Buckle up as you’re about to discover your future favourite band. The Left of the Dial names dropped in February, and they go out a stormer; that’s 40-something new acts who are almost now guaranteed and have the talent to make it big. Naturally, the first act to spotlight has …
Future Days takes the future of new music to Birmingham in a stellar showcase of some of the best up and comers. I was eagerly anticipating first band Piss and they more than delivered – performance art on stage; warning the audience that it may be an uncomfortable set as …
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard transformed from rave set that tore up Electric Brixton into an orchestra that tore up the Royal Albert Hall in an excellent show from one of our finest chameleons. The most prolific, enduring band of our current age show they’re the best at what …
Radar festival is the best one-day city festival outside of London and to have it return – stronger than quite possibly ever – with this first wave of announcements signifies its intent to stay – after being on the wrong side of political pressure around Bob Vylan headlining a week …
The first thing that becomes apparent when you set foot in Rotterdam; the home of Left of the Dial festival, is that there’s a statue of a dwarf with a buttplug right by the ticket collection office. The second is that it’s very, very wet – unfortunate at the best …
It’s rare that a festival can get me so excited when I’ve seen every act on the lineup before; but such is the case with Future Days festival in Birmingham at The Crossing, a one-day alternative event curated by This is Tmrw – the promoters having spotlighted some of the …
In its third year, Rally festival finally became what it was meant to be. Two years of running on the only wet day in August because of freak storms would have caused any small festival to close and you wouldn’t blame them; despite capturing star zeitgeist acts like early career …
There are few festivals like Arctangent, and that becomes clear when you set foot on the 5,000-capacity field in Somerset that this prog-rock festival calls home. It’s independent, not run by the big Ticketmaster/Live Nation backed festivals, and its small friendly appeal makes it one of the most charming, welcoming …
Set in the luxurious Larmer Tree Gardens, End of the Road is a lovely, magical festival where the best of the UK’s summer music scene comes together for one final festival tour of the year. Appropriately named then – as the End of the Road, it’s a mix between punk, …
Bloodstock Open Air returns to Derbyshire with one of the best line-ups in the metal scene – spread across three days in August, it’s a festival that’s run by the fans, for the fans, with elite metal talent everywhere you look. Across multiple stages with a wide variety of treats …
Spread across multiple days from the Wednesday through to the Saturday and situated in the picturesque countryside surrounding Bristol, ArcTangent is one of the nicest, most welcoming festivals in the UK. With one of the bad lucks of being cast opposite Green Man; Wales’ premiere indie festival, it has established …
And we’re off. For another year. The sun – is appropriately baking; 40 degrees on the Tuesday. Perfect camping weather for the premiere Belgian pop/rock festival celebrating its fiftieth year. It’s a bit of a mixed bag – but the good largely outweighs the bad. As a legacy show; Werchter …
Rock Werchter is the premier rock festival in Belgium and undergoing a radical shift this year in the lineup thanks to sponsors LiveNation (boo) – running between July 3 and 6 2025. No longer four days of hard rock (was it ever really when Dua Lipa headlined last year?) instead …
2000 Trees is an indie festival that takes place between 9-12 July in Cheltenham over a four-day split that switches gears from indie rock to metal and everything in between. It’s a fascinating mix of genres and talent and one of the most lovely, friendly festivals in the UK that …
Up until a few months ago Wide Awake was just a normal indie festival with the kind of music that would play bands with names like “Psychedelic Porn Crumpets” and “King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard”; and nobody would be none the wiser of to its existence. However, that would …
Left of the Dial is already shaping up to be one of the hotspots on the DIY calendar for Europeans or those with the ability to travel. Situated in the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, now accessible through the Eurostar direct from London, it may not have your …
Ritual Union Festival is a yearly, one-day event taking place in the heart of Bristol, one of the UK’s cultural capitals, to shine a spotlight on some of the brightest up-and-coming musicians in the scene now. Taking place over four venues – the iconic SWX; Rough Trade and Strange Brew, …
Pitchfork Music Festival London is a multi-day highlight of the best music has to offer. Pitchfork are the taste-makers – their reviews having been the point of discussion alone; expertly curated tastemakers. It was only a matter of time before they put on a festival and it expanded to cities …
Outer Town is one of the best one-day festivals in the UK; a celebration of the DIY spirit and the indie upcoming rising stars that you won’t see at the big, buzzy festivals like your Coachellas or your Reading and Leedses, or even in London; taking place in Bristol highlighting …
Outer Town Festival is the prelude to Ritual Union; instead of airing in the city centre at Bristol it takes place in the surrounding venues in collaboration with indie festivals overseas like the Netherlands’ famous Left of the Dial. Taking place across multiple stages as every bit as iconic as …