Tiny UK Festivals Draw the Crowds During Glastonbury's Fallow Year
With the festival giant on a break, grassroots events offering intimacy and eccentric line-ups are winning over fans seeking a less corporate experience.
Sophie Bennett 3 min read
Live music
Live music coverage here runs from stadium spectacle to the survival of small stages. Tour news includes Ariana Grande's first outing in seven years with the residency-style Eternal Sunshine Tour and Beyoncé shifting the Cowboy Carter era into live mode, while Bad Bunny's sold-out London shows become a UK Latino cultural moment and Harry Styles is filmed jogging to his own Wembley gig. With Glastonbury fallow, tiny UK festivals draw the crowds, Nottingham's Splendour prepares its final weekend, and the grassroots venues campaign returns for summer.
Glastonbury 2027 tickets sell out in 42 minutes as price tops £400 for the first time
The general sale for Glastonbury 2027 sold out on Sunday morning. Organisers say a resale of returned tickets will follow in spring 2027.
Daniel Fletcher 3 min read
Glastonbury 2027 coach tickets sell out in under 30 minutes as general sale looms on Sunday
The first batch of tickets for the festival’s return after a fallow year went in less than half an hour. The main sale is at 09:00 BST on Sunday, with a new queue system and a £408 price tag.
Daniel Fletcher 4 min read
Brit Awards' Manchester move generated £5m for city region, study finds
An independent study says the 2026 Brit Awards generated £5m in additional spending and more than 3,000 temporary jobs in Manchester.
Daniel Fletcher 5 min read
Ye's two Russian stadium concerts officially cancelled
Two planned Ye concerts at St Petersburg's Gazprom Arena on 10 and 11 October will no longer take place after weeks of uncertainty.
Marcus Reeve 5 min read
Rod Stewart final tour announced with UK arena dates for 2027
Rod Stewart will end his touring career with The Final Encore, a UK and European arena run beginning in April 2027 and ending in July.
Eleanor Whitfield 6 min read
Will Young Evergreen tour announced for 25th anniversary in 2027
Will Young will celebrate 25 years since his Pop Idol win with a 16-date full-band UK tour across February and March 2027.
Daniel Fletcher 5 min read
Slipknot Marilyn Manson tour sparks fan backlash over Wembley support slot
Slipknot's new world tour has prompted criticism from some fans after Marilyn Manson was named as a support act at Wembley Stadium and in South America.
Marcus Reeve 6 min read
Mariah Carey announces three UK Christmas arena shows for 2026
Mariah Carey will play Christmas shows in Birmingham, London and Manchester, with general ticket sales opening on 25 September 2026.
Daniel Fletcher 5 min read
Oasis 2027 tour announcement teased by Manchester drone display
The Oasis 2027 tour announcement is set for Monday at 4pm BST after drones over Manchester displayed the date, while the reunion documentary stays in cinemas.
Sophie Bennett 5 min read
Becky Hill answers fans after surprise TRNSMT set draws mixed reaction
Singer responds to reports that sections of the crowd booed when she used a surprise appearance at Scotland's festival to debut new music rather than the familiar hits.
Sophie Bennett 3 min read
Nottingham's Splendour Festival prepares for its final weekend
Organisers say rising costs and a tougher festival market have made the long-running Wollaton Park event unsustainable.
Sophie Bennett 3 min read
Hayley Williams turns her Roundhouse show into a restless solo statement
At a charged London gig, the Paramore frontwoman framed her solo catalogue as a defiantly genre-fluid body of work, moving between rock, pop, R&B and punk energy in a set praised for its intimacy and intent.
Sophie Bennett 5 min read
UK Grassroots Music Venues Campaign Returns For Summer
The Independent and Music Venue Trust relaunch the Main Stage campaign, spotlighting the independent venues fighting to stay open.
Sophie Bennett 3 min read
Bad Bunny's sold-out London shows become a UK Latino cultural moment
With around 100,000 fans expected across two nights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Bad Bunny's only UK dates are being read as a landmark for Spanish-language pop in Britain.
Sophie Bennett 5 min read
Harry Styles filmed jogging to his own Wembley show in viral fan moment
A clip of Harry Styles running through London towards one of his Wembley Stadium dates has spread quickly, blending the scale of stadium pop with the low-key image of a city runner.
Sophie Bennett 4 min read
The Cure crown a nostalgia-soaked Isle of Wight Festival
Reviews from the 2026 Isle of Wight Festival placed The Cure's headline set at the centre of a weekend built on heritage, scale and communal release, underlining the enduring pull of legacy artists.
Sophie Bennett 5 min read
Ariana Grande launches her first tour in seven years with the residency-style 'Eternal Sunshine Tour'
The pop star opened her long-awaited return to the road in Oakland, adopting a multi-night residency format across each city and pointing towards a new album later in the summer.
Sophie Bennett 7 min read
Beyoncé shifts the 'Cowboy Carter' era into tour mode as 2026 live plans take shape
Following a record-breaking album and tour cycle, industry attention turns to how the Houston star will translate her genre-bending country project into a fresh run of live dates.
Sophie Bennett 7 min read
Phoebe Bridgers announces 'The Lost Tour 2026' and teases her first album since 'Punisher'
After a run of surprise pop-up shows and a sold-out acoustic set at Madison Square Garden, the songwriter is heading out on a full autumn tour with new music on the way and a charitable twist on ticket sales.
Sophie Bennett 7 min read