A brief round-up of the year so far according to Keith Goldhanger who highlights his favourite five songs so far this year.

The best new and unsigned artists in my inbox from January 2026, wading through the audio slush pile so you don’t have to.

A.A.Williams delivers a majestic performance of both fragile restraint and crushing power at Bristol’s Strange Brew.

An autobiographical journey through 70s youth culture runs parallel to an obsession with trains and arrives at punk rock central.

After a whirlwind breakout year, Dublin electropunk trio YARD are back with a new EP, YARD II, a five track release that sharpens, darkens, and distorts everything they set in motion with their debut.

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A 30th anniversary reappraisal of the genre-hopping Brixton collective R.O.C.'s beguiling, eclectic and shape-shifting debut album of 1996.

Evil Blizzard

Birmingham hardcore punks Broken Lungs return screaming with No Remedy, a blistering new single that distills everything the band...

Manchester: The Biography By Ed Glinert Out Now by Great Northern Books:  Illustrated by Polyp: Design by David Burrill Manchester: The Biography is a Manchester: The Biography is an ambitious and wid...

Louder Than War is Hosting Its First Festival In Manchester called LOUDER THAN WAR LIVE in March 2026 - Signed Up Form

Louder Than War is Hosting Its First Festival In Manchester called LOUDER THAN WAR LIVE in March 2026 - Signed Up Form

The Boo Radleys return with a new album In Spite Of Everything and announce French tour in February and UK and Ireland tour dates for May.

French post-punk gothic rockers Corpus Delicti announce Liminal UK Tour starting in Edinburgh on 19 February

Swedish composer Erik Klinga creates an inspiring and regenerative ambient album, full of subtle contrasts and tough melancholy.

Part Time Punks, the Leeds based all-day event curated by Nervous Twitch, is back taking place on Saturday 6th June at Wharf Chambers

Manchester sparkled with glamour as the Queen of Burlesque, Dita Von Teese, kicked off her UK | Europe 2026 tour

Super Pattern: SPII Self-released  Out now Recorded over a week in an AirBnB in Wales, synth poppers Super Pattern made a debut whose spontaneity, The London-based trio bridge experimental synth pop p...

Manchester sparkled with glamour as the Queen of Burlesque, Dita Von Teese, kicked off her UK | Europe 2026 tour

Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone played host to Suede on the opening night of the now sold out UK leg of their Antidepressants tour.