2000Trees is the hottest weekend of the year. No, seriously - it scorches any other competition as one of the flaming flagbearers of the UK underground. Vying for your attention, amongst the chaos of BRING ME THE HORIZON's northern exposure and MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE's London residency, is a stellar roster of future talent gleaming with the promise of a loud and urgent tomorrow. Matched only by PITBULL's immense can-do party attitude (and we haven't even included the infamous si

RADAR returns to Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse from July 31st to August 2nd, and if you’ve never been, prepare to have your expectations reset. What started as a new festival in 2019 has grown into one of the UK’s most beloved alternative gatherings, built on a no-clash schedule and a knack for booking whoever’s about to blow up before anyone else catches on. This year’s line-up is stacked across three distinct days. Friday is the heaviest of the bunch, closing out with

There’s a particular kind of gravity to FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND. It’s the kind that straight back to the first time Juneau blew the speakers off your bedroom wall, or when Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation felt less like a debut and more like an invitation into a world where post‑hardcore could be serrated one second and soft‑spoken the next. They were the band you found on your friend’s headphones in the middle of maths class, or buried on a compilation CD you got with a

For anyone looking to explore the modern era of pop-punk, NECK DEEP is one of the first bands worth adding to your playlist. Hailing from the city of Wrexham in Wales, this five-piece group has become one of the iconic names in the genre over the past decade to become something of British Pop Punk royalty. The band’s iconic sound blends energetic guitar riffs, emotionally honest raw lyrics, and infectious melodies into tracks that appeal to both longtime pop-punk fans and a n

Even a brief mention of TURNSTILE these days instantly evokes all kinds of feelings and sentiments. Where discussions can be stretched on their relationship with hardcore as the genre and the scene, most people would agree that no matter what TURNSTILE do, they do it absolutely brilliantly. The Baltimore natives have built a community far beyond their geographical and musical origins, crossing the generational divides with movement and rhythm. At the end of the day, they will

The world has woken up to Outbreak. Like it or not, at last year's London edition of the festival, we found ourselves in a place where TURNSTILE could headline the same weekend as CHARLI XCX. Now, she’s gone one step further in releasing her own “rock music”. We’re in a reality in which KNOCKED LOOSE could create a song with DENZEL CURRY, and Kim K is about to follow daughter NORTH WEST on a fourteen-date tour of her metal-tinged hyperpop across America. The same kind that Ha

It’s hard to fully understand how huge Scissor Sisters were during the 2000s. They were everywhere, yet they managed to reach the mainstream on their own terms, being openly queer and carving their own musical direction. Formed in New York in the year 2000, they existed at first in the vibrant cabaret scene. The core musical duo of the band is frontmanJake Shears and lead songwriter Scott Hoffman, AKA Babydaddy. Their music originally existed for Jake Shears to dance to on s

Another year, another Download! It's almost ceremonious how important Download is to the British heavy music scene. For one weekend, Castle Donington is the proving ground of the world's best alternative music acts, ready to lay siege to an over 95,000-strong crowd. This is the make-or-break moment, a chance to see artists find their place or fall. How an artist fares at Download can catapult the trajectory of their careers in real time. It's safe to say there were a lot thi

DELILAH BON is the type of artist who doesn’t just perform, she confronts. Her music doesn’t arrive quietly and politely; it kicks the door down, wearing platform boots and pink, demanding that you listen and feel something. Emerging from the ashes of her previous band HANDS OFF GRETEL, with a new persona built from a feeling of feminist rage and exhaustion by the misogyny and gatekeeping within the scene, DELILAH BON dropped her first single Devil back in 2020. It was a war

2000Trees has long been one of the UK’s most exciting festivals for fans of alternative music, bringing together the best of rock, punk, hardcore, metal, emo, and everything sitting somewhere in between. Its reputation has always been built on more than just big names, with the festival consistently giving space to the bands pushing heavy and alternative music forward. Taking place from Wednesday 8th to Saturday 11th July at Upcote Farm in Cheltenham, this year’s lineup is st

To limit a band’s extensive discography to ten songs is a monumental feat. Especially when that band is KNOCKED LOOSE. Over and over, they have proved they are a band capable of doing it all. And after the release of their third album, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, they are only getting bigger and better. They are a band that continues to prove they are all bark, all bite. Moreover, their live performance is impeccable, and their stage design completes any experienc

June 2026 marks the first Bulletproof Festival, a three-day event placing grassroots music culture at the centre of its mission. As part of the Music For The Many campaign, Bulletproof has spotlighted the importance of grassroots venues. Recognising their role in showcasing emerging talent and providing accessible, affordable live music within local communities. Across four grassroots venues in Hackney, presenting over thirty bands, festival-goers were invited to explore some

On 11th August 2007, in a park in Bacup, Lancashire, Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend, Rob, were assaulted by a group of 5 boys. After this brutal, unprovoked attack against their appearance, Sophie was then hospitalised and passed away at the age of twenty on 24th August 2007. As a result of this assault and previously witnessing the abuse that Sophie had received, her mother, Sylvia Lancaster, established The Sophie Lancaster Foundation. To this day, the work of the found

The pleasure of your company is requested this festival season for a banquet of sound oozing with decadence and baroque pop delights. Meet THE LAST DINNER PARTY - a London-based indie-rock and pop band playing the main stage at the Isle of Wight Festival this June. The band are no stranger to the music scene, having played the festival back in 2023, and touring globally since their first show at The George Tavern in 2021. Their earliest commercial success can be credited to

Few bands in modern alternative music have built a connection with their audience quite like TWENTY ONE PILOTS . Formed in Columbus, Ohio by Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun , the duo have spent over a decade blending hip hop, alternative rock, indie and electronic music into something uniquely their own. Their songs are deeply introspective yet often delivered on some of the biggest stages in the world. Across albums such as Vessel , Blurryface , Trench and Clancy , the band hav

Slam Dunk? We believe so! In fact, the festival's twentieth birthday had one of the strongest weekends to date. The duelling dates at both Leeds and Hatfield rarely miss, but this year sunk the basket with its most ambitious roster yet. Staying true to its pop-punk roots, American high-fliers GOOD CHARLOTTE take the headlining slot, flanked by TAKING BACK SUNDAY and DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL. On the newer, heavier rebranding of their other main stage, hardcore takes precedent wi

Storied on an isle along the coastline, a singular music festival continues to lure in approximately 55,000 continuous festival goers and first-timers. Since the revival of the modern in 2002, the Isle of Wight festival is returning in 2026 for its 23rd edition with a three-day weekend. What an impossible weekend to miss! Rooted in pop and rock but rarely confined by them, the lineup blends future favourites with artists who’ve already earned a permanent place in fans’ hearts

Download festival is one of the biggest festivals in the UK and the largest gathering of metalheads you might ever see, so we want to help you navigate its 900-acre grounds. This list contains our top 10 bands you won't want to miss from the top end of the bill (The main Apex and Opus stages). This list isn't just the headliners but the performances that we truly think you shouldn't miss, whether it's a band that has travelled from far or bands that rarely visit the UK, the a

For their 15-year anniversary, Outbreak Festival isn’t pulling any punches. Started in 2011 by 14-year-olds Jordan Coupland and Lee Fellows, Outbreak has blossomed into one of the biggest hardcore festivals in the UK, bringing fans from all over the world to the North of England for a weekend of barrier-free chaos. Since 2022, the festival has taken place in Manchester, and this year will see hardcore’s biggest and brightest talents return to Manchester’s Bowlers Exhibition

We are back at Camden Town’s premier celebration of bone-dry guitars, nasty tones, Orange amps, Red Stripe beer, sick-ass riffs, and desert rock madness known as “Desertfest”. Once again, for those not in the know, Desertfest is the home of Stoner/Doom/Psych metal in the UK. And just for your convenience, dear reader, your reviewer-photographer dream-team (who are currently recovering their necks from three days solid of riff-slanging and head bangin’) are here to give you th