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Created from a partnership forged between Somerset County Cricket Club, who play their games at the ground, and award-winning live events company Full Fat 360, Somerset Sounds aims to develop a new annual live experience for the South West of England. The Cooper Associates County Ground has previously hosted shows from the likes of Elton John, Lionel Ritchie and Rod Stewart, but this will be a big rise in its profile as a music hotspot. In a statement published by local news site SomersetLive, Full Fat 360 founder Oli Bartlam says “The Cooper Associates County Ground already has an incredible legacy of hosting world-class live entertainment, and Somerset Sounds is the next ambitious step in that evolution.”

While the South West is seeing a resurgence in its live music scene through schemes like Powderham Castle’s summer events near Exeter and alternative music gathering Burn It Down in Torbay, both in Devon, this marks a new ambitious move forward for Taunton, where most of the largest cultural happenings tend to gravitate towards nearby Glastonbury or Bristol. Bartlam touches on this in the rest of his statement, saying “Taunton and the wider region have a massive appetite for major live music, and this partnership allows us to establish the region as a destination on the national touring circuit. We’re thrilled to be working with Somerset County Cricket Club to bring international acts to this iconic venue and build an event series the entire South West can be proud of. Summer 2027 is only the beginning.”

SomersetLive report that Somerset County Cricket Club is already a major part of Taunton’s economy, in 2025 providing over 200 jobs and bringing over £20 million to the city. Jamie Cox, CEO of the club said of the project “Somerset Sounds represents an important step in the evolution of the Club and the Cooper Associates County Ground. Cricket will always be at the heart of who we are, but we have a much wider ambition for the venue and for the role it can play within Somerset. We want to create experiences that bring new audiences to Taunton from across the South West and beyond, while generating meaningful economic and cultural benefits for the County.”

Somerset Sounds was first announced yesterday, September 10, with a set of brand new social media accounts. So far, the latest information is a post on Instagram which claims their “first artist reveal is just around the corner”. You can sign up here for the latest reveals as they break before the festival makes its debut in August 2027.

The change happened yesterday following tech juggernaut Meta’s US roll-out of Muse – their latest AI agent, designed to assist users with tasks and automate work projects. Social media users were quick to identify that the AI model’s official pages on Meta’s own Instagram and the unaffiliated platform X (formerly Twitter) had both taken the ‘Muse’ tag from the rock trio, who hold over 2.5 million followers on each site.

Muse formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 1994, and have released 10 albums of their fantastical alternative rock, many of which were deep concept projects packed with sci-fi storytelling and dystopian themes. Indeed, their 2026 release ‘The Wow! Signal’ covers alien conspiracy theories and cover-ups, but in the wake of the group’s social media usurping, special attention has been cast on 2018 LP ‘Simulation Theory’.

While not an album remembered as Muse’s greatest work, ‘Simulation Theory’ grappled with philosophical imaginings of humanity living in a digitally-simulated reality, backed up by futuristic neon imagery and revamped live shows filled with wild amounts of dry ice and lasers. The album explored the ways in which online algorithms tailored by technology firms twisted our experience of the world, and the constant adaptations we make to life in the internet age.

‘Simulation Theory’ released a few years ahead of the ‘AI Boom’, where virtual assistants and large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT exploded into popularity in the early 2020s. As reported by NME, the irony of Muse’s online handle being taken by an artificial intelligence agent after years of writing music on dystopian themes has not gone unmissed. NME reference the album’s opening track ‘Algorithm’, and its lyrics which almost predict the moment, saying “Algorithms evolve/Push us aside and render us obsolete.”

Muse have so far made no comment on the changeover, with speculation over whether the rights to the handles were taken outright or bought through a deal, but they have now changed their usernames on all platforms to ‘museband’. After ‘The Wow! Signal’ released this June, the group have been on an extensive North American tour in support of it over the summer. Next up, the trio are bringing The Wow! Signal Tour to Manchester’s Co-op Live and London’s O2 Arena in November, before a European road-trip. Available tickets can be found here.

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The duo returned from a two-year absence earlier this summer with a batch of announcements – a new single ‘Ten Over Ten’, the November release date for their fifth album ‘Dead Company’, and a run of three UK shows to play “a couple of new songs!” ‘Ten Over Ten’ showcased a new heavier sound with raw, uncompressed production quality.

The initial set of UK shows ended with a night at Southampton’s O2 Guildhall on Thursday August 27, leaving a gap just in time for last weekend’s Reading and Leeds Festival. Their sole members, drummer Ben Thatcher and bassist/vocalist Mike Kerr made an appearance on Jack Saunders’ show on BBC Radio 1 to drop the news that they would be playing a secret set on Friday August 28 at 2pm.

As the crowds packed into the tent at The Gallery, the new alternative music second stage, Royal Blood ripped into fan-favourite singles ‘Out Of The Black’ and ‘Come On Over’ before giving ‘Ten Over Ten’ its festival debut, which brought the pits with its frantic, metallic riffage. From there, they broke into groovy jam ‘Boilermaker’ and radio hit ‘Little Monster’ before unveiling their second single from ‘Dead Company’. ‘Swallow The Bomb’ is a fast-paced punky blast, with its melodic bass strumming and desert-rock vocals. Kerr and Thatcher look like this is the most fun they’ve had all set, playing together in perfect synergy. The duo finished up with ‘Figure It Out’, one of the songs that made them so famous as a live act. Check the full setlist below:

‘Out Of The Black’
‘Come On Over’
‘Ten Over Ten’
‘Boiler Maker’
‘How Did We Get So Dark?’
‘Little Monster’
‘Swallow The Bomb’
‘Turn The Lights Out’
‘Trouble Coming’
‘Figure It Out’

Sadly the secret set was a one-off for Reading, with Leeds-goers missing out – but if you weren’t there, BBC iPlayer have the full show available until the end of September. Thankfully, Royal Blood will be back on tour this November and December supporting the November 13 release of ‘Dead Company’, with dates in Bristol, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow, Wolverhampton, London and their hometown Brighton. Unpeople are support on all dates, with tickets on sale now.

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While Chase & Status are no strangers to Reading & Leeds Festival, this was their first shot as full headliners, as well as the maiden year of the event’s new main stage, which they named ‘The Grid’ in their new redesign of the arena. After debuting in 2009, they were the pre-headline act before Eminem for the 2013 line-up, bringing the sound of the festival’s dance tent to the biggest stage.

This year’s bill saw a set of 6 headliners, all from the UK and Ireland. Friday kicked things off with Fontaines D.C. and Charli XCX, Saturday kept it moving with Raye and Dave, before Sunday finished with Florence + The Machine giving way to Chase & Status.

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Reading has a reputation for surprise performers and secret sets, with Royal Blood and Jamie T both popping up around the site at short notice, and the Sunday closing act was no exception. Chase & Status were assisted by many of the biggest names in British music, starting with rapper ArrDee on their joint hit ‘Liquor and Cigarettes’ before NADIAH came out to sing on ‘Count On Me’. The pace kept going, with D Double E performing ‘Levels’ and Novelist joining for ‘NRG’, before remixes of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ plus Shy FX and UK Apache’s ‘Original Nuttah’ with help from IRAH.

Next it was Flowdan’s turn on the mega-hit ‘Baddadan’, with their frequent collaborator Takura showing up for a massive rendition of old school anthem ‘No Problem’. Later in the evening, they were joined by Clementine Douglas on ‘Mixed Emotions’ and Tom Grennan on ‘All Goes Wrong’. The festival ended with the group’s classic track ‘Blind Faith’ with Liam Bailey, before IRAH came back out on ‘Program’.

The pair played a few of their new 2026 tracks which will appear on their eighth studio album ‘Generic Everything’, including ‘Disgruntled’, ‘Gone Too Far’ and ‘Carnage’. Also on the album is a song with dubstep innovator Skrillex, who the band played back-to-back with at Boomtown Fair this August where they demoed a new mix together – this appears on the album as ‘Essa Ta Quente’.

‘Generic Everything’ releases on October 9 2026. Chase & Status are set to round their year out with a run of US live shows, but a run of UK dates to celebrate the album release could happen this year. For now, you can check below for the setlist from the Sunday night at this year’s Reading Festival – a full recording of the set is available on BBC iPlayer until the end of September.

1. ‘Rage’
2. ‘Selecta’
3. ‘Streetlife’
4. ‘Disgruntled’
5. ‘Liquor & Cigarettes’ w/ ArrDee
6. ‘Count On Me’ w/ NADIAH
7. ‘Levels’ w/ D Double E
8. ‘Don’t Be Scared’
9. ‘NRG’ w/ Novelist
10. ‘Toxic (Chase & Status Remix)’ / ‘Original Nuttah ‘25 (Chase & Status Remix)’ w/ IRAH
11. ‘Baddadan’ w/ Flowdan
12. ‘Disconnect’
13. ‘No Problem’ w/ Takura
14. ‘Backbone’
15. Mixed Emotions /w Clementine Douglas
16. ‘Gone Too Far’ w/ Debbie
17. ‘All Goes Wrong’ w/ Tom Grennan
18. ‘Carnage’
19. ‘Blind Faith’ w/ Liam Bailey
20. ‘Program’ w/ IRAH

Winehouse made waves in the UK with her debut album ‘Frank’ in 2003, but 2006’s ‘Back to Black’ was the album that made her an international star. Her renowned songwriting was backed up by co-writers and producers Salaam Remi, who also worked on ‘Frank’, and the up-and-coming Mark Ronson. Recording was split between work with Remi at Instrumental Zoo Studios in Miami, and with Ronson and group The Dap-Kings in Chung King Studios and Daptone Records in New York.

‘Back to Black’ released on October 27 2006 on Island Records, and has since become one of the most successful albums of all time. The unique blend of heartfelt soul vocals, jazz instrumentals and pop charm made it universally accessible while still incredibly unique. To date it has sold an estimated 25 million units worldwide, and it won Winehouse five Grammy Awards in the 2007 ceremony – most notably she went home with Best New Artist, and her hit ‘Rehab’ took both Record and Song of the Year.

Winehouse tragically passed away in 2011 at the age of 27, but since her passing her legacy has only grown. This year’s BRIT Awards ceremony saw Mark Ronson receive an Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, after which he dedicated his speech and musical performance to Winehouse 20 years after they collaborated on ‘Back to Black’ and wrote its title track in one night.

Now with the album itself turning 20, Island Records are lovingly reissuing it in new formats with previously unreleased gems. New goodies include early demos, unheard B-sides and recordings from her 2007 show from the ‘Back to Black’ tour at Paradiso, Amsterdam. To compliment the music, there will be a new exclusive photo set from this period taken by the album’s photographers Mischa Richter and Alex Lake, with the liner notes also featuring messages from Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson.

 

 

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The collection will be available in an array of options including an eye-catching zoetrope vinyl pressed with moving images of Winehouse, a 3 LP clear vinyl set, and a 3 disc CD package, as well as bundles with a celebratory T-shirt.

The ‘Back to Black’ deluxe reissue is out on the album’s 20th anniversary, Tuesday October 27. Check here for pre-order details, including exclusive packages on Amy Winehouse’s official legacy store, as well as the full track listings for each release.

While the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Vienna was certainly a spectacle, the entire event was overshadowed by tensions surrounding the Middle East and how Israel’s inclusion is at odds with the ESC’s principles of peace and unity. Israel and their national broadcaster Kan are still participating in the annual contest despite Israel’s controversial ongoing activities in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian West Bank, as well as the wars with Iran and Lebanon. Following a failed bid to suspend Israel, five nations withdrew from the 2026 ESC – Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia and The Netherlands.

Earlier this month, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body formed by the national broadcasters from participating nations which runs the ESC, made changes to Eurovision’s rules which would prohibit a country in active conflict from hosting the next year’s event should they win. This move will be seen by many as a direct attempt to curb the drama surrounding Israel’s participation, following their second place finishes in the last two contests.

However, the EBU’s rule change has not reassured Avrotros – in a statement today announcing their decision to withdraw, the Dutch broadcaster has said the changes “do not provide sufficient confidence that ‌the ⁠independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored”. Avrotros’s statement also says “The severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza and the ongoing restrictions on press freedom have contributed to increasing divisions surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years.”

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Taco Zimmerman, the director general for Avrotros, has directly addressed the move, saying that while the contest was “was originally created to bring people and countries together”, it has now become “a platform for division”, adding “It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the contest, undermining its neutral character.”. Zimmerman continues – “The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division. As a public broadcaster, we remain committed to our values. They guide us in everything we do, even when that means stepping away from an event that is very close to our hearts. That is painful as we would have very much liked to be part of the contest again next year.”

 
Avrotros exiting the 2027 Song Contest does not mean The Netherlands have no chance of appearing. NPO, the umbrella organisation supervising Dutch broadcasters is currently considering its options, should another broadcaster wish to take on Eurovision duties, though several of them have already ruled themselves out. The NPO has stated that they “respect Avrotros’s decision”, with a comment that says “We also recognise that the geopolitical tensions are having a divisive effect.” and “That’s why this hasn’t been an easy decision for our colleagues. We will reflect on the upcoming edition and will come back to this at the right moment.”

 
ESC director Martin Green has responded to the news with a statement that says “We regret AVROTROS’ decision to no longer participate in the Eurovision Song Contest but understand their choice and respect the views of our member broadcasters. The Eurovision Song Contest has always been a place to bring people together, celebrate diverse communities, and show that a better world is possible even in the most difficult times. We will now continue our dialogue with NPO, the umbrella organization for Dutch public service media, regarding the opportunities for another broadcaster to participate. We very much hope that audiences and artists in the Netherlands can continue to be represented in the Eurovision Song Contest.” Following Bulgaria’s shock 2026 victory with singer Dara’s vibrant party anthem ‘Bangaranga’, the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest is heading to the city Burgas on the coastline of the Black Sea. Arena Burgas will host the semi finals on May 11 and 13, before the grand final on May 15.  

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As his manager, Sharon first devised Ozzfest in 1996 when legendary English metal singer Ozzy was spurned by the US festival circuit, creating a vehicle for him to perform as well as a large multi-city heavy metal event programme. The inaugural year saw Ozzy head up a bill alongside legendary acts like Slayer, Danzig and Sepultura across two shows in Phoenix, Arizona and San Bernardino, California.

From there, Ozzfest expanded into an empire, hosting a travelling run across the US, as well as shows in the UK, Europe and Japan. Ozzfest England debuted in 1998 at the Milton Keynes Bowl with a monster line-up including both Ozzy Osbourne and his group Black Sabbath, as well as Foo Fighters and Pantera. After returning in 2001 and 2002, Ozzfest did not come back to the UK again before the US festival as we know it stopped operating in 2018.

Last July, Ozzy Osbourne celebrated his career with one big final show named Back to the Beginning before retiring due to ill health. The event was held in his home city of Birmingham at the Villa Park football stadium with an attendance of 45,000 and millions of viewers online, and featured an all-star support bill before Ozzy played both his last set with Black Sabbath and his last solo performance. Three weeks later, he sadly passed away aged 76 from a heart attack in his home, surrounded by his family.

Following Ozzy’s passing and the triumphant success of Back to the Beginning, earlier this year Sharon Osbourne announced plans to bring Ozzfest back with the late Ozzy’s blessing, 30 years after its inception. NME reported this March that Sharon was looking to bring the event back to the UK with a proposal to use Villa Park again, saying “We wanna do two days in Aston Villa and then come to America.” In a conversation with her son Jack, she also added “We’ve got to find a lot of young, new talent, because that’s what’s your dad would want.”

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In August, Sharon spoke to Metal Hammer about the concrete plans for Ozzfest, though there was uncertainty on the number of days it would cover – she said “It’s going to be at Villa Park again. Whether it’ll be two nights, that’s up for the fans to tell me.” This Monday, August 17, Ozzfest’s social media accounts broke the news that Ozzfest 2027 was booked in for Villa Park, with further information to come. The post shared an aerial shot taken of the football ground during Back to the Beginning, with the staging from the event clearly visible. Also speaking to Metal Hammer, Sharon was cautious when discussing potential acts for the event – “Of course we’re speaking to people. I can’t let that out yet, but it’ll be soon.”

While the wait for further developments on the return of Ozzfest to both the UK and US begins, the West Midlands continue to remember one of their most famous artists actively. Birmingham celebrated Ozzy Osbourne’s life and legacy this July with the first ever ‘Ozzy Day’, which saw events, activities and performances across the city in honour of the first anniversary of his passing.

American singer-songwriter Bridgers returned to the musical fold this year, following whirlwind successes in 2023 with her second album ‘Punisher’, as well as the debut release of ‘The Record’ with her group boygenius. In the 2024 awards season, boygenius won a BRIT for Best International Group and 3 Grammys, with Bridgers bagging a fourth Grammy for her appearance on SZA’s track ‘Ghost In The Machine’. Following the releases, boygenius went on hiatus and Bridgers took a break through to 2026.

After a run of surprise live ‘no phones’ shows this May, Bridgers premiered new songs before announcing her third album ‘Lost Weekend’, due to be released on August 14. Before the release, several live event runs were announced for this year, including a series of intimate album release shows, listening parties at planetariums around the world, and The Lost Tour 2026 for North America and Europe from September to December. The artist has continued to perform all concerts with a ban on recording devices, encouraging audiences to enjoy the shows without distraction.

Following the release of ‘Lost Weekend’ last week, Phoebe Bridgers had travelled to the UK and performed the opening night of the British release shows at London’s Union Chapel on Monday August 17, also the singer’s 32nd birthday. However, ahead of her show at Kingston’s Circuit venue this evening, Wednesday August 19, she posted on her Instagram Story to announce she was dealing with a bout of appendicitis and would need to cancel all remaining UK shows on the tour. Her brief statement opens with “I got appendicitis for my birthday”, going on to say “Everything in the UK this week will have to move but I’ll make it up to you!!!!”

Banquet Records, who were promoting tonight’s Kingston show, have posted to say they are in contact with the artist’s global management teams to reorganise the event. Bridgers was due to play two further nights this week at Chalk in Brighton on August 20 and Bristol’s Electric on August 21, but fans can hopefully expect rescheduled dates for these too.

Depending on Bridgers’ recovery, the North American leg of The Lost Tour opens in Indianapolis on September 15 and runs until October 31. Following that, she’ll touch down in Dublin on November 23, playing Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and London before heading over to mainland Europe. Tickets appear to be sold out on Bridgers’ official store, but some may be available here. Phoebe Bridgers’ 2026 album ‘Lost Weekend’ is out now via Dead Oceans.

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The hard rock two-piece of bassist and vocalist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher took a pause after the 10-year anniversary celebrations for their breakthrough self-titled debut album wrapped in 2024. 2014’s ‘Royal Blood’ shot the pair to stardom, topping the British Albums Chart and winning them the BRIT Award for Best British Group – but with their next 3 albums also earning Number One status and their fantastic live shows in ever-increasing demand, they seemingly never stopped.

With over a year passing with no songs, no shows, and not even so much as a social media post, Kerr and Thatcher released a teaser for a new track back in June. The snippet showcased a heavy, thrashy sound akin to their earlier style on ‘Royal Blood’-era singles like ‘Out of the Black’ and ‘Little Monster’. Shortly after the teaser was released, the group announced a run of 3 UK dates for the end of August, visiting Margate, Guildford and Southampton.

New single ‘Ten Over Ten’ was announced on Royal Blood’s Instagram yesterday, and received its premiere tonight as DJ Jack Saunders’ Hottest Record on his BBC Radio 1 show. Indeed the song from the teaser trailer, it opens with Kerr’s signature bass tone, which mimics an electric guitar, and frantic drum beats from Thatcher, before shifting into riffs that border on heavy metal. This is a new kind of aggression for the duo, blasting through the high-tempo verses into the sleazy, blues rock choruses. It’s a refreshing sound for such a popular act, showing that even though they don’t have a guitarist in the conventional sense, guitar music is still alive and well.

Following the radio broadcast of ‘Ten Over Ten’, Royal Blood took to social media to announce their fifth album would be titled ‘Dead Company’ and is due for a November release. Their post reads “After putting the Royal Blood engine in neutral for a couple of years, we’ve been building up the revs and are playing faster and harder than ever with this album. Written and recorded with the stage in mind, we cannot wait to play it live for years to come. Mike & Ben.” They also alluded to further live shows to be announced in time.

‘Ten Over Ten’ is out now, with new album ‘Dead Company’ releasing on November 13 through Warner Records. Pre-orders of the album on their official store will unlock pre-sale access for the unannounced gigs. Up next for Royal Blood are their shows at Dreamland Margate on August 24, G Live in Guildford on August 25, and O2 Guildhall in Southampton on August 27.

Dickinson joined British heavy metal icons Iron Maiden in 1981, making his first impact with their 1982 classic ‘The Number of the Beast’. Since then, his powerful singing voice and legendary high-pitched wails have been heard on all their most famous tracks across 13 albums and five decades, including ‘Run to the Hills’, ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ and ‘The Trooper’. Maiden’s last album was 2021’s ‘Senjutusu’, but the group have continued to sell out stadiums and festival slots around the world since.

Dickinson’s solo career began when he wrote ‘Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter’ for 1989 horror flick A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. Though his solo version won a Golden Raspberry Award (or commonly a ‘Razzie’) and was lambasted, when it was released with Iron Maiden on 1990 LP ‘No Prayer for the Dying’ it became the band’s first and only UK Number One single.

After releasing debut solo album ‘Tattooed Millionaire’ in 1990, Dickinson left Maiden in 1993 to concentrate on his solo career. He released four more albums in the ‘90s before rejoining Maiden in 1999, and then released solo album ‘Tyranny of Souls’ in 2005. After a 19 year break, he returned with the cross-media experience of ‘The Mandrake Project’ in 2024, which launched with an accompanying adult comic book series.

Dickinson is back at a creative peak now in 2026 continuing work on the prospective 2027 album. In an interview with VSX at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, he explained the explosive sound of the material as “heavy as shit”, as well as discussing the next move on from ‘The Mandrake Project’, – “It’s kind of standalone. There’s one song that has a bit of something to do with ‘Mandrake’.” He added that he had no desire to write a sequel to ‘Mandrake’, saying “I try to not repeat – not because it’s bad. You want to move on and put different nuance on things. It’s like, I would say, if you have an amazing girlfriend and you start thinking, ‘Yeah, I’m getting a little bit bored,’ or something else like that, just turn the lights down and turn it a different way, and you see a side that you think, ‘Oh, my God, she’s absolutely incredible.’ Just the red light there or the green or whatever, and you see, you see the same person in a different day, in a different light.”

Blabbermouth report that a majority of the album was tracked this January and February at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 base in Northridge, California, and Dickinson told Rolling Stone in April that he’d recorded 16 songs during the sessions. Though it has not been confirmed, the new album looks likely to be the first without contribution from long-term co-writer and producer Roy ‘Z’ Ramirez, who worked on all of Dickinson’s albums since 1994’s ‘Balls to Picasso’ – Brendan Duffey has been brought in for mixing and mastering on the new LP.

Bruce Dickinson’s new album is due for release next year through BGM. It follows up a wild 2026 which saw Iron Maiden refuse to appear at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction this coming November, as well as host their own fledgling festival. Eddfest 2026 was a breakout success which saw the band celebrate their storied history with a cohort of massive support acts, before a monstrous live show covering a wide mix of their catalogue.