View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Niall Horan (@niallhoran)

The announcement comes following another from March 4th where Horan released a snippet of himself singing the single ‘Dinner Party’. Due to be released on March 20th, ‘Dinner Party’ is the romantic telling of Horan meeting Woolley. In the post’s caption, he described ‘Dinner Party’ and the events which inspired it as ‘a really happy and big moment in my life, an evening at a simple dinner party that changed the course of my life.” He continued telling fans that the experience inspired the single as the “nucleus for the rest of the record”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Niall Horan (@niallhoran)

Fans have been vindicated in suspicion of Horan’s return following more than a few instances where Horan had bought them drinks and dinner.

niall horan bought everyone at a dinner party wine for valentine’s day. this is a cute song tease if that’s what this is pic.twitter.com/gBhLUh7YnI

— 2000s (@PopCulture2000s) February 16, 2026

Ahead of promotions for his fourth album, Horan released ‘Drive Safe’, a collaboration with Myles Smith in February. Horan’s first three albums ‘Flicker’ released in October 2017, ‘Heartbreak Weather’ released in March 2020 and ‘The Show’ released June 2023 all peaked at number one in Horan’s native Ireland. Horan saw sustained success as ’Heartbreak Weather’ and ‘The Show’ also hit number one the UK, with ‘The Show’ also reaching number two on the Billboard 200 chart. Horan’s last tour ‘The Show: Live on Tour’ in 2024 saw Horan visit Asia, Europe, Oceania and North and South America wIth support from Birdy, Tommy Lefroy, Gina Miles and more. Fans expectantly wait to see if the Irishman will release tour dates for ‘Dinner Party’ sometime in the near future.

The Belfast rapper, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, has been embroiled in a legal war with the British Government since the incident on the 21st of November 2024. As staunch supporters of Palestine during their conflict with Israel, the band has frequently spoken out against the British Government’s actions or lack thereof, with previous acts of declaring support for Middle-Eastern political groups being recorded. During a Kneecap concert at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town, he was witnessed waving a flag associated with Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah, which he claims was thrown onto the stage by a crowd member. Endorsement or support of Hezbollah is illegal due to the government proscribing them as a terrorist faction, with the punishment if found guilty carrying six months imprisonment and a fine.

The Metropolitan Police were made aware of a video of the incident in April last year, and Mo Chara was charged under the Terrorism Act 2006 on the 22nd of May 2025. After the first hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court in June, the group’s actions and scheduled performance at the year’s Glastonbury Festival were publicly scrutinised by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, himself a former Director of Public Prosecutions.

Following another hearing in August, the verdict was handed down on the 26th of December, with Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring finding that the charges against Mo Chara were unlawful. Due to internal issues with the CPS’s process, the formal charging on the 22nd of May was one day over the six-month window since the initial perceived crime on the 21st of November 2024. In a social media post, Kneecap’s manager Daniel Lambert said “Liam Óg is a free man. We said we would fight them and win. We did (Twice). Kneecap has NO charges OR convictions in ANY country, EVER.”

In October, the CPS lodged an appeal against the courts, seemingly hell-bent on making an example of the group. Kneecap described this as “political policing”, and noted that the press had been alerted to the news before any of their legal team. This appeal was quashed today by judges at the High Court in London, validating the Chief Magistrate’s assertions on the charges and their timing. In the document published digitally by Lord Justice Edis and Mr Justice Linden, they clarified that the CPS’s claim falling outside the six-month window had nullified the charges.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)

Mo Chara and Kneecap have celebrated the news with several social media posts this afternoon, taking aim at the government – both their involvement in Northern Irish affairs and their silence on Palestine. Writing on Instagram, they say “The worlds biggest terrorists are the leaders of the British state. Free Palestine. Free the 6 counties.” The tussle with the British state clearly hasn’t deterred them from political activism. Just this week, the act announced their support of the Nuestra América Convoy, a relief effort to provide supplies to Cuba during their trade embargo at the hands of Donald Trump’s US Government.

2026 will also be a big year for music for Kneecap, with their third album ‘Fenian’ set for release on the 24th of April. So far they have shown furious singles ‘Liars Tale” and ‘Smugglers & Scholars’. In addition to a big headline show at London’s Crystal Palace Park on the 27th of June, they are also embarking on an extensive summer tour of European festivals over 2026. You can catch them at Boomtown as well as Reading and Leeds festivals this August with ticket links on their website.

Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ has confirmed that it will neither send an act nor air the show, arguing that taking part would be incompatible with its responsibilities as a public service broadcaster during an ongoing conflict in which civilians are suffering heavily. They released a statement saying that their participation “remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza”. Spain’s RTVE, traditionally one of the key funding pillars of Eurovision, has echoed those concerns, stating that it cannot justify participation. At the same time, Israel is allowed to compete under the current circumstances. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros and RTV Slovenia have issued similar statements, formally aligning themselves with the boycott and stressing that their decisions are directed at states and institutions rather than individual performers.

Broadcasters behind the boycott point primarily to the war in Gaza, highlighting high civilian casualties, the humanitarian crisis and repeated calls from rights groups for stronger international pressure on Israel. They argue that sharing a stage with Israel in what is framed as a celebratory entertainment event risks normalising the conflict and undermining their own stance on human rights and international law. Some executives and commentators have also referred to earlier allegations about irregularities or possible unfair influence in Eurovision voting, saying these disputes have made it harder to claim that the contest is fully detached from political agendas.

The boycotts are not a first for the competition. In 1969, the UK, Spain, France and the Netherlands were declared joint winners after all securing 18 points. In response, Finland, Portugal, Norway and Sweden boycotted the contest the following year. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs Eurovision, introduced a tiebreak rule a year later. Another more politically motivated boycott was in 1975 and 1976, when Greece and Turkey boycotted the event after Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974.

The EBU has defended the decision to allow Israel to participate, describing the contest as a competition between independent broadcasters rather than between governments. The EBU points to planned voting reforms, including a stronger role for professional juries and stricter general oversight, as evidence that it is addressing concerns about fairness while keeping the event open to all eligible members. Major broadcasters such as the BBC and Austria’s ORF have publicly supported Israel’s continued participation, warning that exclusions based on foreign policy would politicise the event even further and could trigger boycotts in the opposite direction, deepening divisions in the Eurovision community.

Featured image credits: MrSilesian

Her latest release contains all the things we have grown to love by CMAT. This includes her pride in her Irish roots, highlighted in the title track ‘Euro-Country’ where she sings the first verse in Gaelic, and her humour shown in the track ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’. CMAT celebrated the release of her latest album on Instagram where she wrote “today is the day that EURO-COUNTRY is out in the world. i am so happy that we made it even though it was the hardest job i have ever had in my life. i hope you can hear how much work went into it, along with a genuinely quite large part of our souls.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cmat (@cmatbaby)

The music world has been highly anticipating this release and excitement has been building after her standout performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury this year, as well as performances at Primavera Sound and All Points East. CMAT has also released a memorial plate, available for a chance to win if you order the album on her official website before September 4, again highlighting her unique blend of humour and tradition. She shared this with her fans with the following post.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by cmat (@cmatbaby)

CMAT achieved viral fame after her song ‘Take A Sexy Picture Of Me”, the sixth song on this latest album, became notable on social media platforms such as TikTok and even gaining it’s own TikTok dance. Though she was well known before this, the viral dance helped her achieve the fame she deserves. Celebrities such as Amelia Dimoldenberg have been performing the dance on her TikTok channel @ameliadimz shown below:

@ameliadimz Love you @cmat by @Sam Morris ♬ Take A Sexy Picture Of Me – CMAT

Fans have been reacting well to the album in discussions online. Tracks like ‘Lord Let That Tesla Crash’ are being seen as one of the highlights to the album, a song about death and materialism which has caused gut-wrenching sadness upon listens. The title song ‘Euro-Country’ tackles the economic boom Ireland had from the 1990s-late 2000’s and the effects of the 2008 crash on the lives of young people at the time. The album is catchy but deals with very real topics in an honest and throat-catching way.

CMAT is on tour next year with her new album, though tickets are selling quickly and she has even added a new date in Manchester. She is also currently performing solo album release shows in record stores around the country before beginning her main tour. Tickets are available here

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fontaines D.C. (@fontainesband)

Fontaines D.C. is a critically acclaimed post-punk band from Dublin, Ireland, known for their gritty, poetic lyrics and dynamic sound that draws from punk rock, post-punk, and traditional Irish influences. Formed in 2017, the band’s name combines Fontaines (a character from The Godfather) with D.C., short for Dublin City. Fontaines D.C. are celebrated for balancing modern punk sensibilities with a deep connection to their Irish roots, making them a standout act in the post-punk revival movement.

The band performed at the sold-out Alexandra Palace, London, yesterday. The support act was DIIV, an American indie-rock band based in Brooklyn, New York, known for their dreamy sound, combining jangly guitars and introspective lyrics. Their music often touches on themes of addiction, self-reflection, and emotional vulnerability. The rest of the tour is supported by Sorry, an indie-rock band from North London. Their music combines elements of indie rock, trip-hop, and jazz with eclectic influences ranging from 90s grunge to electronic experimentation.

See you tonight, London.

7pm: @sorrybanduk
7:50pm: @DIIV
9pm: Fontaines D.C. pic.twitter.com/jRMNMoUOvK
— Fontaines D.C. (@fontainesdublin) November 22, 2024

Fontaines D.C.’s fourth studio album ‘Romance’ was released on August 23, 2024. It marks a bold evolution in their sound. Moving beyond their earlier focus on Irish identity, the band explores more surreal, fantastical themes and emotional depth. Whilst labelled as a post-punk band, Fontaines D.C. is hoping to achieve something different with their latest release.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect me, insofar as it made me want to prove that we weren’t that,” frontman Grian Chatten told GQ, “with each record we’ve said, there’s no way they can call this a punk record or a postpunk record, and they always fucking do.”

The song ‘Starbuster‘ from the new album has so far received the most listens on Spotify.

The band will also tour the USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand in 2025. For tickets for the rest of their UK & Ireland tour, you can visit their website or check for updates on upcoming shows on their Instagram.

Weezer announced the tour on X, stating, “Today is the greatest day we’ve ever known. UK and Ireland we’re coming back around to co-headline a handful of shows next summer with @SmashingPumpkin“.

The Smashing Pumpkins, who have just come off their US tour, announced soon after, “SP is excited to announce we will be touring UK & Ireland next year with Weezer.”

With multiple, multi-platinum records and careers spanning about 30 years, these US bands are sure to thrill UK and Irish fans. Just last year, US fans experienced this powerful rock concoction at BeachLife Festival in California where both bands headlined.

For Weezer, they are returning to the UK after their highly anticipated, Hella Mega, sold-out stadium tour with Green Day and Fallout Boy which was initially delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. 2022 saw Weezer release an innovative quartet of EP’s titled SZNZ – each album changing its sound to correspond to the feeling and emotions of the four seasons.

Since their debut studio album release in 1994 with Weezer (often referred to as the ‘Blue Album‘), this Los Angeles group have amassed billions of streams, over 10 million album sales in the US and over 35 million record sales internationally.

Chicago rock icons, The Smashing Pumpkins, have had their fair share of success since forming in 1988. Their unique and pioneering sound, which blended various music genres previously unexplored by the world, paved the way for them to achieve enduring iconic status. Their name quickly became synonymous with 90’s alternative rock.

In November 2022, The Smashing Pumpkins began to release a trilogy of rock opera albums titled, ATUM. Past albums they have released have been critically acclaimed and commercially successful. Siamese Dream (1993), which just celebrated its 30th year anniversary, has since gone quadruple-platinum and was placed no.18 in Pitchfork’s ‘Top 100 Albums of the 90’s’.

Tickets for their UK and Ireland co-headlining tour will go on sale Friday 20th October at 10am: get the link here.

Touring dates for The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer:

07/06/2024 – Birmingham Utilita Arena – Birmingham
08/06 – The O2 Arena – London
10/06 –  3Arena – Dublin
12/06 – Glasgow OVO Hydro – Glasgow
13/06 – Manchester Co-op Live – Manchester
14/06 – Cardiff Castle – Cardiff

The two bands toured together across the United States last year and are preparing to do two shows together again in Japan, this upcoming winter. The bands are replicating a 1993 European Tour they both did together in a similar manner.

On the evidence of previous tours, when both Manic Street Preachers and Suede head towards the UK and Ireland in June and July of next year, each band will play around 75 minutes, alternating who plays last night by night. A breakdown on who is playing last can be found below.

Talking to BBC Breakfast about the tour earlier this morning (October 6^th), Manic Street Preachers bassist and lyricist Nicky Wire, said: “We’ve both got a dedicated fanbase, but we do share a gene pool and a rabid denomination of fans, it’s because we never belonged to anything apart from ourselves. We were never part of grunge, we never part of Britpop. And we just looked better than anyone back then anyway.”

Suede frontman, Brett Anderson added: “It’s really inspiring to have a band that you love playing with you. It’s like a friendly competition.”

The frontman for Manic Street Preachers, James Dean Bradfield spoke of the two bands before heading to tour the United States last year as he said: “A lot of bands were quite short on glamour at that point. They shared the same DNA with us of trading on an underground customised glamour. They had these dystopian, J.G. Ballard landscapes in a lot of the songs, so along those lines we definitely fitted. We were both quite visceral live bands too. Brett is one loud motherfucker on stage! They kind of share the same path as us. They’ve been through a few things and they’re still here.”

Suede are currently gearing up for a selection of UK headline shows in early December, to promote and support their album Autofiction, which came out last year.  Manic Street Preachers are currently recording a follow up to 2021’s The Ultra Vivid Lament, whilst bassist and lyricist Nick Wire has just released he’s second solo album, Intimism, earlier this year in July.

Tour dates:

28/06/2024 – Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod – Llangollen, Wales*
02/07 – Trinity College Dublin – Dublin, Republic of Ireland**
05/07 – Cardiff Castle – Cardiff, Wales*
10/07 – Edinburgh Castle – Edinburgh, Scotland*
12/07 – Castlefield Bowl – Manchester, England*
13/07 – Millenium Square – Leeds, England**
18/07 – Alexandra Palace Park – London, England**

Manic Street Preachers closing the show – *
Suede closing the show – **

Excitement has been growing since Take That announced they were “back for good” following the King’s Coronation Concert. Where they revamped their 2008 single “Greatest Day’s”

The tour begins in Sheffield on April 13th, with the line-up consisting of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen. Thereafter they will be hosting two concerts in Dublin, two in Leeds, and four at London’s 02 Arena. The Dublin dates will take place at the 3Arena on Monday, April 22nd and Tuesday, April 23rd.

We’re extremely excited to announce that we are going on a tour of the UK & Ireland in 2024! You can get pre-sale access by pre-ordering our brand-new album ‘This Life’ from the official Take That UK store before 10AM BST on the 26th Sep. https://t.co/7ElauYKxH8 pic.twitter.com/Riwg5PM1OI

— Take That (@takethat) September 22, 2023

Announcing the news, Gary Barlow told BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, “New music, it is exciting, we’ve been together for 33 years now so it’s like, ‘what’s next, how do we sound in 2023?There’s nothing more we love than going into a studio and going ‘who are we now, how does our music sound now when it comes out’ and it feels fresh and it feels exciting and it feels like we’re looking upwards.”

The tour will kick off in Glasgow’s OVO Hydro and feature three shows at the beginning of May, prior to four performances at Manchester’s Co-Op Live. The band will then move on to Birmingham for four dates, followed by gigs in Middlesbrough, Nottingham, Norwich, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Plymouth and Swansea. Finally concluding with a show at Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium on June 8th. Olly Murs who first gained recognition from his X Factor appearance in 2009, will be the opening act throughout.

Today this could be the greatest day of our lives wow I’ve had this secret for some time but next year I’m on the road with these legends TAKE THAT! What a tour this is going to be! Tickets go on sale NEXT FRIDAY 29th SEPTEMBER! https://t.co/HxrVjtoGBj gunna be a special!! pic.twitter.com/xPAAiVqGz8 — Olly Murs (@ollymurs) September 22, 2023

Take That’s new album This Life is available to pre-order, click here.

Take That’s 2024 This Life On Tour tickets go on sale 09:30, Friday 29 September. Click here to purchase.

New tour dates have been added by Take That, due to an overwhelming response from fans.

Your response to the tour has been nothing short of incredible – so we’re adding a further two more shows in Birmingham and Manchester! Tickets go on sale this Friday at 9:30am BST here: https://t.co/HALXwEiJiz pic.twitter.com/3TeQdPHRGX

— Take That (@takethat) October 4, 2023

13/04/2024 – Utilita Arena – Sheffield
14/04 – Utilita Arena – Sheffield
17/04 – Leeds First Direct Arena – Leeds – NEW DATE
18/04 – Leeds First Direct Arena – Leeds – NEW DATE
19 /04 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
20/04 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
22/04 – 3Arena – Dublin
23/04 – 3Arena – Dublin
25/04 – The O2 – London
26/04 – The O2 – London
27/04 – The O2 – London
30/04 – The O2 – London
01/05 – The O2 – London – NEW DATE
03/05 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
04/05 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
05/05 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
07/05 – Co-op Live – Manchester
08/05 – Co-op Live – Manchester
10/05 – Co-op Live – Manchester
11/05 – Co-op Live – Manchester
14/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
15/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
17/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
18/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
19/05- Utilita Arena – Birmingham – NEW DATE
20/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham – NEW DATE
20/05 – The City Ground Stadium – Nottingham – NEW DATE
24/05 – Riverside Stadium – Middlesborough
26/05 – The City Ground Stadium, – Nottingham
28/05 – Carrow Road Stadium – Norwich
30/05 – Milton Keynes Stadium – Milton Keynes
01/06 – St Mary’s Stadium – Southampton
02/06 – St Mary’s Stadium – Southampton – NEW
04/06 – Home Park Stadium – Plymouth
06/06 – Swansea Stadium – Swansea
08/06 – Ashton Gate Stadium – Bristol
09/06 – Ashton Gate Stadium – Bristol – NEW DATE
11/06 – Co-Op Live – Manchester – NEW DATE
12/06 – Co-Op Live – Manchester – NEW DATE

Taking to Instagram, the Fontaines revealed the official artwork alongside the caption:

“We’ve got a new version of Skinty Fia coming out called Skinty Fia Go Deo, which translates to ‘Skinty Fia Forever’. The name memorialises a moment in time for us and brings together live sessions, covers and reworks from the Skinty Fia era.”

So far, however, fans have been deprived of a specific release date. Check out the post below:

Skinty Fia, Fontaines D.C.’s third studio album, was universally praised by critics upon its release last year. The LP became the group’s first number-one album in both Ireland and the UK and earned them a win at the 2023 Brit Awards, as well as a nomination for Album of the Year at the 2022 Choice Music Prizes.

Check out lead single “Jackie Down The Line” here:

Since Skinty Fia’s release, frontman Grian Chatten has embarked on a solo career, treating fans to a debut album in Chaos For The Fly. The project, which has been out since late June, marks a subtle departure from the electric guitar-based sound the Fontaines have cultivated over the years, favouring crooning vocals and acoustic finger-picking over driving bass-lines and snappy drums.

Listen to “Last Time Every Time Forever” from Chaos For The Fly: 

Meanwhile, a tireless Chatten has confirmed he and the band have been plotting their next move, and already have some rough ideas for their next record. Furthermore, he has admitted to becoming “increasingly bored and unsatisfied with writing for just a bassline and a drum kit”, and has even suggested that the future of Fontaines D.C. may see the band moving away from using guitars completely. 

“Whenever I have an idea for a tune, it doesn’t necessarily exist in a world of guitars and drums, even though those are the tools that we have to express ourselves with,” Chatten explained, going on to cite 808s & Heartbreak by Kanye West and ATliens-era OutKast as music that he currently finds himself coming back to the most.

Pre-order Skinty Fia Go Deo here.