Photography: Kaiser Chiefs @ O2 Arena, London

With modern metal heavyweights Jinjer returning to London, O2 Forum Kentish Town became the setting for a night built on precision, power and carefully controlled chaos. Supported by the forward-thinking technical edge of Unprocessed and the long-awaited return of prog-metal veterans Textures, the bill promised intensity from start to finish — and delivered on every front.

For an artist stepping out under his own name for the first time in the capital, expectations were high at The Water Rats. With a reputation already built through tribute work and years of live performance, Liam Price arrived at this London headline show carrying both momentum and curiosity. What followed was a night that felt less like a tentative introduction and more like a defining moment — a confident step forward that suggested this chapter of Price’s career is only just beginning.

Scouting For Girls have launched 2026 with the release of their brand new single Don’t You Go Solo, offering another taste of their forthcoming album These Are The Good Days, due out on 27th March. The single arrives as the chart-topping trio continue to enjoy huge demand for their upcoming UK and Ireland headline tour, with the majority of dates already sold out.

Australian art-rock risers The Great Emu War Casualties have announced their debut album Public Sweetheart No.1, set for release on 27th March, alongside the arrival of its latest single Donut.

Boardmasters has unveiled Lily Allen as its final headliner for 2026, completing a huge second wave announcement for the Cornish festival’s return to Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach, Newquay, from 5th–9th August 2026.

British pop-soul favourites The Blow Monkeys have announced an extensive UK & Ireland tour for September and October 2026, marking the next chapter in a career that now spans more than four decades. The run of dates follows the release of their 13th studio album, Birdsong, which is out now.

Canadian producer and composer Michael Cloud Duguay and songwriter Mathias Kom have unveiled details of a striking new collaborative project, Closed City, set for release on 27th March. Alongside the announcement, the duo have shared the project’s debut single, Ice Fog – No Exit, offering a first immersive glimpse into the album’s stark and carefully constructed world.

Scottish alt-rock mainstays The XCERTS are back. Today sees the Aberdeen-formed, Brighton-based trio unveil Do It To Myself, their first original material since 2023 and their debut release on new label FLG Records.