Against The Current have never been a band to sit still. Across fifteen years, the New York‑born trio have shapeshifted from teenage pop‑punk hopefuls into one of alternative rock’s most globally recognised, fiercely self‑driven outfits. Now, with their third album Till Death & Back arriving on 30th October 2026, they’re stepping into their boldest, most thematically charged era yet — one built on fate, fire, and the versions of ourselves we leave behind.

The band’s latest single “Protégé” is the clearest signal so far of where this era is heading. While earlier tracks “Always You & I” and “Dead Man Walking” explored devotion, survival, and the strange ways identity can fracture under pressure, “Protégé” turns the lens toward influence — the people who shape us, challenge us, and sometimes warp the mirror we see ourselves through.

It’s a track that feels psychologically loaded, twisting a familiar dynamic into something darker and more complex. As an entry point into Till Death & Back, it widens the emotional aperture: this isn’t an album content to sit in one mood. It’s an album about contradictions — intimacy and confrontation, vulnerability and defiance, romanticism and shadow.

Frontwoman Chrissy Costanza frames it with striking clarity:

“Fate is the thread running through every song on this album… The cost is the fire, the fight, the version of yourself you don’t get back.”

Executive‑produced by drummer Will Ferri, Till Death & Back brings the trio together with a heavyweight production team: Erik Ron (Panic! at the Disco, Godsmack), Josh Gilbert (Spiritbox), Morwell, and Josh Saldate. The result is their most cohesive and uncompromising record to date.

Against The Current have always evolved without losing their emotional core. Here, that evolution feels purposeful. Rather than revisiting past eras, Chrissy, Dan, and Will lean fully into contrast — cinematic scale against raw vulnerability, massive choruses against intimate confessions. It’s a record built to resonate both personally and universally, leaving space for listeners to find their own stories within its architecture.

Since forming at fifteen, Against The Current have carved out a rare kind of longevity. Their breakout EP Fever (2021) marked a turning point, followed by a run of independent singles in 2024 — “silent stranger,” “blindfolded,” “good guy” — that collectively racked up over 40 million streams and signalled a new creative freedom.

Their impact extends far beyond rock circles. Their collaboration with Riot Games on “Legends Never Die” has surpassed one billion streams, cementing their place in gaming culture and introducing their sound to an entirely new generation.

Now, in 2026, they’re celebrating their 15th anniversary by stepping into the biggest rooms of their career across Europe and the UK.

The band return this Autumn for a run of headline shows across the UK and Europe:

30th October - Glasgow, UK - SWG3 (TV Studio)
31st October - Leeds, UK - Leeds Beckett Students Union
1st November - Manchester, UK - Academy
3rd November - Birmingham, UK - O2 Institute
4th November - London, UK - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
6th November - Paris, FR - Le Trianon
7th November - Saarbrücken, DE - Garage
8th November - Brussels, BE - Ancienne Belgique
11th November - Köln, DE - E-Werk
12th November - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg
13th November - Hamburg, DE - Grosse Freiheit 36
14th November - Berlin, DE - Metropol
16th November - Vienna, AT - Simm City
17th November - Munich, DE - Muffathalle
19th November - Zurich, CH - Komplex 457
20th November - Stuttgart, DE - LKA Longhorn
21st November - Wiesbaden, DE - Schlachthof

Tickets on sale now

With Till Death & Back, Against The Current aren’t just releasing an album — they’re defining a moment. It’s the sound of a band embracing their history while refusing to be bound by it, a record that threads together fate, identity, and the emotional cost of becoming who you are.

For a trio who built their career on evolution, this feels like the era they’ve been moving toward all along.

TILL DEATH & BACK OUT 30TH OCTOBER PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE 

Tom A. Smith isn’t slowing down. If anything, the 22‑year‑old songwriter is accelerating — expanding his sonic universe, sharpening his creative identity, and proving that Put On A Record Tommy was never a closed chapter but the start of something far more elastic, theatrical, and defiantly his own.

With the release of the deluxe edition of Put On A Record Tommy, out now via Fiction Records, Tom throws the doors of Tommy’s Dance Place wide open again. The EP — already one of the year’s most exciting breakthrough releases — now arrives with three new additions: the anthemic new single “Am I Ever Gonna Be A Rockstar?”, an extended version of fan favourite “Put On A Record Tommy”, and a sharp, playful cover of Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime.”

The standout new track, “Am I Ever Gonna Be A Rockstar?”, finds Tom confronting the strange cocktail of expectation, comparison, and self‑doubt that shadows any fast‑rising artist. It’s introspective without losing the buoyant energy that’s become his trademark — a song that asks big questions while still keeping feet moving.

Tom’s self‑production continues to be a defining force. “Being my own producer I am always experimenting with sonics and my music whilst trying to keep my individuality and style,” he says. That tension — between external comparison and internal evolution — fuels the new single, pushing his sound into fresh territory without losing the spark that first caught attention.

The deluxe EP doesn’t just revisit the original release — it expands its world. The extended version of “Put On A Record Tommy” deepens the theatrical, euphoric universe Tom built earlier this year. As he puts it: “Tommy’s Dance Place isn’t quite over yet… Stay on the dance floor, we are open till late.”

It’s a fitting sentiment for an artist who refuses to stand still. Across tracks like “SFX,” “Our Song,” “The Only One,” and “Dancefloor Magic (Groove Wizard),” Tom blends indie rock, dancefloor energy, and emotional honesty with a confidence that feels unmistakably his.

Tom’s rise has been anything but quiet. His live résumé already reads like a veteran’s: Glastonbury, SXSW, BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, and support slots with Elton John, Gang of Youths, DMA’S, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Miles Kane, and The Lottery Winners.

This summer alone he’s packed out stages at Isle of Wight, Truck, Kendal Calling, and delivered huge outdoor shows with The Maccabees, The Kooks, and The K’s. Add in a locked‑out Great Escape show and a record turnout at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sunderland, and it’s clear the momentum is only building.

Away from music, Tom has also been cast as Dave Stewart in the upcoming musical memoir film Ebony McQueen — another sign of his expanding creative footprint.

Alongside the deluxe EP, Tom has announced a run of supporting dates with Brigitte Calls Me Baby, plus a full UK headline tour in November and December.

Supporting Brigitte Calls Me Baby

• 12 Sep – Electric, Bristol

• 13 Sep – O2 Institute, Birmingham

• 15 Sep – Koko, London

• 16 Sep – O2 Ritz, Manchester

Festivals & Special Appearances

• 17 Sep – Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg

• 24 Sep – Abbey Road Music Photography Awards

• 26 Sep – The Gathering Sounds, Stockton

• 10 Oct – Tenement Trail, Glasgow

• 19 Oct – BBC Introducing Live, Newcastle

UK Headline Tour

• 11 Nov – Brighton – Patterns

• 12 Nov – Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach

• 13 Nov – Stoke – The Sugarmill

• 14 Nov – Bedford – Esquires

• 21 Nov – Plymouth – The Junction

• 22 Nov – Portsmouth – The Wedgewood Rooms

• 25 Nov – Hull – Polar Bear

• 26 Nov – Whitehaven – The Yellow Earl

• 27 Nov – Huddersfield – Parish

• 2 Dec – Edinburgh – Cabaret Voltaire

• 3 Dec – Liverpool – Arts Club The Theatre

• 5 Dec – Wrexham – The Rockin’ Chair

Deluxe Tracklisting

1. Am I Ever Gonna Be a Rockstar?

2. SFX

3. Our Song

4. The Only One

5. Dancefloor Magic (Groove Wizard)

6. Carried Away

7. Put On A Record Tommy

8. No Matter What

9. The Band

10. Life During Wartime

11. Our Song (Tommy’s Extended Mix)

12. Put On A Record Tommy (Tommy’s Extended Mix)

With the deluxe edition of Put On A Record Tommy, Tom A. Smith proves that his evolution is ongoing, fearless, playful, and rooted in a refusal to be boxed in. He’s building a world, not just a record, and inviting listeners to stay on the dancefloor as long as they like.

DELUXE EP OUT TODAY VIA FICTION RECORDS

LISTEN TO “AM I EVER GONNA BE A ROCKSTAR?” HERE

LISTEN TO THE DELUXE EP HERE

DISCOVER TOM A. SMITH
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify

Walt Disco have never been a group to sit still. Even in the UK’s ever‑shifting alt‑rock landscape, the Glasgow five‑piece have carved out a space that feels defiantly their own — theatrical, emotionally exposed, and gloriously unbothered by genre boundaries. But their new single, ‘Don’t Do This Alone’, marks a deeper shift: not just a sonic evolution, but a moment of reckoning.

The track arrives ahead of their self‑titled new album walt disco, out October 2nd via EMI North, and it’s one of the most affecting pieces of music they’ve ever released. Built on modular synths, swelling choral arrangements and a sense of cinematic tension, ‘Don’t Do This Alone’ feels like a confession whispered into the dark — a portrait of spiralling, self‑doubt, and the quiet bravery required to ask for help.

Frontwoman Jocelyn Si describes it as “a song about the desperation of hunger and want that can eat you up, and the hope that comes from admitting you need help from those you love.” It’s a line that lands with weight, especially given the band’s recent history: years of transition, identity struggles, industry volatility, and the emotional turbulence of your twenties. Walt Disco aren’t just writing about chaos — they’ve lived it.

The irony of releasing a self‑titled album at a moment when the band nearly walked away from their name entirely isn’t lost on them. walt disco is not a rebirth; it’s a reclamation. A continuation forged through doubt, dysphoria, changing relationships, and the grind of making art in a world that rarely gives you time to breathe.

Where their debut Unlearning (2022) earned critical acclaim and took them from Glastonbury to SXSW — with cultural nods from Charles Jeffrey and Louboutin — its follow‑up, The Warping, left the band feeling adrift. Momentum stalled. Confidence wavered. But instead of collapsing, they channelled that unease into something sharper, stranger, and more emotionally honest.

‘Don’t Do This Alone’ completes the trio, offering the emotional core of the album — a reminder that vulnerability is not weakness, but a route back to connection.

Now signed to Leeds‑based EMI North, Walt Disco’s new era is grounded in the creative energy of Glasgow. Their collaborators — designers, filmmakers, artists — have helped them articulate a vision that feels tactile and defiantly handmade. In the ‘Coup de foudre’ video, Jocelyn wears a breastplate crafted entirely from repurposed bike tyres; the album’s rubber‑unzipped artwork nods to transformation, reinvention, and materials made fresh.

It’s a fitting metaphor for the band themselves: reshaped, recharged, and ready to step forward with intent.

Across walt disco, the band wrestle with identity, body, belonging, and the disorientation of growing up. But they land somewhere hopeful — a place of gratitude, acceptance, and creative clarity. ‘Don’t Do This Alone’ distils that journey into one essential truth: whatever life throws at you, you don’t have to face it in isolation.

For a band celebrated for their maximalism, theatricality and queer futurism, this moment of quiet honesty feels like their boldest move yet.

In‑Stores & Festivals

• September 30 — Assai, Dundee

• October 1 — Assai, Glasgow

• October 2 — Banquet, Kingston, London

• October 3 — DIY Alive @ EartH, London

• October 3 — Twisterella Festival, Middlesbrough (Headliner)

• October 4 — Wax & Beans, Bury

• October 5 — Rough Trade East, London

• October 17 — Rough Trade, Bristol

• October 20 — EMI North Mercury Fringe Showcase @ The Grove, Newcastle

• October 31 — Dark Arts @ Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds

Headline UK Tour (2027)

• January 25 — Nottingham, Bodega

• January 29 — London, Colours

• January 31 — Bristol, The Louisiana

• February 1 — Hull, Polar Bear

• February 3 — Manchester, SOUP

• February 4 — Glasgow, King Tut’s

Tracklist — walt disco

1. My Body Knows When To Run

2. Lies

3. Never New

4. Warmface

5. Don’t Do This Alone

6. New Friends

7. Coup de foudre

8. Total Surprise Machine

9. Look Out For Me

10. My Body’s Still Mine

11. Wonderland

Don’t miss a thing: 
Instagram / TikTok / Facebook / YouTube / Discord / Website

Whilst at BEAUTIFUL DAYS FESTIVAL this year, we wanted to chat to as many bands/acts as we could who were lucky enough to play there.

We caught up with MERYL STREEK literally 2 minutes after he came bounding off the main stage on the Sunday afternoon, he had a smirk on his face that said it all….

We chatted about playing his first show at the festival, something he’s been wanting to do for some time now, his forthcoming album, festival food, looking forward to a rest and much more!

We’d like to thank Dave for sparing his time after his performance to chat to us, he could have been rinsing his rider and getting up to far more rock n’ roll stuff but being the true gent he is, he was more than happy to sit and have a chat!

Keep up to date with his whereabouts and happenings via his INSTAGRAM page.

Interview by Steve Muscutt

The Punk Rock Museum is opening a new exhibition, it’s cracking open a portal into the beating, blown‑out heart of Motörhead. On October 2nd, 2026, Las Vegas becomes the latest city to raise a glass to Lemmy Kilmister, the patron saint of volume, velocity, and absolute musical conviction. And this isn’t a polite retrospective. It’s a full‑throttle immersion into the life, legacy, and sheer sonic force of one of the most influential bands to ever shake the foundations of rock.

Motörhead were never just a metal band. They were the missing link — the feral, snarling bridge between punk’s ragged urgency and metal’s towering aggression. Lemmy lived in both worlds. He played bass for The Damned, drank with punks, toured with metalheads, and influenced everyone who ever tried to play faster, louder, or with more attitude than the last guy.

Bands like Pennywise, Rancid, and Lagwagon didn’t just admire Motörhead — they built their sound on the shockwaves Lemmy sent through the underground. His Rickenbacker, plugged into a Marshall stack and pushed beyond any sane limit, became a cultural weapon. Fans didn’t just hear Motörhead. They felt them — ribs rattling, teeth buzzing, the kind of volume that rewired your DNA.

This exhibition leans into that crossover legacy, reminding visitors that Motörhead didn’t fit into genres. They bulldozed them. This is the part that will make fans lose their minds. Most museum exhibits ask you to look. This one asks you to plug in.

Visitors can pick up Lemmy’s bass, yes, his actual bass, and run it through the same Marshall stack that helped define Motörhead’s sound. It’s not a simulation. It’s not a replica. It’s the real gear, the real setup, the real sonic punch. It’s as close as anyone will ever get to standing in Lemmy’s boots without a time machine.

Alongside the hands‑on experience, the exhibition showcases:

• Personal photographs

• Handwritten lyrics

• Items from Lemmy’s own collection

It’s intimate, loud, and deeply human — a reminder that behind the legend was a man who lived for music, friendship, and the thrill of turning everything up just a little too far.

The museum’s record store, Vinyl Threat, will stock Motörhead albums for anyone looking to revisit the catalogue or fill gaps in their collection. Exclusive merch will be available in the gift shop — the kind of gear that feels less like a souvenir and more like a badge of honour.

To mark the opening, Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records — a man whose fingerprints are all over heavy music history — will DJ a special evening at the museum’s Three Star Punk Bar.

It’s not a party, It’s a wake, a celebration, a communion. A chance for fans to gather, swap stories, and toast the man who changed the shape of rock forever.

This is for people who live for authenticity, grit, and the stories behind the noise, this exhibition isn’t just another stuffy museum piece, It’s a reminder of what happens when an artist refuses to compromise. Lemmy didn’t chase trends. He didn’t soften with age. He didn’t apologise. And in doing so, he shaped generations of musicians across genres.

This exhibition captures that spirit — loud, raw, and defiantly alive.

For more information about The Punk Rock Museum, go to thepunkrockmuseum.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram @thepunkrockmuseum.

Prayers Electric don’t waste time pretending to be bigger than they are. They don’t need to. The Manchester-based duo have carved out a sound that feels oversized, unruly and gloriously physical, all built from one split guitar, one drum kit and two musicians who simply refused to stop turning up.

Their origin story is refreshingly unromantic. When their previous four-piece DRAT dissolved, Jem Evans (guitar/lead vocals) and Farris Batley-Moss (drums/backing vocals) kept rehearsing anyway because playing together was too much fun to abandon. Their first full show as Prayers Electric — at Brown’s Tiki Bar in Stockport — confirmed the truth: this wasn’t a stopgap, it was the band.

Prayers Electric operate on a simple but explosive premise: one guitar split into two paths — a biting fuzzed guitar signal and an octave-down bass chain driven hard enough to rattle the room. Farris locks the whole thing together with fast, physical drums and backing vocals that push the choruses into overdrive.

Their songs start lean and groove-led, then steadily tighten until the full-gain stage arrives: fuzz, shouted hooks, crash cymbals and a closing run that feels like a two-person detonation. They’re confident without swagger, idea-led without pretension, and more than willing to look foolish if it means landing something memorable.

Fans of The White Stripes, The Hives, Viagra Boys and The Pack A.D. will find plenty to latch onto — but Prayers Electric’s charm lies in how they twist those influences into something scrappy, modern and unmistakably theirs.

Their current single Eyeballs is three minutes of fuzz-driven alternative punk that turns polished charm, manipulation and dead-eyed modern life into a snarling, hook-heavy sprint.

The video — their first professional shoot — is a delirious handmade fever dream: Jem and Farris trapped inside a papier-mâché surveillance nightmare populated by human-sized eyeball creatures. The props were crafted in-house and performed by friends and members of the Band on the Wall Folk and World Choir, filmed over two days in Manchester.

Eyeballs leads directly into their recently released Going Round Again EP (14 August 2026) — a four-track record about work, escape, performance, reckless coping and the strange ways persistence reshapes you.

Prayers Electric are, above all else, a live band. Their set is designed like a tightening coil: groove-driven indie rock at the start, full-gain chaos at the end. Two people becoming much larger without losing the directness of a duo.

They’ve already hit Rock the Castle Festival (2025, 2026), headlined 33 Oldham Street, packed out HMV Chester, and played across Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, North Wales and Worcestershire.

LISTEN

Spotify: Prayers Electric on Spotify

Bandcamp: prayerselectric.bandcamp.com

WATCH + FOLLOW

Website: prayerselectric.co.uk

YouTube: Prayers Electric YouTube channel

Instagram: @prayers_electric

TikTok: @prayers_electric

Facebook: Prayers Electric

Neverskin have never been a project that stands still. Across their first three singles, the Dutch rising‑star outfit carved out a reputation for emotionally charged heaviness, songs that felt both intimate and immense, built on a foundation of raw guitar power and melodic instinct. But their new single ‘Consumed’, arriving this Friday, September 4, marks the moment everything shifts.

It’s the opening chapter of a brand‑new run of releases, and you can feel that sense of renewal in every corner of the track. ‘Consumed’ isn’t just another step forward; it’s Neverskin drawing a bold line under what came before and stepping into something darker, deeper, and more cinematic.

At the heart of ‘Consumed’ is a sonic overhaul that hits like a shockwave. Neverskin dive into a crushing drop‑F tuning, pushing their guitar work into a heavier, more visceral register than ever before. The riffs feel subterranean, thick, grinding, almost tectonic, yet they’re balanced with the project’s trademark catchy choruses and vocals that carry real emotional weight.

It’s a track built with precision but delivered with grit. The band embraced a modern‑school mixing and mastering approach, sharpening the edges and widening the scope, while fiercely protecting the raw, organic energy that so many polished mixes lose. The result is a sound that feels both contemporary and human, heavy, but breathing.

Lyrically, ‘Consumed’ is Neverskin at their most introspective. The song originates from a deeply personal place, but it’s written with deliberate openness, a reflective, metaphor‑driven narrative that invites listeners to find their own meaning inside it.

The imagery leans into transformation, conflict, and the quiet violence of internal change. It’s a song about being overwhelmed, reshaped, and ultimately confronted by the parts of yourself you can’t ignore. But it never dictates the interpretation. Instead, it offers a cinematic emotional landscape where anyone can project their own struggles, hopes, and turning points.

Inside the Neverskin camp, the excitement around ‘Consumed’ is palpable. The band call it their best work yet, a milestone that captures who they are right now and hints at where they’re heading. It’s the sound of a project levelling up, creatively, emotionally, and sonically, and setting a new bar for the releases that will follow later this year.

To mark the single’s arrival, Neverskin are pairing ‘Consumed’ with a custom‑made atmospheric lyric video, dropping on YouTube this Friday. Expect something moody, textured, and tightly connected to the song’s emotional world.

With Cyber Celt arriving 18 September, CHASING ABBEY have expanded their world tour, added intimate in-store performances, and doubled down on the cultural fire that’s been building around them for the past decade. What’s unfolding now feels less like a traditional album rollout and more like a full‑scale movement.

It’s wild to think Cyber Celt is technically their debut album. Ronan Bell, Jonathan Byrne and Ted Conway have spent ten years crafting a fiercely loyal fanbase — platinum records, sold‑out tours, over a million followers online — all without a full-length release. That slow-burn ascent has given them something rare: a debut that already feels like a milestone.

The record is a collision of past, present and future. Celtic instrumentation meets modern electronic production; ancestral lessons meet political urgency. Themes of pride, heritage, corruption, greed and colonialism run through the tracklist, delivered with the weight of Gaeilge — a language they wield not as nostalgia, but as a weapon.

Ted Conway puts it plainly: “Kneecap reignited the flame, in a way. We feel it’s our responsibility to use that to progress our culture and tradition… it’s often easier for us to express that in our native language.”

The Cyber Celt World Tour is huge — and getting bigger. Alongside the newly announced Galway and Dublin instores, the band have added fresh Irish dates in December and January, extending a run that already spans the USA, Europe and Australia.

UK & Ireland dates

SEPTEMBER

Thu 17 DUBLIN Vicar Street (SOLD OUT)

Fri 18 BELFAST Limelight (SOLD OUT)

Sat 20 GALWAY Zhivago Records (ACOUSTIC + SIGNING @ 4:00pm)

Tue 22 DUBLIN Tower Records (ACOUSTIC + SIGNING @ 7:00pm)

NOVEMBER 

Tue 03 NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms

Wed 04 LONDON Scala

Sun 08 BRIGHTON Patterns

Tue 10 MANCHESTER Deaf Institute (LOW TICKETS)

Wed 11 LEEDS Brudenell Social Club (VENUE UPGRADE)

Thu 12 BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy 2

Fri 13 OXFORD O2 Academy 2

Sun 15 GLASGOW SWG3 Warehouse (LOW TICKETS)

Tue 17 LIVERPOOL O2 Academy 2

Wed 18 CARDIFF Clwb Ifor Bach

DECEMBER 

Sun 27 CORK, IE Cyprus Avenue

Mon 28 KILLARNEY, IE Gleneagle Club

Tue 29 BANTRY, IE Maritime Hotel

Wed 30 WATERFORD, IE Bank Lane

JANUARY

Fri 01 LIMERICK, IE Dolans Warehouse

Sat 02 DERRY Nerve Centre

Tickets: https://www.chasingabbey.ie/pages/tour-dates

What makes Chasing Abbey compelling isn’t just the sound — it’s the worldview. They’re artists who believe music has a purpose, and they’re not shy about stating it.

“We have a moral code that we live by — you have to, in these times,” Conway says. “It’s pretty crazy out there… racism, hatred, bigotry, sexism, the whole shebang. Everybody has a duty to stand against it. This is the purpose of music, of being an artist.”

The new record is a body of work steeped in identity, defiance and cultural revival — aligning them with peers like Kneecap, Lankum and The_Mary_Wallopers, who are reshaping Irish music for a new generation.

Tracklist

• GORTA

• TAL

• ÍORÓNTA

• MAR SIN

• GREEDY PIGS

• SEACHAIN

• SCARTHA

• CULCHIE

• SEAN TÍR

• ARIS IS ARIS

• SAOIRSE SAOIRSE

• COLLANISED MINDS

• RUD CRUA

The Galway and Dublin acoustic instores add a welcome contrast to the scale of the world tour. Stripped-back performances, face-to-face signings — a reminder that beneath the movement, the politics, the cultural weight, Chasing Abbey are still three musicians from Tullamore who love connecting with people.

“About Face” has to do with the change of direction the band took when Chris (drummer) and Andrew (bassist) joined NOTNORTH and we began to work together to create a new sound. It was like something clicked into place. And the idea of a turning also feels apropos to the concept of NOTNORTH at large. “About Face” also feels right for the touches of glam, the queerness, and the “giving face” so many of our community enjoy.

Fun fact: The album was primarily community-funded. “We raised 70% of the total cost on a GoFundMe. Isn’t that wild?!”

Self-proclaimed queer-punk band Not North, hailing from New York City, has once again delivered a fantastically theatrical EP. Frontman and songwriter David Thornton weaves together stories of love, lust, desire and regret, creating a collection that feels as much like a performance as it does a record. Thornton is already well known for his beautifully theatrical persona, delivering each song with an intensity that draws you in. There is something wonderfully dramatic about the way Not North tell their stories — the kind of performance that leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat and tapping your toes.

Thornton has previously been compared to Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and About Face certainly does little to dispel that comparison. From the first listen, there is an exciting sense of familiarity running through the EP. It feels new, but somehow instantly recognisable. The closest comparison I could initially find was Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell, released in 1977, itself developed from Jim Steinman’s musical Neverland. There is a similarly grand, theatrical quality to the storytelling — songs that feel larger than life, unapologetically dramatic and designed to be performed rather than simply heard. Perhaps that is the best way to describe About Face: it doesn’t simply feel like an EP, it feels like your own personal show.

I was fortunate enough to receive a preview of About Face ahead of the release date, although there was one thing I was sworn to secrecy about. I knew there was a cover on the EP, but I wasn’t allowed to reveal which one….until now. “Im Too Sexy.” Yes, Not North have taken Right Said Fred’s iconic 1991 hit and given it their own queer-punk, theatrical treatment, and the timing makes that choice particularly poignant.

Throughout the bands existence, Thornton has been regularly compared to Tim Curry, whose portrayal of Dr Frank-N-Furter became one of the defining performances of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Curry sadly passed away on August 25 at the age of 80, just days before About Face was released. I had already heard “I’m Too Sexy” before Curry’s death. I already knew it was going to be the secret track I couldn't talk about. But hearing it now, in the immediate aftermath of losing one of the most recognisable and influential theatrical performers of his generation, gives the song an unexpected poignancy. Whether intentional or simply an extraordinary coincidence, it feels fitting.

Curry represented flamboyance, theatricality and the freedom to be completely and unapologetically yourself. Those qualities run through Not North’s music and Thornton’s performance style too. While “I’m Too Sexy” was never Curry’s song, its inclusion here feels like it belongs to the same wonderfully excessive universe of performance, sexuality and refusing to take yourself too seriously. But About Face is far more than its surprise cover.

Opening with “Of, Relating To, Or Affecting The Face”, the EP immediately establishes that Not North aren’;t interested in playing it safe. “Lookalike” and “Hedonistic” continue the exploration of identity, attraction and excess, while “Good News” adds another layer to the collection. Then comes “Somebody Told Me” — yes, that “Somebody Told Me”. Not North take the familiar track and given it their own stamp, proving that their theatricality works just as well when they’re interpreting someone else’s material.

Then there’s “Tongue Out”, followed by “Fix It”, before we reach possibly my favourite song title on the entire EP: “The One Where A Singer Dates A Couple And It Goes Badly.” Honestly, if that title alone doesn’t make you want to press play, I’m not sure what will. “Goodbye Friend” and “Sandbox” continue the journey before About Face reaches its flamboyant finale with “I’m Too Sexy.”

There is a wonderfully chaotic quality to Not North. They aren’t afraid of drama, humour, sexuality or excess. They embrace all of it, throw it at the wall and somehow make it work, and that’s what makes About Face so much fun. It doesn’t feel overly polished to the point of losing its personality. Instead, there is a sense that Not North know exactly who they are and have absolutely no intention of apologising for it. Thornton’s theatrical delivery gives the songs character, while the subject matter moves comfortably between the humorous, the provocative and the more emotionally vulnerable.

There is lust. There is heartbreak. There is questionable decision-making. There are relationships that probably should have ended considerably sooner. And, apparently, there is a singer who dates a couple and discovers that perhaps three really isn’t the magic number. It’s queer. It’s punk. It’s theatrical. It’s ridiculous in exactly the right places.

Not North – September 2026 UK & Ireland Tour

7 September — Newcastle upon Tyne — The Globe

8 September — Leeds — Leeds Venue

9 September — Wrexham — ReVibed Records

10 September — Dublin — The Sound House

11 September — Newry — Newry Venue

Follow Not North:

Instagram

Official Website⁠

Burn It Down Festival has always had a knack for putting established names alongside the bands who look destined to become tomorrow’s headliners. Spread across Torquay’s grassroots venues, the festival feels less like a traditional festival and more like a city-wide celebration of alternative music, intimate, energetic and gloriously loud.

This year’s Foundry bill was no exception, with a run of performances from Exit Dream, Sunday Best, PENGSHUi, As It Is, unpeople, The Meffs and VUKOVI providing plenty of highlights.

Opening the day for us at The Foundry, Exit Dream had the task of setting the bar for the day, and they did so with confidence. There was no sense of easing the audience gently into the festival; their performance immediately established the atmosphere that Burn It Down thrives on. Their sound had enough melody to draw people in while retaining the weight and urgency expected from a festival like this. They played with the hunger of a band who know that these early festival slots are an opportunity to win over new listeners, and by the end of the set it was difficult not to feel that they had done exactly that.

Over at The Apple & Parrot, Sunday Best brought a different flavour to the proceedings. Their set demonstrated why Burn It Down works so well as a festival: rather than giving audiences three days of variations on the same sound, the bill constantly shifts between styles and moods. Sunday Best delivered a lively, engaging performance that felt perfectly suited to the smaller venue. There was an intimacy to the set, with the band feeding off the room and the audience responding in kind. It was the sort of performance that makes the smaller stages at Burn It Down every bit as important as the headline slots.

Things stepped up considerably when PENGSHUi hit The Foundry. Their genre-bending combination of punk, grime, hip-hop and heavy bass is difficult to categorise, and even harder to ignore.

The London trio have built a reputation for explosive live shows, and their Burn It Down appearance was another demonstration of just how effective that formula can be. Frontman Illaman commands the stage with the presence of an MC rather than a conventional rock vocalist, while the rhythm section provides a relentless foundation. The result is chaotic, physical and hugely entertaining.

PENGSHUi don't simply perform songs; they create an atmosphere, and the Foundry audience was more than willing to embrace it. As It Is brought a more melodic, emotionally charged side of alternative rock to the festival. With their roots firmly in the pop-punk and emo world, they have the rare ability to make a festival crowd sing as loudly as they mosh.

Their performance struck a good balance between nostalgia and momentum. There was enough familiarity for longtime fans to lose themselves in the songs, but the set never felt like a simple trip down memory lane. The band looked comfortable on the Foundry stage and delivered the kind of polished, crowd-focused performance you'd expect from a group that has spent years playing to increasingly large audiences.

If PENGSHUi brought controlled chaos, unpeople brought something altogether darker and heavier. Their position high on the Foundry bill felt justified, with a performance that demonstrated why they have become one of the more interesting names in the UK's modern alternative scene.

There was a real sense of tension running through the set, heavy riffs, huge dynamics and an intensity that never quite allowed the audience to relax. Rather than relying solely on volume, unpeople understand the value of atmosphere, building songs that feel as though they're constantly on the verge of exploding. And when that explosion comes, it's seriously impressive.

The Meffs were everything you want from a punk festival: loud, direct, energetic and completely unwilling to stand still. Their stripped-back approach makes the songs hit with an immediacy that suits the Burn It Down environment perfectly. There was little room for pretence. This was punk in its most direct form, with plenty of attitude and an obvious connection between band and crowd. The Meffs have the ability to make a relatively small stage feel enormous, and their performance was a reminder that you don't need elaborate production to create a memorable festival moment. Sometimes all you need is a guitar, drums, a great song and an audience ready to go wild.

Then came VUKOVI. Closing out the Foundry's Thursday programme, the Scottish alt-rockers had the job of taking the energy built throughout the day and pushing it over the top.

They delivered exactly that. VUKOVI's greatest strength is their ability to combine huge, hook-driven alternative rock with an unpredictable, slightly unhinged edge. Their songs can move from melody to ferocity in an instant, and live that contrast becomes even more effective.

The performance was energetic from start to finish, with the band showing why they have become such a compelling live act. There was a sense that the entire day had been building towards this point: the crowd was fully warmed up, the venue was buzzing and VUKOVI were more than happy to throw fuel onto the fire. It was a fitting finale.

What made this particular Burn It Down lineup work was the variety. Exit Dream and Sunday Best provided opportunities to discover newer names; PENGSHUi injected genre-defying chaos; As It Is delivered the big melodic moments; unpeople brought weight and atmosphere; The Meffs supplied pure punk energy; and VUKOVI finished the night with a suitably explosive performance.

That is ultimately what Burn It Down does best. It creates an environment where a band you've never heard of can play immediately before an established favourite, and both can leave you talking about them afterwards.

Review and Photos by Martha Fitzpatrick ©

Evanescence have never been a band that simply releases a song — they release a feeling. And with “Tell Me When You’ve Had Enough”, the latest single from their upcoming double‑vinyl album Sanctuary, they’ve dropped one of their most confrontational, self‑possessed statements in years. Filmed on the road during the band’s 2026 North American tour and directed by Eric Richter, the video captures Evanescence in their most natural habitat: under lights, under pressure, and utterly unshakeable.

“Tell Me When You’ve Had Enough” is a track built for the moment you finally snap the chains. Co‑written and produced by Zakk Cervini and Jordan Fish — two architects of modern alt‑rock intensity — the song asks the question so many people swallow: How much more are you willing to take?

It’s classic Evanescence in its emotional clarity, but the production pushes into a sharper, more volatile space. Amy Lee’s vocal cuts through like a warning flare, equal parts vulnerability and defiance. If Sanctuary is the band’s next chapter, this track is the door slamming behind them as they walk into it.

Shot during the band’s recent North American tour, the video feels like a dispatch from the front lines. No theatrics, no narrative overlays — just a band in motion, feeding off the roar of thousands. Richter’s direction leans into the sweat, the grit, the adrenaline of a group who’ve spent two decades proving they’re not a nostalgia act but a living, evolving force. It’s Evanescence stripped back to muscle and intent.

The UK and Europe arena run kicks off 8 September in Leeds, with stops in Manchester, Birmingham and a sold‑out finale at London’s O2. Poppy joins the UK and EU dates, with K‑Flay and Nova Twins rotating across the run — a line‑up that feels curated for maximum genre‑bending chaos.

• 8 Sept — Leeds, First Direct Arena (Low Ticket Alert)

• 10 Sept — Manchester, Co‑op Live (Sold Out)

• 11 Sept — Birmingham, Utilita Arena (Low Ticket Alert)

• 13 Sept — London, The O2 (Sold Out)

Evanescence’s long‑standing partnership with PLUS1 continues, with £1/$1/€1 from every ticket supporting humanitarian and medical relief worldwide. Fans have already helped raise over half a million dollars — a reminder that this band’s community isn’t just loud, it’s mobilised.

The band’s momentum right now is wild:

• “Who Will You Follow” became the fastest‑moving rock radio single of their career, hitting #1 across multiple Billboard charts.

• “Bring Me To Life” earned Diamond certification, making it one of only 14 songs in history to do so.

• “Afterlife” (from Netflix’s Devil May Cry) became their biggest single since Fallen, with 150M+ streams.

• “End of You” — Amy Lee, Poppy, Courtney LaPlante — became the first all‑female collaboration to hit #1 at US Rock Radio.

Out 4 September, Sanctuary arrives as a double‑vinyl release via Sony — a format that suits the album’s cinematic scale. The tracklist reads like a journey through confrontation, healing, and reclamation:

• Beautiful Lie

• Tell Me When You’ve Had Enough

• Who Will You Follow

• Rapture

• Afterlife

• Sanctuary

• How Do I Heal

• About Us

• Calm Down

• Self Destruct

• Forever Without You

• Wide Open Heart

If The Bitter Truth was the band’s firestorm, Sanctuary feels like the aftermath — scorched earth, rebuilt foundations, and a new skyline forming.

From Fallen’s global takeover to stadium‑level dominance in Brazil, Evanescence have always thrived in the tension between fragility and ferocity. But 2026 feels different. Bigger. Sharper. More intentional.

Amy Lee’s voice — still one of the most unmistakable in rock — is carrying the band into a chapter that isn’t about survival, but sovereignty.

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Thirty years after Come Find Yourself gatecrashed the Britpop era with its unmistakable New York swagger, original Fun Lovin’ Criminals frontman Huey Morgan is taking the seminal debut back on the road with a brand-new band for a 13-date UK tour this October. Looking back on the album that changed his life and soundtracked a generation, Morgan talks about the New York scene that shaped it, the unlikely story behind “Scooby Snacks” and why, three decades on, those songs ultimately belong to the people who made them part of their lives.

Thirty years on, when you hear Come Find Yourself, what goes through your head?

It’s really trippy because you go back 30 years on anything and you’re a different person. When I made that record, those were all the stories that I had accumulated up to that point. I was 27.

I’d been in the Marines, I’d been a bit of a troublemaker in New York City, and I was dealing with a lot of things in my life. It seemed to me that I was offloading a lot of that stuff into the lyrics.

The funny thing is, I wasn’t even supposed to be the singer. I just wanted to be the guitar player. Fast and I were working together with Steve, making songs, and we hadn’t really figured out what the vocals were going to be like.

We knew we wanted it to be rap music, but when we started talking to rappers we knew, they were talking about themselves and girls and stuff, and it seemed a little banal for the music. We’d put so much time and effort into making that music, and our influences were really varied.

I’d always written poetry and things, and a lot of these songs were actually short stories or novellas I’d written over the years. I went back to my notebooks and started looking at those stories. That’s where songs like “King of New York” came from.

So did you already know what Fun Lovin’ Criminals were going to sound like?

We knew we wanted to mix a bunch of different styles together. Fast was into electronic music, Steve had a lot of different influences and I was a guitar player who had listened to all kinds of stuff growing up.

We really thought the music deserved more, lyrically. I wanted to make sure the lyrics were equal to the music. It was a challenge to make sure that what I was saying was worthy of the music we were creating.

The album sounds incredibly confident, but you were still a new band. Where did that confidence come from?

It was probably 70% true confidence and 30% just winging it and hoping for the best!

We recorded a lot and wrote a lot of the music before we had our record deal. When we got signed to EMI, it freaked me out because I thought, “Wait, I’ve been listening to music my whole life and no one’s going to buy this!”

I just thought it was good music. I enjoyed making it. It was different and new, but I didn’t think anything would come of it. Because of that, I didn’t have any hang-ups about writing whatever I wanted to write about.

We also didn’t have a manager, so I had a pretty serious relationship with the label through our lawyer and our A&R guy. The head of the label was a producer called David Seegerson, and he really understood what we were doing. His attitude was basically, “Whatever you’re doing, don’t mess with it.”

That gave us confidence because we weren’t going back and forth with the label asking what they thought. We didn’t really give a damn what they thought! We were left to our own devices.

You were also told you didn’t necessarily need a producer. Was that liberating?

We had asked Bob Power, who produced Tribe Called Quest and a lot of other amazing music, to produce the record. He listened to our demo and basically said, “You don’t need a producer, you need an engineer.”

That engineer was Tim Latham, and he was fantastic. He was a New York guy, technically one of the most amazing engineers we’d ever worked with, and we really hit it off with him.

We recorded most of the record in five days. The first day was drums, the second day we dropped all the samples onto the drums, the third day was keyboards, the fourth was guitars and the fifth was vocals.

It was a really hard week, but we knew at the end of it that we’d got what we needed down.

And then the label told you that you had another three weeks in the studio…

Exactly! They said, “Guys, you have the studio for another three weeks.” We were like, “Oh, okay.”

So we ordered food from Little Charlie’s, which was a great Italian restaurant in the neighbourhood, and had a really good time. But what we did during those three weeks was listen as producers rather than performers.

We thought this would be the only record we ever recorded, so we wanted to put all those little things into it that we’d always wanted to hear on albums we loved. We had a little percussion day where we called ourselves the Cuervo Brothers, got a little drunk and did percussion.

It gave us some perspective on the songs.

“Scooby Snacks” became the defining track. Did you know you had something special?

It’s funny because we actually had a version for the album that was faster and had a whole bunch of rock ’n’ roll guitars in the chorus.

We had the demo, though, and when we played it for David Seegerson, he said, “What happened to the syncopated, slowed-down, cool groove thing?” We told him that live we played it faster, and he was like, “Whoa, there’s something special about that.”

He insisted that we revisit the demo version. That was really the only time anybody got in our business about stuff.

He explained that the reason the song was grooving with so many people was because the elements were pure and simple. There wasn’t a whole bunch of production on top of it.

When you’re producing your first major-label release and you have three weeks in the studio, you can become obsessed with adding things and taking things away. His advice made us realise that sometimes less is more.

And then there are the Pulp Fiction samples. Whose idea was that?

A lot of that song was put together by Fast. He put the Tones on Tail element in there, and I thought that was brilliant.

The Tarantino stuff came from the fact that we were huge fans of Tarantino. We used to write a lot of our music in the living room of the loft we lived in, with the TV on but the volume down.

We were always making music for films — soundtracks for films that didn’t exist.

With “Scooby Snacks”, we thought, “Who’s going to understand what the hell we’re talking about? Will they get the joke?” Fast said it was kind of a Tarantino noir thing and suggested getting the laser disc and cutting a couple of samples out to see what worked.

It was a great move. The label initially didn’t like the samples because they were going to be expensive. But I was sold. I thought those samples brought everybody into the joke. They gave people the context to understand that it was a funny song about a “what if”, rather than “let’s go and do this”.

If you had to pick one song that best represents who Fun Lovin’ Criminals were in 1996, which would it be?

I’d say “King of New York”.

It’s essentially a folk story about John Gotti, but it’s also quintessentially what we did. It had the hip-hop element, it was a story about New York City and it had all these cultural touchstones.

I don’t think anybody else would have talked about John Gotti at that time without fearing they would get killed! I was married into a mob family at that point, so I had to have a sit-down with these guys to get it right.

That song was the gateway for me to realise, “Okay, Fun Lovin’ Criminals would do this.”

We worked at a nightclub called Limelight for many years before we got signed. We’d play shows there, test out new material and figure out what worked. We knew by trial and error what people in New York were down with.

We weren’t really aiming outside New York City. Not even New Jersey. We were in our own little biosphere.

So when did you realise the music was going to have a life beyond New York?

I remember the first time we left the United States. We went to Toronto to do a showcase for EMI, and we got into an argument with another band. We were going to fight them — it was going to be a beatdown!

The head of the label told us we weren’t doing the showcase because we were thugs and sent somebody to talk to me. He sat me down and basically said, “You’re not this guy anymore. You have an opportunity here that no one gets.”

He told me I had been through a lot, grown up on rough streets in New York, been a United States Marine and now had the chance to do something that transcended all of that. He said, “Don’t be stupid and screw it up.”

That was when I realised, “Wow, they wouldn’t be sending this important guy to talk to me if this was all for nothing.” It made me rethink my whole operating system.

The UK then became such a huge market for you. Why do you think British audiences connected so strongly with the band?

Initially it took off in the Benelux. We had a connection with a clothing company and our demo tapes were going out to skateboard shops around the world. People were discovering the music through that skateboard culture.

Because EMI was a British label, they realised they had something good when people in Holland and Belgium were digging it, and they put us on the front burner at EMI UK.

We came over to the UK and people started rocking with it almost immediately. We were juxtaposed against all the Britpop people were hearing. It was fresh. There was humour in it, and elements of popular music that weren’t necessarily rock.

There was hip-hop, groove, acid jazz and all these different things. The UK was one of the few countries that was really eclectic in its radio. If it was good, people liked it.

We also weren’t afraid to talk to people, be funny or not take ourselves too seriously. Shows like TFI Friday helped break us.

Thirty years on, do you hear the album differently?

I hear it all differently.

There’s that saying: no man steps in the same river twice. I go back to that record because I play the songs with my new band, and it’s great hearing them reinterpreted.

An album is a snapshot of a period in time for an artist. I was 27 and I was a very different guy. I was under a lot of pressure because we didn’t have a manager and I was juggling all these different parts of the music business.

I don’t really remember it being a particularly fun time. Looking back, I’m finding the different fun parts in it.

When you write a lyric, those feelings are still there in the words. So when I revisit the songs, I can almost revisit that guy. I feel bad for him too, because there was a lot going on inside my head while I was trying to put a record out and lead a band.

It was a difficult time, but the fact that I made it through is kind of the triumph.

What do you hope people take away from the 30th anniversary shows?

I once spoke to Stevie Nicks at a party and she told me she loved our record. We talked about music and she said something that really hit me. She said that once you put a record out, it’s yours to have, but you don’t own the music anymore. Everybody attaches their lives to it.

That made me realise it’s not my music. I wrote it and performed it, but once it got into people’s lives, it became part of their lives.

When people come to see me play, I see them revisit parts of their lives that were good, or maybe difficult, but they got through them. You can see the whole spectrum of human experience in people’s faces while you play songs that made a difference in their lives.

As an artist, you can’t have a higher compliment than someone saying, “That song helped me,” or “That song makes me happy,” or “That song gives me perspective.”

So doing a 30th anniversary isn’t a selfish act. It’s something you’re doing for the people who bought the record and made it part of their lives.

I think nostalgia is a great thing. It reminds you that you had moments in your life that were amazing, fun and good. If you can revisit those, that’s a blessing.

You’ve now got so many different worlds — radio, TV, writing, family and music. Where does being a musician fit into all of that?

It’s the by-product of living a life.

If I was a painter, being a father, a husband, a radio DJ and all these other things would inform my painting. As a writer, I’m always trying to make sense of stuff because the world’s a crazy place and everybody has their own path.

I try to light my path with the insights I gain from reflecting on my life.

I’ve got this tour coming up and I’m crazy looking forward to it. I’m also kind of nervous about it, but in a good way. It’s excitement. I don’t want to let down the people who are making my music part of their lives.

There’s a responsibility there that I appreciate probably more than I ever have.

UK TOUR DATES:
 
13-Oct-26 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
14-Oct-26 Edinburgh La Belle Angele
15-Oct-26 Glasgow St Lukes
16-Oct-26 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
17-Oct-26 Nottingham The Level
18-Oct-26 Manchester Band On The Wall
20-Oct-26 Brighton Concorde 2
22-Oct-26 London Electric Ballroom
23-Oct-26 Southampton  The 1865
24-Oct-26 Norwich Waterfront
26-Oct-26 Southend Chinnerys
27-Oct-26 Cambridge Junction
28-Oct-26 Exeter Phoenix
29-Oct-26 Bristol Electric

Tickets available via Hueymorgan.com

Jimmy Regal & The Royals have never been a band to sit politely within the borders of British blues. They stretch it, scuff it, electrify it, and, crucially, connect it to the global rhythms that birthed it. Their new single ‘Snap Back’, released today on Bandcamp Friday, is another step in that mission: a fierce, sinewy track that feels both steeped in tradition and defiantly forward‑leaning.

It’s the third single from their forthcoming album Snap Back, and arrives on the heels of glowing early reviews. Music News praised the record’s primal energy, while Bluestown Music NL highlighted the band’s ability to fuse Mississippi grit, West African pulse, and 70s British R&B swagger into something unmistakably their own.

Jimmy Regal & The Royals have built a reputation as one of the UK’s most dynamic blues acts — not because they chase nostalgia, but because they treat the genre as a living organism. Their roots run from North Mississippi to New Orleans, Senegal to South London, and you can hear that breadth in everything they do.

The trio’s core setup — Joff Watkins (harmonica, vocals, guitar), CJ Williams (guitar, backing vocals), and Sammy Samuels (drums, percussion, backing vocals) — is deceptively simple. But what they build from it is huge: layered, inventive, rhythmically adventurous, and grounded in no‑nonsense R&B.

Their collaborations with West African musicians, including kora master Diabel Cissokho, have become central to their identity. This isn’t fusion for the sake of novelty — it’s a genuine cultural exchange, a widening of the rhythmic palette that keeps their music restless and alive.

The new single began as a variation on Junior Kimbrough’s All Night Long, but quickly evolved into something new — a tight, looping riff that feels like a coiled spring. Watkins describes it as a song about resilience: “getting up after being hit, standing tall and going at it again.” The line “one more once, one more twice” nods to Count Basie, folding jazz lineage into the band’s blues DNA. It’s a track that feels built for the stage — and fittingly, the band are heading straight back out on the road.

Fresh from an electrifying set on the Hokum Stage at Ealing Blues Festival, the band have announced a packed run of UK and European shows stretching into 2027. Highlights include:

• 16 Oct — SNAP BACK Album Launch Party, London

• 26–27 Sep — Vienna shows at Kafou Music and Snakepit Cellar

• 9 Oct — Beer Blues Festival, Mariner’s Hall, Devon

• 1–4 Jul 2027 — Alfold Rock & Blues Festival, Surrey

• 9 Oct 2027 — Calstock Arts Centre, Cornwall

The full list spans clubs, festivals, and beloved grassroots venues — the kind of circuit where the band’s raw, expansive sound thrives.

Since their debut charted in 2017, Jimmy Regal & The Royals have stacked up four UK Top 10 blues albums, a #1 studio record (First and Last Stop), and international acclaim across radio and roots charts. They’ve supported US heavyweights like Cedric Burnside and GA‑20, toured extensively, and built a reputation as one of the most electrifying live acts on the circuit.

Their new album Snap Back continues that upward arc. These are all original songs, rooted in everyday grit, joy, characters, fights, bad cars, and the internal battles we all recognise. It’s blues that feels lived‑in, not museum‑kept.

• Single ‘Snap Back’ — Out now (Bandcamp Friday) Purchase/Download

• Album ‘Snap Back’

  • Physical release: Friday 25 September 2026

  • Digital release: Friday 2 October 2026 (Bandcamp Friday) Pre‑order (jimmyregalandtheroyals.com in Bing)

Jimmy Regal & The Royals are part of a growing wave of UK acts treating blues not as a heritage genre but as a global conversation. Their music carries the dust of Mississippi, the polyrhythms of West Africa, the punch of British R&B, and the grit of South London streets. Snap Back feels like a statement — a reminder that the blues is still evolving, still mutating, still capable of surprise.

It’s a record built on resilience, rhythm, and respect for the cultures that shaped it. And it’s one that deserves to be heard loud.

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A shimmering late‑summer haze hung over the Cotswolds as The Big Feastival returned to Alex James’s farm for its 15th August Bank Holiday celebration of music, food and family fun. Even the occasional rain shower couldn’t dampen the mood. People drifted between stages and street‑food stalls with that familiar Feastival resilience — a rhythm of colour, community and carefree wandering.

We arrived on Friday evening, checked in with the press team and took a wander around the site, which felt comfortingly familiar after last year. Paella in hand, we headed to the main stage where White Lies delivered a storming set. Over in The Cheese Hub, Geronimo was already in full techno‑tilt mode, his entourage punching the air behind him like a choreographed cheer squad.

Antony Szmierek drew a huge crowd, his sophomore album Decoding Birdsong sounding immense as it rolled across the fields. We caught half of Perrie’s pop‑bright performance before looping back to The Cheese Hub for Jamz Supernova, who kept the energy high with a killer DJ set.

On the way out, a packed silent disco was in full swing — younger festivalgoers dancing like they’d been handed the keys to the night while their parents mingled nearby, enjoying a rare break from everyday life.

And just when it felt like Friday couldn’t get any bigger, Basement Jaxx stepped up to close the night. Not the full band — they disbanded many moons ago — but the two core members delivered a DJ set that hit with the precision of seasoned craftsmen. Exotic dancers flanked the stage, the crowd was absolutely up for it, and the whole arena went off like a firework as they weaved classic track after classic track into one seamless, high‑energy rush. Sing‑alongs were mandatory, and the audience didn’t need asking twice. They delivered, and then some.

Full bellies, ringing ears and happy hearts — Friday set the tone beautifully.

Saturday arrived with rain, so instead of cooking under an umbrella at the back of the van, we drove to Bourton‑on‑the‑Water for a cosy breakfast. The place was heaving, so we didn’t linger — we had serious festivalling to get back to.

We just missed Mister Tumble, but having watched plenty of him when our kids were small, I wasn’t too heartbroken. Next up were She’s in Parties, a London/Essex four‑piece we’d interviewed the week before. Their indie‑alt‑rock blend cut straight through the gloom and kept the crowd fully engaged.

Geronimo and his Nepo crew were once again raising the roof in The Cheese Hub — at this point, you’d think he was related to the festival owner.

Ms Dynamite lit up the main stage, shouting out her “old skool” UK Garage fans and rolling through classics that haven’t aged a day. She looked incredible and sounded even better.

Then came The Cuban Brothers, who delivered a riot of music, dance and comedy — breakdancing, outrageous tributes, Miguel’s cheeky humour, even a world‑record conga attempt. At one point Miguel was down to a tiger‑print codpiece, leading the crowd with fearless, absurd showmanship. Chaotic, joyful, unforgettable.

Devon’s own TORS followed with soaring harmonies and an indie‑folk/Americana blend that hit the crowd right in the heart. Fresh off a well‑received EP and working on their debut album, they played with real warmth and won plenty of new fans.

We missed Riding The Low, Paddy Considine’s band, but I’ve no doubt they packed out The Outpost.

We did catch Barrioke — Shaun Williamson (Barry from EastEnders) leading a karaoke free‑for‑all that shouldn’t work on paper but absolutely does. The place was rammed, the sign‑up list closed early, and Barry’s version of Amarillo was genuinely brilliant.

The Streets turned Saturday night into a full‑blown communal roar. Mike Skinner was sharp as ever, and the crowd matched him word for word. Fit But You Know It became a massive sing‑along, while Blinded By The Lights washed over the arena like a nostalgic wave. The lightshow was huge — strobes, sweeps, colour bursts — perfectly framing Skinner’s trademark delivery. Arms up, voices loud, everyone locked in. A swaggering, triumphant headline set.

Dinner came courtesy of The Larderhouse — a pork wrap with pickled veg, BBQ potatoes and cabbage cooked to perfection. Full and happy, we headed back to camp.

Sunday dawned dry, so we cooked breakfast in the van and headed back in for day three.

The Rosadocs opened the main stage with chirpy alt‑indie energy that shook off any lingering sleepiness. A broken guitar string led to an unplanned acoustic moment that worked beautifully. With a big tour ahead, they’re well worth checking out.

We wandered past The Cheese Hub — Geronimo again, throwing shapes. Maybe the same set as Friday and Saturday, maybe not. Either way, the younger crowd loved it.

Nubiyan Twist brought a magnetic afternoon set — hip hop, soul, funk, horns, samples, velvet vocals — the kind of performance that pulls passers‑by in until they’re fully hooked.

Simon Pegg took over The Cheese Hub next, and judging by the familiar beats, Geronimo may have left him a USB stick. It was rammed, so we slipped away to catch Freya Ridings, who delivered a spellbinding, cinematic performance. Her voice soared, her presence filled the arena, and every crescendo landed perfectly.

A last‑minute interview with Red Rum Club was a joy — festival food, dream lineups, future plans, and the trip back to Liverpool all covered in ten minutes. Sharp, funny, and clearly riding the high of a great set.

After one final wander — and one last oyster from The Larderhouse — we started to pack up for the weekend.

Bastille closed the festival with a huge, euphoric headline set. Pompeii’s chant rolled across the arena, Happier and Things We Lost in the Fire sparked massive sing‑alongs, and the lightshow was immense. Dan Smith, fresh from doctor‑ordered vocal rest, sounded incredible — emotional, powerful, completely in command. A perfect finale to a packed weekend.

We came, we saw, we danced, we ate, we tip‑toed through Saturday’s slush, and we loved every minute. Roll on 2027 — tickets will be on sale soon, so head to the Feastival newsletter to be first in line.

2026 has been the year The Guest List stopped being “one to watch” and became a band people genuinely believe in. The Manchester five‑piece have spent the past eighteen months building momentum the old‑fashioned way, sold‑out rooms, word‑of‑mouth devotion, and songs that land with emotional clarity. Today, they arrive at the next milestone: the release of their ambitious debut album, Something Real, a record that cements their rise and shows just how far their songwriting has evolved.

Rolling Stone UK called it “a thrillingly ambitious statement of intent”, while The Independent tipped them as “on course to become one of the UK’s next big guitar bands” - Those aren’t throwaway lines, they’re reflections of a band who’ve grown from high‑energy online covers into one of the most socially‑aware, emotionally direct new voices in British guitar music.

Recorded in Bergen, Norway with collaborator Matias Tellez, Something Real is a widescreen debut that moves confidently between towering guitar anthems and stripped‑back vulnerability. It’s a record that isn’t afraid to look directly at the world — and at the people trying to survive within it.

Across its tracklist, The Guest List tackle themes that rarely appear with such honesty in a debut, moving from explorations of mental health and male suicide to stark depictions of domestic violence and its generational impact. The album also confronts the looming threat of climate collapse and the collective dread it inspires, while turning a sharp eye toward algorithmic outrage and the erosion of truth in an increasingly polarised world.

Yet the album never feels heavy for heaviness’ sake. It’s grounded in melody, humanity and sharp songwriting, the kind that makes difficult subjects feel lived‑in rather than abstract.

Frontman Cai Alty summarises it best:

“The album is about people at their best and worst… squinting through the chaos around us and finding meaning where it is scarce.”

Released on 28th August as the last single from the album, Slow Down Sally is one of the album’s most affecting moments, an acoustic‑led track that places Cai’s vocal and storytelling front and centre. It follows Sally, a young woman walking home under the weight of fear left by controlling, stalkerish relationships. The verses are intimate, almost whispered; the chorus blooms into something defiant and communal.

It’s a reminder to Sally, and to anyone listening, that fear doesn’t get the final word. There is love, solidarity and hope beyond the shadows.

The Guest List’s rise hasn’t been confined to the UK. Their summer included a huge weekend at Japan’s Summer Sonic, plus appearances at Neighbourhood, Latitude and Isle of Wight. With Reading & Leeds and Victorious Festivals having just happened, they’re stepping onto some of the biggest stages of their career.

Their live reputation has become a defining part of their story, high‑energy, emotionally charged, and increasingly ambitious. The addition of backing singers and expanded instrumentation has transformed their shows into something more theatrical, more communal, more them.

Several tracks on Something Real stand out as thematic pillars, each one sharpening the album’s focus. The title track offers a pointed critique of outrage culture and algorithmic division, while Weatherman channels climate dread into something urgent and melodic. Mary delivers one of the record’s most devastating moments, an intimate portrait of domestic abuse, and Sick Animal imagines a near‑future society trying to rebuild from the wreckage of its own making. Meanwhile, If Ever Your Devil Is Kind turns its gaze toward everyday rage and tribalism, capturing the simmering aggression of a football crowd. It’s rare to see a debut album interrogate the world with such breadth — rarer still to see it done with this level of melodic confidence.

Formed in 2021 as school friends and music students, The Guest List first gained traction through indie covers online. But it’s their original material, socially conscious, ambitious, emotionally direct, that has carried them into a new league. Their sound has evolved beyond early influences, now drawing comparisons to Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Joni Mitchell and Sam Fender while remaining unmistakably theirs.

With Something Real out now, the band enter their busiest chapter yet, in‑stores, European dates, arena support slots with The Courteeners, and their biggest UK headline tour to date.

Festivals

October
17th NBHD FESTIVAL, Manchester

In-Store Dates

September

1st Bury, Wax & Beans
2nd Preston, Action Records

EU Headline Tour dates
October
20th BRUSSELS, Botanique Witloof Bar
21st PARIS, Les Etoiles
23rd ROTTERDAM, Left of the Dial
24th ROTTERDAM, Left of the Dial
25th COLOGNE, Artheater
27th BERLIN, Badehaus
28th HAMBURG, Turmzimmer
29th UTRECHT, Ekko

Supporting The Courteeners
6th LEEDS, First Direct Arena
7th CARDIFF, Utilita Arena
13th LIVERPOOL, M&S Bank Arena
14th LONDON, Alexandra Palace
20th GLASGOW, OVO Hydro
21st BIRMINGHAM, Utilita Arena

UK Headline Tour Dates
November
17th NEWCASTLE, The Grove
19th GLASGOW, St Luke’s
20th BIRMINGHAM, O2 Institute 2
21st OXFORD, O2 Academy 2
22nd SOUTHAMPTON, Papillion
24th LONDON, Scala
25th LEEDS, Project House
26th BRISTOL, Fleece

Something Real feels like the moment the band step fully into their identity: bold, socially aware, melodically rich, and unafraid to confront the world as it is. It’s the sound of a young band refusing to look away, and inviting listeners to find meaning alongside them.

Their rise has been rapid, but it hasn’t been accidental. It’s built on craft, honesty, ambition and connection. And with their biggest shows still ahead, The Guest List are only just beginning to show how far they can go.

FOLLOW THE GUEST LIST: 

INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE | X | WEBSITE

Well folks, it’s that time again for a good ole’ dose of Country, Americana and Roots — so it’s off to The Long Road Festival at Stanford Hall, Leicestershire. The sun was shining, spirits were high, and for a moment it felt like nothing could possibly go wrong.

Friday began bright and warm… until the heavens opened. And when they opened, they really opened. A full‑blown deluge swept across the site, shutting down the Main Stage, Buddy’s, and halting sets from Stella Prince (Front Porch), Striking Matches (Interstate), and Gina Larner. For an hour or so, everyone ran for cover.

Then, as if on cue, the sun returned, and only one man could pull the festival back from the brink: Steve Earle, solo, holding the crowd in the palm of his hand with songs like Copperhead Road. A fantastic, defiant moment.

Earlier in the day, Harleymoon Kemp lit up the Interstate Stage. Dressed head‑to‑toe in white, she delivered a confident, captivating set. She’s played The Long Road before, starting out on the tiny Buddy’s stage, and it’s clear she’s rising fast.

Friday closed with homegrown favourites The Shires, mixing old hits with new material from their latest album. A warm, crowd‑pleasing end to a chaotic day.

Across the site, artists paid tribute to Dolly Parton, whose passing cast a gentle shadow over the weekend. “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” echoed from multiple stages, while boards around the arena filled with handwritten messages. Backstage, a huge banner signed by artists stood as a heartfelt tribute to one of country’s true greats.

Saturday promised 96% rain, but it felt more like 100%. It hammered down almost nonstop.

Headliner Bailey Zimmerman pulled out due to “important family matters,” and in a twist no one saw coming, Ronnie Wood stepped in. Some fans left, insisting he “wasn’t country,” but he gave it everything — rolling through classics like On the Road Again and Chain of Fools, plus Stones favourites It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll and Dead Flowers. As a Stones fan myself, it was fantastic. Imelda May joined him on vocals, her powerhouse voice cutting through the rain like a beacon.

A standout discovery of the weekend was Hayley Jensen from Australia. She played both Interstate and Front Porch to packed crowds, delivering a storming set of country pop/rock that won over everyone within earshot.

Then came Brennen Leigh on Interstate — a glorious blend of country and bluegrass, dressed in a throwback 50s style that matched her sound perfectly.

Sunday carried a sense of anticipation: Emmylou Harris, at 79 years old, took to the stage and delivered a spellbinding set spanning her long, varied career. That voice — still unmistakable, still unbelievable.

Supporting her on this final European tour was Jim Lauderdale, who played the Front Porch. An American country‑bluegrass songwriter with decades of history, his songs have been covered by Elvis Costello, George Strait, Vince Gill and the Dixie Chicks — and his set was a reminder of why.

A new discovery for many was Lily Fitts, performing on the Interstate Stage. A singer‑songwriter from Massachusetts, she brought a beautifully stripped‑back American folk sound that resonated deeply.

Over the weekend, more than 40,000 fans descended on The Long Road, and despite the weather, no one left disappointed. As always, the festival delivered heart, heritage, discovery, and community.

But like all good things, it had to end. Time to head home, if you can find your car in the mud, and count down the days until 2027, when we get to do it all again!

Review & Photos by Leigh Bruin

Whilst at the BIG FEASTIVAL this year, we wanted to chat to as many bands as we could who were lucky enough to perform there.

We caught up with Devon based band TORS after their performance on the main stage.

We chatted about their recently released EP, festival food, their 'Come Dine With Me' choices, who they would have headlining their very own 'dream' festival lineup, their future musical plans and as we were sat on an active cheese farm, their favourite cheeses and how they take it (I dug deep)

We’d like to thank the chaps for sparing their time after their performance to chat to us, they could have been using the time to do far more ‘rawk-n-roll’ things like eating sandwiches and drinking their rider dry but NO, they insisted that we should talk and talk we did!

Keep up to date with their whereabouts and happenings via their INSTAGRAM page

Whilst at the BIG FEASTIVAL this year, we wanted to chat to as many bands as we could who were lucky enough to perform there.

We caught up with Sheffield based band THE ROSADOCS after their performance on the main stage.

We chatted about their forthcoming October/November 2026 tour, their summer of festival appearances, festival food, their 'Come Dine with me' choices, hotels, future musical plans and of course, as we were on a cheese farm, their favourite cheese!

We’d like to thank the chaps for sparing their time after their performance to chat to us, they could have been using the time to do far more ‘rawk-n-roll’ things like eating sandwiches and drinking their rider dry but NO, they insisted that we should talk and talk we did!

Keep up to date with their whereabouts and happenings via their INSTAGRAM page

Every so often, a band crawls out of the UK heavy underground with something that feels less like a record announcement and more like a warning flare. Altera Doomonica, a doom metal collective who’ve been quietly building a reputation for weight, atmosphere, and unflinching bleakness, have finally revealed their debut album, Angelic Doomology, arriving 25th September 2026 exclusively via Bandcamp.

Altera Doomonica aren’t interested in reinventing doom metal, they’re interested in inhabiting it completely. Their sound feels carved from the same granite as Sabbath’s earliest dirges, but there’s a modern heaviness to it, a muscular swing that nods toward Black Label Society, and a streak of gothic sorrow that places them firmly in the lineage of Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride.

It’s doom that remembers its roots but isn’t trapped by them. Slow, crushing, and strangely beautiful.

Angelic Doomology is a ten‑track descent into grief, madness, and the strange clarity that sometimes comes from staring into the void for too long.

The album opens with “The Silence Of Grief”, a track that feels like a curtain being pulled back on something ancient and heavy. From there, the band moves through moments of introspection, rage, and ritualistic gloom, including a two‑part centrepiece, “Reliquiae Pars I – Deceptio” and “Reliquiae Pars II – Vindicta”, which together form one of the record’s most ambitious and emotionally charged passages.

By the time the final track, “Hand Of God”, rolls in, the album has shifted from personal despair to something apocalyptic and widescreen. It’s the kind of ending that leaves you sitting in the quiet afterwards, unsure whether you’ve just been crushed or cleansed.

Tracklisting

1. The Silence Of Grief

2. Losing My Mind

3. The Other Side

4. Reliquiae Pars I – Deceptio

5. Reliquiae Pars II – Vindicta

6. Altera Doomonica Infiniatum

7. River Of Blood

8. Watcher In The Shadows

9. Scream At The Void

10. Hand Of God

There’s no gloss here, no attempt to chase trends or soften the blow. Angelic Doomology is doom metal in its purest emotional form — patient, punishing, and deeply atmospheric. It’s the kind of debut that feels like a statement of intent: Altera Doomonica are here to drag listeners into the depths, and they’re doing it with conviction.

The album will be available as a limited physical release through the band’s Bandcamp, giving fans a chance to support them directly.

For anyone who thrives on slow-burning heaviness, sorrowful storytelling, and riffs that feel like collapsing architecture, this is one to mark on the calendar.

Follow the band: Facebook

Some singers tell stories; Mary Coughlan lives them. For more than forty years she’s taken the messier parts of life, heartbreak, desire, survival, the bits most people shy away from, and turned them into songs that feel less like performances and more like late‑night confessions. This autumn, she returns to the UK for a run of intimate shows that promise all the emotional force she’s known for.

Coughlan has long held a rare place in Irish music. MOJO once called her a “honey‑voiced Irish National Treasure,” while Uncut described her as a living thread between Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse. Not because she sounds like either, but because she shares their instinct for honesty, that refusal to smooth out the rough edges or pretend life is anything other than complicated.

Her voice is still unmistakable: smoky, husky, a little bruised around the edges, capable of flipping from sly humour to raw vulnerability in a heartbeat. You can hear echoes of Bessie Smith, Peggy Lee, Edith Piaf, but it’s always delivered with that unmistakable Irish drawl, equal parts sceptical and tender. It’s the sound of someone who has lived every line she sings.

The 2026/2027 UK tour kicks off on 23 September at Leeds’ Old Woollen and winds through thirteen dates across England, Scotland, and Wales. These aren’t cavernous arenas; they’re rooms chosen for atmosphere, closeness, and the kind of emotional connection Coughlan thrives on.

The tour stretches into March 2027 with a rescheduled date at Exeter Phoenix. For long‑time followers, or anyone who wants to see one of the most emotionally fearless performers of her generation, these shows are a rare chance to experience Coughlan up close, in rooms where every breath can be seen.

Across four decades, Coughlan has made music that doesn’t look away from the messy parts of human relationships. Her songs are grown‑up, uncompromising, painfully honest and quietly universal. She sings about what goes on between men and women with a clarity that can be cathartic, uncomfortable, or both.

In a time when “authenticity” is often just another marketing angle, Coughlan remains the real thing — a storyteller who never softens her edges to fit the moment. Her shows feel communal: built on humour, pain, connection, resilience.

This tour is proof that she’s still evolving, still pushing, still capable of stopping a room cold with a single line.

September 2026

23 Sept — Old Woollen, Leeds 24 Sept — Brewery Arts, Kendal

25 Sept — St Luke’s, Glasgow

October 2026

2 Oct — Union Chapel, London

3 Oct — Mid Sussex Music Hall, Hassocks

4 Oct — Town Hall, Kidderminster

7 Oct — Acapela Studio, Cardiff

8 Oct — The Sub Rooms, Stroud

9 Oct — Gulbenkian, Canterbury

10 Oct — Hub, Hampton

13 Oct — Aberystwyth Arts Centre

14 Oct — Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

15 Oct — Hallé St Peter’s, Manchester

March 2027

18 Mar — Exeter Phoenix (rescheduled)

Tickets available via AGMP Concerts and venue box offices.

This tour is a chance to see one of Ireland’s most distinctive voices doing what she does best: telling stories that feel like they belong to all of us.