A year spent tearing through stadiums with Metallica, conquering festival main stages across Europe, and hauling their carnival of chaos all the way to Australia, AVATAR are closing out 2026 on their own terms, in the dark, in the cold, and very much in their element.

Manchester’s Westside Cowboy have spent the past two years quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, becoming one of the most talked‑about new bands in the UK. The Guardian called them “thrilling”, DAZED declared they’re “reshaping UK indie”, and Rolling Stone UK went even further, naming them “one of Britain’s most thrilling bands”. Now, the quartet finally step into the spotlight with the announcement of their debut album It Goes On, arriving 21 August via Island Records.

Trash Boat are heading back to London this October, not just for another tour date, but for a moment that feels like a line drawn through their entire story. The St Albans band have announced their first ever headline show at KOKO, celebrating 10 years of their debut album Nothing I Write You Can Change What You’ve Been Through, the record that first carved their name into the UK alternative scene.

The Script have never been a band to shy away from the big emotions — grief, resilience, identity, the messy business of being alive. But their newly announced album, ‘The User’s Guide To Being Human’, feels like a line in the sand: a rebirth, a recalibration, and a reminder of why Danny O’Donoghue remains one of the most emotionally direct songwriters of his generation.

PRESIDENT have spent the last year moving like a shadow through the UK heavy scene, anonymous, meticulous, and strangely magnetic. No faces, no mythology, no genre‑box to tick. Just a growing trail of singles that feel more like transmissions than releases, each one hinting at a bigger world being built behind the curtain.

Today, that world finally has a name.

Arizona’s progressive heavy‑rock trio Little King are gearing up for a return to the road this July, taking their acclaimed 2025 album Lente Viviente out for its first full West Coast run. For a band now three decades deep into a constantly evolving creative journey, this tour feels less like a victory lap and more like a new ignition point.

Another year. Another last‑place finish. Another night where the UK sits in the green room looking like someone’s nan dragged them to a rave they didn’t want to attend. Eurovision 2026 didn’t just go badly — it went predictably badly. And that’s the real embarrassment. So let’s stop tiptoeing around it. Let’s say the quiet part out loud.

Exeter’s Cavern has hosted countless chaotic nights, but Crooked Little Sons’ one‑night‑only return on Friday felt like a full‑body jolt of history, heartbreak and pure punk ’n’ roll adrenaline. After thirteen years together, this was the last ever show with the current lineup — a final, furious celebration before the band dissolves into whatever comes next. Only Josh will continue into the “new world” of CLS, and even he admitted no one knows when or what that future will look like.

Micko & The Mellotronics return with one of their most introspective releases to date. Their new single “Shadow”, out now, offers a compelling dive into Jungian psychology while giving fans another taste of the band’s forthcoming third album, The Trinity, arriving 12th June.

Bloodstock Festival 2026 is shaping up to be one of the biggest, loudest, and most diverse weekends the UK metal scene has ever seen, and if you’re anywhere near the South West (or willing to travel for riffs), this is one you’ll want on your radar. Whether you’re a seasoned metal veteran, a younger fan discovering heavy music for the first time, or a family looking for a festival with genuine all‑ages appeal, Bloodstock’s 25th anniversary edition has something for everyone.

Bleachers are back — and they’re not easing into anything. The New Jersey six‑piece, led by the ever‑restless Jack Antonoff, have dropped their new single i’m not joking, a widescreen burst of heart‑on‑sleeve indie pop that tees up their forthcoming fifth album everyone for ten minutes, out 22 May via Dirty Hit.

When Ash dropped 1977 back in 1996, it felt like someone had fired a bottle rocket straight through the Britpop skyline. Three teenagers from Downpatrick somehow bottled the chaos, charm and hormonal rush of being young, loud and absolutely unstoppable. Thirty years later, 1977 still sounds like a debut made with zero fear and maximum heart.

For one weekend this summer, the UK’s grassroots venues are about to pull off something Glastonbury‑sized — without a single tent peg, traffic jam or muddy wellie in sight.

The Hoosiers have always thrived on a kind of technicolour optimism, the sort that made their 2007 debut The Trick to Life feel like a sugar rush in album form. But nearly two decades on, the duo of Irwin Sparkes and Alan Sharland have found a new gear. Their sixth album, ‘Compassion’, out now, is the sound of a band rediscovering not just their purpose, but their place in a world that feels increasingly short on the very thing they’re championing.

Sleeping With Sirens are back, and they’re not just revisiting their roots, they’re sharpening them. The band’s newly announced album, An Ending In Itself, lands 12 June 2026, marking their first release with Rise Records since 2013’s Feel. For longtime fans, that alone is a full-circle moment. But the record itself promises something deeper: a reckoning, a reflection, and a revival.

Pixies are celebrating their 40th anniversary the only way a band of their influence could, by shining a spotlight on the songs that shaped their legend from the shadows. Complete B‑Sides: 1988–97 returns this June, remastered, expanded and finally pressed to vinyl for the very first time, giving long‑time fans and new listeners a chance to rediscover the band’s most iconic “other” tracks in their freshest form yet.

Few artists shaped the DNA of Jamaican music, and by extension British youth culture, quite like Prince Buster. This summer, his legacy gets a fresh spotlight as The Blue Beat Label releases Prince Buster – Blue Beat Hits on August 7th 2026, a lovingly curated collection of some of his most iconic singles, newly remastered and wrapped in the label’s now‑signature retro‑modern packaging.

Buffalo Traffic Jam’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric, and now the Montana folk duo are stepping into their biggest chapter yet. Today, Frankie Cassidy and Nathan Ross announce their debut album Pictures of You, arriving 31 July on digital and vinyl, alongside the release of its tender, windswept title track.

Powderham Castle is gearing up for one of its biggest nights of the summer as Alanis Morissette rolls into Devon for a rare UK appearance — and the line‑up has just levelled up again. Joining the seven‑time GRAMMY winner are two of the UK’s most exciting guitar bands: Pale Waves and The Big Moon, with Skunk Anansie already locked in as special guests.

Bristol’s most deliciously unhinged art‑punks Erotic Secrets of Pompeii are back to spread more beautifully blasphemous chaos across the UK this September, announcing a fresh run of headline dates alongside the arrival of their brand‑new single Crowstepper.