LP. Photo by Mathieu Young

LP
8 p.m. Thursday. State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland, $35 in advance, $40 day of show. statetheatreportland.com
Released last year, “Churches” is the latest and sixth album from singer-songwriter LP. Her recording career launched in 2001 with “Heart-Shaped Scar,” and she performed a few times at small clubs in Portland in those early days. This time around, she’s taking center stage at the State with a deep discography of tunes to choose from. The title track from 2017’s “Lost on You” has accrued more than 529 million plays on Spotify. Singer-songwriter Nick Leng opens the show.

The Blind Boys of Alabama. Photo by Jim Herrington

Amandou & Mariam and The Blind Boys of Alabama
7 p.m. Friday. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland, $22 to $67. porttix.com
The show is called From Bamako to Birmingham, and you’ll be treated to performances by two incredible acts. Amandou & Mariam is the Grammy-nominated duo from Mali featuring singer/guitarist Amadou Bagayoko and singer Mariam Doumbia. They’ve been making music that fuses rock with traditional sounds of their homeland for four decades. Gospel act The Blind Boys of Alabama have won five Grammy Awards, including for lifetime achievement. Their long discography dates back to the ’40s and the latest album is 2020’s “Almost Home.”

Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig from Lucius. Photo by Max Wagner

Lucius
8 p.m. Saturday. State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland, $30 in advance, $35 day of show. statetheatreportland.com
Indie-pop act Lucius is back in a huge way with “Second Nature,” its first studio album in six years. Singers Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe spent a couple of years touring with Roger Waters and have recorded tracks with Harry Styles, Nathaniel Rateliff, Brandi Carlile, Lukas Nelson and the War on Drugs, among others. “Second Nature,” produced by Carlile and Dave Cobb, takes the band’s sound into disco and funk territory while also slaying with huge ballads like “24” and “The Man I’ll Never Find.” The live show promises to be an epic dance party as fans welcome the band back into their own spotlight. Indie-rocker Charlie Hickey opens.