CD: Grimes - Miss Anthropocene

★★★ GRIMES - MISS ANTHROPOCENE Grandiose ideas and production

Grandiose ideas and production, with the same old nerdy Grimes in there somewhere

Grimes is hilarious. For all the grandiose conceptualism, apocalyptic visions, high tech sonic manipulation, outré costumes, modish witchery, multiple personas, arch media baiting with her billionaire boyfriend and all the rest, she is still essentially a dork. When she emerged from the weird end of the 00s online electronic music landscape where semi-serious lo-fi genres like “witch house” and “seapunk” abounded, she always seemed kind of goofy with it.

Supergrass, Barrowland, Glasgow review - nostalgic reunion proves greatest hits stand test of time

★★★★ SUPERGRASS, BARROWLAND, GLASGOW Nostalgic reunion proves greatest hits stand test of time

The Oxford quartet provided wit, charm and good tunes aplenty

As Gaz Coombes noted around the halfway point of Supergrass’s Barrowland set “the last time we were here it was to say goodbye”. That was a decade ago, when one of Britpop’s most enduring acts finally headed into the sunset. Nothing lasts forever in pop though, and here were Oxford’s finest, back onstage, and looking in fine fettle.

Cage the Elephant, O2 Academy, Glasgow review - old-fashioned rock n' roll from Kentucky sextet

★★★ CAGE THE ELEPHANT, O2 ACADEMY, GLASGOW Old-fashioned rock 'n' roll from Kentucky sextet

Frontman Matt Shultz carried the band through a lively set

Matt Shultz was clearly taking no chances. The Cage the Elephant frontman appeared onstage underneath a large umbrella, presumably bought to cope with the day’s deluge of rain. In the ever effervescent Shultz’s hands it was swiftly used as a prop, kickstarting a lively evening of old fashioned rock 'n’ roll.

The Murder Capital, QMU, Glasgow review - Dublin outfit find catharsis through pummelling songs

★★★★ THE MURDER CAPITAL, QMU, GLASGOW Dublin outfit find catharsis through pummelling songs

Slow-burning set builds to a thumping conclusion

It might have been 24 hours after Valentine’s Day, but James McGovern still seemed to have a touch of romance in his head. At one stage during the Murder Capital’s bruising set he referenced his floral-patterned shirt as evidence that he was feeling the spirit of the previous day, and perhaps that should not surprise, for the Murder Capital are a band with plenty of heart.

Classic Albums: Tears for Fears, Songs From The Big Chair, BBC Four review - anatomy of an anthem

★★★ TEARS FOR FEARS, SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR, BBC FOUR Classic Albums documentary hits the right notes, mostly

Latest BBC Classic Albums documentary hits the right notes, mostly

Roland Orzabal, co-founder and lead guitarist of Tears for Fears, laughs to himself often during this documentary — the latest in the BBC’s often-excellent, always-forensic Classic Albums series. “I agree, I agree, it sounds great,” says Orzabal. He’s listening to “Shout,” the band’s 1984 Billboard No. 1 hit.

CD: Tennis - Swimmer

Deceptively simple but well-honed little symphonies

There is something deliciously normal about Tennis, the Denver husband and wife team of Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley. Steeped in the best pop of a bygone age, the couple’s lyrics seem so simple and yet unpack hidden depths on repeated listening.

Jonas Brothers, SSE Hydro, Glasgow - reunited siblings look to the future with slick show

★★★ JONAS BROTHERS, SSE HYDRO, GLASGOW Reunited siblings look to the future with slick show

Wild hysteria greeted every song from the trio on their comeback tour

No matter how much the Jonas Brothers try, they can’t totally escape the mouse. Commercials for new Disney TV shows flashed up onscreen not long before the siblings took to the stage, and although the trio’s days of appearing in such fare are long gone, it offered a brief reminder of where they began.

CD: Green Day - Father of All Motherfuckers

★★★ GREEN DAY - FATHER OF ALL MOTHERFUCKERS Californian trio embrace rock'n'roll as they reach their teens

The Californian punk trio embrace rock'n'roll as they reach their teens

Without wanting to get into what constitutes punk, we can, at least, agree that brevity is to be lauded? Right? Good, because at 26 minutes, Green Day’s 13th studio album, Father of All Motherfuckers, is a volley delivered at velocity. 

Madonna, London Palladium review - a fiesta of the surreal and the fiercely fabulous

★★★★ MADONNA, PALLADIUM A fiesta of the surreal and the fiercely fabulous

An intimate evening of surreal new sounds and fado fun - family and friends invited

The first time I heard Madonna, I was 8 years old at a school disco. Horrified parents, who came to pick us up as we jumped up and down yelling along to “Like A Virgin” in a fluorescent flurry of topknots, puffer skirts and lace gloves, subsequently lodged a formal complaint (it was a Catholic junior school) and thus, the spirit of Madonna, was borne into my story.

Album: Gabrielle Aplin - Dear Happy

★★★ GABRIELLE APLIN - DEAR HAPPY A songwriter piecing herself back together

Self-love soundtrack to a songwriter piecing herself back together

According to Gabrielle Aplin, the delicate piano ballad which closes, and provides the name of, her first album in over four years was written as a letter to herself; and one penned at a particularly turbulent point in her life. “It’s not easy for me, but I know that I’m close,” she sings, as if willing the emotion into being.