The rain clouds that had threatened Donington throughout the week finally gave way to sunshine as Download Festival XXIII burst into life. With expanded stages, one of the festival’s biggest crowds in years and a Friday bill built around celebration, nostalgia and outright chaos, the opening day delivered everything from rap-rock anthems and progressive metal masterclasses to dancefloor mayhem and a long-awaited headline triumph.

On a glorious summer evening in South London, for a third consecutive sold out night, Mac DeMarco brought his unrivaled laid back slacker rock to the London’s O2 Academy Brixton.

Australian singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin has announced her eagerly anticipated fourth studio album, The Gem, set for release on 25th September via 4AD. Marking her first release for the iconic independent label, the album is introduced by the charming and emotionally complex new single, Get Away From Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon), available now alongside a self-directed video.

For a band whose bassist happens to be one of the most recognisable actors on the planet, Dogstar seem remarkably uninterested in making a fuss. That doesn’t mean the fuss isn’t there.

Muse have officially unveiled details of their newly announced The Wow! Signal Europa Tour, a major European arena run that will see the Devon trio return to some of the continent’s biggest stages later this year in support of their forthcoming tenth studio album, The Wow! Signal.

The boundary between electronic music and modern metal continues to blur, and few artists are pushing that evolution harder than HIGHSOCIETY and Micah Martin. The two genre-defying innovators have reunited for their latest collaborative single, Tomorrow’s Over, a ferocious rocktronic anthem that fuses crushing riffs, festival-sized electronic production and emotionally charged songwriting into one explosive package.

Fast-rising UK pop star Mae Stephens is turning the tables on people-pleasing with her infectious new single Earn It, a confident, self-assured anthem that combines irresistible pop hooks with a message of personal empowerment.

Essex indie-rock upstarts Black Lounge continue their rapid ascent with the release of their infectious new single Roommate, the latest track to be lifted from the band’s forthcoming debut EP, due via Right Track Recordings.