Ladyhawke | Mon 13 Feb | O2 Institute | £14
We’re not so far from Ladyhawke’s ubiquitous break-out album nine years ago; its disco licks and house beats sound like any number of chart acts in 2016. But this year finds the New Zealand songstress killing off the demons that plagued her first two albums, and embracing the sunny side of life – as well as her Gary Numan record collection, by the sound of it. Unabashed well-written pop has its charms, though, and ‘Wild Things’ swings pretty hard to be your new guilty pleasure. Seetickets.com

Alpines | Tue 14 Feb | Hare & Hounds | £8
Cold and understated at first glance, London singer-producer duo Alpines have plenty of colour beneath the surface. Although production-heavy pop is a crowded field, Alpines blow speakers like the best of ’em, borrowing liberally from modern R&B tropes and building them into something warm and human. See our full preview here.

Little Comets | Wed 15 Feb | O2 Institute 2 | £14
Little Comets have been slow-burning their way to greater recognition over the course of four albums now – their highest moments combining a catchy Vampire Weekend touch with the dense lyricism and ‘kitchen sink’ mentality of Everything Everything. Upcoming album ‘Worhead’ and lead single ‘Common Things’ shows them at their upbeat, deceptively-complex best, a little like the 1975 fractured through an octagonal prism. seetickets.com

Tegan and Sara | Sat 18 Feb | O2 Institute | £24.75
Canada’s wonder-twins and makers of exuberant, ethanol-clean indie visit Brum in support of the titanic übermensch of pop albums, last year’s ‘Love You to Death’. It’s not been long since Tegan and Sara switched out the anxious shuffle of their acoustic lovesick odes for chart-baiting synths and Phil Collins’ snare drum collection, but the duo make it seem like an effortless step closer to super-stardom. See our full preview here.