News archive
February 2026
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128 articles
- February 28
- February 27
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- Sleep Token, Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, Pulp & Turnstile among this year's Brit nominees - here's how you can watch the 2026 Brit Awards... no matter where you are
- "Ozzy has been a mighty force in modern music." The BRIT Awards are to honour the late Black Sabbath's contribution to music with Lifetime Achievement accolade and all-star tribute handpicked by his wife Sharon
- "I was looking to retire. It's not gonna happen if this keeps happening." One of modern metal's most influential bands just reunited, just over five years after the death of their beloved frontman
- February 26
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- "This is what it felt like 30 years ago!" Watch Foo Fighters perform unreleased new song Of All People at intimate London show
- "We’ve actually worked together on a bunch of stuff over the years that hasn’t even come out." Why Willow Smith is the only guest vocalist on Sean Lennon and Les Claypool's wild new concept album about AI destroying everything
- "The Beatles had been my whole life… when we split up I thought: ‘I’ll never write another note of music ever’": New Paul McCartney film explores his post-Beatles life and career with Wings - here’s how to watch Man On The Run from anywhere
- "The guys from Guns N’ Roses split down the middle politically." Melania Trump documentary producer names the artists who refused to give permission for their music to be used in the film
- Iron Maiden announce final two gigs before stepping away from the live stage until 2028
- "I'm like, 'Guys, help me!' And my first day sober, I played in front of 14,000 people, weeping my eyes out." How Metallica helped modern metal icon and Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe quit alcohol for good
- "We’re jamming, so it’s possible..." Rush discuss the possibility of new music as they announce second shows in Manchester and Glasgow
- February 25
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- "I was very narrow-minded. I thought they were just an annoying pop band!" One of America's greatest punk rock frontmen has come out as a huge fan of Oasis after years of "contempt" for the Gallagher brothers
- "We have to do this, it’s completely uncharted territory!" Metallica announce Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere, Las Vegas
- Iron Maiden have been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, 22 years after they first became eligible to enter, with Oasis, Wu-Tang Clan, Phil Collins, Billy Idol and more also on the ballot
- Primus announce first UK and European tour in almost a decade
- February 24
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- "Ya think it’s all poetry and clovers, when it’s raincoats and police Land Rovers. Salt of the earth, looking over their shoulder." Kneecap share moody and intense new single Smugglers & Scholars
- Paul Weller announces 48-track Weller At The BBC Vol. 2 album, adds Irish gigs
- Iron Maiden announce cinema release for their career-spanning documentary Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition
- “I have two film projects that I’m working on … I was recording another album with another thing”: Ghost’s Tobias Forge is taking a big break from touring the world, but he’s by no means idle
- "Maybe it’s time." Dave Grohl might finally be ready to let Foo Fighters do something they've never done in their 30 year career
- The guitar Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana's iconic video for Smells Like Teen Spirit is coming up for auction next month
- “I don’t see it as a sad thing”: Last Faith No More tour had “unspoken” sense of closure, says Mike Patton
- "In the spirit of the Olympics, Team Tomahawk has decided to rise up and go for the gold once again." Mike Patton's alt. rock supergroup Tomahawk announce first tour since 2013
- February 23
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- Iron Maiden, My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit, Tool, Babymetal, Alice Cooper, Halestorm and almost 200 more bands to play huge Louder Than Life 2026 lineup
- "If it ain’t fun, I ain’t doing it. I’m too old for bulls**t.” Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter announce Anarchy In The UK tour
- One of the most celebrated metal bands of the last decade have just announced their biggest headline shows ever, including a stop-off at London's iconic Wembley Arena
- Metal, pop punk, Final Fantasy and Miss World Chile: the list of new bands joining Limp Bizkit, Guns N' Roses, Linkin Park and more at Download this year has a lot going on
- "We can’t wait to get back to all these cities we haven’t played in so long." Prog legends Rush announce first European and UK live dates for 13 years
- "He wanted to do it so bad. And he did. He went like a rock star." Sharon Osbourne on dying Ozzy's determination to perform one last time
- February 22
- February 21
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- “He wanted me to introduce him as the biggest rock star on the planet." Comedian Jack Whitehall says Jared Leto tried to alter his Brit Awards script
- “I completely understand why people would hope for that. The music we created together means a great deal to me too”: Journey fans think legendary singer Steve Perry is going to rejoin his former band on their farewell tour – but he’s having none of it
- February 20
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- "It has that outlaw quality, that dangerous quality…they’re incredible songs." Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy on the modern indie greats he loves so much that he's basically "just a groupie" for them at this point
- "This album is his legacy." Following the devastating death of their frontman, friend and beloved figurehead of extreme metal, Tomas Lindberg, At The Gates have released an emotional new video and details of new album The Ghost of a Future Dead
- "It makes me very optimistic for a release at some point this year..." Marilllion update fans on progress on the new album
- How to watch BBC iPlayer from anywhere – stream music documentaries, Glastonbury festival and more
- February 19
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- "We wake up in the morning and everybody just texts about how much we miss him." As Foo Fighters launch new album Your Favorite Toy, Dave Grohl reflects on life without Taylor Hawkins
- "Make no mistake - this song is a reckoning." After much anticipation (and some bogus rumours), the new singer for metal veterans Arch Enemy has been revealed - alongside pulverising new single To The Last Breath
- "I am so inspired by Amy Lee’s vocals and we all wanted to channel Scream." Watch Scream star Mckenna Grace go metal in the video for killer new Ice Nine Kills single Twisting The Knife - with a cool bonus cameo
- Star Trek actor William Shatner is releasing an all-star heavy metal album featuring Zakk Wylde, Ritchie Blackmore and more, because you try and tell him not to
- "We had the desire to create something extraordinary. And we did." Queen announce remixed, remastered and expanded Queen II Collector’s Edition
- "It's the fuse to the powder keg of songs." Foo Fighters announce new album Your Favorite Toy, share explosive title track
- AFI, Mannequin Pussy, Ecca Vandal join Deftones, Deafheaven, Amyl and the Sniffers and more on stacked Outbreak / All Points East bill
- “A search for spiritual redemption”: Hear new President single Angel Wings – the masked band’s first song after signing with major label Atlantic Records
- “We were bringing in all kinds of influences that other people in metal were scared of”: Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson re-releases his debut solo album – and his most controversial one
- "Bon was the kind of person that every guy in rock'n'roll loves." Sammy Hagar, Rob Halford, Lars Ulrich, Josh Homme and more pay tribute to AC/DC's Bon Scott
- February 18
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- "I have confidence the righteous will rise up against this aberration": U2 slam ICE, Putin, Netanyahu and more on surprise-released EP Days Of Ash
- Slipknot, Papa Roach, The Offspring and more have been added to the Battlefield 6 videogame soundtrack
- “Something groundbreaking for our fans”: Iron Maiden turn only 2026 UK show into its own festival, including acts featuring band’s former members
- February 17
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- "We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times, but do not despair – the cavalry is coming!" Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band announce Land Of Hope And Dreams American Tour
- "We have been talking about a Thor’s hammer that shoots fire or flashes." Viking metal's biggest band are taking cues from Iron Maiden for their next album
- Paramore’s Hayley Williams will appear on the new album by Failure, the best alt-rock band who never got their dues
- Songwriter Billy Steinberg, who wrote monster hits for Heart, Pat Benatar, The Bangles, Madonna, The Pretenders and more, dead at 75
- Thurston Moore and underground rock legend Kramer announce album They Came Like Swallows – Seven Requiems for the Children of Gaza, "a prayer to the war-torn souls of the families of Palestine continually decimated by the brutality of genocide"
- "I was once in a room with Kate Bush. I was too frightened to say anything." Doctor Who and The Thick Of It star Peter Capaldi on his love for Kate Bush and the Sex Pistols
- Tool hope to release a new album and put on a residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere in 2027: “I think we’re the perfect band for that”
- February 16
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- "I was so shocked I just fell on the floor, gasping for air." Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea pays tribute to the "beautiful boy" who changed his life and broke his heart
- Jon Anderson announces September UK tour dates
- "It's not me! But thank you for all the love!" Angela Gossow shoots down rumour that she's rejoining Arch Enemy
- "His spirit will be around." A beloved, long-lost cult prog metal band have announced their first shows in 16 years - and you can hear their first rehearsals together
- "Breaking the Law is a revolution song." Watch Rob Halford discuss conflict, rioting and rage in trailer for forthcoming documentary The Ballad of Judas Priest, starring Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Grohl, Billy Corgan, Kirk Hammett and more
- "My main memory is thinking if I stood still for too long, I’d get hit with a beer can." R&B superstar Thundercat looks back on his nine years in hardcore punk legends Suicidal Tendencies
- "Hey, everybody. It's me, Dee Snider, and I'm not dying!" Twisted Sister frontman "still rocking, ain't stopping", despite reunion tour cancellation
- Steven Wilson announces two Royal Albert Hall dates in October, his only live shows this year
- February 14
- February 13
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- "Under any authoritarian government, bad laws are there to be broken." Massive Attack react to High Court ruling that the UK government acted unlawfully when classifying Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation
- The Dillinger Escape Plan announce first UK show since 2017, alongside only European shows of 2026
- "I and so many others have experienced gaslighting, vilification, monitoring and covert manipulation." Sister Ghost shares raging punk single Not Your Toy, lines up special Valentine's Day show
- February 12
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- "I've got to be careful about what I say about it. But I've got a lot to say." Superstar drummer Josh Freese on his enforced "mystery" exit from Foo Fighters
- "We’re in the lab, we’re woodshedding, excited." Eddie Vedder says that Pearl Jam are preparing for a new era
- Alanis Morissette and Skunk Anansie added to inaugural State Fayre Festival line-up following the cancellation of Neil Young's European tour
- "This is a much more insular record." Steven Wilson reveals details of his upcoming studio album
- February 11
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- Marillion share new remix of Go! as they announce 25th anniversary reissue of marillion.com
- The Pogues drummer Andrew Ranken dead at 72
- "Anyone that wants to succeed in anything knows that it comes at a sacrifice." One of the UK's best metal bands announce that they won't be touring for the foreseeable future, fiercely criticise the cynical grind of the modern music industry
- "There was about 380 people in the hall, sold out. There wasn’t a woman in sight." Carl Palmer looks back on the earliest Emerson, Lake & Palmer shows
- February 10
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- "Everything I've done in my life so far seems to have led up to this moment." Dee Snider details the emotional mushroom ceremony he participated in to resolve health issues
- "How is it possible we've given this evil man so much power?" Jack White calls for US President Donald Trump to be arrested, impeached and jailed
- "This is something we've talked about doing for a long time." One of the most exciting bands on Earth has teamed up with one of the most innovative rappers in the game for an explosive new single you need to hear
- “You have no idea how many walk out of the room every time we do that. Obviously, I’m glad that they leave”: Paleface Swiss vocalist is happy he offends people by kissing his bandmates
- "Pat Smear left me a voicemail and said, 'I have the weirdest request and it involves Mariah Carey'." How Taylor Momsen and Foo Fighters thrilled Mariah Carey by performing two songs from her secret alt. rock album for the very first time
- “I was like, ‘I think it’d be cool if I die and spit up blood and yada yada yada’”: You’ve probably seen their larger-than-life sword’n’sorcery concerts on social media, but Castle Rat’s fantasy shows are rooted in very real death anxieties
- "I'd like to see more of the world before it all gets vaporized." One of the biggest rock bands in history are set to bring the curtain down on their storied career this year
- "I just wanna know when Led Zeppelin's gonna be in the Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame." Kiss legend Gene Simmons rants about hip-hop being in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, EDM being "easy" and more
- February 9
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- "It crushes me not to be able to play guitar": Manowar founder Ross 'The Boss' Friedman diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease
- "We have the best fans in the world": Much-loved Brit rockers Little Angels announce first shows in over a decade
- Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood wants his music removed from the much-mocked Melania Trump documentary
- The Black Crowes announce UK and Europe summer shows
- Rick Wakeman launches new weekly podcast with comedian Griff Rhys Jones
- "What the heck were you thinking, dude? I would fall to my death." Maynard James Keenan has thoughts on Tool soundtracking that terrifying climb up one of the tallest buildings on Earth
- "When you listen to The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Sabbath, Zeppelin...it would have ruined them!" The one thing from today's music that would have screwed up countless classic albums, according to legendary metal guitarist Zakk Wylde
- “As soon as I heard it, I thought, Yes, that's us, that’s Ozzy's voice." Listen to Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley play the blues on a rehearsal tape lost for 46 years
- "All of us are excited to return...with a few surprises in store." One of the biggest bands of the nu metal era just announced their biggest UK shows ever
- February 8
- February 7
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- "It was an intense place to be for a gay man in that world." Faith No More's Roddy Bottum on hair metal
- 3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold dead at 47
- Here's how to watch Green Day's high voltage (and possibly controversial) Super Bowl 2026 opener from anywhere in the world: Times, streaming options, setlist predictions & more
- "I have decided to take a break." Neil Young cancels upcoming European tour, saying "This is not the time"
- February 6
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- "There are no plans for any physical release of this recording." Steven Wilson announces new live album Impossible Tightrope and launches hi-res audiophile resource
- "This isn’t a contest. This isn’t a gimmick. This is your chance to join." Here's everything you need to do if you want to become the new vocalist for multi-platinum rockers Skid Row
- Ghost’s Tobias Forge says it was a relief when he lost his anonymity: “I can’t eclipse what Ghost is. I’m not interesting enough.”
- "I have this memory of killing myself, blasting my head off, and then throwing the guitar at the amp over and over." The story behind the most intense song on the most ambitious rock album of the '90s
- “I guess people just don’t think like we do”: Maynard James Keenan thinks Puscifer are in the “third side-project category” but is happy on the side of the underdog
- "James says, 'Kill him!' This guy looks at the two of us and says, 'Who’s gonna kill me?' And James pointed at me." Dave Mustaine looks back on Metallica's wild early days
- "The idea of slowing down is unacceptable to me. I’d rather walk away than be a shadow of my former self." Twisted Sister cancel 50th anniversary reunion tour as Dee Snider quits due to health issues
- A lounge cover of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was “the creepiest thing” Ozzy Osbourne ever heard: “Which coming from him is the biggest compliment”
- Steve Hackett's on the front cover of the new issue of Prog, on sale now!
- "It was a nightmare to mix, but we got it sounding raw and filthy." The Black Keys announce "primal" new album Peaches!, launch first single
- February 5
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- "I go onstage, I battle death, I die and I come back to life." From sword-waving rat queens to alpha bro-baiting metal singers, the new issue of Metal Hammer has four exclusive covers: Castle Rat, Sleep Theory, President and Paleface Swiss
- "If there was another way around this, I would swallow my pride and say, 'I was able to find some miracle cure.'" Heavy metal legend and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine on why now is the right time to say goodbye
- "We are watching people be pushed out of their homes here in America, in Palestine, in Sudan, in Iran, everywhere." Turnstile reflect on their historic Grammy Awards triumph and vow to keep making music in solidarity with "voices that are buried"
- February 4
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- "There were no rules; ideas could come from anywhere: subtle drum loops, bits of organ or abstract guitar noise, even samples of frogs or crickets." Long-awaited Slipknot project Look Outside Your Window is finally being released
- “We have the same management, and we both wear masks. Is that it?!” President vocalist blasts comparisons to Sleep Token as “lazy”
- "If they ever approached me, of course I would have done it...but I'm kind of relieved they didn't." Mike Portnoy responds to rumours he was in the frame to join Rush following the death of Neil Peart
- Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson’s next album features Sepultura members and is being recorded at Dave Grohl’s studio
- February 3
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- "This is far and away the best live version of Paradise City I've ever seen": Rare footage of Guns N' Roses playing live in 1987 surfaces online
- "I shifted from Garbage, Radiohead and Silverchair to black metal." The classic 90s album that changed the life of the singer who'd go on to front one of her country's biggest bands
- No rules. No limits. No quarter. Led Zeppelin: 18 months on the road with the biggest band in the world - only in the new issue of Classic Rock
- Deep Purple announce one-off show at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall
- February 2
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- "Once you're comfortable in this space, don't overthink it, just enjoy it." A new recording studio at a historic English school has been named after Justin Hawkins
- "A one-man calamity, catastrophe. No trace of sanity, an empty shell": Queen's Roger Taylor releases surprise protest song Chumps and doesn't pull his punches
- New Metallica x Dr. Martens collection are Hardwired to impress… wherever you may roam
- "We've experienced the biggest loss we will ever go through." Kelly Osbourne reveals why the Osbourne family are "closer than ever" following Ozzy's death - and has an emotional reaction to the epic Grammys tribute starring Post Malone and Slash
- February 1
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- "The community we found through punk and hardcore music has given us a safe place to swing in the dark." Turnstile win big in the rock and metal categories at the 2026 Grammys, Yungblud and Nine Inch Nails also winners
- "I was trying to make a butt sex joke and it was dumb." Maynard James Keenan regrets some of the lyrics he wrote on those early Tool records
- "He asked me 'Do you have long hair? Are you willing to wear a dress and high heels? Are you willing to wear lipstick?' Those questions fascinated me." Peter Criss recalls his first conversation with Gene Simmons and the birth of Kiss
- "The ‘bucket’ is all the crap that goes around our head all the time." Peter Gabriel shares new single Put The Bucket Down
