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My Bloody Valentine review – shoegaze pioneers find prettiness in pulverising noise

Earplugs safely distributed, the band proceed to rattle ribcages with a two-hour show that showcases their unique ability to mesh the dreamlike with the apocalyptic

The Hives review – veteran punk’n’rollers fizz with megawatt energy

Twenty-five years on from their first UK tour, the Swedish band are at their cartoonish, snarling best, eager to prove themselves rather than wallow in nostalgia

Bad Omens review – anthemic songs and pillars of fire dampened by arena nerves

Noah Sebastian’s vocals switch deftly from croon to scream to whisper, but the genre-hopping US metalcore band lack chemistry on the big stage

Stevie Nicks review – rock legend dazzles Brooklyn with anecdotes and classic hits

A rescheduled date, after an accident earlier this year, sees the 77-year-old take on sparkling form, regaling fans with tales and fan favourite anthems

Lorde review – viscerally kinetic theatrics and euphoric abandon

The New Zealand alt-pop diva’s show has shades of Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense colliding with frenetic digital glitches and moments of crowd-pleasing intimacy

Robyn: Dopamine review – complex emotions, instant euphoria: no wonder pop’s A-list love her

After 2018’s mellow Honey, the beloved Swede’s heady comeback pairs production worthy of Daft Punk and Moroder with deep romantic realism

Celeste: Woman of Faces review – from chanson to prewar jazz, this timeless song cycle defies the easy sell

It’s a difficult second album for the chart-topping singer, in more ways than one – but her sombre songcraft ends up being spectacular

AC/DC review – a thrilling show stuffed with classics … and your eardrums will never be the same

In the band’s ‘ancestral homeland’, Accadacca’s first Australian concert in a decade shows Angus Young is still a frenzied force to be reckoned with

Addison Rae review – glorious fantasy from pop’s newest star

With a wedding dress and a giant crystal chandelier, the TikToker-turned-pop wunderkind’s live show is a welcome breath of escapism

Charli xcx: House ft John Cale review – haunt me, then! An elegant, brutal taste of the Wuthering Heights OST

Featuring a lugubrious monologue from the Velvet Underground legend, its jagged strings are more reminiscent of that band than anything on Brat

Bread of Angels: A Memoir, by Patti Smith review – a wild ride with the poet of punk

Smith’s incantatory voice shines through in this surprisingly revelatory follow up to Just Kids and M Train

Richard Ashcroft review – uplifting epics and rocket-boosted confidence reminiscent of 90s Verve heyday

The perma-sunglassed singer tries to transport himself and the audience to a higher plane, culminating in a cathartic sing-along like a gigantic Last Night of the Proms

The Mountain Goats: Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan review – shipwreck songs from a master storyteller

The latest themed album from John Darnielle’s band – with some help from Lin-Manuel Miranda – takes them on a sumptuously crafted and surprisingly upbeat voyage to a desert island

Paul Kelly: Seventy review – reflections on ageing from a musician bigger than ever

After five decades, the songs are still memorable, warm and a little sex-mad. It’s classic Kelly – and Joe’s back, too

Hatchie: Liquorice review – dizzying dreampop with welcome flashes of depravity

Eschewing the fairyfloss hooks of her earlier work, the Australian’s third album is both more mature and less immediately palatable

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  • Bach: Sonatas & Partitas album review – Capuçon brings warmth, restraint and reflection
  • Megadeth: Megadeth review – conspiracy theories and combustible fingers on thrash metallers’ curtain call
  • Hilary Duff review – first gig in 18 years for former teen icon is euphoric, escapist fun
  • GBSR Duo: For Philip Guston review – Feldman’s marathon minimalism rewards deep listening
  • BBCSO/Schuldt review – Phibbs cello concerto brings cohesion to uneven programme
  • Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds review – an electrifying crescendo of faith, fury and fragile joy
  • Death of Gesualdo review – a creepy and compelling combination of beauty and horror
  • Emmylou Harris review – spine-tingling goodbye from 78-year-old country legend
  • CBSO/Yamada review – Moore’s trombone adventures into Fujikura’s sonic oceans
  • A$AP Rocky: Don’t Be Dumb review – a charismatic, playful return, but it’s no slam dunk
  • Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore: Tragic Magic review – tragedy and hope in a dreamlike haze
  • Sleaford Mods: The Demise of Planet X review – vulnerability and versatility widen potty-mouthed appeal
  • Brahms: Late Piano Works album review – Anderszewski leans into the sorrow of these intimate miniatures
  • Robbie Williams: Britpop review – a wayward yet winning time-machine trip back to the 90s
  • Igor Stravinsky: Late Works album review – kudos to Reuss for bringing this spellbinding music to life
  • The Makropulos Affair review – Simon Rattle leads a sensational and thrilling semi-staging
  • Biffy Clyro review – triumphant set marks a thunderous renewal
  • Are ‘Friends’ Electric? review – Elaine Mitchener redefines what singing means in virtuoso tour-de-force
  • An English Song Winterreise review – Roderick Williams masterfully mirrors Schubert’s iconic song cycle
  • BBCNOW/ Bancroft/ Gerhardt review – intriguing connections, magic and melancholy beauty
  • Toni Geitani: Wahj review – radiant new frontiers in Arabic electronic experimentalism
  • Jenny on Holiday: Quicksand Heart review – Let’s Eat Grandma innovator’s knowing new-wave reinvention
  • In Search of Youkali album review – Katie Bray is outstanding in this voyage around Weill
  • Eric Lu: Schubert Impromptus album review – mature and mesmerising
  • The Cribs: Selling a Vibe review – songs of lost innocence and bitter experience strike a perfect, punchy balance
  • Brendel is celebrated in a glorious musical evening of silliness, sublime playing and warm affection
  • Shimmer review – National Youth Orchestra welcome the new year in bracing, stylish style
  • Iain Ballamy: Riversphere Vol 1 review – an exquisite flow of genre, harmony and improv
  • Blue: Reflections review – a clunky rehash of their Y2K boyband heyday
  • Boulanger: La Ville Morte album review – The celebrated teacher’s early opera is brought back to life

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