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Music
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1 out of 5 stars.
Album review Bebe Rexha: Expectations – fiercely trite pop
1 out of 5 stars.What modern pop star needs an identity when there are genre-specific playlists? Perfunctory chart box-ticking and little that’s remotely distinctive -
After a mid-2018 Guardian rundown, here’s a selection of additional readers’ favourites from the discussion provoked
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Rap crew 1011 need to tell the authorities when they have made new music. But can censoring artistic expression reduce youth violence? -
The Baby Driver director told IndieWire that he has been a fan of the Los Angeles band since seeing them on Top of the Pops in 1979 -
Nominate in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 25 June
Festivals
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From the Mighty Hoopla’s queer, pop-focused celebration to Download’s annual joyous metal onslaught, there’s an event this summer for everyone -
3 out of 5 stars.
Liam Gallagher is incongruous, but prompts massive singalongs, while the xx and Confidence Man are other big successes
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3 out of 5 stars.
Review Field Day – shifting sounds tighten up London's festival scene
3 out of 5 stars.Under orders not to upset new neighbours, Field Day got strict with its headliners – pulling the plug on an overtime Erykah Badu – while serving a jazzy lineup of fresh stars -
4 out of 5 stars.
Review Slam Dunk – crowdsurfing in a dinghy to pop-punk paradise
4 out of 5 stars.Thousands of devotees descended on the alt-rock festival, lapping up everything from Chapel’s synthpop to Brutality Will Prevail’s anvil-heavy riffing -
3 out of 5 stars.
Big-hitting headliners such as LCD Soundsystem and Lorde made the first All Points East a success, but thin afternoon bills and a fuzzy identity didn’t help -
What makes a banging festival anthem, besides a simple chorus that vast crowds can belt out in unison? Here are the tracks you can expect to hear all summer
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He’s survived infamy, addiction and a foray into tech. Now the Nine Inch Nails frontman has swapped his self-loathing for shame at the state of the nation -
The LA sax player, whose album The Epic and work with Kendrick Lamar have made him the poster boy of the jazz revival, on why his cosmic music has made such a splash -
This new Ninja Tune signing offers sunlit oceanic electronics with literary tendencies -
The singer found fame with the electro band before leaving and accusing her ex-bandmate of nonconsensual sex and controlling behaviour. Here, she talks about her decision to go public
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3 out of 5 stars.
Anna Calvi Rock star melodrama meets MOR
3 out of 5 stars.The idiosyncratic singer-songwriter is best when she revels in all her gothic majesty -
3 out of 5 stars.
Lenny Kravitz Knickers to being in fashion
3 out of 5 stars.His soul-rock vibe is little changed from the 90s, but when he and his tight band are in the groove the energy is potent -
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4 out of 5 stars.
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3 out of 5 stars.
Hollywood Vampires Riotous rock'n'droll
3 out of 5 stars. -
4 out of 5 stars.
David Byrne Disarming performance that makes perfect sense
4 out of 5 stars.
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4 out of 5 stars.
Alexis Petridis's album of the week Kamasi Washington: Heaven and Earth – passionate sounds of the gathering storm
4 out of 5 stars.The statuesque US saxophonist has found his time and it is now: this excellent album connects current politics with the music of the past to create a new vision -
3 out of 5 stars.
Nas Nasir – shifting, mercurial, but ultimately queasy listening
3 out of 5 stars.It’s producer Kanye West’s most consistent 2018 release, but Nas mixing social justice and conspiracy theory sits awkwardly, as does his resistance to address domestic violence allegations
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Fifty years since the release of her debut album, Sean O’Hagan argues that Joni Mitchell’s very best albums contain a depth of songwriting that remains unsurpassed
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In focus
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A range of star-packed festivals, ranging from R&B to rock, offer unusual collaborations, stage theatrics and stunning locations -
4 out of 5 stars.
Kendrick Lamar Kamasi Washington: Heaven and Earth review – passionate sounds of the gathering storm
4 out of 5 stars.The statuesque US saxophonist has found his time and it is now: this excellent album connects current politics with the music of the past to create a new vision -
3 out of 5 stars.
Giant flamingos and comedy skits baffle in a show that works best when the energetic star sticks to the hits -
The winner of the Dylan Thomas prize explains how his poems are infused with the rhythms and rhymes of garage, grime and hip-hop
By genre
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After a mid-2018 Guardian rundown, here’s a selection of additional readers’ favourites from the discussion provoked
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Rap crew 1011 need to tell the authorities when they have made new music. But can censoring artistic expression reduce youth violence?
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3 out of 5 stars.
Indie The Wave Pictures: Brushes with Happiness review – dreamlike, bluesy and unique
3 out of 5 stars.Recorded in one improvised take while the band were drunk, this hazy album is full of literary reveries
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Lily Allen dished on her divorce, Arctic Monkeys found their inner crooners, Cardi B earned her stripes, Pusha T teamed up with Kanye West and the Vaccines made an unexpected classic -
5 out of 5 stars.
Metal Deftones review – bat screeches, unfettered aggro and posh moshing
5 out of 5 stars.The US alt-metallers turn up the experimental static, shoegaze sludge and nu-metal roars to max for a showpiece gig that shows why they deserve reverence
You may have missed
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The Florida rapper was famous for his brutality and celebrated violence in song; gaining a fandom that didn’t seem to care about his crimes
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As BTS reach No 1 in the US and other K-pop stars start gaining traction in the west, here is a glossary for the uninitiated – from agencies to zaniness -
Can the new, open-access audio ‘publishing platform’ attract more than just superfans of its indie-rock creators?
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As the founder of the Last Poets, Nuriddin, who has died aged 73, was a hero to everyone from Tupac Shakur to Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis -
With the legendary BBC studio relocating to east London, we look back at decades of priceless recordings, including Bing Crosby’s final work and Adele’s masterful Dylan cover version -
The last founding member of the visionary German band left alive, the 81-year-old recalls how he rejected his Nazi father to find freedom in music
Nile Rodgers My family were high-functioning addicts. I inherited that gene