Live Review

It was Thursday morning while on our way to Kendal Calling 2026, we were met with slow traffic, a super busy load in, and the blistering sun. However, we managed to get settled into camp just in time for headline openers, The Kooks. Their set was full of indie classics including; ‘Sofa Song’, ‘Ooh La’ and ‘Naive’, that had the crowd bouncing and singing their hearts out. After assessing the different food vendors and feeling the vibes within the crowd, I decided to flick thro

Words by Caitlin Barlow Images by Kieran Whitfield Keo ripped into the Calling Out stage on Saturday night at Kendal Calling to 1994 classic, ‘Love Spreads’ by The Stone Roses. Opening with ‘Hands’, which was released on their debut EP ‘Siren’ and has since become increasingly popular on TikTok and Instagram. Following with ‘Be Happy’ and the brash and full-frontal track, ‘That’s Me’, which is quickly becoming a new fan favourite. With an ever-growing mob surrounding the ten

The sun began to set, and the final hours of Kendal Calling Festival 2026 were approaching. However, there was still fun to be had. As Bobby Gillespie swaggered onto the stage, the crowd started to shriek and ‘Movin on Up’ spread across the field. The pressure was on as Primal Scream were the penultimate headline act of the weekend, but like the veterans they are, they proved they’ve still got it. Primal Scream last performed at Kendal Calling in 2013, headlining the main st

Word + Images by Summer Cinnamon Super Mega Death Robot (SMDR) just played their biggest gig yet, opening at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham for My Chemical Hoemance, The UK’s c*ntiest My Chemical Romance tribute band. SMDR are a Midwest Emo inspired 3-piece band formed in Nottinghamshire; They released their first single, ‘In Memory’, to Spotify in May 2026. Super Mega Death Robot makes their live performances feel like a love letter to the Midwest Emo subgenre by incorporating c

Written by Summer Cinnamon Images by Tom Marshall (@tom_sunderland) Luke Brennan, the creator of Playback, wants to change the music industry for the better to help support the local scene. He states he is “sick of promoters doing the bare minimum and taking a cut, and tired of an industry model that constantly extracts value from independent musicians”. Playback had its launching showcase on the 3rd of July 2026 in a Notts grassroot venue, The Carousel, and we are expecting

Images + Words by Kieran Whitfield (@kw.visualss) Indie-quartet, The Snuts made their Cologne return with a bang on the 18th July 2026, playing tunes both new and old, in anticipation of their upcoming album ‘Joy in short moments’ scheduled for release on October 23rd2026. Prior to doors opening, a queue of keen fans lined the outskirts of the venue (Luxor), a 500 capacity venue right in the heart of Cologne. Plenty of merch was seen, cementing The Snuts as much loved, despit

Words + Images by Kieran Whitfield (@kw.visualss) Indie, pop and punk! The big three of music genres (in my opinion), which made Munro Festival the perfect event to kick off the summer! A day of endless pints and of course a constant flow of live music. Headlining: The Lilacs, bringing their unapologetically indie tunes to the KU Stockton stage, easily filling the room with avid fans! The lineup was followed by many other significant up and coming acts including Pentire and T

@caitlinbarlow._ Having flown in from Maryland, USA, Paulie Boy was ready to give his all when performing in this intimate venue. He has gained traction throughout the states and recently in some areas of the UK too. After performing up and down the country in January 2026, he was back for more. I sat down with Paulie ahead of his headline show at the Cluny 2 in Newcastle, alongside his UK touring band – Adam Crookes (drums) and Harry Stalker (bass). Caitlin Barlow: Overall,

Photo shot on Iphone The night began with DJ Dan mounting the decks at 7:30pm. Spinning a range of 90s Britpop classics, with a few anomalies from the early 2000s including Maximo Park and The Futureheads, as fans filtered to their seats. The crowd remained rather tame, compared to Dan who used all his energy to try and excite this mostly mature audience. I found myself being one of the youngest attendees, alongside a few other young adults, and one youthful schoolboy who ha

Five whole months have flown by since the rising, alternative/indie rock four piece, Keo last went on their UK tour. Fast forward five months later and they are selling out huge headline shows all over the UK and Europe. Having previously performed at O2 Institute 2, in October 2025, the band are now headlining the historic main stage of O2 Institute, which is over double the capacity of the previous stage they performed on. Although they only have their debut EP ‘Siren’ rele