Ahead of their ninth studio album, The Mountain, due out this Friday, Gorillaz latest single Hardest Thing can be streamed below, which has also been made available as a limited-edition Double A Side 7” vinyl. Written by Damon Albarn, the track begins with the voice of his longtime collaborator and friend, the pioneering drummer Tony Allen, who passed away in 2020. The track offers a poignant meditation on grief and hope - two themes that lie at the heart of the new album The Mountain. Its haunting refrain, “You know the hardest thing is to say goodbye to someone you love, that is the hardest thing,” echoes beyond the song itself, flowing seamlessly into Orange County.

The artwork for 'The Mountain' sees visual artist Jamie Hewlett’s distinctive, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn images which capture Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D’s time in India working on the new album, available both as a book and as a collection of 12x12 prints.

Album Cover.The Mountain.Gorillaz

'The Mountain' will be available in the following formats: Digital Download; Standard CD; Deluxe 2CD; Standard Vinyl; Hardback Book Vinyl Edition; LP Picture Disc Vinyl; Individual Character Cassettes;Limited Edition Collectors Box (incl. Art Prints). Pre-order HERE.

'The Mountain' Tour 2026: Tour Tickets & Information: www.gorillaz.com

UK & Ireland Dates:
13 March - BRADFORD, Bradford Live (Warm Up Show) - SOLD OUT!
14 March - BRADFORD, Bradford Live (Warm Up Show) - SOLD OUT!
20 March - MANCHESTER, Co-op Live - NEW DATE DUE TO DEMAND!
21 March - MANCHESTER, Co-op Live
22 March - BIRMINGHAM, bp pulse LIVE
24 March - GLASGOW, OVO Hydro* - SOLD OUT!
25 March - LEEDS, First Direct Arena*
27 March - CARDIFF, Utilita Arena* - SOLD OUT!
28 March - NOTTINGHAM, Motorpoint Arena*
29 March - LIVERPOOL, M&S Bank Arena*
31 March - BELFAST, SSE Arena* - SOLD OUT!
01 April - DUBLIN, 3Arena* - SOLD OUT!
02 April - DUBLIN, 3Arena* - NEW DATE DUE TO DEMAND! SOLD OUT!

*support from Trueno

20 June - LONDON, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
With support from Sparks and Trueno

i: https://www.instagram.com/gorillaz

Following a recent string of summer shows announced by the band, Northern Irish indie rock favourites Two Door Cinema Club today unveiled their plans to return to New York City for a landmark headline performance at The World’s Most Famous Arena Madison Square Garden on Sunday, September 27, 2026. They will also be joined by Phantogram, STRFKR, and Friendly Fires. The September 27 performance marks Two Door Cinema Club’s first-ever show at Madison Square Garden, a milestone moment in their long-standing relationship with New York City, one that stretches back to early headline shows, sold-out nights at Webster Hall in 2010, and most recently, sold-out nights at Pier 17. Speaking about the news, the band say “MSG is one of those bucket list venues for any artist. After we sold out Webster Hall in 2010, we took a walk past The Garden one night and our agent said, ‘This time next year, boys!’ It only took a few extra years to get there, but here we are! We love NYC and we really can’t wait for this one.” 

Fans can register for presale access now at the link here. Fan presales will begin on Tuesday, February 24th at 10:00 a.m. ET, and tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, February 27th at 10:00 a.m. ET on Ticketmaster.com.

There was something quietly full-circle about having the chance to see Maria Somerville in Cardiff. The last time I’d watched her perform was in Barcelona's ornate Sala Apolo during Primavera 2025. To find that same sense of immersion recreated in a smaller room felt oddly nostalgic, like stepping back into a moment you didn’t realise you’d missed until it returned. 

True to her aesthetic, three silhouettes slowly emerged behind a smoke-filled stage, taking their places with little fanfare. Easing in with hushed intensity, Somerville soon slipped into Garden, a standout from last year’s Luster album on 4AD. It unfolded patiently, her vocals suspended in reverb before a deep, swelling low end gathered beneath. That balance with fragility hovering above a rumbling undercurrent became the defining thread of the night.

What makes Somerville’s live show so compelling is the stark pull between creating atmosphere and impact. One moment you’re suspended in near-weightless ambient drift; the next, chest-rattling basslines and tightly wound percussion snap everything into sharp focus.

Taking the audience on a journey through sound, Projections carried a hypnotic pulse, its rhythm coiling tighter and tighter before unfurling into something expansive. Elsewhere, Spring felt particularly transportive, its wide, immersive soundscapes stretching far beyond the walls of the venue, conjuring open skies and distant horizons. And when Stonefly arrived, it landed with a heavier thud - bass reverberating through the floor while her voice hovered, calm and resolute, above the storm.

The crowd remained contemplative throughout, absorbed in every echoing nuance. The quieter passages drew a near-reverent stillness, each subtle shift in texture given space to breathe. Then, as the percussion struck and the sub-bass rolled in, the sound became something physical, felt as much as heard.

Back in Cardiff, far from Primavera’s vastness, Maria Somerville proved that scale is irrelevant when the atmosphere is this enveloping. The same sense of immersion, the same tidal pull, just distilled into something closer and more intimate, and arguably even more powerful for it.

i: https://www.instagram.com/maria__somerville 

Photo credit / James Winstanley

Following on from last month's single Daydreaming, Blood Wizard have returned, conjuring up their latest effort, Lick The Big Star. Taken from their upcoming EP 'Lucky Life' which will be released April 16th on Sad Club Records, the track sees the band step in to more emotional territory through dazzling guitar melodies and softly delivered vocals. On new single 'Lick The Big Star' Blood Wizard say - “Lick the Big Star” sums up the shift in sound we’re bringing with the new EP. We’ve been leaning back into more emotive, heavier music, that we all grew up with and loved. The song is about chasing a fantasy and not stopping to think about what it takes to get there". Take a listen below. 

Tour Dates 
March 29th - Young Barbican Takeover Festival, London
April 4th - House Guest Festival, Glasgow
April 22nd - Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
April 23rd - Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
April 24th - Rough Trade, Bristol
April 25th - Moth Club, London
May 15th, 16th - Supersonic Block Party Festival, Paris
May 23rd - Wanderlust Festival, Southampton

i: https://www.instagram.com/bloodwizrd  

Photo Credit: Wings of Desire

Continuing their project to release a single for every new moon of the 2026 lunar calendar, Wings of Desire have today unveiled their latest effort, Nothing Left To Give. Driven by a restless rhythm that pulses from the offset, James and Chloe’s voices move in tight formation, weaving together with a sharp, instinctive chemistry across a euphoric and flickering electronic backdrop. Lyrically, it confronts the weight of constant expectation, capturing the quiet exhaustion that simmers beneath the surface of modern life. The band explain, “Modernity has long demanded a channelling of human energies and emotions into patterns that are moulded by economic and disciplinary requirements. Some days we feel like we have nothing left to give but somehow we keep on pushing.” Take a listen below. The full album 'Stand Still Like The Hummingbird' is set to be completed 9th December 2026. 

Live Dates 
12th March - The Lexington - London

i: https://www.instagram.com/wingsofdesir3 

Following on from last month's debut single Song By A Stranger, Divorce's co-vocalist and guitarist Felix Mackenzie-Barrow has returned this week sharing the latest effort under his solo project, Book of Churches. Following suit, The Quiet Was A Heron is another tender offering, stripped back and delivered expertly. Felix comments on the new single: "The Quiet Was A Heron arrived at the end of summer, in 2024. I watched a heron fly at dusk above the noise and chaos of a festival in the Brecon Beacons and wondered how it perceived us from up there. It was a fleeting, almost out-of-body experience. It led me back to a memory of the family dog digging up the bones of a heron buried many years before in a black binbag in my parents’ garden. It is an angry song, angry that we as a species render so many gentle, beautiful, irreplaceable lives so unliveable." Take a listen below. 

i: https://www.instagram.com/bookofchurches 

Credit: Justin Pietropaoli

NYC-based electronic punk outfit Lip Critic have returned today to announce their brand new album Theft World, released May 1st through Partisan Records. Accompanying the news is their chest rattling single, Legs In A Snare. Described as a "A love song twisted into a horror story" the track's convulsing bass lines and punchy vocals give an exciting taster of what's to come. "Theft World is an ode to the power and pervasiveness of stealing," says the band of the album. "It’s about taking something ugly and using it to make something cute. It’s about eating an absurd world and falling in love with it as you digest." Take a listen to Legs In A Snare below with the Colter Fellows directed clip.  

 

Tour Dates: 
Feb 19th | Iowa City, IA - Gabe's
Feb 21st | Chicago, IL - Music Frozen Dancing
May 25th | Troy, NY - No Fun % &
May 26th | Boston, MA - The Rockwell % &
May 27th | Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa % &
May 28th | Toronto, ON - The Garrison % &
May 29th | Detroit, MI - The Sanctuary % &
May 30th | Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen % &
June 2nd | Denver, CO - Hi-Dive % &
June 4th | Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court % &
June 5th | Reno, NV - Holland Project % &
June 7th | Seattle, WA - Barboza % &
June 8th | Vancouver, BC - Wise Hall % &
June 9th | Portland, OR - Polaris Hall % &
June 11th | Sacramento, CA - Cafe Colonial % &
June 12th | San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill % &
June 13th | Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon % &
June 14th | Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar % &
June 17th | Austin, TX - 29th Street Ballroom % &
June 18th | Dallas, TX - Dada % &
June 19th | Hattiesburg, MS - Fat Cat % &
June 20th | Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Altar) % &
June 21st | Durham, NC - Pinhook % &
June 23rd | Pittsburgh, PA - Little Giant @ Bottlerocket Social Hall % &
June 24th | Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA % &

% support from Bejalvin
& support from Flatwounds

i: https://www.instagram.com/lipcritic/

Photo: Bethan Celeste

Cardiff risers casual smart have today unveiled their starry-eyed new single She’s My Love. Arriving in time for Valentine’s Day, the track pairs heartfelt lyrics with gentle, warming touches, wrapping its skippy melodies and laid-back beat in an easy, romantic glow. Speaking more about the track, vocalist Emily Beal says: "As artists we tend to get caught up trying to make metaphors for lyrics but with our new track we tried to be as sincere as possible as a no holds barred declaration of love. It’s the feeling of knowing someone and not knowing that you could know someone in that way, or that you could be known like that. With the awesome sax and upbeat drums we hope we can light up that feeling in anyone who listens." Championed by Huw Stephens, selling out Clwb and playing stages across Sŵn Festival and Green Man, the band set their sights ahead of their UK tour kicking off this month, with a summer schedule steadily filling with festival appearances (The Great Escape, Wanderlust). Take a listen to the new single below, with a full run of dates beneath. 

casual smart are: Peter Martin - Piano/Vox, Brooke Thomas - Guitar/Bass/ Vox, Emily Beal - Guitar/Bass/Vox, Rowan Phillips - Saxophone, Oliver Goddard - Drums

Upcoming Live shows:
24 FEB // Brighton, Green Door Store
26 FEB // London, Old Blue Last (Great Escape 20th Anniversary with Blue Bendy)
27 FEB // Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
28 FEB // Manchester, YES Basement (Mood Swings)
3 MAR // Bristol, The Louisiana
8 MAR // Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
14-15 MAY // Brighton, The Great Escape
23 MAY // Southampton, Wanderlust Festival

i: https://www.instagram.com/casualsmartband

Photo credit: Sophie Webster

Ahead of the weekend, South London sibling duo PUNCHBAG returned with a new single and the announcement of a new EP set for release 10th April via Mute. Heading up the latest news is the cathartic I Am Obsessed. "It's about being completely obsessed with something or someone, but not in a cute way, more in a 'your whole body is under attack' kinda way. It's sort of disordered, chaotic, overwhelming," Clara explains. Speaking more on their upcoming second EP, the band said: "If our first EP was a selfie, these new songs are like zooming in and thinking, 'fucking hell my pores look huge'. This EP is turning up the contrast on everyday life, rinsing the disgusting dish towel so far that all the gunk comes out. It’s pushing PUNCHBAG’s sonic world even further, into a grander landscape, and dramatising the everyday more than ever before." Take a listen to I Am Obsessed below. 



i: https://www.instagram.com/punchbagpunchbag

 

Westside Cowboy - Bristol's Exchange, February 2026

Arriving to an already packed out room, there's no doubting the hype that surrounds Manchester's Westside Cowboy. From winning Glastonbury's emerging talent competition last year, the recent release of their So Much Country ‘Till We Get There EP and an upcoming opening slot for Geese, it's safe to say it's been a whirlwind 12 months - and they show no sign of slowing. 

Melting frantic chaos and intimacy in equal measure, the band wasted no time in creating an impressive atmosphere as they walked on to Jackie Wilson's (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.

Moments before, their lead guitar was passed overhead through the audience from the sound booth, crowd-surfing its way back to the front of the stage to cheers and laughter. A sign of just how busy the room was, and a perfect snapshot of the night ahead.

They opened with a loose confidence, slipping into a cover of Santo & Johnny's Midnight Cowboy with an easy warmth before tearing into fan favourites like Alright Alright Alright, which sounded bigger and more buoyant than ever in the live setting. Drunk Surfer landed with a raw, scrappy edge, its momentum feeding off the tightly packed room, while Pinup Boys showcased how sharply their songs translate on stage, hooks hitting harder with every chorus as Aoife Anson O’Connell lead out a blinding ostinato outro.

Between tracks, the band kept things light, joking about having poorly timed their pre-show dinner and half-warning that it might make a return appearance. Thankfully, the front row escaped!

When the set shifted into more delicate territory, the atmosphere changed completely. Songs like Slowly I’m Sure drew the room into near silence - so quiet you could hear your own breath. It was a rare kind of respect, one earned rather than requested, and it gave those songs a fragile, and almost suspended quality. Certainly one of the more respectful crowds I've been amongst in recent years. Top marks Bristol!

Sadly all good things must come to an end, and with such a short and snappy set, the band rounded up in 50 minutes, leaving Bristol's Exchange wrung out, in the best possible way. Stood front centre, they gathered together, drum and guitar in hand, for a blissful closing moment with In the Morning. 

By the time they reached the final notes, Westside Cowboy showed they can stretch a room to its limits and pull it back into silence at will, all without the weight of an album behind them. And on this strength alone, they’ve made it clear that rooms like this won’t hold them for long.  

*****