People found the partnership as controversial due to McDonald’s perceived support of Israel, and highlighted how it seemed to stand in conflict with Stormzy’s beliefs. Stormzy had previously been vocal about his support for Palestine, eveb playing at a benefit concert to raise funds for aid in January 2024.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement previously supported a global boycott of McDonald’s, after franchises in Israel gave out thousands of free meals to Israeli forces following Hamas’ attack on the country on October 7.

Stormzy later spoke out against the “twisted narrative” that he took down the post due to the partnership with McDonald’s, and explained that he removed it as well as other posts as part of a ‘clean-up’ of his page.

Stormzy has released a statement to address the ‘twisted narrative’ following backlash over his deal with McDonalds pic.twitter.com/tgczLIJSPs

— Melissa Sigodo (@melissasigodo) February 21, 2025

Stormzy has now made an insightful post to mark the start of the new year, explaining how the past 12 months have been transformative for him, and have seem him try to overcome the feeling of being “crippled by sadness”. He began the post explaining how he faced “a few unexpected turns” at the start of 2025, which “made me more resilient and put the final nail in the coffin of my desire to be understood”. He added how the McDonald’s deal led to “a lot of you [questioning] both my character and my integrity”. He also said that his younger self would have felt “compelled quickly to explain himself, and let you know that there is no world in which he would ever trade his humanity for cash”. Nowadays, he “couldn’t give a single fuck to explain that fact” as he doesn’t “need to explain anyting to nobody”.

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Going forward, he concluded that he has “gained a lot of clarity around who I am as a man and who I am as an artist, and in 2026 I want to honour that clarity with execution”. He ended by sharing how he would be distancing himself from social media going forward, and is currently still working on his fourth album.

On Tuesday, she posted on her Instagram Stories, writing, “This is an honest story post that will get blown up I’m sure. But who cares. As truthfully in a world full of ‘everything is fine, I’m happy, I’m good, life is perfect’ there is grief hurt pain sadness heartbreak and reflection and processing happening this time of year for many of us, along side the good and great or on its own.”

She continued writing, “This year has been heavy and hard in many ways for all of us, for me personally one of the hardest but most magical years of my life. Personally and professionally. But all the sadness has come up this week, it’s the first time I’ve stopped (working and being in public in months) So I’m crying a lot. Writing shit down feeling really low tbh. The lowest I have felt in a while.”

She added that she was experiencing an “accumulation of stuff just making its way to the surface” and she was choosing to “let it out”. She said, “Don’t hold it in people. We are not superhuman or meant to be happy and positive all the time. It’s healthy and normal to cry”. She concluded by saying, “Sending love to anyone feeling this way too right now. No positive end to this. Just I’m with ya. It’s shit sometimes.”

Her sixth studio album ‘Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time’ was released in November, including singles such as ‘No Secrets’, ‘Living My Best Life’, ‘H.A.P.P.Y.’ and ‘I’ll Never Know Why’.

Last night, she ended 2025 by performing on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny on BBC Two, where Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, Olivia Dean, Lulu, Craig David, Heather Small, The Kooks, Imelda May, Joe Webb, David Hermlin, and Ruby Turner also played.

She is set to play Victorious Festival in Portsmouth this year, and will join Lily Allen and Scissor Sisters in London in May at the Mighty Hoopla.

Yesterday, Liam hinted at the possibility that there might be announcements to do with Oasis sooner than that. He replied to a fan who tweeted, “Oasis 2025 will officially be over in a day”, and he said, “Bring on 2027 I mean 2026 I mean happy easter”.

He also tweeted out a couple of teasers relating to Oasis setlists, in the event that they do more dates in the next few years. One fan asked if ‘Listen Up’ would make it on the setlist in the future, to which Liam responded, “If we tour again there will be changes to the set list thems the rules”. Another user on X made it clear they wanted ‘Columbia’ to make the setlist next time, to which Liam replied, “Oh it’ll be there if we tour again”.

It comes after Oasis recently announced a pause as they reflect on their huge ‘Live ’25’ reunion tour, which ended on November 24 in Brazil. The band’s 41-date tour begain in Cardiff on July 4, and saw them perform five homecoming shows at Manchester’s Heaton Park, seven at London’s Wembley Stadium, and shows across the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and America.

The band wrote in a message to fans, “And so it came to pass. The most damaging pop cultural force in recent British history’ found its way into the hearts and minds of a new generation. From Gallagher Hill to the River Plate, from Croke Park on the banks of the Royal Canal to the City Of Angels, the love, joy, tears and euphoria will never be forgotten. There will now be a pause for a period of reflection.”, before signing off simply as Oasis.

Rumours of more tour dates next year, as well as potential new music, have been present in recent months, Liam teased more shows on X writing, “I know things you don’t know” to a fan who asked him if he was sad the tour would be ending soon. And at the last Wembley show of their tour, he told fans, “See you next year” before jokingly slapping himself on the wrist.

As for setlists, Liam has already teased that there are “loads more classics” that could be on it in the future. They played the exact same 23 songs in the same order at all 41 shows earlier this year.

Astley will be interviewd by Dermot O’Leary for the show, which will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in February 2026 and will also feature his Glastonbury 2023 set on the Pyramid Stage.

Rick Astley said, “I loved doing Reel Stories with Dermot O’Leary, what a treat to be taken back to the start and come right through to today. Dermot is the perfect companion to go on that rollercoaster of emotion, love and thanks, Rick x.”

O’Leary said, “What a pleasure to spend time with Rick and hear him talk so openly about his memories from over the decades. I’ve long been a fan of his, and after recording this Reel Stories episode, have even more admiration for him as a performer and a person.”

“There’s so much more to his story than we know, a really interesting and interested person. A true gent, wise soul and real talent. I hope that viewers enjoy this extended interview as much as I did.”

Previous interviewws on the show have included Rod Stewart, Kylie Minogue, Dave Grohl, and Noel Gallagher.

Rick Astley launched his career in 1987 with his debut single ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, which spent five weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. The song led him to perform tours in the late-1980s around the UK, where he became a regular arena headliner. He followed this decades later with albums such as ‘50‘ in 2016 and ‘Are We There Yet?’ in 2023. He has also made headlines for collaborations with Foo Fighters and Blossoms.

After a long break, Astley returned to touring in the mid-2000s, including sold out UK theatre and arena tours, and later headlined major festivals such as Glastonbury. He has also won Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards as well as received BRIT Award recognition for his influence and commercial success in his career.

Astley has recently announced plans for a UK tour in 2026, with Gabrielle joining him as a special guest. Remaining tickets are available here.

He is also set to perform the the Isle Of Wight Festival next year alongside the likes of headliners such as The Cure, Lewis Capaldi, and Calvin Harris. Remaining tickets for the festival are available here.

On the weekend, the former One Direction star had a countdown on YouTube to a new clip, before posting the 10-minute video, titled Forever, Forever. In the video, groups of fans are seen preparing for the show outside the arena, before transitioning to footage of Harry Styles sitting at the piano playing the instrumental on stage alone. As the instrumental finishes, the words ‘We belong together’ come up on the screen.

As of now, it is not known if the video is a one-off post or if it is the start of a new release cycle, including new music and live shows, but Styles has not released any new music since 2022, when his album ‘Harry’s House‘ won the Grammy for Album Of The Year. Fans are now speculating online that he will release new music and do live shows next year.

Harry Styles took a break from music after his final show in 2023, which mainly came due to needing to rest. After years of nonstop touring, recording and acting, Harry stepped back partly because of the burnout that came with the fame.  While he hasn’t given one specific reason for this current break, fans and observers suggest he’s been focusing on slowing down, enjoying life off-camera, and prioritising mental health.

Earlier in his career, Harry explained that he and One Direction wanted to take a break because they were exhausted and didn’t want to wear out themselves or their fans, showing that rest has been a priority for him.

Harry has been spending a lot og his time recently running marathons, including completing one in Berlin in September in under three hours under the moniker Sted Sarandos, following from his previous run at the Tokyo Marathon, which he completed in just over three hours. In May, he was spotted among the crowd in the Vatican City to witness the election of the new Pop, and in July, he launced a new range of sex toys for his brand Pleasing.

Launched in 2017, the festival attracts tens of thousands of fans each summer. It showcases a mix of international headliners and popular UK artists, spanning genres such as indie, rock, pop, hip-hop, and electronic music. With its city-centre location, energetic crowds, and vibrant atmosphere, TRNSMT is known for bringing live music, Scottish identity, and festival excitement together in one iconic setting.

On November 18, the Scotland men’s football team won against Denmark to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, hosted jointly between the USA, Canada, and Mexico next summer. It is the first time Scotland will be competing in the tournament since 1998.

There is a potential clash between one of the festival’s headline slots and Scotland’s second group game against Morocco on June 19. According to a report by the BBC, a headliner would typically play from 9:30pm – 11pm. The match with Morocco begins at 11pm, meaning there may be some overlap between that day’s headliner, Richard Ashcroft, and the game’s kick-off.

Festival director, DF Concert’s Geoff Ellis, said to BBC News, “Obviously it’s very early days as the World Cup and TRNSMT are still over six months away. As you would expect there is flexibility in timings and we will be ensuring that music fans can enjoy the TRNSMT line up as well as watching Scotland’s second game on the road to bringing the World Cup home to the birthplace of football.”

Sources have said that promoters are interested in showing the game at Glasgow Green once the day’s acts had finished. The success of UK teams at international football tournaments has seen some clash with summer music festivals, with Glastonbury contending with numerous England games over the years.

In 2014, festival organiser Emily Eavis said they couldn’t show that year’s World Cup matches because it wasn’t practical, and the event is about music, not football. Last summer, the Worthy Farm event repeated its decision for the 2024 European Championships.

England’s men’s team faced Slovakia in the round of 16 on the Sunday of that year’s festival, and festival-goers reportedly went to extreme lengths to catch the action. Last year at Glastonbury, former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson brought a television along to watch England’s football team play against Slovakia in the European Championships.

The record had also topped the charts when it was originally released in 1975, and the success of the reocrd means that Pink Floyd are now the artist with the longest span between their first and last Number One albums, with it having been over 50 years since their first one.

David Gilmour celebrated on Friday and wrote on Instagram, “Raising a glass to the wonderful news that Wish You Were Here is the UK’s Christmas Number 1 album.”

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It is Pink Floyd’s second Number One album of the year, with their other one being ‘Pink Floyd At Pompeii – MCMLXXII’, the live album of a 1971 show that was released as a concert film in 1972, and then re-released earlier this year with newly mixed audio.

While it is the band’s first Number One album around Christmas time, they have had a Number One single at Christmas in 1979 with ‘Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2′. ‘Wish You Were Here’ tops the charts this year ahead of albums from Olivia Dean, Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Fender, and Michael Bublé.

The Top 10 on the Official Album Charts this Christmas:

1. Pink Floyd – ‘Wish You Were Here’

2. Olivia Dean – ‘The Art Of Loving’

3. Taylor Swift – ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’

4. Michael Bublé – ‘Christmas’

5. Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Man’s Best Friend’

6. Sam Fender – ‘People Watching’

7. Fleetwood Mac – ‘Rumours’

8. The Weeknd – ‘The Highlights’

9. Fleetwood Mac – ’50 Years – Don’t Stop’

10. Oasis – ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’

To celebrate the re-release of ‘Wish You Were Here’, Pink Floyd have launced multiple pop-up stories across the UK, Europe and the US, where they are selling an exclusive edition of the Brain Damage fanzine.

In the singles chart, Kylie Minogue got her first ever Christmas Number One with ‘XMAS’, making her the first female solo artist to top the chart in four different decades. She successfully topped the charts over festive classics from Wham! and Mariah Carey, and got the eighth Number One single of her career.

The song was originally recorded during sessions for Queen’s 1974 album ‘Queen II’, however, it didn’t make the final cut. The remastered version is set to feature in the upcoming 2026 release of the album.

While a bootleg version of the song may have already circulated online by Brian’s pre-Queen band, Smile, the guitarist has said that “no-one” has heard this version.

Sir Brain said, “It’s a song that goes back a very long way, but to my knowledge no one has ever heard this version. It’s a work in progress and will appear on the forthcoming rebuild of the Queen II album – coming next year – but I’m sneaking this into my Planet Rock special because I’m fascinated to know what people think about it.”

Fans will be able to hear the song for the first time during Sir Brian’s Planet Rock Christmas Special at 6pm tonight. The radio special, which will also be repeated on Christmas Day, will also include a hand-picked selection of Sir Brian’s favourite Christmas and seasonal tracks. The musician will also reflect on the music, stories and memories that have shaped his own Christmases over the last few years.

Fans can expect a range of tunes from Bad News to Slade, Chuck Berry and The Crystals, including a Christmas hit by Sir Brian’s wife, singer and actress Anita Dobson.

Formed in the 1970s, Queen was made up of guitarist Sir Brian, drummer Roger Taylor, late frontman Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon. The group has since had six UK number one singles and 10 UK number one albums with some of their best known songs including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Killer Queen’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, and ‘We Are The Champions’.

They won multiple BRIT Awards, including Outstanding Contribution to Music, recognising their lasting influence on British culture. The band were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, celebrating their historic impact. Queen also earned several Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting excellence. In 2020, they received the BRIT Billion Award for surpassing one billion UK streams, underlining their enduring popularity across generations.

Earlier this year Queen were named the most played rock act on UK radio and TV in the 21st century, according to the music licensing company, Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL).

Brian May’s Planet Rock Christmas Special will air on Planet Rock tonight at 6pm, with a repeat broadcast on Christmas Day at 1pm.

A preview of the music video to accompany the song, which is scheduled to be released on the same day, shows Tom Fletcher performing the song on stage at last month’s Children In Need event, and concludes with a polariod of him and Buzz embracing. The teaser also includes snippets from the 25-minute animated film, showing Pudsey, the charity’s iconic yellow bear, on different adventures. The animation is also based on a book written by Tom Fletcher, which celebrates 40 years of Pudsey Bear.

The video tells the story of a young boy named Jai who is navigating the grief of his father, so he embarks on a healing journey with Pudsey, and encounters other children connected by a golden thread of kindness. Also featured on the track are the voices of young performers from the inclusive theatre programme The Habbit Factory, who can also be seen in the preview.

Tom Fletcher called the opportunity to write a song for the animation “an honour” by saying, “It’s been amazing seeing Pudsey brought to life in animation for the first time. I wanted to write for animation for ages and so finding myself with the responsibility of another iconic bear… I don’t know why I’ve got all these bears in my life at the minute! It’s Pudsey’s 40th anniversary and to be on Christmas Eve is really special.”

Pudsey Bear, the Children In Need mascot, first came to life in 1985, and was created by BBC graphic designer Joanna Lane.

Tom Fletcher has written multiple children’s books including The Dinosaur That Pooped A Planet! and There’s A Monster In Your Book as well as The Christmasaurus series.

The singer also wrote the music and lyrics for Paddington The Musical, which is based on the book A Bear Called Paddington, by Michael Bond, as well as the 2014 film Paddington. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has recently appeared on the BBC dance show and performed alongside the cuddly-looking bear from the musical.

The animation, Pudsey And The Thread Of Hope, will air at 10.20am on Christmas Eve on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Desertfest London is a festival for stoner, doom, sludge, and psychedelic rock fans. It began in 2012 as a grassroots celebration of heavy underground music in London, and centred around some of Camden’s iconic venues. Initially, the festival became unique by using multiple intimate stages, most notably Electric Ballroom and Underworld Camden, allowing fans to move easily between shows and experience bands up close.

Early lineups included genre-defining acts such as Sleep, Electric Wizard, and Orange Goblin. This allowed the festival to become known for pairing legendary headliners with rising underground artists.

As attendance grew, Desertfest London expanded across additional venues and days whilst maintaining a community-driven atmosphere. Its success inspired other editions in cities such as Berlin and Antwerp, but the London event remains the flagship.

Nowadays, Desertfest London is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most important heavy-music festivals, celebrated for its authenticity, consistency, and dedication to the heavier ends of rock and metal.

Next year’s Friday night sees a classic evening of heavy rock shown by the Electric Ballroom headliners Hermano, while Saturday consists of local heroes as Green Lung headline the Roundhouse. The festival will close with a second evening at the Roundhouse on Sunday with Clutch, a band who has been on the festival’s wishlist since the start.

New additions include artists such as Church of the Cosmic Skull, Wytch Hazel, Inhuman Nature, who will join Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and Green Lung for a celebration of the Best of British and homegrown talent.

The final new announcement sees the reunion of Cavity, who will headline Friday’s Black Heart stage. Desertfest has a defining presence in underground heavy music, and is hosting unsung heroes. These artists will join a number of reunions talking place over the weekend, including The Sword, and icons Capricons. Next year’s edition also includes worthy debuts from artists like -16- and Solace and first trips to the UK for many bands, such as Causa Sui, Komodor, Moundrag, and Midhaven. 

The new additions to the festival next year include Church of the Cosmic Skull, Wytch Hazel, Inhuman Nature, Cavity, Moloch, Daufodt, Kushthulu, Iron Slug, Troll Mother, who will be joining headliners such as Cluth, Green Lung, Hermano, and many more artists.

Weekend and Day Tickets are now available here.