Sault review – GCSE-level drama performance borders on the pretentious
Standout moments included Chronixx captivating on stage, Yasiin Bey delivering a seamless guest verse and Cleo Sol’s ethereal appearance – but the theatrics felt alienating
Rise Against: Ricochet review – slick shift doesn’t skimp on righteous anger
Blood-and-guts emotion with the energy of the punk veterans’ early years meets high-sheen recording craft in a hulking 10th album
Cass McCombs: Interior Live Oak review – double album doubles the pleasures of one of indie-rock’s finest
With existential lullabies and ritualistic stomps, tear-jerking odes and ballads worthy of Sinatra, US indie’s steadfast storyteller makes a wonderfully unhurried double album his best yet
Rita Wrote a Letter: Paul Kelly’s sequel to How to Make Gravy is an affectionate goodbye to Joe
Almost 30 years after Kelly released his Christmas classic, we finally learn what became of his cast of characters
For Those I Love: Carving the Stone review – bracing anger at Irish social stasis
The raw grief of David Balfe’s first album may have faded to a bruise, but his spoken-word fury is as strong as ever in these hyper-focused stories of poverty and exploitation
Ninajirachi: I Love My Computer review – a surprisingly moving tribute to 2010s EDM
The Australian producer’s debut album pays homage to the blustering, bombastic genre of her adolescence. The BPM soars and so do the feelings
Amaarae: Black Star review – glamour, glitz and lust from a pop star who should be a supernova
With a sleek dancefloor-facing sound, the Ghanaian American singer is deliriously in thrall to wealth and celebrity – but most of all love
Mariah Carey at Brighton Pride review – even the shirtless dancers can’t distract from how stop-start this is
Playing to a crowd of devotees, Carey’s voice largely still holds up, but the energy drops off due to a rushed setlist and too many interludes
Dick Diver review – beloved ‘dolewave’ band’s one-off reunion brings out Melbourne for four magical shows
Thornbury Theatre, MelbourneIt has been 10 years since their last album but you’d be forgiven for forgetting any time had passed at all – they sound as tight as ever
The New Eves: The New Eve Is Rising review – imagine if the Velvet Underground scored Midsommar …
Velvets-style drone rock, trad folk, anarcho-punk and hippy whimsy are all discernible in the Brighton quartet’s debut album – all played with white-knuckle intensity
Blackpink review – K-pop queens bring fun to New York with a little fatigue on the side
An oppressively humid night takes its toll on the maximalist pop quartet who deliver moments of sugar rush exuberance but with less power than before
Kesha review – a triumphant and electric return for pop’s comeback kid
The millennial-beloved pop star brings the house down in an emotional and energetic chance to show off her new, return-to-form album
Madonna: Veronica Electronica review – Ray of Light rarities range from perfect to perfunctory
Much anticipated set of remixes and lost songs give a glimpse of a great pop mind trying out new tricks
Justin Bieber: Swag review – inane lyrics undermine a gorgeously produced R&B passion project
The surprise seventh album from the former tween idol is musically expansive, abetted by a host of star producers. If only he’d thought about the words a bit
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