Sam Fender releases important new single ‘I’m Always on Stage’

Sam Fender has returned with a new single, I’m Always on Stage, taken from the upcoming deluxe edition of his Mercury-Prize-winning album People Watching. The track drops ahead of the deluxe edition’s release on December 5th, after previously featuring on his 2025 Record Store Day vinyl-exclusive EP Me and The Dog.

The deluxe version of People Watching brings a handful of additions worth paying attention to. There’s the Elton John collaboration Talk To You, released last month, plus the Olivia Dean version of Reign Me In, and previously issued tracks Tyrants and Me and The Dog. New tracks Fortuna’s Wheel, The Treadmill and Empty Spaces will be released for the first time.

People Watching (Deluxe Edition) out 5th December 2025

In I’m Always on Stage, Sam pulls back the curtain on the effect of being in the public eye and the relentless touring cycles that come with the job. The lyrics explore exhaustion, expectation, and the unlikely solidity of the stage as both refuge and pressure cage. It’s a deep song that highlights an important issue in an industry that’s often overlooked. The spotlight can look glamorous from the outside, but it often hides something much less tidy.

Off the record, Sam’s work with the Music Venue Trust has made headlines as he recently donated his Mercury Prize winnings to the charity. The MVT works to protect and improve grassroots music venues around the UK. “I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today if it wasn’t for all the gigs I played around the North East and beyond, when I was starting out,” he said.

In a period where music feels increasingly incremental, Sam Fender stands out as one of the most important artists around at the moment. His willingness to say something real and actually back it up is rare in a mainstream landscape that usually avoids it.

Listen to ‘I’m Always on Stage’

Man/Woman/Chainsaw sign to Fiction Records and release new single ‘Only Girl’

Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Credit: Charlie & Charlie

South London art rock sextet Man/Woman/Chainsaw have today announced their signing to Fiction Records, home to The Cure, St. Vincent and Billie Marten. The news of their signing is followed by the release of new single ‘Only Girl’ with a debut album expected to follow in 2026. Lead vocalist on this track, Vera describes it as ‘our playful love song. Built around a ripping violin top-line and birthed from a grungy guitar jam’.

The new single and signing news follow a sold-out London Scala and UK tour in October, live sessions on KEXP and Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6 Music show and a first trip to Austin, Texas’ SXSW where they found themselves at the forefront of the new wave British bands.

Man/Woman/Chainsaw upcoming live shows:

Tue 02/12 - London, Omeara (free show)
Wed 14/01 - Groningen, Eurosonic Noorderslag
Fri 30/01 - Southampton, So Young Weekender, Suburbia
Sat 31/01 - Bedford, Ceremony 5.5, Esquires
Wed 18/02 - Hebden Bridge, The Trades Club 
Thu 19/02 - Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire
Fri 20/02 - Liverpool, O2 Academy 2 
Sat 21/02 - Dublin, Borderline Festival, Workman's Club

Man/Woman/Chainsaw are:

Billy Ward (vocals, guitars)
Emmie-Mae Avery (vocals, keys/synths)
Vera Leppänen (vocals, bass)
Clio Harwood (violin)
Lola Cherry (drums)
Billy Doyle (guitars)

Watch the visualiser for ‘Only Girl’

Watch Man/Woman/Chainsaw live on KEXP

Florence Road release new single ‘Storm Warnings’

Florence Road, Credit: Jan Philipzen

Irish band Florence Road have released their new single Storm Warnings, following on from Miss and Break the Girl, both released after their June EP Fall Back. The track arrives as the band tour across Europe supporting Wolf Alice, before joining them for UK and Ireland dates at the end of the month.

2026 is shaping up to be a big year for them. Florence Road will support The Last Dinner Party across the US in March and April, and they’re also confirmed for Primavera Sound Barcelona. With momentum building this quickly, more live dates presumably on the way; is it time for a debut album?

Florence Road are Lily Aron (vocals), Emma Brandon (guitar), Ailbhe Barry (bass) and Hannah Kelly (drums).

Upcoming Florence Road Tour Dates:

Europe (supporting Wolf Alice)

• 15 Nov — Le Bikini, Toulouse, France

• 17 Nov — Palladium, Cologne, Germany

• 18 Nov — Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany

• 19 Nov — Tonhalle, Munich, Germany

• 21 Nov — Den Atelier, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

• 23 Nov — AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands

• 24 Nov — Forest National, Brussels, Belgium

• 25 Nov — Le Zénith, Paris, France

UK & Ireland (headline shows)

• 30 Nov — The Academy, Dublin, Ireland

• 2 Dec — King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, UK

• 3 Dec — The Lodge, Manchester, UK

• 4 Dec — Colours Hoxton, London, UK

• 7 Dec — Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast, UK

USA (supporting The Last Dinner Party)

• 27 Mar — ACL Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, TX

• 28 Mar — The Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX

• 30 Mar — White Oak Music Hall (Downstairs), Houston, TX

• 1 Apr — The Midland Theatre, Kansas City, MO

• 3 Apr — Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI

• 4 Apr — The Salt Shed, Chicago, IL

• 6 Apr — Agora Theatre, Cleveland, OH

• 7 Apr — The Anthem, Washington, DC

• 8 Apr — Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA

• 15 Apr — Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA

• 17 Apr — College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT

• 18 Apr — Roadrunner, Boston, MA

• 20 Apr — State Theatre Portland, Portland, ME

• 21 Apr — MTELUS, Montreal, QC

• 23 Apr — Massey Hall, Toronto, ON

• 25 Apr — Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY

The Great Escape announce ‘First Fifty’ acts for 2026

The Great Escape has earned its reputation as the UK’s most reliable place to find new artists before everyone else catches on. Every May, Brighton’s small venues open their doors to fans, musicians and the traveling mob of music industry professionals making the journey down the A23. It’s busy, chaotic, and always worth it.

This year’s First Fifty announcement is already packed. Westside Cowboy stand out immediately — fresh off a huge summer that included four Glastonbury performances after winning the festival’s Emerging Artist Competition. SLAG also appear, a band we featured early on in If You Don’t Know, Get to Know! and who’ll be playing a hometown show. New Welsh rock band MORN, who will feature in next week’s IYDKGTK!, are also on the list. Other early highlights include Ain’t, Sean Trelford, and Canadian punk outfit PISS.

The festival’s 2026 Spotlight Show will be headlined by rising Irish prospects Kingfishr, performing at Brighton Dome on 14th May. Their debut album, released in August, reached #1 in Ireland and #7 in the UK

If you’re paying attention to new music, this is a festival you’ll want to put in your calendars. It’s a solid snapshot for the future of indie and alternative music.

You can see the full lineup below (alphabetical):

Ain’t
Annie-Dog
Ashaine White
Au/Ra
AVA Joe
Bean Magazine
Becky Sikasa
BED
Big Long Sun
Carpetman
Clothesline from Hell
DC3
Dermot Henry
Elsa
Gareth
Girl Group
Girl Tones
Isak Benjamin
Jack Devlin
James Emmanuel
Kellan Christopher Cragg
ladylike
Lily Moore
Little Grandad
Madra Salach
Marlon Funaki
Max Baby
Meltt
Morn
Mustbejohn
Ngaiire
Persia Holder
PISS
Really Good Time
Ringlets
Saint Clair
Sean Trelford
SISTRA
SLAG
Sophia Thakur
Tanzana
Teenage Joans
The Itch
THE OBGMs
Tommy WÁ
Truman Sinclair
Tukki
Wah Wah Wah
Westside Cowboy
Yndling