Last Friday night Pale Waves took over a packed KOKO in Camden, bringing a fresh setlist, two fantastic support acts, and a sold-out crowd ready to tear the house down. A Pale Waves show is not your standard concert; it is truly an experience where anthemic alt-rock and unapologetic self-expression merge into one, where fuzzy guitars meet unfiltered singalongs, and every corner of the room just radiates pure queer joy.

Few bands could play their biggest, career-defining hits in the first act of an arena show and still hold the audience’s attention for another two hours. But Mike Scott has never played by the rules. On September 12th, The Waterboys brought their 2026 international Fisherman’s Blues Revue tour to a close at London’s O2 Arena with a nearly three-hour performance that wasn’t just a predictable trip down memory lane. Instead, the show channelled the raw, unruly energy of the band’s late 1980s Celtic folk-rock era.

London has become the terminus for many international band’s EU/UK tours, and Dance Gavin Dance continued the trend, pulling into the capital with riffs, dance moves and a legendary 20 years of material in their back pockets.

Saturday night at the O2 Academy Brixton in London had that distinct energy you only get when a venue is packed to the brim for a lineup that genuinely means something to people. Bringing together Stars, Broken Social Scene, and indie-rock royalty Metric on a single bill turned into a massive reunion of old friends, with the crowd fully invited along for the ride.

Australian trio DMA’s kicked off their UK album release tour at Circuit in Kingston on August 24th arriving fresh from Sydney the day before to play to around 1.400 fans. The band, consisting of Johnny Took (guitarist), Matt Mason (lead guitarist) and Tommy O’Dell (lead vocals), delivered a stripped-back acoustic set that leaned heavily on songs from their new self-titled fifth album.

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.

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.

Surrounded by a crispy Crystal Palace Park, 8000 emos and emo-adjacent gathered in the oasis that is Crystal Palace Bowl, for a nostalgic and high energy sing-along, scream-along, and at times - cry-along.

Richard Ashcroft played a show at North London’s Alexandra Palace Park on July 17th as part of his 2026 UK outdoor summer tour, following his recent 2025 stadium run with Oasis. Best known as the lead singer of 1990s alternative rock band The Verve, Ashcroft went on to build a successful solo career after the band split in 1999.

The Kooks brought 20 years of Inside In / Inside Out to the seaside for a euphoric night of indie nostalgia at Dreamland Margate. There are few places better suited to a celebration of noughties indie than a British seaside town. Throw in a summer evening, the vintage fairground backdrop of Dreamland Margate and several thousand people ready to relive their indie-disco years, and The Kooks' 20th anniversary celebrations for Inside In / Inside Out were always going to feel special.

Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi has teamed up with Carers Trust and disability awareness charity Able2UK to stage a fully accessible, special concert on July 28 at North London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town. The announcement came with the release of the official music video for Capaldi’s latest single ‘Stay Love‘, a special addition to the deluxe edition of his Survive EP.

Nick Cave returned to Brighton for his Homecoming Show at Preston Park on July 31st, playing the band’s only UK headline show of the year to 50,000 fans. Cave has lived in Brighton for more than two decades, so his return for such a landmark UK show felt especially fitting. The night also held some surprises, including a reunion with Kylie Minogue on stage for their 1995 murder ballad 'Where The Wild Roses Grow', performed live together for the first time since 2018. The lineup also featured Warmduscher, Cate Le Bon, English Teacher and The Flaming Lips.