Everytime a new year rolls around, we always look ahead at the upcoming gargantuan tours, hotly-anticipated record releases and often always question how the year ahead can possibly top the year previous.
But somehow – one way or another – it always does.
Last year, it was the likes of the Mancunian brothers Oasis and ice-cold pop queen Beyonce topping the throne in the live circuit circles. Albums from Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Dean broke records in the world of pop and alternative, their enigmatic style playing out on a canvas of colour, their strokes defiant than the last. For music further afield, you had the experimental quirks of Geese bringing in the next generation of the New York indie scene, as they saw numbers only the likes of The Strokes saw in their noughties rout all those years ago.
What will 2026 bring? Many industry experts are optimistic but I think we need to err on the side of caution. Apart from the obligatory reunion tours that don’t spark much entrepreneurial tenacity, there is not a considerable bouts of major live artists confirmed to grace the country’s biggest stages this year. The likes of Lily Allen, Bad Bunny, RAYE, The Weeknd, Metallica and Ariana Grande are seen to be the go-to raffles for next years’ rifling of ticket sales. But can this collection of misfits keep the industry expanding – in a consumer market who are feeling the squeeze now more than ever?
What are you looking forward to most this year?
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