Brit Floyd—”widely recognized as the world’s premiere Pink Floyd experience” (Rolling Stone)—will celebrate the group’s 15th anniversary with the 2026 The Moon, The Wall and Beyond world tour spanning North America and beyond. Featuring a state-of-the-art, award-winning laser and light show, massive led walls, inflatables, and more, the theatrical concert experience’s new shows will honor Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall albums and promise to be Brit Floyd’s most ambitious and immersive production to date.
This monumental new production celebrates two of the most iconic and influential albums in rock history with a breathtaking show that captures the spirit, sound, and spectacle of the legendary band. Check the full tour dates and ticket information here.
Launching February 9 in Canada, the 2026 shows will feature highlights from Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, including such timeless classics such as “Time,” “Money,” “Comfortably Numb,” and “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2.” Beyond these iconic songs, audiences can also expect a selection of fan favorites from Pink Floyd’s vast discography including tracks from Wish You Were Here to Animals and many more. The 2026 The Moon, The Wall and Beyond world tour will encompass more than 130 shows. Some U.S. highlights include two nights at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, a return to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, two shows at The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA, Mizner Park in Boca Raton, FL, Fox Theatre, Detroit and Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, San Diego.
The Brit Floyd ensemble has featured expert musicians over the last decade including Brit Floyd co-founders long-time guitarist/lead vocalist and musical director and creative architect of the shows Damian Darlington and bassist/lead vocalist Ian Cattell. Catell is a Syracuse-native who has received multiple accolades for his part in the city’s history through his contribution to the global music scene. This year Cattell is one of five honorees being inducted into the Syracuse Area Music Awards Hall of Fame (the SAMMYs recognize the best in local music with multiple categories). Expect special guests to pop in for shows along the tour route.
Since their formation, Brit Floyd has set the standard for tribute performances, delivering stadium-scale concerts that combine stunning musicianship, cutting-edge visuals, and an unparalleled attention to detail. Having performed over 1,500 shows (in over 40 countries) since their launch in Liverpool, England in January 2011, Brit Floyd have circled the globe, with sold out tours across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and the Middle East. They’ve performed concerts at some of the world’s greatest venues, including London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall; the awe-inspiring Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado; the historic Greek Theatre in Los Angeles; and ‘The Showplace of the Nation,’ NYC’s Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.
The Brit Floyd show has become a phenomenon, widely regarded by many as the world’s greatest rock tribute experience and Brit Floyd has earned worldwide acclaim as the definitive live PinkFloyd experience.
Seattle’s The Darts return with “Apocalypse,” the second from their upcoming LP Halloween Love Songs, arriving March 3. “Apocalypse” follows up on “Midnight Creep,” which felt like a B-movie anthem. “Apocalypse” is part of the darker half of the album, featuring explosive rhythms and a sing-along chorus. It has a creepy yet sultry vibe that elevates the pulse of horror rock. This track was released yesterday and is available online to enjoy before the album hits the streaming platforms next month. Watch the Video for “Apocalypse”below.
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Singer/organ conjurer Nicole Laurenne was inspired to write the song following a trip to Angers, France, when she visited the massive medieval Apocalypse Tapestry, a wall of woven chaos, angels, beasts and storms. “The lightning bolt struck me,” she says. “The song practically wrote itself in the van as we left the castle.” Nicole felt the strange liberation of burning it all down: freedom from suffering, freedom from crowns, freedom from being told what comes next. She wrote the line “no future, no kings” as a mantra of release. A year later, “No Kings” became a protest chant across the U.S, whilst the track existed only as a demo on her laptop.
Long before the album was finished, the band featured“Apocalypse” in their live sets, and the audience reaction was immediate. The track became an instant classic with the baying fans, so when the studio version was finally tracked, Gretsch Guitars tapped the instrumental for a major ad, with Lindsay Scarey and Rikki Styxx featured front and centre. A quiet demo unexpectedly became one of the band’s most sought-after songs before its official release.
The album was recorded at Station House Studio in Los Angeles with Grammy-winning producer Mark Rains. The band was formed in Washington, USA, in 2016 with a purpose of being an all-girl garage rock band. They have released five full length LP’s to date, featured on Jello Biafra’s record label and supported The Damned and Billie Joe Armstrong’s The Longshot. They have featured at European Festivals and on BBC Radio in the UK.
3.27 Amiens, FR – Péniche Celestine 3.28 Lauzach, FR – Festival Bouge Ton Cube 4.01 Rouen, FR – Fury Défendu
4.02 0rleans, FR – O’PATIO DÉFI 4.03 Vitré, FR – Very Rock Trip Party 4.04 Montaigu, FR – Le Zinor
5.01 Sacramento, CA 5.02 Reno, NV 5.03 Chico, CA 5.06 Eugene, OR 5.07 Portland, OR 5.08 Tacoma, WA 5.09 Seattle, WA 5.10 Bellingham, WA 5.12 Yakima, WA 5.14 Salt Lake City, UT 5.15 Grand Junction, CO 5.16 Denver, CO 5.17 Albuquerque, NM 5.19 Tucson, AZ 5.20 Phoenix, AZ 5.21 El Centro, CA 5.22 Los Angeles, CA 5.23 Long Beach, CA 5.24 Oceanside, CA 5.25 Pioneertown, CA 5.27 Las Vegas, NV 5.28 Palmdale, CA 5.29 Santa Cruz, CA 5.30 Oakland, CA
6.10 Jersey City, NJ 6.11 Washington, DC 6.12 Richmond, VA 6.13 Raleigh, NC 6.14 Wilmington, NC 6.17 Savannah, GA 6.18 Athens, GA 6.19 Atlanta, GA 6.20 Nashville, TN 6.21 Louisville, KY 6.23 Indianapolis, IN 6.24 Cleveland, OH 6.25 Rochester, NY 6.26 Lake George, NY 6.27 New Haven, CT 6.28 Brooklyn, NY
8.26 Eugene, OR 8.27 Portland, OR 8.28 Seattle, WA 8.29 Vancouver, BC
Bill “Doc” Plaster’s autobiographical book, My Life Song by Song – The Story of Dr. Strange Records, tells the story of his life and how he came to start and grow Dr. Strange Records: the biggest mail‑order distributor for punk music in the world, a record label since 1989, and a brick‑and‑mortar store in California that opened its doors in 1997.
I was excited to discover this book the last time I visited Dr. Strange Records, a small but notable punk record shop located in Alta Loma, CA. Excited because Dr. Strange has signed many notable bands over the years, like Face to Face, Guttermouth, Zoinks,The Freeze, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Sinkhole, and many others.
Punk rock and life philosophies – the book is, among many things, the SoCal punk scene of the ’80s and ’90s through the eyes of a truly knowledgeable and engaged devotee/icon. If you’re curious about what that world was like; its bands, its sound, and the people who shaped it, this is a great place to start. And if you want to learn about the personal challenges Bill faced to get where he is, this book is absolutely for you.
Like many autobiographies, Bill starts at the beginning, describing his childhood growing up in the late ’60s and early ’70s. He describes his move from Goleta, CA to Upland, CA, accompanied by photos of Bill with his childhood friends – some of whom he still talks to today.
Bill shares notable moments from his youth that either shaped who he is today or, at the very least, left a lasting impression on him – parents’ divorce, witnessing death, and other life trials that I won’t spoil.
He writes about partying in his teen years, relentless pranking among friends, discovering punk music and attending shows despite it being a much more violent scene in the ’80s. The book shares photos taken from Doc’s personal 35 mm camera of Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, GBH, The Dickies, and others.
The book shares details about the inner workings of how the Dr. Strange mail‑order business, record shop, and record label came to be.
Overall, this is a great book with good insights and positive messages, and if you’re into punk music, even better.
Mortiis, real name Håvard Ellefsen, is often mythologized. As a pioneer of dungeon synth, a founding member of Emperor, and a sharp visual aesthetician, the adolation he receives is usually reserved for fictional characters. His return to dungeon synth, including his 2020 LP Spirit of Rebellion and last year’s tour with Mayhem, reinstated him as an Odin-like figure in the subgenre. However, this myth downplays Ellefsen’s place within Mortiis, a role that became more pronounced and, in some ways, vital on 2001’s The Smell of Rain.
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Within Mortiis canon, The Smell of Rain sits as his only Era 2 album, sandwiched between the ethereal and groundbreaking 90s works of his Era 1 run and his later industrial rock releases that constitute Era 3. It’s a time capsule of 2001. Its sandy cover (a theme more ubiquitous than you remember), goth-pop sensibilities, and Ellefsen’s shy vocals are all relics of the early aughts, though they also reflect a growing pain that’s as rare within the Mortiis catalog as it is charming. Ellefsen himself calls the record a happy accident, as he was growing disillusioned with his 90s output and entering a deep depression. This, along with his proximity to the industrial scene, pushed him to experiment, even if he had no clue what he was doing and no nearby mentors.
“I was listening to Enigma, Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, Iggy Pop, everything,” he says. “I was just branching out as a fan and influenced by a lot of these artists and bands. But I didn’t know how they did it. I come from a small town and the only other alternative people that were from there were into black metal. You couldn’t ask them how that was done. They didn’t have a clue. So I was just listening to those records on repeat and trying to figure it out and, of course, completely failing, and that became The Smell of Rain.”
Most indicative of this are Ellefsen’s vocals on The Smell of Rain. This was the first time he assumed lead vocals, and while his pale delivery suits the leather-bound and stitched-together production, it was less a conscious decision and more a byproduct of nerves and subpar recording tools. “The reason that my vocals are so mellow on that record is because I really wanted to do the more aggro industrial singing, something more dynamic, but I was too scared. I always wanted to be harder and angrier on that record. But that never happened.”
Ellefsen also opted not to demo his vocals on The Smell of Rain as he didn’t have a practice studio. His recording studio didn’t offer much help, either. There was little to be done to punch up his voice as he worked with Pro Tools 4 and a four-track capacity. As he puts it, “It was a weird, weird atmosphere and then, just trying to understand the equipment, I didn’t really have a clue about mic preamps and microphones and mic placement and all that stuff.”
It’s surprising, then, that he elected to sing rather than bring in a guest vocalist, as he did with Sarah Jezebel Deva on The Stargate. Retroactively, he claims his vocals better suited The Smell of Rain’s personal lyrics, which go from Trent Reznor-like bleakness (“Everyone leaves. In the end. Everyone dies. In the end” from “Everyone Leaves”) to Mortiis-appropriate mythologizing (“They love their parasite god, yet they crucify me” from “Parasite God”). It’s hard to disagree with Ellefsen as his presence, shaky and frail, humanizes the dystopic tundra on the record.
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Credit: Mariusz Kobaru Kowal (@kobarupl)
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Despite his inexperience being set to tape, Ellefsen holds The Smell of Rain dear, with many of its sloppy production and mixing choices strengthening its identity. To fixate on these would be akin to envisioning past high school embarrassments and chastizing yourself for a lack of eloquence, forgetting that the missing decorum was a sign of freedom. As Ellefsen puts it, “You just have to appreciate it for what it is. It’s a snapshot of the times, and it’s probably unfair of older me to go back and kind of yell at younger me for not realizing certain things that I may be realizing now. Once you can accept that, you just got to look at it for what it is. I mean, there are things that I wouldn’t do today, and that’s fine. Otherwise, you’re just gonna kind of die a bitter, regretful old man. It’s just not a way to live.”
Both Ellefsen’s nerves and vocals would improve throughout Mortiis’ Era 3 run, stretching between 2004’s The Grudge and 2010’s Perfectly Defect, and not just because he didn’t drink as much when recording. (Ellefsen recounted his time making The Grudge as such: “Someone told me that Morten Harket, the singer from a-ha, takes a shot before singing. Not that I sing like him, but he’s a very good singer. So I figured, ‘He takes a shot of whiskey or brandy to warm up his vocal cords? Then I can do that too,’ except I drank a bottle and a six-pack of beer.”) In a non-dungeon synth move, he assembled a full band, began touring, and slowly phased out his prosthetics. Don’t hypothesize that this represented an internal growth, becoming comfortable with oneself, and stripping down all that protected the ego. Something Ellefsen implies during conversations is that these narratives are all constructs. Occam’s razor is his guiding principle. When asked if the prosthetics helped him with his anxiety, he flatly replies, “no.” What sharpened his nerves and vocals was the years of practice he had doing live performances, and what pushed him away from prosthetics was the long application time necessary before every show.
With that newfound assurance, he would revisit his second record, Ånden som gjorde opprør, at Cold Meat Industry’s 25th anniversary show in Stockholm in 2017. He’d then make peace with his dungeon synth work and reflect on it with the same grace that he did The Smell of Rain, eventually returning with The Spirit of Resistance, his first record in the style in over 20 years.
It’s unclear if The Smell of Rain will be reassessed by fans in the same way that Mortiis’ early work was, but it’s unlikely. Though dungeon synth has evolved beyond Mortiis, much of its visual and auditory language acts or reacts to the template he laid, and that’s to say nothing of the otherworldly feel of Ånden som gjorde opprør or Keiser av en dimension ukjent. The dilaptidapted medieval fanfare crossed with nostalgia for a realm that never existed, ironically, comes off as prescient. Meanwhile, The Smell of Rain is of its time, a portal to Y2K, though that doesn’t undermine its quality. Ellefsen was correct when he said he knows how to write catchy music. The Smell of Rain is his most danceable album and its faith in itself, in spite of Ellefsen’s inexperience, gives it a brashness that can’t be replicated. Ellefsen himself doesn’t think he could remake it, though its influence lingers in his mind. A quarter century later, he’s still finding pieces he could build on, which is why he said of his upcoming record, “I think this album has definitely more in common with, for example, The Smell of Rain than it does with any kind of dungeon release that I’ve done.”
Interview with Virtue In Vain – East Heat #1 Green Rooms 07.02.26
1. Please introduce yourself for anyone who may not know you. Tell us a little bit more about you as a band.
We are Virtue In Vain. We are a 3-piece metalcore band based in South Wales made up of Hywel (Vocals), Mason (Guitar) & Dan (Drums)
2. What made you want to participate in the Metal To The Masses South Wales 2026 campaign? Have you had previous experience? Or is this your first time?
We have wanted to enter in previous years but have unfortunately had other commitments. This year we wanted to give it our all so this will be the first time we are competing and we cannot wait to show you what we have in store.
3. M2TM is all about supporting your local scene. How important is the local scene to you as a band?
It is the foundation of who we are as a band, and we are proud to be a part of the Welsh music scene. We all grew up watching local bands, and we have been lucky enough to play with so many talented musicians over the years.
We all feel that supporting your scene and giving back when you can is so important to keep the scene growing and thriving.
4. We have a slightly different set up this year with Heats/Quarters/Semis taking place at Green Rooms. Have you played the venue before or is this your first time? Are you excited to get on those stages?
We have played the Green Rooms a few times, and it’s great to have the opportunity to play the stage again.
It is one of the venues that has grown over the years and is a staple of the music scene in Wales, and so any chance we get to play Green Rooms, we will always take it
5. What are your expectations from being a part of M2TM?
We really enjoy seeing all the competing bands. Its’s great to play and meet bands we have played with previously or make new friends. It’s a great way to really get into what the current scene is creating and new music to listen to.
6. What would getting to our Day Of Wreckoning final and the possibility of playing Bloodstock Festival 2026 mean to you?
Honestly, it would mean so much to us. We have completely redesigned our set and sound this year, and so to be able to reach the final and potentially play Bloodstock would be such a great opportunity while being a great way to show who Virtue In Vain is.
7. We encourage all the bands in M2TM to try and check out the other bands, who are you most looking forward to? Who should your fans also try to catch?
For us it would be Winter. We haven’t known them very long, but what we have heard and spoken with them, it’s exciting to see the potential of what is to come in the future.
8. Tell us in five words why people should come and see your band?
Scottish progressive metal band Dvne announce the release of their powerful performance at Hellfest Open Air 2023. “Live at Hellfest” features a selection of songs exclusively from Dvne‘s acclaimed album Etemen Ænka, showcasing the band’s crushing heaviness, atmospheric depth, and commanding live presence. Recorded in front of a massive festival audience, the release captures the raw energy and immersive sound that have made Dvne one of the most compelling acts in modern progressive metal.
Live at Hellfest arrives as Dvne prepares to hit the road as support for Igorrr, marking an exciting new chapter for the band and offering fans a raw snapshot of their live presence.
Formed in Edinburgh in 2013 by displaced Frenchman Victor Vicart and native Scot Dudley Tait, post-metal prog-sludge artisans Dvne have been building a powerful head of steam since their second album, 2021′s kaleidoscopically mesmerizing Etemen Ænka. Their first release for the legendary Metal Blade Records label, the LP was a concerted hike up the greasy pole for this enigmatic outfit, enabling Dvne to embark on UK and European headline tours and win spots at such discerning festivals as Hellfest, ArcTanGent, Desertfest, Damnation and Resurrection. Then the stunning third album Voidkind in 2024 propelled this expanded five-piece line-up (welcoming Maxime Keller on keyboards) to the top of their game.
Certainly Voidkind succeeds in finding new modes of expression for Dvne. The songs are more pointed, direct and memorable, but the soundscape still has a radiant, evolving, hypnotic flow, the effect achieved with fewer layers of sonic ornamentation, consciously urging closer to Dvne‘s incendiary live sound.
The band will embark on their European tour as support for labelmates Igorrr tomorrow:
Igorrr w/ DVNE & thoughtcrimes:
2/05/2026 La Boite Noire – Meisenthal, FR
2/06/2026 Im Wizemann Hall – Stuttgart, DE
2/07/2026 Backstage Werk – Munich, DE
2/08/2026 Alcatraz – Milan, IT
2/10/2026 Kino Siska – Ljubljana, SI
2/11/2026 Gasometer – Vienna, AT
2/12/2026 Roxy – Prague, CZ
2/13/2026 Barba Negra – Budapest, HU
2/14/2026 Progresia – Warsaw, PL
2/16/2026 Loftas – Vilnius, LT
2/17/2026 Helitehas – Tallinn, EE
2/18/2026 Kulttuuritalo – Helsinki, FI
2/20/2026 Fryshuset – Stockholm, SE
2/21/2026 Rockefeller – Oslo, NO
2/22/2026 Amager Bio – Copenhagen, DK
2/24/2026 Metropol – Berlin, DE
2/25/2026 FZW – Dortmund, DE
2/26/2026 Tivoli – Utrecht, NL
2/27/2026 L’Aeronef – Lille, FR
2/28/2026 Le 106 – Rouen, FR
DVNE is:
Victor Vicart – guitars, vocals
Daniel Barter – guitars, vocals
Dudley Tait – drums
Alexandros Keros – bass
Maxime Keller – keys
Charlotte Sands reveals her new single, “back to you,” the final preview of her sophomore album, Satellite, out March 6. “back to you” follows recent singles “Afterlife,” “neckdeep,” “HUSH,” and “one eye open,” all of which appear on the upcoming album. On “back to you,” Charlotte strikes a powerful balance between angsty intensity and poetic vulnerability. The song begins […]
Seattle’s The Darts return with “Apocalypse,” the second advance single from their upcoming LP Halloween Love Songs, arriving March 3. Where “Midnight Creep” danced in B-movie shadows, “Apocalypse” blows the door off the darker half of the album, leaning into caveman rhythms, volcanic fuzz, and the kind of apocalyptic joy that makes destruction sound like […]
New York-based rock label Equal Vision Records and Endpoint are excited to announce the Friday, February 27 release of After Taste (Deluxe Edition), a fully remixed and remastered, 18-track expanded version of the influential Louisville, KY hardcore band’s 1993 album. When it was first released, After Taste was widely considered a “departure” for Endpoint. It’s slower, they said. It’s more melodic and less political. Back then, […]
Poison Ruin’s Hymns from the Hills ambitiously rewrites the very rules of what punk is capable of achieving, pushing their sound into expansive new terrains without sacrificing an ounce of the bleak symbolism and uncompromising aggression that first established them as an urgent new voice in the world of extreme music. The Philadelphia punks have expanded their […]
