Music news: What’s on the UK festival line-up for summer 2027?
As it gets colder and darker, making plans for summer is the best way to get through the winter - so here’s a list of UK festivals for you to consider attending next year.
The UK festival scene boasts a diverse range of festivals suited to a wide variety of music tastes and preferences, meaning there's something for everyone.
While not all festivals have released their line-ups for next summer, now is the perfect time to start thinking about what festivals you might want to attend, writes Music News Blitz’s Annika Winzer.
Olivia Rodrigo kicks off The Unraveled Tour: Setlist, dates, opening acts and everything fans need to know
Olivia Rodrigo is officially back on the road and The Unraveled Tour is shaping up to be her biggest live show yet.
The 23-year-old kicked off her third headlining tour at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut, on September 25, beginning a massive global run supporting her third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.
Following the huge success of the GUTS World Tour, Rodrigo has scaled things up again, with The Unraveled Tour spanning North America before heading to Europe and the UK in 2027, writes Music News Blitz’s Anna Ferraz.
Burna Boy to Headline Halftime Show at 2026 National Football League (NFL) Paris Game on Oct. 25
PARIS, France, September 17, 2026/ -- The National Football League (www.NFL.com) announced today that GRAMMY® Award-winning titan Burna Boy will headline the halftime show during the 2026 NFL Paris Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2:30 p.m. CEST (9:30 a.m. ET) at Stade de France.
Tyla’s A*Pop era peaks with massive Joburg homecoming
Tyla is having a huge year - the Johannesburg-born singer just wrapped up her A-Pop World Tour announcement, and it's going to end with a massive homecoming show at the Expo Centre Nasrec on 9 January.
This comes after a run of thirty-four dates across Europe, the United Kingdom, North America and Africa, which is Tyla’s first-ever global headline tour, writes Music News Blitz’s Likhanye Lolo.
The tour follows her second album, A-Pop, which came out on 24 July.
Music news: Zac Brown Band surprises 37,000 Fenway fans with free cruises
Fans arrived at Fenway Park for live music and left with an unexpected holiday for two, writes Music News Blitz’s Zinhle Radebe.
More than 37,000 Zac Brown Band fans received the surprise during the country group's 15th consecutive sold-out show at the Boston ballpark on Sunday, 2 August.
The giveaway, valued at more than $40 million, was announced by Zac Brown before the band performed their 2021 song ‘Same Boat’.
"I'm buying every single person here a cruise for two people on the boat," Brown told the crowd.
"This is the biggest giveaway in history, ladies and gentlemen, here tonight at Fenway Park!"
Music news: Tate McRae turns to gold during Lollapalooza headline debut
Tate McRae ended her first Lollapalooza headline set with a golden finale that left fans talking long after she left the stage, writes Music News Blitz’s Zinhle Radebe.
Closing her 90-minute performance in Chicago on Sunday, 2 August, the Canadian pop star stepped into a pool of shimmering gold paint during the final moments of “Sports Car” before emerging moments later covered from head to toe.
Clips of the performance quickly spread across social media, with fans calling the dramatic finale one of the weekend's standout moments.
Music news: Bruno Mars’ Romantic tour stop in London comes to an end
Bruno Mars just completed a 10-day residency at Wembley Stadium, with six dates ranging from July 18-28.
This marks the end of the European leg, which began in France and toured in other large cities such as Madrid, Spain and Berlin, Germany, writes Music News Blitz's Brianna Ngambi.
Pitbull’s army of fans set Guinness World Record for largest gathering of bald caps
Pitbull performed to a sea of bald caps as he headlined BST Hyde Park on July 10, writes Music News Blitz’s Madeline Rhodes.
Before Pitbull was set to perform, his fans gathered by the main stage to be officially counted towards the record.
Music opinion: Are fans taking concert culture too far?
There is loving an artist, and then there is wearing an adult nappy so you do not lose your spot at the barricade, writes Music News Blitz’s Fatima Aziz.
Ariana Grande’s return to the stage with the Eternal Sunshine Tour
With a tour that has sparked ‘Eternal Sunshine’ for the summer of 2026, Ariana Grande has made an official comeback, kicking off the tour at Oakland Arena in California on June 6.
Phoebe Bridgers announces surprise NYC show with tickets starting at $1
American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers is performing a special one-night-only show at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden.
Earlier this week, flyers started appearing across New York City, advertising a Phoebe Bridgers show at Madison Square Garden, set for Thursday, June 4.
Music News Blitz writer Grace Moore shares all there is to know.
Music news: Why cathedrals are becoming the new concert venue
In a move that some may view as controversial, more cathedrals across the UK are offering their space as music venues, writes Music News Blitz’s Emma Corrigan.
As they continue to maintain worship and traditional religious practices, cathedrals have seen a gradual decline in visitors over the years, with people still going to cathedrals for Christmas or Easter, but with less people overall turning up on a Sunday.
Because of this, hosting a variety of musically based occasions has become embedded into cathedral activities, utilising this as a contemporary method of funding the historic buildings.
Music opinion: Have phones killed the concert experience - and should they be banned?
In the digital era, with social media at the height of our connections, the desire to capture every moment is at the tip of our fingers.
But what for? Proof to everyone else that we’re having a good time?
This problematic issue has been particularly prevalent across TikTok, writes Music News Blitz’s Emma Corrigan.
Reading and Leeds 2.0 Festivals: Headline acts, ticket information and more
Reading and Leeds are two of the UK’s longest-running music festivals, and have hosted some of the biggest names in music over the years.
This year, the festival has rebranded, launching Reading and Leeds 2.0 - but what does this mean for the attendees?
Music News Blitz writer Grace Moore answers all questions about this year’s festival.
Music news: Olivia Rodrigo’s celebration of Spotify Billions Club Live performance in Barcelona
Olivia Rodrigo took to the stage in Barcelona, Spain, on May 8, 2026, for Spotify’s exclusive Billions Club Live show.
Music News Blitz’s Amelie Da Costa is here to tell us everything we know about the performance.
Olivia Rodrigo news: All you need to know about The Unravelled Tour and her SNL performance
It has been an exciting week for Olivia Rodrigo fans with the announcement of a tour and her appearance on Saturday Night Live, where she performed a song from her upcoming third album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, that no one has heard until now.
She announced that she will be touring again from September 2026, and we might “drop dead” from anticipation.
Here, Music News Blitz’s Amelie Da Costa is here to tell us what we need to know.
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.
The Piece Hall: West Yorkshire venue announces new gigs
There’s Manchester’s Co-Op Arena, Wembley, Leeds’ First Direct and the Manchester Arena itself. But there’s one venue hidden up north that doesn’t seem to get its flowers like all the others.
Halifax, a town in the North of England, sat between Bradford and Huddersfield, finds itself home to the Piece Hall, a historic building full of shops that on nights can be found to play host to some of England’s biggest artists.
This year was one with a busy schedule for the building, playing host to performances from groups/artists like James, The Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Tom Odell and more.
But what is the building, what’s it like for gigs, and who can be expected to visit next year? This article by Music News Blitz’s Charlie Gardner holds all the info.
Pub music - The importance of supporting small gigs and artists
Picture this one: it’s Friday night, you’re out having a catch-up with friends.
Later on into the night, some bloke turns up with a rented amp and sets up in the back of the room.
Next thing you know, you’re standing arm-in-arm with your mates, belting Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, Bon Jovi or whoever else - and you’re surrounded by plenty others doing the same.
Everyone’s been out and seen live music before, small artists or large.
This Music News Blitz article by Charlie Gardner contains a little appreciation for those small artists you see down at the local, and explores why live music is just as important now as ever before.
Travis Scott brings Utopia to South Africa: A night of chaos, energy, and unforgettable sound
Houston rapper Travis Scott’s explosive Johannesburg performance marked his long-awaited South African debut with a night of high-octane visuals, mosh pits, and pure musical chaos that left fans in awe, writes Music News Blitz’s Lindokuhle Mlombo.