It’s been quite a year for rock and Metal, with some monumental events and some smaller ones that all managed to shake the industry up. No look at the year can miss speaking of the passing of some genuine legends, specifically Ozzy Osbourne, Brian Wilson, Ace Frehley and Sly Stone amongst many others that included Clem Burke, Dave Cousins, George Kooymans, Terry Reid, Brian James, Mike Peters, Roy Thomas Baker, Rick Derringer, Mick Ralphs, Kevin Riddles, Paul Mario Day, Rick Davies, Danny Thompson, Chris Dreja, David Johansen and John Lodge, all people whose contribution to music is immeasurable.
We also saw the continued rise of TikTok, where new artists had three seconds to make an impression, and some of the most successful ones translated that to live shows that were mainly backing tracks (if you know, you know).
Despite this bleak look at the scene, there was a lot of good happening, and some of the biggest bands in the firmament laid waste to the masses.
Sleep Token headlined Download, old favourites and new entertained at Maid Of Stone and festivals like Bloodstock, Hellfest and Stonedead showed that there is still a huge appetite for music that is loud, proud and dirty.
Huge arena tours by the likes of Parkway Drive and Sabaton put the likes of Taylor Swift to shame, but there were equally visceral thrills to be had at local pubs and clubs where grassroots bands blew people away up close and personal.
Some large and small releases thrilled in a great year for albums, and 2026 already holds huge promise with real bands making big inroads and following the path of all those who came before into the rock ‘n’ roll infamy. Turn it up loud!
Best Live Shows
Eivør – Download Festival and Brixton Electric
The highlight of Download this year, her late-night set on the Dogtooth stage was transfixing, and her headline set at Brixton Electric was jaw-dropping.
Ward XVI / Pulverise – Brickmakers, Norwich
Ward XVI put on arena-sized shows in clubs, and their ambition and hard work certainly paid off with this latest tour. Openers Pulverise were a hard act to follow too, their own brand of hard-rocking madness blending Skindred-sized stadium-sized anthems with huge lashings of Yorkshire humour and biting social lyrics. Once you have been caught up in a slow-motion wall of death, you will never look back.
Soho Dukes – Esquires, Bedford
Real rock ‘n’ roll with a truly English twist. Whilst the new album throws in elements of Springsteen, live there’s a feel of prime Faces, Squeeze and Ian Dury and the Blockheads. You will never forget the sight of seeing lead singer Johnny Barracuda playing the ‘panjo’.
Beaux Gris Gris & the Apocalypse – Cambridge Junction / Maid Of Stone Festival
One of the best live bands in the world. Enough said.
Fish – Palladium, London / Corn Exchange, Cambridge
An emotional farewell to the big Scot. Both shows different but equally full of the sort of heart-searing songs that have proven him to be one of the best.
Iron Maiden – Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium, London
A dream gig for Steve Harris, playing at the home of his beloved West Ham, this was Maiden’s return to their roots in more ways than one. With a set cherry-picked from material that covered their debut through to Fear Of The Dark, it covered this writer’s favourite period of the band, and each number was a triumph in front of a packed and rabid audience.
Shorn of most of the props from the previous tours, the huge screen behind them brought the visuals to life in a great new way, and Iron Maiden still sounded as ferocious and hungry as when I first caught them some forty-four years ago.
The Gospel – Esquires, Bedford / 100 Club, London
Imagine, if you would, a besuited Nick Cave style crooner fronting a five-piece goth band comprising of five of the best female musicians and singers in the country. Dark, dramatic and soaked in atmosphere with some of the most jaw-dropping vocal harmonies you will ever hear. Mind-blowing.
Neil Young – Hyde Park
A worthwhile wait to catch the legend, a man who can be heartbreakingly tender one minute and then tearing out the most visceral rock imaginable the next. With sterling support from the soulful curmudgeon Van Morrison and the ray of sunshine and calm Yusef / Cat Stevens, it was a scorching day in every respect.
Top Albums
Luna Marble – Luna Marble
A stunning debut from the young Manchester-based quartet. Retro rocking at its finest.
Brave Rival – 5 to 4
Losing soulful co-singer Chloe Josephine was a huge blow to the Portsmouth outfit, but they came out fighting and heavier than ever. More of an extended EP than an album in the traditional sense, this is a great new chapter for the blues rockers.
Rebecca Downes – A Storm Is Coming
The Midlands Queen of Blues brought out her most emotional, complex, and rocky album yet, and it is a cracker.
Cardiacs – LSD
The lunatics have taken over the asylum yet again and come back for one final time with this loving tribute to lost leader Tim Smith. Suitably angular and far from straightforward, one of the greatest cult bands in music, their mix of prog, jazz, rock and unhinged Vaudeville will either hook you from the first moment or drive you away immediately. Wonderful stuff.
The Damn Truth – The Damn Truth
Produced by Bob Rock, this latest opus from the Canadians sees them capture their modern twist on ’60s psychedelia in sharper focus than ever. Over here so often they almost have taken permanent residence, there is a love story between the U.K. and The Damn Truth that looks in no danger of diminishing and with an album this good, it looks like they will be heading for the arenas shortly.
Status Quo – Live!
An expanded version of one of the truly great live albums. Raw Quo 70’s boogie at its peak.
Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska ’82 : Expanded Edition
The Boss at his stripped-back best. Bleak and lo-fi, catharsis drips from every note and the unfiltered voice of the artist comes through with breathtaking honesty.
UFO – No Place To Run Deluxe Edition
Produced by the legendary George Martin, this never got the acclaim it truly deserved at the time. Now that the project has been remastered, bringing out more of the grit and power of the band, it all sounds like the album it was meant to be.
Queen – Queen I
Some may quibble about the Dolby Atmos mix, but to hear those songs in surround sound is like being in the studio with the nascent band as they plan their world domination.
The Damned – Machine Gun Etiquette
Along with Never Mind The Bollocks, this is the greatest punk album ever released and arguably better than the Pistols sole platter. Still as visceral and exciting as when it first emerged.
Most Memorable Interview/Moment
Danny Bowes
Great catching up with the Thunder frontman on his way to a slow recovery after the accident that almost cost him his life. An emotional highlight and one that was really satisfying to do.
Candice Night
Chilled and brimming with a warmth that was infectious. Her husband wandering around in the background was a little surreal, too, to someone who loved his work in Deep Purple and Rainbow.
Steve Morse
Despite the fact that he was being driven to a gig at the time and there was no video feed his end because of it, the former Deep Purple, Kansas and Dixie Dregs guitarist was a friendly and fascinating person to chat with.
Henry Lytton Cobbold
Owner of one of this country’s most famous venues, the passion he had for music and all things Knebworth was truly infectious.
Rickie Medlocke
A genuine Southern rock legend and someone I had been a fan of since his earlier days with Blackfoot. Thoughtful, funny and with a wealth of stories, he was the perfect interview. He invited me to come along to the Lynyrd Skynyrd show in Birmingham the following night, so I got to shake the man’s hand and see him in full flight, kicking ass.
Looking Ahead
Pulverise. Described as Missy Elliot fronting Skindred, it is impossible to not leave their gigs thoroughly entertained and challenged. The music certainly rocks, but there’ is also a real message here that sets them apart.
Wille & The Bandits Blues and rock meet with something a little extra. An astounding live experience.
The Gospel Nothing short of stunning. Be prepared to be seduced into their own world.
Aethoria Fast rising Essex metal crew bring huge hooks and some soaring vocals from singer Mecia-Jade. Expect to see them everywhere.
Final Note
I would just like to say a huge thanks to Steve, Ian and Brian for the massive amount of hard work they do keeping this ship moving ever forward. To my fellow writers and our amazing ‘togs, I would just like to say that you are some of the very best in the business, and it is a pleasure to call you not just colleagues but also friends.
Thanks too to the PR’s and artists we work with, and I look forward to even bigger and better adventures next year. Thanks to the readers who follow or have discovered us here at MetalTalk. We aim to bring the news, reviews and interviews that rock your world.
