Nova Twins: Parasites & Butterflies review – fearless rock duo balance anthems and introspection
Trailblazers Amy Love and Georgia South push the boundaries of their trademark hybrid rock sound while confronting mental health and naysayers
Blood Orange: Essex Honey review – an exquisitely eclectic portrait of grief
Gorgeous melodies ground Dev Hynes’s questing fifth album, via dancefloor rhythms, indie pop and languorous funk – and cameos from Lorde and Zadie Smith
Will Smith review – post-slap tour has shoutalongs, self-help sermons and a touch of David Brent
His most recent album may have tanked but it works better played live, and Smith is endearing as he continues to get jiggy with it
Krankenhaus review – Lake District castle has the antithesis to boring corporate music festivals
Featuring steam train trips and guided walks between the bands, organisers Sea Power have made something special in this dung-scented corner of the north
Reading and Leeds festival review – Chappell Roan slays and Bring Me the Horizon power the circle pits
Thousands of post-GCSE teens join acts from pop-poet Antony Szmierek to rap megastar Travis Scott, before Hozier blazes and Wunderhorse go off like a rocket
Nourished By Time: The Passionate Ones review – committed, full-hearted post-R&B
Marcus Brown’s second album makes a plea for big feelings in earthy vocals, rolling breakbeats and a contender for song of the summer
Bleak Squad: Strange Love review – Australia’s newest supergroup sound like they’ve been together for years
Four music greats – Mick Harvey, Mick Turner, Adalita and Marty Brown – have created a genuine collaboration that leaves room for all their talents
Coldplay review – after 12m tickets sold, this tour is still a mindblowing spectacle
They may be as cloyingly earnest as ever, but even amid an overwhelming production full of fireworks and lovehearts, Chris Martin and co are in total control
Green Man festival review – Kneecap and CMAT lead the charge in a utopian Welsh idyll
Progressive, independent and more sonically diverse than ever, the Brecon Beacons festival offered sterling sets from MJ Lenderman to Mike, Jasmine.4.t to Joshua Idehen
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