1 Mykki Blanco
Gender fluidity isn’t too prevalent in rap, but this transgender artist – who first hatched the Mykki Blanco persona in a piece of video art – has released one of the most anticipated hip-hop albums of the year. Blanco’s shows manage to do the splits between aggression and candid angst.
Brighton, 4 October; London, 5 October; Bristol, 6 October; Sheffield, October; touring to 8 Oct
2 Jamie T
Jamie Treays is back again, and back better. Following a reflective musical backstep, the gobby south London street poet has returned to casting state-of-the-nation narratives as singalong smashes on fourth album, Trick. The Arctic Monkeys melodies, RATM-style brutality and worn-on-the-sleeve Clash influences should make for a sparky live show.
Birmingham, 1 October; Cardiff, 2 October; Portsmouth, 3 October; Leicester, 5 October; Southend-On-Sea, 6 October; touring to 22 Oct
3 Skepta
One of the first chances to catch the grime superstar live since his Mercury prize win. At Manchester’s superclub, he’ll follow the likes of road rap master Giggs and elusive MC CASisDEAD by muscling through tracks from Konnichiwa. The venue is a subterranean former air-raid shelter; perfect for pretending grime is still underground.
The Warehouse Project, Manchester, 1 October
4 Beth Orton
Always a more beguiling artist than her “comedown queen” moniker suggested, Beth Orton has faded down the folk and turned up the ’tronica with help from Fuck Buttons’ Andrew Hung on new album Kidsticks.
Oxford, 1 October; Glasgow, 2 October; Leeds, 3 October; Manchester, October; London, 6 October
5 Desiigner
First UK headline show for the Kanye-signed Brooklyn rapper whose single Panda went to No 1 in the US. Fresh out of jail after an erroneous gun charge, he’ll be debuting material from his forthcoming album.
Heaven, WC2, 7 October
