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Livesphere is an online music magazine led by a female collective united by the love of music, dedicated to bringing you the latest music news, reviews, live photos and insights, predominantly in London and the UK as well as throughout Europe. Whether you're a fan of rock, metal, alternative, pop, or indie, we’ve got you covered with in-depth features on artists, album releases, concert reviews, and interviews.
And don’t forget to check out the Live Events section to stay updated on what’s to come!
musicnews
LIVE reviews
BASTILLE | DREAMLAND, MARGATE | 22 AUGUST
NEW!
Stepping into Margate’s Dreamland for the first time pulls you straight into a seaside nostalgia trap. Framed by vintage amusement rides, flickering neon signs, and the cool breeze rolling off the coast, the venue acts as a literal sanctuary. For the fans gathered by the stage, however, this was a long-awaited reunion. With both Orla Gartland and Only The Poets having previously toured as support for Bastille, the entire day felt like a time capsule. It was a perfectly preserved space designed to leave the real world at the turnstiles, allowing everyone to slip into a collective daydream and simply lose themselves in the music.
Opening the afternoon, Reading’s own Only The Poets set a fiery, high-energy tone. Standing in the crowd, it hit me that this was my fourth time seeing them this year - and somehow, they remain completely effortless.
Despite a wobbly sound mix that swallowed the electric guitar early on, the four-piece didn't miss a single beat. They simply leaned into the raw power of their rhythm section, pushing through with a deliciously bottom-heavy bass that thrummed right through our ribcages. It acted as the perfect anchor for sharp drum work and Tommy’s razor-sharp vocals. In fact, whether it was where I was standing, the quirky venue acoustics, or just genuine progression, this was easily the best Tommy has sounded live. He clearly knew it, too, cheekily showing off with random vocal arpeggios between tracks.
TWENTY ONE PILOTS | ALL POINTS EAST FESTIVAL | 30 AUGUST
NEW!
If you wandered into Victoria Park expecting a casual Sunday stroll, the sea of red and yellow tap and Bandito masks was your first clue that normal programming had been officially revoked. For their only UK performance of 2026, Ohio’s favourite genre-bending duo Twenty One Pilots transformed All Points East into a wonderful convention of their own heavily-curated lore.
Before Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun took to the stage to turn Victoria Park into an massive therapy session though, All Points East laid on a feast of support acts.
Looking both thrilled to be (and totally at home) on the vastness of the East Stage, LEAP brought their sultry summer indie rock to a fresh crowd. Although many may have gathered to claim their spot for the headline show, there were certainly also quite a few of the LEAP faithful, excited to see the band on ever growing stages.
“You ready to get freaky today?” frontman Jack Scott winked at the crowd as the band danced their way through a snappy set including their breakout hit of the summer ‘Sinking Feeling’, a more poignantly themed ‘Do or Die’ and suave ‘Exit Signs’. With a brief interlude in which the whole band lobbed t-shirts in the raised arms of the crowd, the rising stars finished with a mosh-pit inducing rendition of ‘Energies’.
ALBUM reviews
MUSE - THE WOW! SIGNAL | 26 JUNE
Muse's tenth studio album, THE WOW! SIGNAL, is arguably their strongest and most focused release since BLACK HOLES and REVELATIONS. It doesn't reinvent the band, but it refines nearly every aspect of what they've spent 25 years building: towering riffs, cinematic production, science-fiction themes, and emotional vulnerability.
THE WOW! SIGNAL, inspired by a mysterious radio transmission once thought to be a possible sign of extraterrestrial intelligence detected in 1977, becomes a symbol for reaching out into the unknown and wondering whether anyone is listening. Lead singer Matt Bellamy has said the songs were influenced by a difficult personal period, giving the record a level of emotional honesty that hasn't been this apparent for years.
When the band released 'Unravelling' in June 2025 as the first glimpse of what would eventually become THE WOW! SIGNAL, it immediately sparked excitement among fans. The single felt like a statement of intent. Its combination of crushing riffs, shimmering synths and an expansive, atmospheric sound suggested that Muse were entering a new creative chapter rather than simply revisiting familiar territory. 'Unravelling' was proof that the band still had surprises left.
The album often plays like the soundtrack to an epic science-fiction film. Orchestral arrangements, cinematic synthesizers and sweeping instrumental passages create the feeling of drifting through galaxies before erupting into thunderous guitar-driven climaxes, as if supernovas were unleashing their cosmic tapestry. Tracks seamlessly blend progressive rock, electronic music and symphonic textures, giving the record a grand, immersive quality that rewards listening from beginning to end.
Starting off with 'The Dark Forest', the album introduces a universe that is both beautiful and intimidating, where haunting synths, orchestral flourishes and crushing guitars capture the feeling of drifting into an endless void. The fans will appreciate the sharp and cutting signature attack of the guitar, also present in the classic track 'Knights of Cydonia'. The staccato, galloping tempo is cinematic and takes you off the Earth.
156/SILENCE - FROM A DISTANCE | 4 SEPTEMBER
NEW!
When asking the question; ‘What makes a 156/Silence album?’ Don't expect the answer to be forthcoming. The Pittsburgh outfit aren't in the habit of repeating themselves.
Over their previous album releases, the band have made a point to never stand still in their soundscape. 2026’s melodic and curated version of the quintet a far cry from 2018’s Undercover Scumbag, which led with gritty punk guitars and highly emotive, bass heavy stoner rock flavours. Irrational Pull in 2020 introduced a clearer, metal forward direction, while retaining the darkness and intensity that the fans- picked up along the way- craved. Narrative in 2022 opened up doors to a freer creative direction, more risks taken, more rewards reaped, with a slight lean into electronics and a hint to the future of the band. This era introduced the kind of metal you're compelled to add lasers to. People Watching in 2024 seemed to lead with a new kind of confidence, the path well-trodden- of never treading the same path, fully fixed the trajectory of the 156/Silence journey with a new confidence and intention that has culminated in From A Distance, the most reaching and self-assured offering from the band so far.
Opening with a clip from hit TV show Severance, featuring Helly R talking about personhood and personal governance, ‘Control Burns’ is a creeping start, which acts as far more than an introduction track and more as a bellwether for the themes set out on the sonic journey to come.
THIS WEEK’S FAVOURITE TRACK
We can’t get enough of Motionless In White’s new album DECADES. Listen to our favourite track ‘Count Back From Zero’.
aboutus
We are an inclusive, independent, non-profit publication led by a female collective launched out of sheer passion for live music and all things music related.
Executive Editor and Photographer: Florelle Servageon
Contact: florelle@livesphere-magazine.com
Editor and Photographer: Eva Grant
Contact: eva@livesphere-magazine.com
Lead Writer & Photographer: Imogen Bird
Contact: imogen@livesphere-magazine.com
Writer (Platform ‘96): Vlad-Paul Ghilaș
Contact: platform96events@gmail.com
Contributors: Nadine Goetz (Writer and Photographer), Justyna Serafin (Photographer), Bia Vismara (Writer), Isabella Jacklin (Writer), Maria Dominici (Writer), Cat Wiltshire (Writer), Auré (Writer), Liv Kendall (Writer), Verity Eaden (Writer), Julie Moisson (Writer), Julia Jevzikova (Photographer), Charlie Wright (Photographer)
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