After hearing ‘Seven Twelve’, I was keen to learn more about this UK based artist who melds many styles to create his unique and captivating sound. Read on to learn about how he got involved in the music scene, the acts that helped to steer him and what era he’d go back to in a time machine….

When people talk about the 90s, they’re rarely just talking about a decade. They’re talking about a feeling — the moment music cracked open and suddenly anything felt possible. It was the era that gave us Oasis swagger, Verve-sized ambition, Stone Roses colour, and the sense that a guitar, a melody, and a bit of attitude could change your life.

There are nights that feel ordinary on paper but end up stirring something deep in the collective memory. The double screening of W: A RETURN TO OZ at the Blue Walnut Café and Cinema was one of those nights — a quiet reminder of how the 90s shaped a generation, and how those echoes still ring beneath the surface for anyone who lived it.

Every summer, the UK’s festival calendar explodes with choice — but with so many huge events competing for attention, it can be hard to know which one truly fits your vibe. This guide cuts through the noise by spotlighting five of the very best UK festivals, breaking down their headline acts, locations, amenities, and camping options so you can decide which one feels right for your 2026 adventure. Whether you’re chasing big‑stage chaos, coastal escapism, family‑friendly comfort, or something in between, there’s a festival here waiting to claim your weekend.

After nearly two decades without a full album of original material, The Lemonheads are stepping back into the spotlight with a UK tour that feels less like a victory lap and more like a long‑awaited homecoming. Fresh from releasing Love Chant in late 2025 — a record that reasserted Evan Dando’s place as one of alternative rock’s most distinctive voices — the band will hit the road across the UK in September and October 2026.

Middle‑aged bands aren’t supposed to sound this hungry. Yet Nearly Skulls — the long‑running creative partnership between Paul Sherwood and Andy Shepley, have returned with PAX AMERICANA, a five‑track EP that feels like both a culmination and a rebirth. Recorded during an intense three‑day session at Abbey Road Studio 2, the release captures a duo who refuse to coast on nostalgia, instead sharpening their sound and view for a world that’s only grown stranger.

As their highly anticipated fifth album ‘DAGGER’ rears into view, IST IST have shared its final pre-emptive single “Obligations”.

It was a simple idea; to create a festival out of all the brilliant music and art made all over the world, stuff made outside of the mainstream – music that wasn’t getting on the radio and was even harder to find in record stores…

There was a time—not even that long ago—when the music industry seemed convinced that physical formats were done for. The digital revolution marched in with the swagger of inevitability: MP3s, iTunes, streaming platforms, cloud libraries. Convenience became king. Why bother with shelves of CDs or crates of vinyl when you could carry the entire history of recorded sound in your pocket?

The Stranglers’ current and longest-serving frontman, BAZ WARNE, has put together a special evening of songs, stories and conversation that he will tour across the UK. This run of shows marks the first time Baz has embarked on this type of tour. All of the Convivial tour’s wonderfully unscripted, unconventional shows will be seated, and there will be ample opportunity for questions from the audience.

Reading’s ONLY THE POETS are offering one unsigned UK band or artist the chance to support them at their sold-out O2 Academy Brixton show on 2nd February 2026, providing a rare platform for emerging talent at a milestone moment for the band.

Westside Cowboy today release their second EP So Much Country ‘Till We Get There via Island Records imprint Adventure Recordings. 

There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that only folk music seems able to articulate — the quiet, reflective kind that doesn’t explode so much as it lingers. Montana duo Buffalo Traffic Jam have built their young career on capturing those moments with startling honesty, and their new single “I Don’t Care” might be their most vulnerable offering yet.

Fast Money Music has always lived in the tension between motion and memory — songs that feel like they’re racing toward something just out of reach, while carrying the weight of everything left behind. With “Unfortunately”, the latest glimpse of his upcoming self‑titled debut album, Nick Hinman sharpens that emotional palette into something tender, restless, and quietly devastating.

There are nights when you walk into a venue knowing you’re about to see a good gig, and then there are nights when you walk out realising you’ve witnessed a band levelling up in real time. The Molotovs’ sold‑out appearance at Exeter’s Cavern was firmly the latter, a sweat‑soaked, high‑velocity reminder that there are still bands out there capable of impressing and surprising you.

Ahead of the release of his new studio album ‘Lost in the Wonder’ (out 3rd Feb) we chatted to the legend that is CORY WONG, read on to find out how he balances being a rhythm‑guitar torchbearer, a producer with a big‑picture brain, and a collaborator who pulls magic out of everyone from Benny Sings to Taylor Hanson? And what happens when you push guitar work into new territory while juggling pop finesse, vintage grit, and key‑change mischief? He has a lot to say about all of it—and his answers are far more revealing, funny, and thoughtful than you might expect. Dive in and get Lost In The Wonder yourself.

Indie‑psych artist Casey Wells is stepping into 2026 with a track that feels both intimate and expansive. His new single, “Beating Heart”, arriving January 15th, deepens the sonic world he began carving out on his acclaimed debut album Impermanence — but this time, the emotional stakes feel sharper, the production more immersive, and the pull of the music impossible to ignore.

There’s a particular electricity that follows The Howlers wherever they go — a kind of dust‑kicked, leather‑clad swagger that feels increasingly rare in the UK’s guitar landscape. Clash dubbed them “leather clad cigarette chomping outlaws”, and honestly, it’s hard to think of a more fitting introduction. But what’s most exciting about The Howlers in 2026 is how much further they’ve pushed beyond that first impression.

Arguably the South West’s best post-punk band, Colour TV, known for their catchy and energetic live shows, recently played their final gig of 2025 at The Underground in December, in a perfectly intimate send-off to the year.

EROTIC SECRETS OF POMPEII are an amazing band, we’ve seen them a couple of times over the past year and are looking forward to catching them in Exeter in early 2026 on their UK tour. In the meantime, we reached out to ESOP HQ to ask if they’d like to take part in our ‘5 FROM 25’ feature, naturally, they jumped at the opportunity, read on to see what 5 ‘things’ they chose from the year that was 2025….