The new single from Buxton singer-songwriter Isaac Neilson  sets him in good stead to begin working on his debut album. With an already loyal following, 2026 is undoubtedly a year of success and growth for the indie artist. Photo Credit: Kevin Donnelly Packed with energy and attitude, ‘No Affection’  is bound to be a crowd pleaser. The raw lyricism is charged with passion and authenticity. The electric guitar heats the song up perfectly whilst the drums build intensity and rh

STONE have been one of the most exciting, visceral acts in the Liverpool scene for a good few years now. They’ve gained a cult following for the intensity of their live shows and last year they finally delivered what the fans had been calling for… their debut album. ‘Fear Life For A Lifetime’ was a poignant culmination of their journey so far and was a fierce Rock record laced with heartfelt undertones. However, there was a rumbling in the background that the album release p

Celebrating the 20 th  anniversary of their debut album in 2025, Kaiser Chiefs’   20 Years of Employment  tour truly took fans back in time. The Indie Rock band hailing from Leeds found success with their debut album, ‘Employment’ , released in 2005 and selling over three million copies. Playing the full album alongside their greatest hits, Kaiser Chiefs rocked their Manchester performance from start to finish on Saturday, 14 th  February 2026. Supported by Corella , O2 Victo

Since we last saw Cardinals back in 2024 when they supported Been Stellar , it’s clear a lot has changed. Gone are the fresh-faced, Fred Perry-clad members of the past. Now they enter the stage – hoodies up and puffer coats still on – as a band who no longer need to question their place in the room. The shift is subtle but clear. Where they once carried themselves as EP-era hopefuls, tonight they stand firm in the identity their debut has carved out. That confidence bleeds i

2025 didn't just bring us some incredible albums and some defining releases from the biggest voices in the Indie world, it also uncovered a slew of exciting new voices who we believe are in for a huge 2026. From scrappy Indie Rock youngsters to bands who are on the crest of a wave ready to plunge into their debut albums, here's an unordered list of acts you need to watch out for this year. Basht This year we've seen a much deserved rise in appreciation for talent coming from

Given that Ash  burst out of the blocks with their debut album ‘1977’  thirty years ago, the youth of today would be forgiven for not being familiar with the nature of these Northern-Irish alternative rock and rollers. But whilst ignorance may be understood, it is certainly still pitied, because an Ash gig is a palate-cleanser that we could all do with - a night off from reality, on a harsh winter’s evening. Photo Credit: Paul Lang They kick the gig off with the barnstorming

The newest single from the Indie Rock band Paradise Circus starts innocently with the strumming of an acoustic guitar before exploding into a soundscape filled with electronic, guitar-driven layers. ‘Nevermind’ feels like a track you have heard before as it oozes a nostalgic yet melancholic tone while feeling like a breath of fresh air for the Indie Rock genre.   As lead singer David Purchase sings with raw vocals “ I don’t know if you feel the same way, maybe we’ll meet agai

Discover some of the best new music from emerging artists in Liverpool, Manchester and all the beautiful places in between! TERE! You could absolutely lose yourself in a piano, the breadth of chords and dynamics allows you to tumble through the notes forever. This is, however, the problem that Liverpool based artist TERE! grapples with in her latest single ‘Normal Girl’ ; the problem of losing yourself to an artistic career, never quite fitting into the boxes that you’re mean

After dropping their sophomore album 'NATIONAL AVERAGE' last summer, completely by surprise, Black Country duo BIG SPECIAL immediately cemented their place as one of the most exciting new Rock acts in the country. Their blend of cynical social commentary and angsty Punk attitude blended with moments of more thoughtful, vocal reflections has hints of Yard Act and Sleaford Mods while also embodying a definitively unique spirit all of their own. Photo credit: Isaac Watson @

Ahead of the BRIT Awards coming to Manchester for the first time in its history, The K’s  took to the Gorilla Stage on Friday night in support of War Child as part of the highly-anticipated Brits week lineup. The Merseyside quartet showcased their ever-growing prowess on the concert stage to a sold-out crowd, creating the perfect sense of communal celebration not only for their music, but for an incredible cause.  Photo Credit: Paul Lang / @paullangphotographer On what would

Australian four-piece Radium Dolls have taken the Alt- Rock scene by storm since the release of their first album in 2024. Known for explosive live performances, the band has a talent for combining humour and introspection with blistering, intense instrumentals. Their recent sophomore album ‘Wound Up’ is an eleven-part dive into raw storytelling and anthemic musicality.   Photo Credit: Danysha Harriott The album’s second track ‘Scorching Heat’ exemplifies the band’s knack

Over the past two years, Dutch duo Sarah   Julia  have quickly established themselves as exciting new talents in the world of Indie Folk with their otherworldly, enchanted, and wholly individual sound. Made up of sisters Sarah and Julia Nauta, ‘ Bigger Picture ’ is their latest single, a perfect summation of their nostalgic and harmonically lush sound.   Tender and intimate, and on just the right side of twee, the duo perfectly combine the modern Indie Folk sensibility of con

Ellur cements herself fully in the Indie Pop genre with her debut album ‘At Home In My Mind’ , a reflective, yet hopeful embodiment of the turmoil of your early twenties. The album isn’t so much about growing up but learning how to exist inside uncertainty, turning overthinking into both subject and setting.  Characterised by her impressive vocals and songwriting, tracks like ‘Missing Kid’ land at the emotional core of the album, capturing the strange realisation that you’

Dream Nails  has recently shrunk to become a three piece, not shrunk, that’s the wrong word. Exploded into a three piece? Picking up the scatters of electric vocals and lashing drums, they’ve built a softer, smoother melody, into which old pieces of the riot grrrl debris has embedded itself. This has manifested itself in their newest album ‘You Wish’ , a more pop led exploration of the political rage that defines their band.  Credit: Marieke Macklon Opening this album is ‘The

It’s not often you get a line up that demands you arrive the second the doors open but that was the case last Friday night at Manchesters New Century Hall. Headlining the night was the energy-fuelled Indie Pop duo Good Neighbours but first up was FLETCHR FLETCHR , one of the most exciting new live acts in the country.  From start to finish their set was filled with a dramatic tension. A blend of moody synths, dense drum beats and echoed vocals that floated through the venue.

BIG SPECIAL’s sophomore long-play ‘NATIONAL AVERAGE’ arrived completely unannounced last year, infused with true Black Country grit and an array of sharply-produced electronic instrumentals, in a brain-challenging, hypnotic commentary on the darkness of the modern age. Any album released out of the blue, purely under the guise of a pixelated projected picture of egg and chips, is destined to turn heads, that’s without question. The blueprint that offered up the formula for t

The city’s biggest celebration of the best new and independent film, Manchester Film Festival , returns in 2026. An annual celebration of storytelling through cinema, MFF brings film lovers and filmmakers together for 11 days of screenings, Q&As, red-carpet glamour, and so much more. Now in its twelfth year, Manchester Film Festival has grown year-on-year, and is now one of the biggest celebrations of cinema in the UK, with consistently high reviews from The festival will als

Suede are having fun on this tour. That’s all. They’re in sweaty, beer coated venues playing songs they’ve only just written and bouncing about like lunatics. They have a weird goth-punk band opening for them and a mass of dizzy teenagers lining the barrier; they’re a definitively modern band.  Suede at RFH 14 Sept 2025 credit Paul Khera The strange gothic kids that christen the night are called Bloodworm, a three piece band from Nottingham whose instruments hang lazily from

Entering the stage following a dancey remix of ‘Strawberry Fields’ , Hushtones turn their walk out into a playful mission statement for the night: prepare for something retro, thoroughly Liverpudlian, but with a subtle hint at something fresher. The quintet has spent the past few years becoming a staple of the North-West music scene, known for blending guitar-driven indie with bright male-female vocals and a penchant for 60s and 70s leaning songcraft that nods to Fleetwood M

Defying genres with her Rock -edged, Indie Pop sound, Switzerland- based artist Mary Middlefield loudly and unapologetically conveys spiralling inner-monologues and hard truths. Her latest EP ‘Wake Up!’ lives up to its title. Five artful and unpredictable tracks shake the listener from their reverie with slicing instrumentals and candid, witty lyrics.   Title track ‘Wake Up!’ is a conversation with the internal monologue that feeds on insecurity. Intense Rock instrumental