How did an oddball Stroud duo, who once played the wedding of two ceramic dogs, come to get signed by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy? Nothing is ordinary in the world of Mermaid Chunky
Outlandish musical choices from oompah to sleaze should make the Londoners’ debut feel fresh, but they’re the latest interlopers in a crowded experimental field
The smart, strange Leeds quartet clearly have a bright future ahead of them. But with no sponsor and a straitened ceremony, the same can’t be said for the Mercury
A headlining Slowdive ticked the indie boxes, but Lankum’s intense folk, Paranoid London’s filthy techno and Nourished By Time’s slick R&B grooves once again prove this festival has punch and personality
This festival of heavier sounds from the fringes was a blast, from chilling Gazelle Twin to Daisy Rickman’s Krautrock-folk, noise icons Melt-Banana and locals Flesh Creep
Playing his largest ever gig in the city, the singer tenderly croons his musical love letters to the people and places of Sheffield, while his biting political songs turn into rousing singalongs
His bands Felt and Denim never quite made it. So will this sympathetic biography help give indie’s most enigmatic figure the statushis stoicism deserves?
Mount Kimbie’s electro-acoustic jams capture the ethos of this celebration of the boundary pushing that included sets from Two Shell, Nilüfer Yanya and bar italia
From Chat Pile’s apocalyptic noise to Nala Sinephro’s celestial bliss, plus posthumous releases from MC5 and Sophie, here are the albums and tours not to miss – while in classical, Kahchun Wong takes over at the Hallé