1 Christine and the Queens
It’s unfair that France gets Héloïse Letissier as a mainstream pop star – a singer inspired by experimental theatre and gender roles – while we have to settle for Olly Murs. Perhaps it’s a metaphor for Brexit Britain and we get the musicians we deserve; if so, you’d better catch Letissier’s challenging yet catchy pop before the UK ends up banning all French people for ever or something.
O2 Academy Brixton, SW9, Wed & Thu; O2 Apollo, Manchester, Fri; touring to 7 Nov
2 ABC
ABC’s 1982 debut The Lexicon Of Love is an album of smart, melodramatic pop that could only be more 80s if it wore leg warmers and tried to deregulate the economy. Thirty-four years is a while to wait for a sequel but The Lexicon Of Love II was released to decent reviews earlier this year, and will be aired at these dates.
Sheffield, Sat; Bristol, Sun; Nottingham, Tue; Southend-on-Sea, Wed; touring to 16 Nov
3 Death Grips
That name might be a clue that you’re not in for an evening of light entertainment but still… don’t go and see Death Grips unless you’re fully prepped. This experimental hip-hop group are renowned for their uncompromising and disorientating blitzes of glitchy, white noise-addled rap.
4 Lady Leshurr
If there’s one thing that makes charismatic rapper Lady Leshurr stand apart from her peers, it’s her humour. Probably threatening to sell your dog on Gumtree or claiming you need to change your underwear, the indisputable put-down queen will be holding court at the Mobos this week.
5 Cat’s Eyes
Soprano Rachel Zeffira and the Horrors’ Faris Badwan conjure up orchestral, girl-group-inspired pop. But they have a side-career in pranks, such as breaching Buckingham Palace security to gig there. This week they’ll be playing more traditional venues. Which is the Queen’s loss, basically.
London, Mon; Bristol, Tue; Leeds, Wed; Liverpool, Thu; Coventry, Fri; touring to 6 Nov
