Alex G: Headlights review – indie-rocker reins in the noise to reveal romantic soft rock
While the sonic invention and off-kilter details remain, on his 10th album the cult musician eschews distortion for melancholic melodies and crooked love songs
Wet Leg: Moisturizer review – Doritos, Davina McCall and dumb fun from British indie’s big breakout band
After winning multiple Grammys and Brits, the Isle of Wight band explore love and sexuality on their second LP – but there’s still room for some barbed put-downs
Forever Now review – timeless stars shine among grab bag of 80s nostalgia
Public Image Ltd deliver a thrilling set and the The can still enthrall, but it is the techno-symphonies of headliners Kraftwerk that remain truly peerless
Hotline TNT: Raspberry Moon review – love lights melodies through the fuzz
Will Anderson opens up on the NYC group’s third album, revealing an expansive articulacy to his take on 90s indie-rock
Mazeppa review – Tchaikovsky’s blood-thirsty opera is a wild and gruesome ride
David Pountney’s striking staging of this timely tale of a Ukrainian warlord battling Russian power unsettles the stomach as much as it titillates the ear
Outbreak festival review – hardcore and pop hooks collide in impeccable genre-fluid lineup
Turnstile headlined with soaring high-tempo energy while Speed went route-one punk, Jane Remover caused pandemonium and Have a Nice Life electrified their fanbase in this most free-thinking of festivals
Lifeguard: Ripped and Torn review – this brilliant post-punk racket sounds like a trip to a rivet factory
The Chicago threepiece’s bold debut is a blast of circular-saw guitars, baffling lyrics and effervescent melody
Pulp: More review – anthems and rage for the next life stage
Jarvis Cocker and the band’s first album in 24 years delivers a refreshing take on middle age, with all the the skewed observation and joyful melodic flourishes of old
Cloud Control review – Australian 2010s indie darlings reunite for a joyfully nostalgic tour
Northcote theatre, Melbourne; then touringThe band is back together on a 15-year anniversary tour for their debut album Bliss Release – and their sound is immediately transportative
Jacob Alon: In Limerence review – dreamy story songs of myth and melancholy
The Scottish songwriter delivers a confident, well-expressed debut even if their songs sometimes stray into overfamiliar indie-folk territory
Stereolab: Instant Holograms on Metal Film review – after 15 years, the retro-futurists make a radiant return
Motorik grooves, Marxist critique and vintage synths – in their first album since 2010, Laetitia Sadier et al pick up where they left off yet sound more timely than ever
Maria Somerville: Luster review – a vivid and vital entry in the shoegaze revival
The Irish artist’s folk-inflected sound is both unnerving and alluring on her luxuriant second album
Julien Baker and Torres: Send a Prayer My Way review – an intimate, queer reclamation of country music
The two deep south songwriters ditch country’s rhinestones for a personal, defiant reframing of the genre’s tropes
Pulp: Spike Island review – Jarvis Cocker and co’s joyous second coming
The anthemic lead single from the band’s first album in 24 years casts a wary eye over their peak 90s fame – but also suggests that performing is irresistible
Black Country, New Road: Forever Howlong review – revamped alt-rockers take a newer, weirder road
After losing their frontman, the band’s third studio album shows how resilient and adaptable they are, with luscious melodies, fantastical lyrics and lots of recorders