Author: Jack Needham

South Asian culture has become embedded into every facet of life in the UK. Film, fashion, the way we eat and drink, gritty day parties, our architecture, local cafés and language to lavish wedding halls alike have become brighter through the influence of the South Asian diaspora. South Asian musicians such as Arijit Singh are breaking Spotify records and sell out UK stadiums usually reserved for Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. “The size of India’s middle class is probably bigger than the entire population of America,” Arijit told The Guardian in May. “In terms of cultural power, you can’t just say…

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) has finalised the line-up for its 2025 edition before it kicks off in just over two weeks. The sprawling event spans over 3,300 artists performing at 1,200 events in nearly 250 venues across Amsterdam. The final wave for ADE 2025 includes artists such as Skepta, Actress, AfroSalto (Afrojack x Gregor Salto), Skee Mask and Charlotte de Witte. DJs and electronic acts Adam Beyer, GiGi FM, Partiboi69 and many more also join the line-up. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amsterdam Dance Event (@amsterdamdanceevent) For the first time ever, the De Nieuwe Kerk (The…

The Wombats and Snow Patrol have been announced as headliners at the Nottingham, UK-based festival Splendour. Taking place from 18-19 July 2026, Splendour returns to the festival’s Wollaton Park home after welcoming Bloc Party, Clean Bandit, Jake Bugg and more for its 2025 edition. Stalwarts of mid-2000s indie, The Wombats join the bill following the 2025 release of their sixth album, Oh! The Ocean. They join the 5x- platinum selling rock band Snow Patrol, with more acts to be announced soon. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Splendour Festival (@splendourfest) Anton Lockwood, DHP Family Director of Live, said: “We’re delighted to…

Oslo’s Øya Festival has unveiled the first wave of artists for its 2026 edition, which will see The Cure as headliners alongside support from Australian act Amyl & The Sniffers. Taking place from 12–15 August at Oslo’s Tøyen Park, The Cure return to the festival after last performing there seven years ago. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Øyafestivalen (@oyafestivalen) Claes Olsen, Founder of Øya Festival, said: “Super excited with this first announcement, as The Cure has been one of my favourite bands since I was a teenager, and they keep on delivering mesmerising shows. Amyl and…

Lewis Capaldi, The Cure and Calvin Harris have been announced as headliners for next year’s Isle of Wight Festival. The annual festival, which takes place 18-21 June, will also welcome the Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Wet Leg, The Last Dinner Party, Tom Grennan, The Kooks, Rick Astley and many more yet to be announced acts to the island. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Isle of Wight Festival (@isleofwightfest) Anastacia, KT Tunstall, David Gray, Shed Seven and Teddy Swims will also be appearing over the weekend. Lewis Capaldi was recently announced headline Leeds’ Roundhay Festival in…

Rockstar Energy presents Creamfields has announced Underworld for its 20 year edition. Held at Daresbury, near. Liverpool, Creamfields will take place on August Bank Holiday weekend 2026 between 28-30 August, and will welcome 80,000 people to the field. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Creamfields (@creamfieldsofficial) Underworld first made their debut at the festival in 2002, and the band’s Creamfield’s performance will mark the 30 year anniversary since the release of their breakthrough track Born Slippy was released. The announcement of Underworld comes after fellow headliners Calvin Harris and Sonny Fodera were also confirmed for the 2026 edition. Tickets for Creamfield 2026 are available…

Dan Monsell, Festival Director and Booker at Pitchfork London, talks us through the pros and cons of running a multi-venue festival in 2025.

Ticketmaster has agreed to changes highlighted by a UK watchdog investigation which found that the ticketing company needed to adopt greater transparency in how tickets are priced and sold. The decision comes after a year-long investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into how Ticketmaster operated its Oasis ticket sales and its dynamic pricing model. Dynamic pricing refers to the process of how ticket price is directly related to fan demand. The CMA found no evidence that ticket prices were adjusted in real time through algorithmic dynamic pricing during the Oasis ticket sale. Following the investigation, the ticketing company has also…

Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Festival is returning to its Kalagala Falls site in 2025 in what will be a 10 year anniversary for the event. The festival, which takes place 20-23 November, has announced it will host a continuous 24-hour programme of music, which will bring “over 300 artists, collectives, and cultural innovators from across Africa, the diaspora, and beyond” to the East African nation, says the festival. The line-up for 2025 will include Kampire, DJ Travella, DJ Diaki, Arsenal Mikebe, Sisso & Maiko and Catu Diosis, as well as over 15 continental collectives such as Group Therapy and Ile Ijo, Fabrika,…

The longstanding rock festival Slam Dunk has announced its 2026 return with the unveiling of headline acts Good Charlotte and Sublime, plus dozens more artists spanning the best in pop-punk, emo, ska, metal and beyond.  The festival, founded in Leeds, UK, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Slam Dunk Festival (@slamdunkmusic) The festival will act as Good Charlotte’s only European performance through the summer, while the ska-punk band Sublime will be playing their first-ever UK show at the festival. Also joining the first wave of acts for Slam Dunk 2026 include British alt-rock act A, metalcore…