Afterdrive

Afterdrive (Press)

Following the breakout response to previous singles Fashion and Neon View, Jewellery finds the British four-piece pushing further into their blend of pop-rock energy, modern alt-pop production and anthemic songwriting. Co-produced by the band alongside producer and mixer Thomas Mitchener, the track marks the latest chapter in what is shaping up to be a defining period for the Ipswich-based group.

At its heart, Jewellery is about the magnetic pull of encountering somebody who refuses to blend into the crowd. Rather than focusing on conventional romance, the song explores the fascination that comes from meeting someone whose confidence, individuality and energy immediately sets them apart.

“It’s about crossing paths with someone who’s not like anybody in this time or era of your life,” the band explain. “Someone who is complex in the way that you don’t understand why they are different – they stand out without trying, they have their own vibe and confidence and don’t follow what everyone else is doing.”

That sense of rarity provides the track with its central theme, as AFTERDRIVE capture the feeling of being drawn towards somebody whose authenticity cuts through the sameness of everyday life.

“We are so excited for everyone to hear this song and for it to be the next release from our debut EP, Dress To Drive,” the band add.

The release of Jewellery arrives alongside the announcement of AFTERDRIVE’s first UK headline tour, giving fans the opportunity to experience the band’s increasingly energetic live show on their own terms. The run begins with a hometown headline appearance at Baths in Ipswich on 19th September, before continuing into October with dates in Manchester, Birmingham and London.

The London show at Islington Academy2 on 27th October will bring the tour to a close, following performances at Off The Square in Manchester and O2 Institute 3 in Birmingham.

The headline dates represent another significant step forward for a band whose live reputation has grown rapidly throughout 2026. AFTERDRIVE began the year with a sold-out headline show at The Waterfront Studio before hitting the road in support of The Entitled Sons and subsequently joining US pop-rock star Maggie Lindemann for a major UK and European tour.

The band have also shared stages with McFly, performing at Borde Hill, while a headline appearance at Ipswich’s new Halo Festival saw them play alongside established indie names including Two Door Cinema Club and The Vaccines.

That combination of high-profile support slots, festival appearances and increasingly ambitious headline shows has given AFTERDRIVE the opportunity to sharpen their live performance in front of audiences far beyond their Suffolk home.

The band’s growing profile has also been reflected in radio support. Alyx Holcombe has championed both Jewellery and Neon View across her BBC Radio 1 Indie Show and BBC Introducing Rock Show, while Jess Iszatt and local BBC Introducing presenter Angelle Joseph have also backed the band.

But the next major milestone will be Dress To Drive. Rather than simply collecting four previously released songs, AFTERDRIVE have conceived their debut EP as a cinematic narrative, following a protagonist through a psychological downward spiral driven by desire, image and the search for escape.

Across its four tracks, the story moves from attraction towards addiction, gradually escalating from calm into recklessness before ultimately reaching loss. The band’s pop-rock immediacy provides the soundtrack to that descent, creating an EP designed to work as a complete piece rather than a straightforward collection of singles. Jewellery therefore arrives at an important point in the Dress To Drive story, building on the foundations established by Fashion and Neon View while offering another glimpse of the broader world the band are creating.

Afterdrive

Afterdrive (Press)

With major support slots, festival appearances, growing radio backing and their first headline tour now on the horizon, AFTERDRIVE are rapidly graduating from emerging act to one of the UK’s most promising new pop-rock bands. The Dress To Drive era is only just beginning.

Upcoming UK Tour Dates:

SEPTEMBER
19th – Ipswich, Baths

OCTOBER
23rd – Manchester, Off The Square
24th – Birmingham, O2 Institute 3
27th – London, Islington Academy2

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Sophie Grey @ BST Hyde Park 2026

Sophie Grey @ BST Hyde Park 2026 (Simon Reed)

Released on 28th August, Air combines synth-led production, an immediate melodic hook and a driving electronic rhythm, continuing the distinctive sound Sophie. has been developing across her recent releases. Built for movement, the track balances polished electronic production with the playful, theatrical character that has become central to her artistic identity.

At the heart of Air is the familiar uncertainty of a crush, capturing the emotional swings of attraction through a metaphor of breathlessness. As Sophie. puts it: “The hot and cold of a crush, it truly makes me feel like i’m running out of Oxygen… I’m running out of Air.”

The accompanying video expands the visual world that surrounds Sophie.’s music, placing her at the centre of a bold and stylised production that plays with light, colour and movement. Its playful aesthetic mirrors the track’s energetic electronic pulse, reinforcing the sense that Sophie.’s music is as much about creating an immersive world as it is about the songs themselves.

The release also coincides with Sophie.’s appearance at Manchester Pride Festival today, where she will perform on the same day Air arrives. Her set will combine her electronic-pop sound with theatrical styling and her unusual on-stage partnership with her DJ robot companion, extending the character and visual storytelling of her recorded work into a live setting.

Air follows recent singles Lunar Highs (Hands Go Up) and Cyberspace, continuing an increasingly confident creative period for Sophie. Together, the releases showcase the evolution of her self-described “Retro Electro” sound: a futuristic combination of electro rhythms, synth-pop melodies and live instrumentation that draws on the past while looking firmly towards the future.

Sophie Grey @ BST Hyde Park 2026

Sophie Grey @ BST Hyde Park 2026 (Simon Reed)

Sophie. is a hands-on artist, writing, arranging, performing and producing her own material. Her background as a classically trained pianist informs an approach that combines live instrumentation with electronic sound design, allowing her to move between organic musicianship and highly produced electronic textures.

That combination is equally apparent in her live performances. Bold styling, theatrical presentation and immersive storytelling form part of the experience, with the DJ robot companion becoming a recurring part of Sophie.’s on-stage world-building.

The artist has already accumulated an impressive list of live appearances. She has previously toured as support for Sting, Alison Moyet and Shaggy, while this summer has seen her share stages with Grace Jones at London’s Crystal Palace Bowl and Duran Duran at BST Hyde Park, which Rockshot Magazine went along to check out: Duran Duran Crown A Sun-Soaked Day Of Pop Royalty At BST Hyde Park 2026

Sophie. has also demonstrated her ability to connect her contemporary sound with the electronic and new-wave heritage that inspires it. At a recent London performance, The Buggles’ Trevor Horn joined her on stage for a duet of the classic Video Killed the Radio Star, bringing together one of the defining songs of the early electronic-pop era with Sophie.’s developing Retro Electro aesthetic. She subsequently performed the song at London’s G-A-Y nightclub.

With Air, Sophie. continues to build an increasingly recognisable musical and visual universe, combining nostalgic electronic influences, contemporary pop production and an instinct for theatrical performance. Her appearance at Manchester Pride provides an immediate opportunity to experience that world live, while another international date later in the year points towards an artist increasingly looking beyond the UK.

For SOPHIE GREY., the future is looking decidedly electronic.

Sophie Grey Lights Up Hammersmith Apollo With Retro-Electro Dazzle

The Guest List

The Guest List (Vlad Woodham Smith)

The release is accompanied by new single Slow Down Sally, an acoustic-led track that strips the band’s sound back to place its storytelling and Cai Alty’s vocals firmly at the centre.

The song follows Sally, a young woman dealing with the fear and anxiety left by a controlling and stalkerish relationship. As she makes her way home feeling watched and vulnerable, the track gradually builds towards an anthemic chorus that offers reassurance rather than despair: Sally is not alone, she is loved, and there remains hope beyond the fear.

It is a fitting introduction to the wider themes running through Something Real, an album that refuses to shy away from some of the most difficult subjects facing contemporary society.

The band decamped to Bergen, Norway, to work with producer and collaborator Matias Tellez, expanding the songwriting into a record that moves between mental health, anxiety, male suicide, domestic violence, climate collapse and the increasingly polarised nature of modern society.

Despite the weight of those subjects, Something Real is not a relentlessly bleak listen. The Guest List balance their social commentary with melody, energy and moments of genuine warmth, creating a record that feels as interested in finding connection and meaning as it is in confronting what is wrong with the world.

The title track tackles the algorithm-driven division and constant outrage of the post-truth era, while Weatherman channels the anxiety of a generation facing climate collapse. Mary takes a much more intimate approach, examining domestic abuse and its impact across generations, while If Ever Your Devil Is Kind draws inspiration from the simmering aggression of football crowds to explore everyday rage and tribalism.

Elsewhere, Sick Animal looks further into the future, imagining a society forced to rebuild after the consequences of its own actions. Together, the songs create a portrait of a world that can feel overwhelming, while continually searching for something human within the chaos.

“The album is about people at their best and worst – those who shape our lives intimately and those who we never meet,” explains frontman Cai Alty. “It’s about squinting through the chaos around us and finding meaning where it is scarce.”

That ambition is reflected in the band’s rapid development. Formed in 2021 by school friends and music students, The Guest List initially attracted attention through a series of high-energy indie covers posted online. As their audience grew, however, it was their original material that began to distinguish them.

The band have since worked with The Coral’s James Skelly and developed their sound further during their time in Norway with Tellez. Their music now draws on an eclectic range of influences, with echoes of Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Joni Mitchell and Sam Fender, while retaining a distinct identity of its own.

Their live reputation has grown alongside their songwriting. Throughout 2026, The Guest List have played Neighbourhood, Latitude and the Isle of Wight Festival, while a trip to Japan for Summer Sonic marked another significant step in their international development. They now return to the UK for the twin Reading and Leeds Festivals this weekend, before appearing at Victorious in Southsea.

The band will also take Something Real on the road in November for their biggest UK headline tour to date, including a major London appearance at the Scala. Before that, they will head into Europe for a run of headline dates and return to Manchester for Neighbourhood Festival in October.

The Guest List’s rapid ascent has been matched by growing radio support, while their combination of socially conscious songwriting and expansive guitar music has placed them firmly among the new generation of British bands looking to make an impact beyond the traditional indie circuit.

With Something Real now released, the challenge is no longer simply to introduce The Guest List to a wider audience. It is to see just how far the ambition behind this debut can take them.

Upcoming UK Tour Dates:

AUGUST
28th – Reading, Reading Festival
29th – Leeds, Leeds Festival
30th – Southsea, Victorious, Southsea Common

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

OCTOBER
17th – Manchester, Neighbourhood Festival

NOVEMBER – UK Headline Tour
17th – Newcastle, The Grove
19th – Glasgow, St Luke’s
20th – Birmingham, O2 Institute 2
21st – Oxford, O2 Academy 2
22nd – Southampton, Papillon
24th – London, Scala
25th – Leeds, Project House
26th – Bristol, The Fleece

NOVEMBER – 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

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Greg Freeman

Greg Freeman (Gabe Long)

The song takes its title from Cahokia, the vast Indigenous settlement whose monumental mounds remain in what is now Illinois. Its rise and disappearance provide Freeman with a powerful metaphor for a modern society increasingly shaped by consumerism, environmental anxiety and the threat of authoritarianism.

Rather than treating those themes as distant political concerns, Freeman positions himself — and the listener — inside the cycle. Cahokia considers how societies can simultaneously make participants and victims of the forces that threaten to overwhelm them, setting the tone for an album preoccupied with history, mortality, personal upheaval and the feeling that time is running out.

All Set The Bone follows Freeman’s 2023 album Burnover and represents another significant shift in the songwriter’s life. During its creation, he left his long-time home in Burlington, relocated temporarily to an isolated part of the American Southwest and committed himself to music full-time, leaving behind work as a cemetery landscaper and restaurant line cook.

That period of upheaval feeds directly into the album. Freeman describes All Set The Bone as a reflection of “a lot of change, and a lot of tension”, bringing together political and personal stories across its 70-minute runtime. Its characters include a voter struggling beneath credit card debt, religious figures trapped in their own emotional conflicts and people navigating relationships, grief and uncertainty.

Musically, the album embraces that same sense of instability. Freeman’s long-standing affection for the heavier, more abrasive sounds of Fugazi and Unwound informs its darker passages, while echoes of Big Star, The Drones and Mission of Burma emerge elsewhere. There are also traces of early Modest Mouse and Pavement, but All Set The Bone deliberately refuses to settle comfortably into any single lineage.

The result is a record built around friction and contrast, moving between guitar-driven rock, psych-rock excursions, intricate piano parts, brass flourishes and expansive rhythmic passages. Freeman has described uncertainty as a kind of creative currency, embracing the idea that each album should push him somewhere unfamiliar.

For Cahokia, that approach results in a track that feels both immediate and expansive. As the album’s opening statement, it establishes a world where personal and societal anxieties are inseparable, with Freeman using the distant past to illuminate an increasingly unsettled present.

The album was produced by John Congleton, with Freeman joined by long-time collaborators Garrett Linck and Sam Atallah alongside Joey Sullivan of Florry, Carney Hemler of The Rockin Worms, Anna McClellan and Trinity Ace.

All Set The Bone follows Freeman’s ongoing fascination with history and the passage of time, but places those concerns against a more personal backdrop. The album’s songs consider love, grief, bodies, ambition and the uneasy realisation that individuals and societies alike can become trapped by the trajectories they have created.

Following the release of All Set The Bone, Freeman will embark on an extensive run of North American dates, alongside European festival appearances ahead of the album campaign.

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BST Hyde Park 2024

Gaz Coombes @ BST Hyde Park 2024 (Louise Phillips)

The tour follows a period in which Supergrass have revisited their past while continuing to prove the enduring appeal of their music. Their most recent major live campaign centred on the 30th anniversary of their landmark debut album, I Should Coco, but the 2027 shows promise a broader journey through the band’s six-album catalogue.

As frontman Gaz Coombes explains: “We’re excited to get back into it next year. Last time around was all about I Should Coco so for the next live shows we’re going to have some fun going through the records, pulling out even more of them hits & deep cuts for your ears. Bring on Spring 27!”

That promise of hits alongside deeper cuts should make the 2027 dates particularly appealing to long-standing fans, while offering newer listeners an opportunity to experience one of Britain’s most enduring live bands.

Supergrass emerged from Oxford’s vibrant music scene in 1993, quickly making an impact with their infectious combination of punk energy, melodic songwriting and irreverent charm. Their debut single, Caught By The Fuzz, announced the arrival of a band capable of marrying youthful exuberance with sharp, instantly memorable songwriting.

The following year saw the release of I Should Coco, which went straight to Number 1 in the UK. Released in May 1995, the album became one of the defining British records of the era, eventually selling more than a million copies worldwide. Its songs, including Mansize Rooster, Lenny, Caught By The Fuzz and the ever-enduring Alright, established Supergrass as one of the most exciting young bands of the Britpop era.

Rather than simply repeat that winning formula, however, the band continued to evolve. 1997’s In It For The Money revealed a more adventurous side to Supergrass, producing enduring favourites such as Sun Hits The Sky and Richard III. Their self-titled third album followed in 1999, before Life On Other Planets, Road To Rouen and Diamond Hoo Ha demonstrated the breadth of their songwriting and willingness to push beyond expectations.

Across those six studio albums, Supergrass have accumulated an enviable catalogue that also includes Going Out, Pumping On Your Stereo, Moving, Grace and St. Petersburg. Their achievements include six Top 10 albums, 10 Top 20 singles, a BRIT Award and an Ivor Novello Award.

After splitting in 2010, Supergrass reunited in 2019 for a hugely successful world tour, returning to stages to reconnect with audiences in the UK and internationally. Their subsequent live appearances have underlined just how much affection remains for the band’s music more than three decades after they first formed.

The 2027 tour will provide another opportunity to hear that catalogue in a live setting, with Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn, Danny Goffey and Rob Coombes once again bringing the band’s distinctive blend of guitar-driven energy, melodic hooks and psychedelic experimentation to venues across the country.

Tickets will be available via an artist presale from 10am on Wednesday 2 September, followed by venue presales from 10am on Thursday 3 September. General sale begins at 10am on Friday 4 September.

2027 UK Tour Dates:

APRIL
26th – Newcastle, NX
27th – Glasgow, Barrowland Ballroom
30th – Leeds, O2 Academy

MAY
1st – Manchester, Academy
4th – Nottingham, Rock City
5th – Birmingham, O2 Academy
7th – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town
11th – Bristol, Beacon
12th – Portsmouth, Guildhall

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