Featured image: Kaitlyn Brockley
Channelling the ultimate Riot Grrrl energy is Open Fly, famed for their chaotic live presence across the Manchester punk scene. Combining spoken word with baring barks, Open Fly fuses the creative songwriting of Sonic Youth with the sauntering swagger of L7 to create a sound that is dynamic, noisy, bold and fun. After grafting away at live shows, the band is ready to open the doors to the wider world of Open Fly, inviting others to join their sprawling technicolour world.
Spawned in the emerging Liverpool alternative scene, Rozemary combine spiky riffs with frontwoman Izabel Lavin’s guttural growls and soaring vocals. Citing Spiritbox and Heriot as influences, and notably named after the hit Deftones’ track, Rozemary combine the chaos with the calm and are steadily building a reputation amongst the metal community for their raucous live shows. With a slew of shows across the country and their upcoming slot at Liverpool’s No Play Festival 2025, the sky is surely the limit for the Merseyside metalcore quartet.
Now more than ever, the world needs punk music. Manchester trio Humongous Fungus firmly place their politics at the forefront of their music, frequently playing at fundraisers for LGBTQ+ youth and using their voice on social media platforms. Their technical prowess is unmistakable: lead guitarist and singer Willow Grieves crafts sludgy, meandering riffs over crooning vocals, backed by Selina Per, then tied together neatly in a bow by drummer Venus Lee. Now a fixture in Manchester’s blossoming punk scene, you’ll also catch singer Willow in goth-punk outfit Dierotica.
Labyrinthine Oceans craft sultry-sweet shoegaze that floats between tender and abrasive, creating a wall of noise reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Deftones. Spanning a multitude of genres from dream pop to grunge, their work is cinematic and sprawling, cultivating a world that is shrouded in nostalgia, but uniquely their own. However, it can also take a gritty path: the track ‘untitled’ harks back to early PJ Harvey – gravelly, ferocious and defiant.
One of the most exciting offerings from Leeds’ thriving hardcore scene, Love Rarely combine math-rock with screamo vocals to create work that is beautiful and ferocious at the same time. Standout track ‘Mould’ demonstrates this with vocals that melt into intricate guitars, before seemingly imploding into distorted growls and throbbing bass. After touring with UK metal royalty Loathe and Static Dress, and announcing their first headline show in their hometown, they look set to hit the big league and become a household name themselves.
Featured image: Abbi Draper After an electrifying start to the weekend, with temperatures slowly climbing, many lather themselves in suncream, shed their band shirts and rise from their tents to trek towards the arena. Saturday has big things incoming for the humans of Bloodstock 2026. Some pace themselves for the day and hide from the early…
Featured image: Abbi Draper After a memorable Thursday opener, Bloodstock 2026 opens its gates once again onto the Hallowed Grounds of Catton Park, kicking off day two of its 25th-anniversary celebration of metal. As the sun rises on Catton Park, festivalgoers emerge from their tents to prepare for another day of mayhem. The morning brings…
Featured image: Steve Dempsey Bloodstock returned to Derby for its 25th anniversary this year, welcoming thousands of metal fans for an extended four-day celebration of the festival legacy and its place in the metal community. With a packed bill spanning a broad range of metal sub-genres, this is what Thursday had to offer. As the…
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker Sunday may signal the final day of Truck Festival 2026, but there’s still plenty to celebrate before the gates close for another year. From rising indie stars Keyside to the long-awaited return of Rizzle Kicks, festival favourites Circa Waves and headliners The Wombats, these are the performances that define…
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