Released today, London-based artist Gretel returns with her brilliant new single ‘Darkness Be My Friend’, out now via Breadcrumb Records/AWAL. From its gentle, understated opening, the track swells into a cathartic burst of towering pop melody and thunderous percussion. Sharing more detail she explains: “I wrote ‘Darkness Be My Friend’ the day before we went in to start re-recording my next project the new unfamiliar way – I was scared and didn’t know if I had what it takes. It was dark but it was exciting. Recording live in this way challenged me way more as a musician than before, and it’s given me a huge desire to go forward and get better and tricksier with it in future. I feel like I’ve only just been born.” Take a listen for yourselves below.
Fresh off last month’s trio of Grammy nominations, Alternative Performance (“mangetout”), Alternative Album, and Best Album Cover, Wet Leg have released the video for their new single “pokemon.” The video is directed by Elliott Arndt of Faux Real who are a frequent tour support for Wet Leg and reveals a story of a person (played by Alice Longyu Gao) in an unusual relationship with a giant egg, a fitting entry into the surreal Wet Leg archive. Take a watch of the clip below.
Upcoming live dates - 2025 Sun 7th December – Channel 93.3’s Not So Silent Bight @ Mission Ballroom, Denver Tues 9th December – Twisted @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago Thurs 11th December – 94/7FM Presents @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, Portland Sat 13th December – KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas @ Kia Forum, Los Angeles Mon 15th December – Grammy Museum, Los Angeles Wed 31st December – Hogmanay @ West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh
Upcoming live dates - 2026 Thurs 5th February - Laneway Festival, Auckland Sat 7th February – Laneway Festival, Gold Coast Sun 8th February – Laneway Festival, Sydney Mon 9th February – Roundhouse, Gadigal Land, Sydney Tues 10th February – Northcote Theatre, Wurundjeri Land, Melbourne Fri 13th February – Laneway Festival, Melbourne Sat 14th February – Laneway Festival, Adelaide Sun 15th February - Laneway Festival, Perth Wed 18th February – Toyosu Pit, Tokyo Thurs 19th February – Gorilla Hall, Osaka Fri 20th February – Diamond Hall, Nagoya
Sun 12th April – Coachella @ Indio, California Sun 19th April – Coachella @ Indio, California
Wed 3rd June – Primavera Sound @ Barcelona Fri 19th June – Isle of Wight Festival, Isle of Wight Sun 21st June – PinkPop, Landgraaf, NL Sun 28th June – La Prima Estate, Italy
Wed 1st July – Trinity College, Dublin Wed 8th July – Castlefield Bowl, Manchester Thurs 9th July – Millenium Square, Leeds Fri 10th July – Alexandra Palace Park, London Sat 25th July – Latitude Suffolk Sun 26th July – Tramlines, Sheffield
Wed 12th August – Paredes de Coura Festival, Portugal
A CMAT headline show in Cardiff was a long time coming. So when Ciara and her very sexy CMAT band finally arrived, they carried the energy of a group who’d been counting down the days. After postponing the original date due to a dental emergency, the return felt like a cathartic release. “We loves you, we do,” she told the crowd, and the room didn’t hesitate to echo it back
Making her entrance on someone’s shoulders from the back of the hall - not surprising in the slightest - she crashed into “Janis Joplining” and “The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station,”, a riotous double opening that set the tone for an evening of high kicks, line dances, birthday serenades, and the kind of physical comedy only she can fold seamlessly between songs about heartbreak. By the time she hit “I Don’t Really Care for You” and “2 Wrecked 2 Care,” the crowd, decked out in boots, tinsel, and neon cowboy hats had fully stepped into her world: part cabaret, part panto, yet full of heart.
Outfits aside, a sign in the audience steered the night even further off-script. A placard with a handmade plea for “Coronation St,” caught CMAT’s eye, and the band switched gears instantly. “We’re going to change the set for you,” she announced, slotting the track into the running order with a grin. Performed with a loose, improvisational thrill, it became an unexpected highlight, especially with it being my favourite track from the recently released album, Euro-Country.
“California” and “When a Good Man Cries” followed, two songs that pushed the room into softer focus. Their raw honesty landed with particular weight live, carried by Ciara’s unguarded delivery and a band that knows exactly when to lean in.
Her crowd work remained brilliantly loose. The segues seamless. At one point she apologised, unconvincingly, to anyone expecting fresh between-song banter after her much-loved Green Man set. “It’s the same, I’m sorry!” she quipped, though anyone holding out hope for another impromptu Catatonia cover was out of luck.
As the set deepened, CMAT balanced humour with sincerity, shifting between glittering pop and bruised confessionals. The emotion never felt forced, even when she stretched songs until they trembled slightly at the edges. And as she pushed towards the finale with “Iceberg” and “Running/Planning,” the room was already primed for an encore.
Returning for three songs, the momentum kept steady, beginning with a confident run through of “EURO-COUNTRY” before closing on the communal warmth of “Stay for Something”, Ciara briefly swallowed by a friendly mosh pit at centre stage.
Even with the curfew looming, CMAT stretched the moment with the ease of a performer completely at home, joking that she could stay all night doing Shirley Bassey covers - a threat the crowd seemed more than willing to test.
If there was any doubt, tonight confirmed it: the “C” in CMAT stood firmly for Cymru 🏴 A Celtic love-in, and a long overdue one at that.
CMAT Played: Janis Joplining The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station I Don’t Really Care for You 2 Wrecked 2 Care Coronation St. (Audience request) California When a Good Man Cries Tree Six Foive Have Fun! Take a Sexy Picture of Me Iceberg Where Are Your Kids Tonight? Running/Planning
Encore: EURO-COUNTRY I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! Stay for Something
Following an impressive year in 2025, Cardiff's Immersed Festival is set to return to Cardiff on Saturday, 7 March 2026 at Tramshed, showcasing an exciting mix of emerging and established talent, set across 4 stages.
Headlining this year’s festival are genre-defying six-piece CVC, who make their Immersed debut after a run of sold-out shows across the country. They’re set to lead an electrifying bill alongside indie favourites The Pill and Welsh Music Triskel Prize winners Source.
The festival has recently strengthened its reputation as a forward-thinking, industry-shaping initiative by winning the prestigious Teaching Innovation award at the University Alliance Awards - a recognition of its outstanding impact on higher education.
Curated by Creative Industries students at the University of South Wales and supported by Creative Wales, the event also raises vital awareness for Music Declares Emergency, the music industry’s climate-action charity.
This year’s theme, ‘Believe in Magic’, transforms the festival into a month-long celebration of imagination, wonder, and creative possibility. Participants are encouraged to challenge convention, spark curiosity, and use creativity as a force for hope and positive change.
More than thirty artists and bands will perform across four themed stages including the flagship Believe in Magic stage and the community-driven Togetherland stage, which will spotlight homegrown talent from Cardiff’s Sound Progression alongside international artists presented by BBC Horizons.
Huw Stephens, BBC Radio DJ and recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of South Wales said: “Immersed has become a welcome addition to the live music scene in Wales. Its focus on talent, creativity and production is invaluable, and its work with students in nurturing their community is highly successful. The event itself is professionally delivered, with a special experience for those involved.”
Taken from their new EP first time listener, out February 6th via PNKSLM, vegas water taxi returns this week with the brilliantly catchy brat summer. Written about a future Orwellian state based on the modern world, the track's playful lyrics and intricate melodies serve up another delightful taster for what's to come. "I’d recently re-read 1984, and set myself the challenge of trying to write a near future dystopia in a song, particularly in relation to the state of the USA," explains frontman Ben Hambro. "It imagines a world where people who had not participated in the/a brat summer were being rounded up by the police, whilst the only things on the radio are Call Her Daddy and The Joe Rogan Podcast. It ends with the protagonist and Matty Healy setting fire to LA. Easy listening stuff." Take a listen below.
Coinciding with a string of new UK and European live dates, TTSSFU has returned today with the brilliant new effort, Upstairs. The self produced single showcases an experimental side to the Wigan-based artist through its ghostly melodies and stripped back pop aesthetic. TTSSFU shared the following, "This song is about a man I met one time and I become completely obsessed with him, got to a point where I had to zoom into photos of him to find faults." Take a listen for yourselves below.
TTSSFU Live: 27th November – The White Hotel, Manchester 6th December - Old Blue Last’s Xmas Party, London
2026: 15th January - Eurosonic, Groningen 16th January - Le Grand Mix, Tourcoing 17th January – Esquires, Bedford 23rd March – Trades Club, Hebden Bridge 24th March – Hare and Hounds, Birmingham 26th March – Clwb, Cardiff 27th March – Future Yard, Birkenhead
Written, recorded, produced and mixed by Annie-Dog, today sees the Irish multifaceted artist making her brilliant return with her latest effort, My Honey. Depicting the breakdown of communication within a relationship, the track's genre hopping sound is led by its pulsating electronic backdrop and soft, chopped up vocals, as all the while distorted guitars and percussion flow in between. Take a listen for yourselves below. Plenty more music is promised for 2026.
Live Dates 26th Nov -IMRO Other Room, Dingle (Other Voices) 28th Nov -The Marina Inn, Strand Street, Dingle (Other Voices) 30th Nov -An Droichead Beag, Main Street, Dingle (Other Voices) 28th Jan -Whelan’s (Upstairs), Dublin
Belgian-born, Australian-based singer-songwriter Romanie returned ahead of the weekend with her insatiable new effort, I Won't Yell. Reimagined from an early folk song written years prior, the track's punchy melodies and power-house pop energy delivers a completely new spin on the idea. Speaking about the process, Romanie shares, “We turned this small acoustic song upside down into this powerful statement, keeping basically all the lyrics and giving them a new meaning. The song is about not being heard as a woman: oftentimes we get called ‘too much’ or ‘too loud’ with the result of keeping our emotions to ourselves, or not speaking up about the things that we want to. ‘I Won’t Yell’ was a fun song to make: letting go of my constant self judgement with the nudge of Tom and Adam, who let me yell in the vocal booth.” Take a listen below. ‘I Won’t Yell’ is the third single lifted from Romanie’s forthcoming album, It’s Not That Funny, due out Feb 20 via Community Music.
Rhian Teasdale of Wet Leg, Cardiff Students' Union 2025
Fresh off the back of their second album moisturizer, and a slew of high-flying festival slots across Europe and beyond, Wet Leg returned to the Welsh capital for their first headline performance in Cardiff - a night that felt both celebratory and utterly unstoppable.
Taking the stage shortly after 9pm, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers wasted no time as they slipped into their trademark mix of deadpan humour and theatrical poise. Teasdale’s vocals were sharper and more expressive than on record, switching between fun amusement and raw power. She worked the crowd with ease, sometimes leaning in with a knowing grin, other times thrusting the mic toward the sea of outstretched voices. The expanded line-up, now a five-piece, added heft and vitality, turning familiar songs into something fuller, louder, and more urgent.
From the moment they strode onstage and tore into catch these fists, the Great Hall was instantly theirs, a room buzzing with pent-up anticipation that dissolved into a unified bounce en-masse.The track’s serrated riffs and tightly coiled tension made for the perfect opener: sharp enough to jolt the crowd awake, playful enough to remind everyone why Wet Leg’s rise has been so irresistible.
Without pausing, they crashed straight into Wet Dream, greeted by a chorus of gleeful screams that nearly drowned out the first verse. Rhian’s voice cut through, concise and knowing, as if she were both amused and energised by how loudly the crowd echoed every line back. Already, the mood was one of joyful surrender.
Then came Being in Love, shimmering with a bittersweet glow, a brief moment of softness before Ur Mum detonated in glorious fashion. Cardiff delivered the scream with feral enthusiasm. Chaotic, cathartic, and a reminder of why live music still hits something primal.
Newer tracks like davina mccall and 11:21 showcased a richer, darker edge to the band’s recent material. Still playful, still unmistakably Wet Leg, but signalling a group stretching creatively, leaning into deeper textures without losing their orbital charm.
Midway through the show, things unexpected halted when the band spotted a commotion. It turned out someone was accused of taking inappropriate photos. Teasdale addressed it calmly but firmly. Security moved fast, hauling the individual out as the entire room chanted “out, out, out!”. Whilst a jarring moment, Wet Leg handled it with grace and clarity, reinforcing the message that their gigs should be a safe space for everyone. When they eased back into the set, the bond between band and audience somehow felt even tighter as Teasdale reassured everyone that they will not tolerate any such behaviour at their shows.
"Shall we play a song" guitarist Joshua Omead Mobaraki quipped, resetting the mood. From there, the night flowed back into warmth with pillow talk and u and me at home, pulling the room into softer, more intimate territory before the sheer swell ofToo Late Now took hold.
Skipping an encore, Wet Leg closed with CPR and mangetout, a final pairing delivered with their signature blend of sharp edges, off-kilter charm, and effortless euphoria.
Wet Leg’s mixture of humour, heart, and conviction remains unmatched, and Cardiff responded with full-voiced devotion. The city got everything - the chaos, the charm, the connection, and a band willing to stand firm when it mattered. A triumphant, unforgettable night.
With the release of their second album ‘AUTONOMY’ on 20th February, Liverpudlian four piece STONE have returned today with their exhilirating new single SWEET HEROINE. Delivering their unique version of a love song, the track's high octane energy is built in intensity, racing towards a dramatic peak, awash in sweeping melodies and powerful, guitar-crescendos. Lead vocalist and guitarist Fin Power says, “This is an honest and pure love song. It’s a track that we really took the time with and spent three months going back over the song. It was written after I relapsed on a night out with the booze and the partying - I went on a big binge and then I wrote this song.” Take a listen below.
November (supporting South Arcade): Sat 22nd – Leeds – Stylus Sun 23rd – Glasgow – SWG3 TV Studio Tues 25th – Cardiff – Y Plas Thurs 27th – Birmingham – O2 Institute Fri 28th – London – O2 Kentish Town Forum
April 2026: Thurs 2nd – Liverpool – Arts Theatre Sat 4th – Glasgow – King Tuts Sun 5th – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club Tues 7th – Manchester – Gorilla Wed 8th – London – Oslo Fri 10th – Brussels – Ancienne Belgique Sat 11th – Amsterdam – Melkweg Tues 14th – Berlin – Badehaus Wed 15th – Cologne – MTC Fri 17th – Paris – Le Pop Up
STONE are Fin Power, Elliot Gill, Sarah Surrage and Alex Smith.
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