UK festivals: Hidden gems you may not have heard of - Gemfest, Gottwood and more
Festival season is approaching, and while I'm sure you know all about Glastonbury, Boomtown and Reading festivals, why not try something new?
With Glastonbury taking a year’s break from music and dancing, what other festivals can compare?
Away from the immense crowds, ticket prices and mainstream headliners, here are some under-the-radar festivals offering community, forest raves, and rising artists, as recommended by Music News Blitz’s Olivia Carolan.
Music news: What are Pink Floyd doing on a football shirt?
British rock band Pink Floyd have teamed up with Inter Milan to create limited-edition sportswear celebrating their album, Wish You Were Here.
The collaboration reflects the band's iconic imagery and how it is still, today, shaping culture, fashion and sport.
But why are the rock legends finding a new life on the football pitch? Music News Blitz’s Maisie Sharp-Fehr shares her thoughts.
The age of recycling in the world of music: Sampling
Music is in an age of recycling, where new sounds incorporate the old, and tradition is repackaged as invention.
There is a growing trend in pop music where artists seem to pluck the strings of nostalgia when curating new bodies of work.
Familiar tunes, familiar voices, echoes of famous songs that came before them.
As we look to the charts right now, and the trajectory of music going forwards, it can be said that we are witnessing the rise of sampling in music.
Music News Blitz’s Isaac James breaks down everything you need to know.
The soundtrack of Bugonia: Creating a musical score in a vacuum
One of my favourite films of 2025 was undoubtedly Bugonia, an uncomfortable questioning as to whether or not the fear of aliens is simply true xenophobia and the fear of the unknown, or whether we are merely frightened of the possibility that they might have the same capacity for malice and violence that humans do.
However, the atmosphere and tone of the film were built upon the foundation of something all great films have, that being an amazing musical score.
Music News Blitz writer Isaac James expands.
Leeds music news: No phones, more rooms and more ravers… welcome to the new Mint venue
A new venue in Leeds is set to open its doors in 2026 with a new sound system, a new no-phone policy, multiple rooms and more ravers.
The founders of the legendary Leeds nightclub, Mint Warehouse – and Mint Festival – have decided to level up from a 700-capacity club to over 2000, creating a second venue for all audiences.
With over two decades of music and huge artists, the team has had an incredible run, from an intimate DJ-based venue to a huge outdoor festival - now Mint takes their next step.
Mint has forever been known for their electronic line-ups, but this time they’re extended to more, adding to their already upstanding legacy.
Music opinion: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2026: A British takeover?
This year features a record number of British artists being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with rock drummer Phil Collins and heavy metal legends Iron Maiden and Oasis among those voted.
Music News Blitz’s Maisie Sharp-Fehr shares her thoughts…
Music opinion: Coachella took ‘2026 is the new 2016’ seriously
Welcome to the desert. Weekend 1 of the hit music festival Coachella took place in Indio, California, from April 10-12, 2026.
The festival is such a global phenomenon that fans tuned into the live stream from home, affectionately nicknaming it “bedchella” or “couchchella.”
Weekend 2 is scheduled for April 17-19, 2026, and will again be livestreamed on Coachella’s official YouTube channel.
This year, the festival has been hailed as the return of 2016, where popular musicians of that era performed, and 2016 fashion trends reappeared, writes Music News Blitz’s Sarah Sharp.
Cancel culture in the music industry: Selective accountability?
One of the UK’s biggest festivals, Wireless, has been cancelled after the headliner for all three days, Kanye West, was denied entry into the UK, which has now sparked debate online.
Is cancel culture applied equally across the industry, or is accountability just shaped by public perception and commercial value?
Music News Blitz writer Maisie Sharp-Fehr gives her thoughts.
Is AG8 coming this summer? Everything we know so far about Ariana Grande’s eighth studio album
Maybe we’re delusional and reading into things too much, but Arianators, AG8 may be coming this summer!
Over the last few weeks, Ariana Grande has been teasing new music on social media, sharing cryptic posts and messages that have only added to the speculation.
From politics to the decks: Why the Green Party are throwing a rave
Green Space, the creative collective partnered with the Green Party, are holding a fundraiser rave in Leeds at one of the biggest underground grassroot venues in the country.
Is this the future for campaigning for votes – or is it just a gimmick?
Music News Blitz writer Maisie Sharp-Fehr gives her thoughts…
Music opinion: Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber at Coachella 2026 highlight different expectations in pop headlining
As Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber took the Coachella 2026 stage as headliners, the stark difference in expectations surrounding their performances became impossible to ignore.
Music News Blitz writer Anna Ferraz unpacks this contrast.
Music opinion: Elitism and wealth at Coachella
Summer is emerging, which can only mean one thing – festival season is back. Coachella, the annual music festival in California returns beginning on April 10 for two weekends.
The festival features a variety of genres from electronic dance music to rock. This year huge artists are headlining Coachella including Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G.
Music News Blitz writer Olivia Carolan shares her opinion on the festival.
‘Midnight Sun’ summer - how Zara Larsson’s sound and style could define 2026
As summer 2026 approaches, early signs show that Zara Larsson could be set to define the season with what fans are already calling a “Midnight Sun Summer”.
Following the chaotic ‘BRAT’ summer wave that emerged in 2024 and continued to dominate well into summer 2025, the spotlight appears to be shifting towards a brighter moment, with one of pop’s most consistent hitmakers at its centre.
Years on from her early breakthrough across Europe, Zara Larsson has perfected her branding, ready to take this summer by storm, writes Music News Blitz’s Macy Wright.
Harry Styles to curate 31st edition of Meltdown Festival
The iconic cultural programme Meltdown festival returns on June 11 this year, ending on 21 June. Supporting the arts with Southbank Centre, Harry Styles has announced his chosen acts, including an intimate gig with his very own performance at the Royal Festival Hall London.
Music News Blitz’s Olivia Carolan writes about what to expect from the upcoming festival.
Revisiting the Beatles' most iconic moments five decades following their breakup
This week marks the 56th anniversary of the day the world’s most famous band, the Beatles, called it quits on 10 April 1970.
Music News Blitz’s Macy Wright takes us through their most iconic moments defined by her favourite songs of their musical eras.
Music news: The Strokes announce ‘Reality Awaits’ album
The New York legends will make a return ‘this summer’ to release their seventh full-length album after a six-year hiatus.
After the roaring success of 2020’s comeback album, The New Abnormal, it has been quite the period of radio silence from the five-piece.
Julian Casablancas and co. originally burst onto the scene in 2001 with the release of the classic album ‘Is This It’, cementing themselves as indie music royalty with subsequent releases.
A leading force for the 2000s garage-rock movement, the group have been credited as direct influences for major acts including Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and Kings of Leon.
Music News Blitz’s Freddie Thomas-Neher went further into the upcoming release.
Music review: Gorillaz powerful as ever as ‘The Mountain’ tour stops in Leeds
Gorillaz staged a standout performance at First Direct Arena in Leeds last week as a part of the latest tour for their new album, The Mountain.
The show highlighted the band’s tenure as pioneering musical figures as they celebrated decades of creativity with songs old and new, writes Music News Blitz’s Macy Wright.
Taylor Swift dominates the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards with record-breaking wins
Taylor Swift once again proved her unmatched influence in the music industry, sweeping the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards with a series of historic wins that have once again cemented her legacy.
Music News Blitz writer Anna Ferraz expands on the night's details.
The depiction of female artists in the media
Some of the greatest and most listened-to artists of all time are women, but we still live in a day where sexism exists, and the media often focuses on female artists' bodies, romantic lives and clothing instead of their talents.
Here, Music News Blitz writer Megan Rogers-Jones looks at the depiction of some of the biggest female artists in the media.
Music opinion: Geese review - Getting Killed tour storms through Manchester
Geese’s Getting Killed was a perfect storm; Winter’s eclectic Heavy Metal had slowly but surely captured the attention of the mainstream, and upon turning back to the company of his high-school compatriots, he seems to have capitalised.
With UK dates also including Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow and London, their Manchester date seemed to have caused quite the stir.
The concert was originally slated to take place in New Century Hall, but overwhelming demand saw the band take the stage in the O2 Victoria Warehouse instead, with similar instances happening across the country.
Music News Blitz’s Freddie Thomas-Neher offers his thoughts on the gig.