Unknown T at KOKO review | Blood Diamond launches in style
Unknown T took to the stage at London’s KOKO to mark the announcement of his debut album, Blood Diamond. Find our review of the gig below.
Review
Lola Young at Signature Brew Haggerston | Confident confessionals from a fast-rising star
Lola Young played the final night of her residency at Signature Brew Haggerston, bringing to an end her European and UK run of shows. Read our review.
Heaven Knows review | PinkPantheress delivers a small triumph of a debut
★★★★☆
From BRIT nominations to the Barbie soundtrack, PinkPantheress is making her mark in the pop industry – and she’s only just released her debut album. With 13 original tracks and collaborations with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, Heaven Knows makes it clear she is here to stay.
Quarter Life Crisis review | Twentysomething reflections from Baby Queen
★★★★☆
At long last we have Baby Queen’s debut full-length, Quarter Life Crisis; a record which, as its title suggests, offers relatable anecdotes on twentysomething life, over luscious production and bubblegum-inflected pop.
Casisdead at Koko review | Dark, futuristic rap magic in the flesh
★★★★☆
UK rap’s greatest enigma celebrates the long-awaited release of his debut album, Famous Last Words.
1989 (Taylor's Version) review | Swift's classic gets better still
Already the pop star’s magnum opus, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) sounds better than before, with tracks from the vault improving it further still.
The Silver Cord review | King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard ditch guitars for a cosmic robo-rave
★★★★☆ Genre-bending psych outfit King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard engage an arsenal of synthesisers for their 25th studio album, leaving their comfort zone for a galactic robo-rave.
The Secret To Life review | FIZZ bring out the best in each other
★★★★☆
Amid the encouraging atmosphere of a band, the four members of FIZZ – all established artists in their own right – become the boldest versions of themselves, writes Lucy Harbron.
My Big Day review | Bombay Bicycle Club breach new frontiers
★★★★☆ Nearly two decades in, Bombay Bicycle Club offer a thrilling reinvention with their sixth studio album. It goes beyond indie boundaries and jumps headfirst into pop and electro territory.
The Japanese House at Outernet review | Amber Bain is an exquisite vocalist
★★★★☆
Between the dazzling LED screens and crystal-clear sound, The Japanese House serves up a feast for the senses at London’s brand new Outernet venue.
The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light review | The Streets return with brilliance
★★★★☆ After a 12-year hiatus, The Streets have returned with a welcome blend of old and new. The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light is comfortingly familiar and yet betrays subtle strands of maturity.
Lahai review | Sampha soars from a bird’s-eye-view
★★★★★ Sampha's Lahai is another work of art, a hand-built universe of clocks, birds and spaceships, as Sampha seeks out the meaning of life.
Hackney Diamonds review | The Rolling Stones sound as vital as ever
★★★★☆
The Rolling Stones return with their first new material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. If Hackney Diamonds is their swansong album, then it’s hard to imagine a better sign off.
Something To Give Each Other review | Troye Sivan's gift to modern pop
★★★★☆ Five years in the making, Troye Sivan's latest album serves as a sophisticated, vibrant exploration of love, sexuality, and human connection. Here's our Something To Give Each Other review.
Paint My Bedroom Black review | Holly Humberstone delivers a fiercely confident debut
★★★★☆
Four years since she started releasing music, we now have the debut album from Holly Humberstone. Despite its title, Paint My Bedroom Black is a vibrant full-length project that takes misery and morphs it into something unifying, writes Ali Shutler.
For All The Dogs review | Drake’s arsenal of hits misfires
The “old Drake” was supposedly going to reappear on For All The Dogs. Sadly, it's the “new Drake”: bloated, hollow and directionless.
The Dark Side of the Moon Redux review | Roger Waters' agreeable new take on an old masterpiece
★★★★☆ Roger Waters tackles life, time, and warmongering in a revisit of Pink Floyd's classic that offers a blend of nostalgia, political commentary, and undeniable musical craft. Here's our Dark Side of the Moon Redux review.
Isn't It Now? review | Animal Collective offer a sonic journey you really should take
★★★★☆ Animal Collective's latest album surprises at every turn, blending funk, dreams, and raw emotion into 64 riveting minutes.
Falling or Flying review | Jorja Smith's spellbinding return
★★★★☆ Jorja Smith is finally back, five years on from her debut album. With records like Falling or Flying, she can take all the time in the world.
Darren Harriott: Roadman review | Lots of laughs but lacking narrative
★★★☆☆ Darren Harriott’s 2023 Fringe offering Roadman again proves the Black Country native’s ability to be very funny, but it also sees him struggle to form any kind of narrative or tension.
One Man Band review | A safe haven of fuzzy riffs from longtime indie-rocker Miles Kane
★★★☆☆
Miles Kane returns to his guitar roots, and ultimately his comfort zone, on his fifth studio album. Read our One Man Band review.
Pusha T at Hammersmith Apollo review | Concise and relentless set from the veteran rapper
★★★☆☆
After nine months and two postponements, Pusha T’s It’s Almost Dry tour finally touched-down in London, with the rapper delivering a no-nonsense, if slightly short, set.
Wizkid at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium review | A slick performance that lacked special guests
★★★☆☆
Wizkid celebrates Africa at his historic Tottenham Stadium concert. Despite dazzling with his stage presence, he largely neglects his latest album – and isn’t joined by any special guests onstage.
Unhealthy review | Chaotic, personality-fuelled pop from Anne-Marie
★★★☆☆
The third album from Anne-Marie, Unhealthy, follows her trend to-date of relatable lyricism – but its pop potency sometimes gets lost amid the chaos.
Blur at Hammersmith Apollo review | New album and deep cuts
★★★★☆
Parklife not required: Damon Albarn’s band played The Ballad of Darren in full, plus some ridiculously rare songs.
DEN7 review | Underground stalwart and production supremo unite for debut Miss Tiny project
★★★★☆
Creative kindred spirits Benjamin Romans-Hopcraft and Speedy Wunderground chief Dan Carey compile a well-balanced five-track EP with DEN7. You hope this is merely the beginning of their “anti-recording” Miss Tiny project.
Hozier at Alexandra Palace review | Rich resplendence from the Irish troubadour
★★★★☆
Ahead of the release of his third studio album Unreal Unearth next month, Hozier laid out the lyrical and vocal wealth of his near-decades’ long catalogue to an outdoors crowd at Alexandra Palace.
Starcatcher review | Greta Van Fleet are Led Zeppelin incarnate on third studio album
★★★☆☆
Josh Kiszka’s vocals are Greta Van Fleet’s prized possession on the Michigan rocker’s third studio album Starcatcher.
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) review | Taylor Swift takes another powerful act of reclamation
★★★★☆
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is interested in rewriting history in the process of reclaiming it. Moving away from the formula set by Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now takes more liberties, twists and tweaks rather than being a carbon copy of the original. Changing lyrics and tracklists, the singer remains true to the spirit of the original album – staying interested in herself as the main topic, and reintroducing that 20-year-old self in a bigger and broader way.
I Inside the Old Year Dying review | PJ Harvey delivers an ode to beautiful naivety
★★★★☆
Following the meticulously-planned political observations of Hope Six Demolition Project, Dorset’s singer-songwriter has gone in the opposite direction, making an ode to inexperience and improvisation.