The Cure. Dua Lipa. Ed Sheeran. Iggy Pop. Interpol. Katie Melua. Niall Horan. The National. On the face of it, these musical artists have little in common. But all have recently released a live album, a format whose glory days were thought to be long gone.

The studio album – for which new work is carefully recorded in controlled conditions – is the big thing. The live album, usually a record of a particular concert or tour, is an afterthought.