Usher review – glitzy Vegas-style spectacle is completely preposterous and preposterously entertaining

From rollerskating around the stage wearing a union jack suit to feeding cocktail cherries to women in the audience, Usher wears middle age incredibly well

Perfume Genius: Glory review – full of energy and biting nuance

Consummate chronicler of 21st-century sensuality Mike Hadreas returns to his indie roots on a convivial seventh album stalked by death and desire

Yukimi: For You review – sweet solo debut for Little Dragon singer

Yukimi Nagano’s first record without the Swedish synth-pop band is a light but pleasurable affair

Liz Stringer: The Second High review – an intelligent, assured album from a singular musician

All but ignored by the mainstream, Stringer seems unconcerned by wider radio play, with her seventh album for patient and attentive listeners

Lucy Dacus: Forever Is a Feeling review – Boygenius singer turns timidly tasteful

The Virginia songwriter gets lost in understatement on a loved-up album about her relationship with bandmate Julien Baker, shrouding sharp lyrics in shy melodies

Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism tour review – momentous show for a star who contains multitudes

Lipa’s voice is resonant and fit and she holds her own as a dancer; while there are lulls in energy between the show’s acts, they’re forgiven when she brings the hits

FKA twigs review – an eye-popping extravaganza of dancing and demons

The ever out-there British artist tours her latest album, Eusexua, with a show whose mix of club vibe, winged beast props and prime back catalogue delights and confounds

John Cale review – 83 years old and still forging deeper underground

There’s no slowing down for the avant art-rock octogenarian as he forgoes predictability to showcase the staggering breadth and depth of his songcraft

Japanese Breakfast: For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) review – a bit too tasteful

Michelle Zauner addresses big themes on her band’s fourth album, but her sharp writing isn’t best served by wistful arrangements

YHWH Nailgun: 45 Pounds review – a singular spin on funky NYC post-punk

Scene-stealing fills from drummer Sam Pickard send you toppling through the foursome’s thrilling, fresh debut

Bryan Ferry and Amelia Barratt: Loose Talk review – Roxy demos remade, remodelled as eerie duets

Veering from the standard heritage-artist playbook, Ferry pairs unearthed demos from across his career with cool narration from Barratt, to beautiful, unsettling effect

Michael Kiwanuka review – big sounds from the quiet maestro

Touring his understated latest album, Small Changes, the Mercury prize-winner amplifies his gossamer grooves with no loss of charm or sophistication

Chappell Roan: The Giver review – saddle up, there’s a new sheriff in town

The midwest princess embraces her roots with a queer country banger about pleasure that toys with the genre’s gender and class cosplay

Clairo review – charming pop-soul from a singer with starpower to spare

Playing material from her wonderful 2024 album Charm against lavish, elegant staging, the US artist has ushered in a confident new era

Courting: Lust for Life, Or: ‘How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story’ review – a giant leap forward

The Liverpool foursome’s joyful, floor-filling rock on album No 3 finds a band maturing into greatness