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Reviews

Gig Review

The Maccabees

July 9, 2026 at Alexandra Palace Park

Another new beginning for indie’s godfathers.

By Dave Phelan · July 10, 2026

Festival Review

Bristol Sounds 2026: Super Furry Animals

June 24, 2026 at Canon's Marsh Amphitheatre

As the sun sets on a record-breaking hot day, the Cardiff collective bring the heat to their first Bristol show in a decade.

By Seb · June 27, 2026

Festival Review

Meltdown 2026: Nilüfer Yanya

June 14, 2026 at Southbank Centre

With support from Yaffra · Those who had sauntered down to Southbank were about to have their Sunday scaries both soothed and supplanted in equal measure.

By Leather · June 17, 2026

Festival Review

Bulletproof 2026: Maruja, Sprints & Pussy Riot: Riot Days

Jun 4 – 6, 2026 at EartH, The Jago, The Shacklewell Arms & The Victoria

By Caspar Motley · June 9, 2026

Festival Review

Homegrown 2026

April 11, 2026 at The Hope & Ruin, Green Door Store, The Prince Albert, Folklore Rooms, The Pipeline, Revenge, Rossi Bar, Daltons & A L P H A B E T

Brighton’s first multi-venue festival of the year showcased the talent within the city’s vibrant scene

By Caspar Motley · April 15, 2026

Gig Review

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

April 1, 2026 at EartH

New Zealand psych outfit play four nights in Dalston · Ruban Nielson and band indulge themselves during ‘depression funk’ residency

By Sheils · April 6, 2026

Gig Review

Bombay Bicycle Club

March 21, 2026 at Nambucca

By Chris McGovern · March 27, 2026

Gig Review

Big Special

February 21, 2026 at O2 Institute Birmingham

A triumphant homecoming from a truly special duo · There’s no place like home. And for Black Country duo Big Special, composed of vocalist Joe Hicklin and drummer Callum Moloney, tonight will have felt the sweetest.

By Ali Al Hashimi · February 23, 2026

Gig Review

Midlake

February 4, 2026 at Brudenell Social Club

Denton, Texas’ finest are getting better with age as they feel right at home on their UK tour

By Joe Sheerin · February 8, 2026

Gig Review

Only The Poets

February 2, 2026 at Brixton Academy

A monumental performance on a history-defining night · Sold out £1 Brixton gig offers glimpse of what’s to come for Reading band

By Ali Al Hashimi · February 4, 2026

Gig Review

Biffy Clyro

January 16, 2026 at Utilita Arena Birmingham

Scotland’s finest prove that they are only getting better · A little love and a whole load of arena-made anthems

By Ali Al Hashimi · January 21, 2026

Gig Review

Mumford & Sons

December 7, 2025 at Utilita Arena Birmingham

Riding the waves of the 2020s folk revival, the band soar to new heights

By Ali Al Hashimi · December 11, 2025

Gig Review

Westside Cowboy

November 19, 2025 at The Sunflower Lounge

You better believe the hype, because these are guys will be something great · Winners of the 2025 Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition

By Ali Al Hashimi · November 21, 2025

Festival Review

Shiiine On Weekender 2025: Jesus and Mary Chain, Ash & Cast

Nov 14 – 16, 2025 at Butlin's Minehead Resort

Long-established Indoor Indie Music festival

By Jessica Jolly · November 20, 2025

Festival Review

Pitchfork London 2025: Destroyer

November 6, 2025 at Barbican Centre

Destroyer perform a life-infused set, supported by The Fiery Furnaces

By Dreams Burn Down · November 17, 2025

Festival Review

Live At Leeds In The City 2025

November 15, 2025

The most important festival in the country, and a really damn good festival at that.

By Ali Al Hashimi · November 17, 2025

Festival Review

Pitchfork London 2025: Laurie Anderson

November 8, 2025 at Roundhouse

Final night of fifth London edition · A musical journey through 20th century American literature

By Josh Hadfield · November 15, 2025

Festival Review

Mutations 2025

Nov 7 – 8, 2025 at Brighton

Brighton came to life for a weekend of eclectic music. · The city’s last festival of the year showcased its incredible music scene.

By Caspar Motley · November 12, 2025

Gig Review

These New Puritans

November 7, 2025 at The White Hotel

A sonically perfect night of rare clarity · TNP and The White Hotel form a fitting pair on gloomy autumn evening

By Sanjay · November 9, 2025

Festival Review

End of the Road 2025

Aug 28 – 31, 2025 at Larmer Tree Gardens

Tropical Summer Ends in Glorious F-Storm · The beautifully set and adorned festival again offers the most interesting lineups and survives the downpours

By Jessica Jolly · September 5, 2025

Festival Review

All Points East 2025: Raye, FKA twigs, Tyla, JADE & Cat Burns

August 23, 2025 at Victoria Park

Supported by a majority-female lineup including JADE, Tyla, Cat Burns, and last-minute replacement FKA Twigs, RAYE’s sold-out All Points East day brought glitz, glamour and girl-power to London.

By Farhaan Patel · September 1, 2025

Festival Review

Rock en Seine 2025: Vampire Weekend, Mk.Gee & Khruangbin

Aug 20 – 24, 2025 at Domaine National de Saint-Cloud

Many people will read the words Vampire Weekend and instantly think ‘A-Punk, 2008, Inbetweeners soundtrack landfill indie.’ This label haunts them unjustly - in the near 20 years since their debut, they have aggressively courted positive reviews with the hard-to-please Pitchfork, won several Grammys, and had numerous albums debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200.

By Sheils · August 27, 2025

Festival Review

Green Man 2025

Aug 14 – 17, 2025 at Glanusk Estate

Something for everyone at a scorching edition of Wales’ finest festival. · A music-loving community comes together every summer in Bannau Brycheiniog.

By Caspar Motley · August 24, 2025

Festival Review

We Out Here 2025

Aug 14 – 17, 2025 at Wimborne Saint Giles

Brownswood Recordings and We Organise Chaos are quietly putting together one of the country’s best music festivals, pushing back against the commercialisation of live music events with vibrancy and warmth, and not enough people are talking about it.

By Leather · August 22, 2025

Gig Review

Khruangbin

August 15, 2025 at Gunnersbury Park

On a beautifully sunny Friday afternoon, we headed down to London’s Gunnersbury Park to see Khruangbin and returning 00s legends TV on the Radio.

By Johnny Tightlips · August 22, 2025

Gig Review

Fontaines D.C.

August 15, 2025 at Wythenshawe Park

They may not speak much, but these future Glastonbury headliners let their music do the talking.

By Ali Al Hashimi · August 20, 2025

Festival Review

South Facing 2025: Mogwai & Lankum

August 7, 2025 at Crystal Palace Bowl

A perfectly curated beginning to South Facing 2025

By Ema Barnes · August 11, 2025

Gig Review

Geordie Greep

July 23, 2025 at Chalk

Former Black Midi frontman’s genius overshadowed by behaviour of oddly cultish fanbase · Geordie Greep headed to Brighton for the second time in his ‘solo’ career.

By Caspar Motley · July 31, 2025

Festival Review

Tramlines 2025: Pulp

July 25, 2025 at Hillsborough Park

Pulp lead cathartic hometown singalong.

By Johnny Tightlips · July 30, 2025

Festival Review

BST Hyde Park 2025: Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams & FINNEAS

July 4, 2025 at Hyde Park

“There’s a few more than 77 here tonight”: Noah Kahan’s Hyde Park moment.

By Becca Ingram · July 9, 2025

Festival Review

Meltdown 2025: Yukimi

June 18, 2025 at Southbank Centre

Yukimi plays the Queen Elizabeth Hall of the Southbank Centre, as part of the Little Simz curated Meltdown 2025.

By Leather · June 20, 2025

Festival Review

Live at Leeds in the Park 2025

May 24, 2025 at Temple Newsam Park

Live at Leeds’ expansion from the city to the park has been a great success. I was always a fan of the venue-crawl element, but it’s nice to be back in the beautiful rolling hills of Temple Newsam Park.

By Johnny Tightlips · May 31, 2025

Festival Review

Wide Awake 2025

May 23, 2025 at Brockwell Park

The inaugural Wide Awake festival in 2021 was my first after lockdown. Ever since, it’s heralded the start of festival season for me.

By Johnny Tightlips · May 30, 2025

Festival Review

Bearded Theory 2025

May 22 – 25, 2025 at Catton Park

The lineup is so good it’s kinda weird. · Three days of the most exciting, diverse rock-based lineup on the calendar, and a day school where you can drop off your kids. Hard to believe this festival is real.

By Jessica Jolly · May 30, 2025

Festival Review

Meltchester 2025

May 17, 2025 at Projekts Skatepark

Tucked away from the sun under a concrete fly-over of the Mancunian Way, a local skatepark is playing host to Meltchester Vol #4.

By Winslow Leach · May 28, 2025

Gig Review

WU LYF

May 21, 2025 at The Horse Hospital

A New Life Is Coming · WU LYF’s messianic return to London after 13 years.

By Josh Hadfield · May 27, 2025

Gig Review

The Flaming Lips

May 5, 2025 at Bristol Beacon

Yoshimi battles the pink robots.... and a lot more

By Jessica Jolly · May 9, 2025

Gig Review

Sports Team

November 25, 2024 at Kentish Town Forum

Terrible mullets, tragic bootcuts, and an event you’d rather not admit you’ve attended to your loved ones — no, it’s not the farmer’s protest; it’s Sports Team in Kentish Town.

By Cult Classic · November 30, 2024

Festival Review

Pitchfork London 2024: Day 5

November 9, 2024 at EartH

Dalston Takeover · Marking the conclusion of Pitchfork London week, and spread across five venues in Dalston, this evening’s lineup is an embarrassment of riches.

By Dreams Burn Down · November 26, 2024

Gig Review

ARXX

November 7, 2024 at The Fleece

“This is our last song,” said Hannah Pidduck, guitarist and powerful vocalist, hamming it up enormously for the appreciative Fleece crowd.

By Senator John Blutarsky · November 12, 2024

Festival Review

Pitchfork London 2024: Jessica Pratt & Alan Sparhawk

November 6, 2024 at Barbican Centre

Decked out in his trademark dungarees, Alan Sparhawk walks onstage at the Barbican, flanked by a trio of small vases and accompanied by his son on bass.

By Dreams Burn Down · November 12, 2024

Festival Review

Pitchfork London 2024: Empress Of

November 7, 2024 at Fabric

In a standout year for women in pop, it can be hard to find footing amid the juggernaut tours of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift or long-in-the-tooth ingenues Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.

By John Peters · November 11, 2024

Gig Review

Anna Erhard

October 11, 2024 at Oslo

Inside the Mind of Anna Erhard · On Friday night, a sold out Oslo in Hackney was treated to a selection of unique vignettes from the mind of Anna Erhard.

By Johnny Tightlips · October 14, 2024

Festivals

All Alternative Festivals

2000trees

Upcote Farm, England

All Points East

Aug 21 – 30, 2026

Victoria Park, England

Bearded Theory

May 26 – 30, 2027

Catton Park, England

Bludfest

Camden Rocks

End of the Road

Sept 3 – 6, 2026

Larmer Tree Gardens, England

Field Day

May 29, 2027

Brockwell Park, England

Glastonbury

Jun 23 – 27, 2027

Worthy Farm, England

Green Man

Aug 20 – 23, 2026

Glanusk Estate, Wales

Mighty Hoopla

Jun 5 – 6, 2027

Brockwell Park, England

Rock en Seine

Aug 26 – 30, 2026

Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, France

Slam Dunk North

Temple Newsam, England