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.

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Formed in LA in 1992, Weezer are a difficult band to label – over their storied careers they’ve bounced between pop rock anthems, grunge-tinged alternative rock and more than a few bizarre cover singles. In the UK they’ve enjoyed one Top 10 hit with ‘Beverly Hills’ in 2005, as well as other Top 40 entries with ‘Buddy Holly’, ‘Hash Pipe’ and ‘Island In The Sun’.

With The Gathering tour starting in the US and Canada this September with support from The Shins and Silversun Pickups, Weezer have today announced the next stages of the tour. The first leg is five nights in Japan next February, before the European run begins in May, opening in Dublin. From there, they’ll play Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Birmingham, before ending with London’s Alexandra Palace and Cardiff’s Utilita Arena. After that, the mainland Europe shows hit Paris, Amsterdam, Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki. Support on all European and UK dates comes courtesy of US emo rock outfit Taking Back Sunday, who are reportedly building up to a 20th anniversary tribute to their classic 2006 album ‘Louder Now’. Full dates and venues are on the poster below:

With ‘Weezer (The Gold Album)’ due for release on August 21, the group released new single ‘C.E.O.’ and a star-studded music video for it today. ‘The Gold Album’ is their 20th studio LP and their 7th self-titled one, with all of them distinguished by the colours of their album covers. ‘C.E.O.’ is a classic Weezer jam, packed with smothering, fuzzy guitar tones and the video celebrates frontman Rivers Cuomo’s awkward, geeky charm alongside a cast including skateboarder Tony Hawk, actor Giovanni Ribisi, and Obsession director Curry Barker. It follows up earlier singles ‘Shine Again’ and ‘We Might As Well Be Strangers’.

Tickets for The Gathering tour release next week, with an early pre-sale available from purchasing the new album from Weezer’s official site – these go live at 10am BST on Tuesday August 11. General sale opens at 10am BST on Friday August 14. ‘Weezer (The Gold Album)’ releases on August 21 via Reprise and Warner Records.

For those who don’t know much about the Mercury Prize, they equivocate it to ‘the Booker Prize for literature and the Turner Prize for art’. The aim is to acknowledge artistic achievement over a broad array of music genres.An independent panel of judges have selected the shortlist and will be spending the next few months deciding who will be crowned the Mercury Prize winner of 2026. Albums that were released between the 30^th of August 2025 and 17^th of July 2026 were all in the running to be entered, but only 12 are shortlisted. The following contenders are:

• Dave – ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’
• Dove Ellis – ‘Blizzard’
• Florence + the Machine – ‘Everybody Scream’
• JADE – ‘That’s Showbiz Baby!’
• Knats – ‘A Great Day In Newcastle’
• Kojey Radical –’ Don’t Look Down’
• Nia Archives – ‘Emotional Junglist’
• Olivia Dean – ‘The Art of Loving’
• Paul McCartney – ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’
• RAYE – ‘THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.’
• Suede – ‘Antidepressants’
• War Child Records – ‘HELP(2)’

The Judging team consists of professionals within the music industry who unbiasedly choose the winner based on the quality of the music. This years panellists are:

• AFRODEUTSCHE – Composer, DJ & Radio 3 Unwind & 6 Music Broadcaster
• Danielle Perry – Broadcaster (Absolute Radio & Jazz FM) & Musician
• Jamie Cullum – Musician & Radio 2 Broadcaster; Jeff Smith – Head of Music, Radio 2 & 6 Music
• Lea Stonhill – Music Programming Consultant; MistaJam – Songwriter, DJ & Broadcaster
• MistaJam - Songwriter, DJ & Broadcaster
• Phil Alexander – Creative Director, Kerrang!/Contributing Editor, MOJO
• Sian Eleri – Radio 1 Broadcaster & DJ
• Sophie Williams – Music Writer & Broadcaster
• Will Hodgkinson – Chief Rock & Pop Critic, The Times
• Jeff Smith – The Chair of the judging team

If your favourite artist has been nominated, you can purchase tickets now to go to the award show in Newcastle which will feature live performances from the artists. Alternatively, you can watch the live broadcast on BBC, and in the meantime you can listen to songs from the shortlisted albums on the Mercury Prize’s curated playlist here.

Born in 1975 in Seine-Saint-Denis, France, Kavinsky – real name Vincent Belorgey, began his musical career in 2005 releasing French house music and leading the wave of the ‘80s action movie-inspired ‘synthwave’ subgenre. After releasing his first song ‘Testarossa Overdrive’ and his debut EP ‘Teddy Boy’ in 2006, his biggest success came after releasing the single ‘Nightcall’ in 2010 – a slow, pulsating synthwave track with old-school keyboard effects that absolutely drips with 80s vibes, produced by Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. ‘Nightcall’ was picked up for the opening credits of the 2011 Ryan Gosling-led action drama Drive, and became one of the most memorable components of the flick.

Kavinsky released two albums – ‘Outrun’ in 2013, which included both ‘Testarossa Overdrive’ and ‘Nightcall’, and ‘Reborn’ in 2022, before returning to the spotlight when he was invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. During the festivities at the Stade de France, Kavinsky appeared on stage with glowing red sunglasses piercing through the blue smoke that filled the stadium, playing a live mix of ‘Nightcall’ with the French band Phoenix and live vocals from Belgian singer Angèle. In the wake of the show, NME reported that ‘Nightcall’ broke the record on music-indentifying app Shazam for the most searched song in a single day, being scanned nearly 7 million times.

Belorgey was found dead at his home in Paris by French authorities at around 10:30pm yesterday, Tuesday July 28, according French paper Le Figaro. They report that the cause of death is not being treated as suspicious and is believed to be a stroke, as he had told those close to him that he was experiencing severe headaches in the days before his death.

Tributes have been paid by numerous French officials, including President of France Emmanuel Macron – he wrote in a post on his official Facebook account that Kavinsky was a source of “French pride forever.” French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard wrote on social media site X that “With the sudden passing of Kavinsky, France has lost one of its most unique voices.” She continued “From the film Drive to the Paris Olympics, the whole world was moved by Nightcall. Both danceable and nostalgic, his music will continue to transcend generations and borders.” Emmanuel Gregoire, the Mayor of Paris, remarked “A child of Paris, he carried the colours of the French electronic scene high across the world, establishing a unique musical universe imbued with both nostalgia and modernity.”

Past collaborators have also sent their regards, including Canadian pop star The Weeknd, also known as Abel Tesfaye, who worked with Kavinsky on a 2013 remix of his track ‘Odd Look’. The Weeknd wrote “So heartbreaking to hear the news. An inspiration to so many, including myself. I will continue to honor your name and your music. Rest easy Kavinsky”. Angèle also posted a photo from the Paris Olympics with a caption that read “Thank you for letting me experience that unforgettable moment on stage with you, and the entire adventure that followed.” Fellow French DJ David Guetta posted a sweet message on X – “Just learned about Kavinsky’s passing. A true icon of French electronic music. Thank you for creating a sound that was entirely your own and for leaving us with music that will continue to inspire. Thank you for your kindness and simplicity. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and loved ones. Rest in peace.”

The first iteration of Latitude was held at the Henham Park site near Southwold, Suffolk in 2006, with a billing that included Snow Patrol, The Zutons, Mogwai and Paolo Nutini. As it’s grown into a major festival, it’s hosted massive acts like Florence + The Machine, Pet Shop Boys, The 1975 and The Killers. The 20th anniversary event ran last weekend with around 40,000 attendees from July 23 to 26, and had  former Talking Heads’ maverick leader David Byrne, current US chart-topper Teddy Swims and loveable Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi as its main attractions.

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This past Sunday, Melvin Benn, the founder and organiser of Latitude and Managing Director of Festival Republic, made the announcement that the festival had extended its lease at Henham Park for a further 20 years. He broke the news during an on-stage discussion with Professor George McKay of the University of East Anglia. According to NME he said “I have signed a new 20-year lease with the Rous family. Latitude will call Henham Park home until 2046. I could not be prouder to make that commitment, or to announce it in front of our audience on the festival’s 20th anniversary. Henham Park is not just where Latitude happens. It is part of what Latitude is. The lake, the woods, the parkland. You cannot separate the festival from the place.”

Permission to extend the lease was granted to Festival Republic by Hektor Rous, whose family owns the Henham Park estate. In a statement published by the BBC, Rous wrote “Latitude Festival has been an incredible and pivotal event for Henham Park and we couldn’t be more pleased to have agreed another 20 years with the brilliantly creative and passionate team at Festival Republic led by Melvin Benn.” He also spoke of the unique benefits of holding a festival at the estate, saying “Latitude has very much enabled us to continue the restoration and care of Henham Park which is not only my life’s work, but the work of generations before and after. It has supported the restoration of several at risk buildings and aided us in the catching up on many years of forestry and landscape recovery and maintenance works critical to maintaining an estate like this.”

In preparation for Latitude 2027, the organisers have opened a loyalty scheme, which will reward returning attendees with money off their tickets for next year. Registration for the scheme is open now, before it closes on Sunday August 2 at 11:59pm. The loyalty tickets will then go on sale at 10am on Wednesday August 5, while early bird tickets hit the market at 10am on Thursday August 13.

Produced by A.G. Cook and Finn Keane, ‘Camera’ is described as a restrained, mid-tempo track built around guitar-led electronic pop, marking a shift from the club-driven sound of her 2024 album ‘Brat’. Lyrically, the song explores her growing acting career and the tension between music and film, as she questions whether pursuing screen work at 34 years old makes sense for someone who built her identity as a pop star.

The song fits into the broader structure of the album, where each single has represented one part of its title: “Rock Music” explored the music theme, ‘SS26′ covered fashion, and ‘Camera’ turns to focus on film.

The accompanying music video, directed by longtime collaborator Aidan Zamiri, stars French actor Vincent Cassel, known for roles in La Haine, Black Swan, and the Ocean’s franchise. Shot in black and white, the video follows a satirical one-take sequence set on a desert film production, with Charli directing the chaotic scene while Cassel’s character absorbs the brunt of the drama, complete with fake blood and theatrical gunfire. Zamiri has directed several of Charli’s previous videos, including “360,” “Guess” with Billie Eilish, and “Wink Wink,” and also directed Eilish’s ‘Birds of a Feather’.

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Charli hosted intimate pop-up shows in New York and London featuring guests including Clairo, Kim Petras, and Jane Remover, with proceeds benefiting music charities in both countries, and held global listening events at independent cinemas.

Following the album’s release, Charli continues her exploration into film with a starring role in I Want Your Sex, opening July 31st. She’s also set to perform at Reading and Leeds festivals in August before launching a North American arena tour in September, with stops including Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Los Angeles’ Kia Forum.

The garage collective are the product of BBC mockumentary sitcom People Just Do Nothing, which followed the crew of pirate radio station Kurupt FM and its operation out of a tower block flat in Brentford, West London. Headed up by the overbearing MC Grindah and his naive best friend DJ Beats, the cohort also included DJs Steves and Decoy, and their inept manager ‘Chabuddy G’. People Just Do Nothing won accolades for Best Comedy at both the BAFTAs and Royal Television Awards, and yielded a full-length movie in People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan.

The lead cast, who also created the series, wrote and produced several authentic UK garage tracks for the show, including songs ‘Get out the Way’ and ‘Heart Monitor Riddem’. In 2015, they burst onto the scene as fully-fledged musical performers with their Sixty Minutes Live set on MistaJam’s BBC Radio 1 Xtra broadcast, and started to perform live in clubs and warehouses. Kurupt FM have played international shows and appeared at Reading & Leeds, Boardmasters and Glastonbury Festival, as well as playing a massive headliner at London’s Printworks venue. In 2021, they released their debut album ‘The Greatest Hits (Part 1)’ as a companion to the movie Big In Japan, featuring artists like General Levy and Craig David.

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In May, the group posted a comedy skit, announcing in character that MC Grindah had returned to making music and production had begun on new EP ‘Grindah Decided We’re Doing Music Again’ – or ‘GDWDMA’ for short. After collaborating with drum n bass duo Sigma and others on the track ‘Legendary Status’ in April, Kurupt FM have released two singles due to appear on ‘GDWDMA’, ‘Feelings’ and ‘Tek Time’. Last week, they released new single ‘Reload’, which sees them link up again with Australian DJ Young Franco, who they worked with on ‘Feelings’.

The 2026 UK tour in support of ‘GDWDMA’ was announced this morning on the band’s social media, with a message that read ‘GRINDAHS DECIDED WER DOIN A UK TOUR’. The four-date run across England hits Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham before ending in a big finale at the Roundhouse in London. Tickets for the GDWDMA UK Tour go on pre-sale (with access here) on Wednesday July 29 at 10am, while general sale begins on Friday July 31 – check the full dates on the poster below. Before that, they’re supporting their friend Craig David at New World 2026, taking place at Chelmsford’s Central Park on August 30.

Following up the band’s instant breakthrough with 1994 debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’, ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’ released in 1995 to massive commercial success, but split reviews from the press. It sold 345,000 copies in it’s first week and entered the Official Album Chart at number one, spending 35 successive weeks in the top 5 including 10 in the top spot. From its singles, ‘Some Might Say’ and ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ were both UK Number Ones, ‘Roll With It’ and the band’s best selling track ‘Wonderwall’ landed second place, while ‘Champagne Supernova’ was a hit internationally. In 2010, it was recognised by the BRIT Awards as the greatest British album since 1980.

Since the reconciliation of founding brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher in 2024 and their Oasis Live ‘25 world tour which sold over 2 million tickets, the Manchester group have been at an incredible new peak to their fame. Their 2011 compilation album ‘Time Flies – 1994-2009’ was one of the best-selling albums of 2025, and a feature-length documentary about the tour is currently building up to release. This week ‘Wonderwall’, which is already certified 9x Platinum in the UK by the BPI after over 5.6 million sales, is back in the chart at number 2 following it’s adoption as an anthem by the England men’s football team at this summer’s World Cup.

The Official Charts announced their Album Chart 70th anniversary list of the biggest albums of all time yesterday, revealing that ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’ had moved up to third place overall. The third place had previously been held by the band who most inspired Oasis, The Beatles, and their 1967 classic album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ – which has now dropped to fifth place behind Adele’s hit album ‘21’. First place is occupied by Queen’s 1981 ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation with 7.8 million units sold, with ABBA’s ‘Gold’ collection close behind in second on 7.1 million. This makes ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’ the best selling original studio album in British history, with over 6.2 million UK sales and over 22 million worldwide. You can check the full list here.

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Becca Monahan and Chris Austin, interim Co-Managing Directors of the Official Charts Company write “Huge congratulations to Oasis, as the incomparable ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ is officially crowned the UK’s biggest studio album of all time. Three decades on, its scale and influence remain extraordinary – a defining British record that continues to unite generations, fill stadiums and soundtrack lives.”

Rumours are currently swirling that Oasis are plotting a big tour of the UK and Europe for 2027, with NME reporting the possibility of a 12-night residency in their home city of Manchester and a return to Knebworth, where the group played some of their biggest 2025 shows. The first trailer for the Oasis Live ‘25 documentary film released earlier in July, revealing its name as Don’t Look Back In Anger. You can watch the clip below:

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The song is a “is a fusion of two songs that never felt all the way complete,” says frontman Noah Learmonth. The verse and the chorus are from two respective unreleased tracks, and were put together in this new-wave anthem. 

Learmonth explains the song: “At its core, it explores the feeling of being confused by the culture around you, and the isolation that often comes with that confusion.” Radio Free Alice worked with previous collaborators Ewan Pearson and Peter Katis on the track. Katis’ previous collaborations include The National, Interpol and Bloc Party. While Pearson is celebrated for his work with Depeche Mode, Metronomy and more.  

Rolling Stone said of the Melbourne newcomers, “Paying homage to bands of the ’80s like The Smiths and The Cure, their brand of post-punk is energetic and playful, prioritising hooks and fun over dark atmospherics. It’s a nostalgic sound which never comes off as pastiche.” 

‘Kick in the Shins’ is the band’s second single of 2026, the first being last month’s ‘Lunch Money.’ ‘Lunch Money’ was also Radio Free Alice’s first track released since signing with Atlantic Records. The release also coincided with the band’s slot at New York’s Governor Ball and a sold out headline show in the same city. 

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More music is still to come from one of Melbourne’s most exciting new bands. Speaking to WRSU 88.7 FM in February, Learmonth revealed that after releasing an EP each year over the least three years, Radio Free Alice’s debut album is on the way. Learmonth says the record is “overdue” but “that we were forced to wait so long is cool, too, because we feel very ready.” The singer describes the album as “eclectic” saying “on one end, you’ve got indie punk banger vibe, and then you’ve got slow, kind of Lou Reed ‘Coney Island Baby’ vibe. It’s just very broad.” They have been putting together songs for their debut for a long time and because of that, Learmonth “[doesn’t] feel pressure” for its release. “I’m pretty confident that we’ve got it,” he said. 

The band joined breakout hits Geese on their sold-out Australian leg this February. And most recently have continued their UK/Euro Festival tour, appearing at Belguim’s Rock Werchter Festival and France’s Main Square Festival. Still to come are slots at Tramlines and Truck Festivals as well as one at Reading this August. 

Radio Free Alice UK/Euro Festival Tour 2026 Dates: 

24/7 – Tramlines Festival – Sheffield, UK 

25/7 – Truck Festival – Abingdon, UK 

31/7 – Y Not Festival – Derbyshire, UK 

08/8 – Boardmasters Festival – Newquay, UK 

21/8 – Frequency Festival – Saint Pölten, Austria

23/8 – Babylon Soundgarden Festival – Istanbul, Turkey

27/8 – Into the Great Wide Open – Vlieland, Netherlands 

29/8 – Reading Festival – Reading, UK