote sad songs and felt frustrated. So she pivoted, writing herself a happy ending. The results are joyfully convincing
Macklemore’s Free Palestine tour review – a triumph of a show with performances from Hozier, Kneecap and more
3Arena, DublinSeveral unannounced guests feature on the first European date of the rapper’s sold-out benefit tour, including video messages from Mark Ruffalo and Cynthia Nixon
Super Graphic Spectacular review – Chappell Roan dazzles at her gloriously gay mini-festival
With performances by Christina Aguilera, Lola Young and Tinashe, the pop star brings a colorful vision to life in support of LGBTQ+ charities
Amy Winehouse: Back to Black 20 review – trying an all-star Amy tribute show is a losing game
With Jorja Smith, Mark Ronson and others reinterpreting Back to Black for its 20th anniversary, most of the singers are eclipsed by the memory of Winehouse
Michael Kiwanuka: Fudge review – rough and instinctive, but also lush and alive with melody
Its release delayed by ill health, Kiwanuka’s latest was made in tandem with 2024’s Small Changes – but it’s much more than a mere companion album
Worldpeace DMT: Stick Around for Tea review – ‘laptop twee’ duo keep things goofy but strengthen songs
Bringing back the hyperliterate sound design of their acclaimed 2025 debut, the London duo explore childhood with whimsical humour and terrific musicality
Angèle: Instinct review – Belgium’s biggest star is determined to do pop differently
Massive in her home nation but less so outside, Angèle is aided by Justice, Soulwax and Caroline Polachek in a bold bid for broader appeal – but her resultant album can be generic as well as daring
Stevie Wonder review – playing his greatest album in full, he knocks everyone sideways
The opening night of Wonder’s tour marking the 50th anniversary of Songs in the Key of Life leaves jaws on the floor, thanks to sumptuous tracks carrying still-urgent messages
The Mary Wallopers review – legs and pints go flying to the sound of rowdy folk ragers
Irish six-piece embark on their biggest tour yet, turning grisly old stories into a knees-up with politically astute, spit-and-sawdust energy
Beth Orton review – battered optimism from an artist making the best music of her career
Drawing almost entirely from her last two albums, and backed by a band rooted in jazz and experimentation, Orton performed her emotionally fraught songs to a rapturous crowd
Fontaines DC: Dopamine Chamber review – gloomy, gorgeous and a gargantuan triumph
This is a beguiling, endlessly inventive and frequently astonishing fifth LP from a group at increasing ease with being the best band of their generation
Tame Impala review – Kevin Parker ricochets between musical uppers and downers in eye-popping arena show
Melancholic newer tracks sit uncomfortably alongside the chunky psychedelia and hazy prog-rock the Australian band is known for
Jess Williamson: A Mile South of Heaven review – alt-country singer’s love-hate affair with LA
Following 2023 breakout Time Ain’t Accidental, the best songs here are when Williamson strips back country music, rebuilding it as something familiar yet different
Troye Sivan: She’s the Best review – a strange, singular pop star who deserves to be multiplatinum
Adored by the A-list and filling arenas, but without huge smash hits, the Australian singer treads his own distinctive path through pop via shoegaze, Balearic and the Smiths