Cheltenham is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the most complete Regency town in Britain. It is directly northeast of Gloucester.
Kerrang! is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd. The magazine was named onomatopoeically after the sound of a "guitar being struck with force".
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil and twin brothers James and Ben Johnston. Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have released nine studio albums, and following their first three albums, the band expanded their following significantly in 2007 with the release of their fourth album Puzzle, which peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and was awarded a Platinum certification by the BPI.
Skindred is a Welsh rock band that fuses heavy metal with other genres, most notably reggae. Formed in Newport in 1998, they are well known for their energetic and involving live performances and have won several awards including "Best Live Band" at the 2011 UK Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards and the "Devotion Award" at the 2011 Kerrang! Awards.
Creeper are an English rock band from Southampton. Formed in 2014, the group originally featured vocalist Will Gould, guitarists Ian Miles and Sina Nemati, bassist Sean Scott, and drummer Dan Bratton. The band independently released their self-titled debut EP in 2014, before signing with Roadrunner Records and issuing follow-up The Callous Heart the next year. At the end of 2015, Nemati was replaced by Oliver Burdett and touring keyboardist/second vocalist Hannah Greenwood became an official band member. A third EP, The Stranger, was released in 2016 and reached the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart top ten.
Black Spiders are an English rock band based in Sheffield, England. Their third studio album entered the UK Rock Chart reaching No. 9. re-entering again at No. 28, after Record Store Day
Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival held at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. As of 2019, Riot Fest is one of the largest independently-owned music festivals in the United States.
Royal Blood are an English rock duo formed in Littlehampton in 2011. The current lineup consists of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher (drums). Their signature sound is built around Kerr's bass playing style, which sees him using various effects pedals and amps to make his bass guitar sound like an electric guitar and bass guitar at the same time. The duo were signed by Warner Chappell Music in 2013 and have since released four studio albums: Royal Blood (2014), How Did We Get So Dark? (2017), Typhoons (2021), and Back to the Water Below (2023).
Boomtown is a British music festival held annually on the Matterley Estate in South Downs National Park, near Winchester, Hampshire. It was first held in 2009 and has been held at its current site since 2011, and runs during the second week of August each year. The event features a diverse lineup of live bands, electronic music DJs, MCs, speakers, and theatrical performers across many genres.
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes are an English punk rock band formed in 2015 by frontman Frank Carter with guitarist Dean Richardson. Famed for their raucous live shows, the band released their debut album Blossom in 2015, and the follow-ups Modern Ruin in 2017 and End of Suffering in 2019. Their fourth album, Sticky, was released in October 2021. A fifth, Dark Rainbow, was released in January 2024.
The Rebellion Festival, formerly Holidays in the Sun and the Wasted Festival is a British punk rock festival first held in 1996. The festival has attracted mainstream press coverage from such sources as The Independent, The Daily Telegraph and Kerrang.
Loathe are an English heavy metal band from Liverpool. Formed in 2014, the group consists of lead vocalist Kadeem France, guitarist and second vocalist Erik Bickerstaffe, drummer Sean Radcliffe and bassist Feisal El-Khazragi.
WSTR is an English pop punk band based in Liverpool, England. Their current lineup consists of Sammy Clifford (vocals), Phil Wynne (guitar) and Sean Carson (drums). They are currently signed to Life or Death Records, after previously being signed to No Sleep Records and Hopeless Records.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the music industry, mirroring its impacts across all arts sectors. Numerous music events, including music festivals, concert tours, and award shows, have been cancelled or postponed. While some musicians and composers were able to use the time to create new works, there were flow-on effects on the many supporting people who relied on performers for their income. Various album releases have been delayed as well. Pollstar estimated the total lost revenue for the live music industry in 2020 at more than $30 billion.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom has had far-reaching consequences in the country that go beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, cultural, and social implications.
Press to Meco was an English band hailing from Crawley and Croydon. The band was known for its fusing of intricate riffs, progressive sensibilities, math-influenced structures, pop choruses and three-part harmonies.
Heriot are a British metalcore band. The band was formed in Swindon in 2014 by lead guitarist Erhan Alman, bassist and vocalist Jake Packer and drummer Julian Gage ; in 2019, rhythm guitarist and vocalist Debbie Gough joined the band. They released their debut album, Devoured by the Mouth of Hell, through Century Media Records on 25 September 2024.
Profound Morality is the third extended play by British metalcore band Heriot, released on 29 April 2022 through Church Road Records. It is the band's first release as a quartet, featuring guitarist and vocalist Debbie Gough, who joined in 2019. The band wrote and recorded the bulk of the EP in five days at their rehearsal space in Bristol in April 2021. Whilst primarily categorized as a metalcore release, Profound Morality's sound combines elements from a variety of genres, including extreme metal, hardcore, industrial and noise music. Its lyrics, inspired by the "rhetoric of wealth and class" during the COVID-19 pandemic, focus on accountability, blame, integrity, questioning power, and identifying your morals.
Mallavora is an English alternative metal band based in Bristol. Formed in 2019, the band is composed of lead vocalist Jessica Douek, guitarist Larry Sobieraj, bassist Ellis James, and drummer Jack Pedersen. Since their inception, they have released two EPs, Paradise (2020) and Origins (2023), and have performed at festivals including 2000trees and Download Festival. They have been noted for their advocacy of social causes, in particular disability access at concert venues.
THE HARA is an alternative metal band from Manchester, UK. The band was formed by Josh Taylor (frontman), Zack Breen (guitar), and Jack Kennedy (drums) in 2017. Despite all attending BIMM: Manchester at the same time, the bandmates did not meet until after graduation.
