The gigs will take place at Circuit, the venue on Clarence Street formerly known as Pryzm, on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th September. The shows mark the release of ‘Act III’, Kasabian’s ninth studio album, which arrived on 17th July via Columbia Records. Fronted by Serge Pizzorno’s vocals, the record spans ten tracks and three interludes of guitar-driven, psychedelic-esque pop sounds, and has been described as one of the band’s most confident efforts in years. It follows 2024’s ‘Happenings’ and continues with Pizzorno having steered Kasabian through a striking creative resurgence since taking over as the frontman.

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‘Act III’ was first previewed back in September 2025 with the single ‘Hippie Sunshine’, unveiled the same night the band played a surprise pub gig at The Finsbury in north London to announce their huge Finsbury Park headline show. A second single, ‘Great Pretender’, followed in April 2026 alongside the album’s full tracklist.

The band has repeatedly used Pryzm/Circuit as a place to showcase material, having played the venue to mark the release of both ‘The Alchemist’s Euphoria’ in 2022 and ‘Happenings’ in 2024, shows that saw them debut singles live for the first time and thank the fanbase that has followed them and their music since their early days.

Tickets for those previous Kingston shows sold out quickly, with extra dates added each time to meet demand, so early booking for the September shows is likely to be essential.

Tickets go on general sale at 11am on Saturday 15th August via Banquet Records, the Kingston independent shop that has hosted the band’s homecoming-style launches for years. Due to demand, extra dates have already been added alongside the original shows, meaning fans now have four separate opportunities across the two evenings to catch the band up close!

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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.

Taking place at Coal Drops Yard, the King’s Cross Summer Sounds begins on August 13 and runs until the 23^rd. This year, it promises its “most exciting line-up yet, seamlessly blending the world’s best folk, jazz, soul, classical and indie rock music with dynamic dance performances and exceptional local talent.” The Molotovs are the first slated act and will be playing a Bowie inspired set. Support will come from Ashaine White and Jack Kaye, former frontman of The Magic Gang. All artists on Friday’s bill are preparing covers of Bowie’s hits which will “celebrate [his] impact on music today.”

The Molotovs’ vocalist, Matt Cartlidge says of the upcoming show, “We can’t wait to get on stage at King’s Cross Summer Sounds – and to pay tribute to David Bowie, one of this company’s musical legends. The Lightroom show is phenomenal and this gig is going to be something special.”

Formed in 2020 by siblings, Matt and Issey Cartlidge, The Molotovs have been hotly rising on the scene for the past year. Their debut album “Wasted on Youth” released just this January and peaked at Number 3 on the UK Official Album charts. NME called the album “a collection of breakneck rock ‘n’ roll and uncompromising Brit-punk.” The duo’s explosive success has been debated online with some saying they are “nepo babies” but to that, Max Cartlidge says, “they don’t see the slog for the past six years.”

The Molotovs have been determined to cut their teeth on their local scene, playing over 600 gigs across their six year career. This has included anything from busking in London parks and playing sweaty club shows, to opening for the Sex Pistols at Royal Albert Hall. They have become ambassadors to the Music Venue Trust, a charity committed to protecting grassroots music venues. Matt Cartlidge calls the ambassadorship “ the bread and butter of what [The Molotovs] do.”

Bassist and vocalist Issey Cartlidge says their restraint on releasing music for five years was fundamental to their explosive success, as was their long journey through grassroots venues. “People are desperate – now more than ever – for those real connections,” she told NME, “instead of everything being substituted to a digital sphere where art has become increasingly devalued because of how disposable it is. We want to bring back that kind of meaning to music.”

Their surprise headliner spot at King’s Cross Summer Series is the natural next step for them, a free concert series “celebrating diversity and spirit of community,” while paying homage to one of their musical inspirations, David Bowie. The Molotovs take the stage at Coal Drops Yard at 6:30 PM on Thursday, August 13.

Lightroom is currently hosting a Bowie-themed exhibit which opened in April of this year. It uses “state-of-the-art digital projection and audio technology to create mind-blowing immersive experiences.” And it includes a mixture of rare and never-before-seen archival footage of Bowie’s career.

After Friday’s show, The Molotovs will embark on their ‘Welcome to Urbia’ UK tour. They will hit Nottingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, London and more. Last remaining tickets are available here.

The Molotovs ‘Welcome to Urbia’ UK Tour 2026

3/9 – Tramshed – Cardiff, UK

4/9 – Palais – Nottingham, UK

5/9 – Chalk – Brighton, UK

10/9 – TV Studio – Glasgow, UK

11/9 – Digital – Newcastle, UK

12/9 – Foundry – Sheffield, UK

17/9 – The Wardrobe – Leeds, UK

18/9 – Arts Club – Liverpool, UK

19/9 – Academy 2 – Manchester

24/9 – O2 Academy 2 – Birmingham, UK

25/9 – O2 Forum Kentish Town – London

26/9 – O2 Forum Kentish Town – London

2/10 – Ulster Sports Club – Belfast, IE

3/10 – The Grand Social – Dublin, IE

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.

The brief tour kicks off at An Seòmar in Inverness on August 20, before heading to Dundee’s Music Hall, Stockton-on-Tees’ Georgian Theatre, and finishing at Stoke’s Sugarmill. The choice of smaller venues, including stops in cities McKenna has never previously played, reflects a deliberate return to more stripped-back performances after performances that have been dominated by festival stages and support slots.

Sharing the news, McKenna said he was “so buzzing” to get back out on the road in this format. “It’s gonna be loud, live and intimate, and we’re even hitting some places I’ve never been to,” he said. “This one’s gonna be electric!”

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McKenna released his third studio album, ‘What Happened To The Beach?’, in 2024, and has spoken about the record marking a shift in his songwriting process. In a recent interview, he described the experience as empowering, explaining that it pushed him to try different kinds of songs and to absorb new approaches from the musicians he worked alongside, differing from how he’d made music in the past.

Since then, McKenna has kept a high profile without mounting a full headline UK tour. Last month, he opened for Imagine Dragons at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, exposing his music to a considerably larger crowd than his usually smaller shows. He has also made choir and guest appearances alongside other artists in recent months.

These new dates give fans a rare chance to see McKenna in far more intimate surroundings before he returns to his festival adventures. He’s booked in for slots at both Reading and Leeds Festival 2026, alongside acts including Fontaines D.C., toward the end of August, meaning this short club run doubles as both a homecoming for the singer, but also a warm up ahead of the large crowds that wait for him at Reading and Leeds.

Tickets for the newly announced shows are available now, with fans encouraged to move quickly given the limited capacity of the venues involved!

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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.

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The collaboration arrives during an exciting chapter in Parks’ career following the release of her third studio album, ‘Ambiguous Desire’. The record marked a new direction for the Mercury Prize-winning singer-songwriter, embracing themes of self-discovery while retaining the emotional fluency that has defined her work since her breakthrough tracks such as ‘Too Good’ and ‘Black Dog’ on her 2021 album ‘Collapsed Sunbeams’.

Glacier, known for her genre-defying style,  has built a reputation for pairing minimalist rap with atmospheric production and poetic lyricism. Her contribution compliments Parks’ reflective songwriting, creating a conversation between two distinctive voices who share an appreciation for vulnerability and storytelling. Parks delivers melodic verses filled with warmth and quiet resilience, while Glacier’s measured cadence introduces contrast and texture.

Fans have already praised the collaboration across social media, with many highlighting the natural chemistry between the pair and calling for more collaborative releases in the future. The song also reflects a growing trend of cross-genre collaborations within the UK music scene, where artists continue to blur the boundaries between indie, R&B, alternative rap, and electronic music.

For Parks, the release reinforces her willingness to experiment and explore, while staying true to her signature style. Since emerging with ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’ and following it with ‘My Soft Machine’, she has consistently expanded her musical sounds without losing the emotional authenticity that first resonated with listeners. John Glacier, meanwhile, continues to cement her reputation as one of Britain’s most innovative voices, making this partnership a fitting meeting of two forward-thinking artists in our current charts.

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 year’s 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 run kicks off in Kingston on Monday, 24th of August, taking the Australian trio to record stores and small venues across the country, with fans getting the chance to hear songs from the new album in exclusive live performances paired with signing sessions. Confirmed stops include Manchester, Middlesbrough, Dundee, Leeds, Norwich and Bristol.

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Ahead of their fourth album, DMA’S ran a similar series of in-store shows, with the Liverpool date selling out in 30 seconds and a second Edinburgh show added within four minutes of the first selling out. The demand is expected to be strong again, given the band’s growing UK stance.

The announcement comes as anticipation builds for the new record, following the release of lead single ‘Killing Time’.  The track is fast-paced and euphoric and follows earlier singles such as ‘My Baby’s Place’, ‘Heatin Park’ and ‘Hurracane’, which have expanded on the band’s signature indie-rock sounds while introducing fresh sonic aspects that are similar to their album ‘How Many Dreams?’

The album was written and recorded between the band’s own studio in Glebe, Sydney, and Los Angeles and is co-produced by DMA’S and  Grammy-nominated producer Lach Bostock, known for his work with Mansionair, with additional contributions from Jimi Somewhere and Styalz Fuego.

DMA’S, Johnny Took, Matt Mason and Tommy O’Dell  have built a UK following spanning more than a decade, with five Top 40 albums to their name. The band have also become festival mainstays, having played Glastonbury, Coachella, Lollapalooza and Truck Festival, making the acoustic run an exciting opportunity for fans to hear the new material in a stripped-back setting before it’s listened to in much bigger stages and venues.

DMA’S will launch a full UK and Ireland headline tour on the 1st of February 2027 in Southampton, building to a major show at London’s Eventim Apollo on the 12th of February, before continuing through Liverpool, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin. The in-store shows will give the band’s most devoted fans a first, up-close listen to the new songs months before they’re heard in arenas and theatres across the UK!