Mogwai: The Bad Fire review – noise stalwarts’ journey into hell is unexpectedly heavenly
(Rock Action)While old-school fans may lament their softening, the Glasgow band swap rage for refuge as they face personal strife – and their 30th anniversary
Moonchild Sanelly: Full Moon review – hustle, energy and smut aplenty
(Transgressive)The sex-positive South African trailblazer deserves to break into the mainstream with the fullest expression so far of her wit and sheer verve
Ethel Cain: Perverts review – a gothic follow-up determined to stay underground
Ambient soundscapes dominate US singer-songwriter Hayden Silas Anhedönia’s resolutely avant garde second album
Franz Ferdinand: The Human Fear review – more revitalisation than reinvention
The Scottish art rockers’ sixth album benefits from an infusion of fresh blood, but can’t maintain the standards of the first few songs
Moonchild Sanelly: Full Moon review – sex-positive South African swaggers towards stardom
Spinning the sounds of Johannesburg and Durban into distinctive, abrasive electro-pop, the blue-braided singer is filthy and sharply funny
Lambrini Girls: Who Let the Dogs Out review – stomps straight to the top of British punk’s table
Championed by Iggy Pop and riot grrrl royalty, the Brighton duo pile on the jagged riffs, scabrous humour and swearing for their politically charged debut
Franz Ferdinand: The Human Fear review – stiffness sets in on stodgy sixth
Alex Kapranos and co are finally acting their age, but have lost their cool in the process
Ethel Cain: Perverts review – pink noise and punishment as cult star heads underground
(Daughters of Cain)Having struggled with the obsessive fandom drawn to her widescreen pop-Americana, Cain returns with 90 minutes of collapsing songs and confrontational power electronics
Phish review – spiraling jams and communal bliss at Madison Square Garden
Unsinkable Vermont four-piece ring in the new year with a dazzling mix of improvisation, spectacle and fan devotion
Beyoncé NFL half-time show review – country ho-ho-ho-down is playful and infectious
Show livestreamed on Netflix is first live performance of material from country-themed album Cowboy Carter
Music: Kitty Empire’s 10 best albums of 2024
Americana’s classiest duo weather the storm, Kendrick Lamar has the last word, UK jazz soars – and Charli xcx unleashes the power of Brat
Paul McCartney review – a dizzying, bittersweet, life-encompassing journey through time
An eras tour of a different kind finds the 82-year-old former Beatle on tremendous form, packing a three-hour show with hits, flashbacks and real emotion
Paul McCartney review – extraordinarily sublime and humblingly beautiful
Stretching an almost three-hour set from the Quarrymen through to the ‘final Beatles single’ this is like an arena-sized Last Night at the Proms, with Beatlemania
Slipknot review – metal mammoths deliver exhilarating sonic brutality
Heads bang, moshpits burst into life and riffs eviscerate every corner of the room as the band tear through their debut album 1999 in a visceral sensory haze
Lauren Mayberry: Vicious Creature review – a solo statement of intent
The Chvrches singer’s debut album skips from punk to pop, wilfully unbothered about current notions of cool