1 Wireless
When Drake brought out Skepta during his headline slot at last year’s Wireless festival it felt like a defining pop moment – the Tottenham MC playing on a huge stage just down the road from where he grew up. The reaction was pandemonium, which bodes well for Skepta’s return as this year’s Sunday headliner alongside grime collective Boy Better Know.
Finsbury Park, N4, Fri to 10 Jul
2 Carole King
There are plenty of artists on the bill for this British Summer Time gig in Hyde Park, including Don Henley and Michael Kiwanuka, but really it’s all about the headliner, Carole King. The singer-songwriter will be playing her landmark 1971 album Tapestry in full, for the first time ever.
3 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Japanese model and singer Kiriko Takemura specialises in sensory overload. Her most recent album, KPP Best, was a career summary of her cutesy, bubblegum pop that will either delight or drive you to violence. Her live performances, however, are an unmissable spectacle: the fluorescent stage costumes and dancing teddies combine for a gig that’s almost certainly unlike any other you’ve been to, besides the ones in your dreams after you’ve eaten an entire block of Stilton.
4 T In The Park
The Stone Roses headline on Friday, with Disclosure and Jamie xx joining them on the bill. Later on in the weekend you’ll have to endure Calvin Harris and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But fear not, you don’t go to T in the Park just for the music; you go for the wild party atmosphere as people compete over who can pass out blind drunk first.
Strathallan Castle, nr Auchterader, Fri to 10 Jul
5 Blood Orange
Unlike Carole King, Dev Hynes isn’t likely to be playing the landmark Test Icicles debut album in full. This is probably for the best; expect the kind of minimalist soul-pop that has marked out his impressive solo career instead.
