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
Angel Olsen: Cosmic Waves Vol 1 review – intriguing half compilation, half covers
Five rising artists each perform one of their songs, then the US singer-songwriter covers another one of their tracks in a set of woebegone elegance
TV on the Radio review – NYC art-rockers remain singular, energised and lupine
Their rhythms push and pull between destruction and creation, frontman Tunde Adebimpe is as magnetic as ever: this is no cynical anniversary cash-in
The Human League review – immaculate electro pop as radiant now as it was 40 years ago
Philip Oakey’s voice remains rich and pristine and sets the tone for an evening of timeless era-defining tunes
Sam Fender review – cathartic songs delivered with passion and a humble presence
Even when the entire crowd of 23,000 are bellowing his ‘whoah-oh-ohs’, understated Fender quips ‘got some singers here, haven’t we?’ as if performing in a local boozer
Vampire Weekend review – crowd-pleasers, covers and 10-minute cowboy medleys
Billed as a two hour ‘evening with’ the indie perennials, this unconventional set has mixed results but the hits sparkle
Crowded House review – Perth performance much more than a traffic jam on memory lane
With Neil Finn’s sons joining Crowded House on stage, it was clear the band hasn’t become mired in nostalgia