Return To Dust are continuing to their ascent to the very top with a new anthem for the ages.
‘Sweet Escape’ see the band continuing down the grunge-riddled rock and roll path that they have trodden so well since their inception, but adding plenty of modern pop flair to proceedings, allowing the melodies to get even more lodged in your frontal lobe. It is freeing, fantastical and brimming and all of the hope and promise that is allowing them to so many amazing things right now.
A real rip-roarer of a rock hit.
The band had this to say about it, simply stating, “Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to stop holding on to a losing situation,”
It follows on from their sensational cover of Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya!’, which sounds a lot like this:
The band are making their way around Europe right now, with some festivals, some support slots with Breaking Benjamin and some headline shows. Here is where you can see them.
28 – HELSINKI Tuska Festival *
JULY
03 – GALICIA Resurrection Festival * 06 – PARIS Pan Piper ^ 07 – PARIS Bataclan 08 – AMSTERDAM AFAS Live 10 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute 11 – GLASGOW O2 Academy 13 – BELFAST Telegraph Building 14 – DUBLIN National Stadium 16 – MANCHESTER O2 Victoria Warehouse 17 – LONDON O2 Academy Brixton 18 – LONDON Camden Assembly ^
As Bloodstock gets closer, we delve deep into the line up to find out more about some of the bands playing the New Blood and EMP stages at this years event.
Today we chat with After Smoke Clears
Please introduce yourselves.
Thanks for having us! We’re really grateful for the support from The Razor’s Edge thanks for giving us a platform!
We are After Smoke Clears, an energetic and hard hitting metalcore adjacent band from the UK. 2026 has seen After Smoke Clears launch with a new lineup, and with this comes some more geographical spread. Joe, our new vocalist hails from the south west but nowadays calls Brighton his home. The rest of us, Aaron (Bass) and Dave (Drums) both live in Brixon, South London, and Kiran (Guitar) lives in Eltham, South East London. We have a pretty strong relationship with the South!
After Smoke Clears has been a band since around 2019 when we released our first EP, ‘Disillusion’ with our super over the top music video production for the single ‘The Crusher’. In 2020 (Covid years) we released our debut album ‘Edification’ with a 7/10 from Metal Hammer, which was pretty fkn great. Fast forward a few years, in 2022 saw Kiran join the band and our EP release ‘The Fear’ which then got an 8/10 from Metal Hammer, extra fkn great, which we followed up in 2024 with our sophomore album ‘Intentions’ which received ‘Album of the Year’ from Novacane. Joe joined us in early 2026, and we quickly released the new single ‘Sanity in safety’ which brings us to where we are now.
How would you describe your sound?
The music we make as After Smoke Clears is constantly evolving, we float in between metal subgenres like Nu Metal, Hardcore, Metalcore, Tech Metal, so we find it difficult to describe our sound in one ‘easy to define’ genre. Our songs range from hardcore adjacent ‘Soap Bath’ to anthemic ‘Animal’ all the way to tech-laden breakdowns ‘Serenity’, to classic metalcore ‘Sanity in Safety’. But what we do have that is a consistency, is an unmistakable groove, everything must be danceable, designed to have a good time. Maybe that’s what makes us unique?
How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?
After Smoke Clears has been grinding in the underground scene for several years now, finding our audience across the UK playing loads of shows up and down the country. Quietly grinding out new songs, refining our craft, improving with every release. Along this journey, we’ve been in touch with the Bloodstock team, initially from just an email introduction, to each year making sure we’re in their faces.
This year we re-introduced ourselves, shared our new sound, new promo, and new team. As a band of our size, this was one of many emails we send, which rarely we hear back…
…We found out we were selected to play at Bloodstock, when the email from Simon popped up, that Kiran saw immediately, and went into the group chat saying something like, ‘DID I READ THAT EMAIL RIGHT? BLOOOOOOODSTOCK BABYYYY’ to which Aaron said ‘Fuk’ and then we had to wait a couple of hours to see if David (our drummer) was actually available… luckily he was.
What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?
Playing at Bloodstock 2026 is an amazing achievement, each year the festival showcases the best and brightest upcoming talent from the UK. The festival is a superb supporter of the underground scene with their various metal to the masses, Sophie Lancaster, EMP and New Blood stages, so it’s reassuring to be part of this festival amongst these burgeoning bands. It will be a performance we’ll never forget, but also hopefully the start of the next chapter for After Smoke Clears.
For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?
The After Smoke Clears live show is bursting with energy. We can’t stand still and are constantly moving around the stage, engaging with each other and the audience. We play tight and hard and we aren’t afraid to get amongst it and get in the crowd. The fact that the music is danceable, you’ll find yourself unable to stand still when we start playing songs like ‘Unintelligent’.
What day are you performing?
So we’re appearing on the EMP stage, on Friday the 7th of August, alongside headliners Lamb of God, one of our early inspirations. Hopefully Randy will be around to catch our set
What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?
We’re keen to see so many great bands at Bloodstock 2026, there are so many bands who have directly inspired our sound such as Lamb of God, Sepultura, Northlane, Body Count and Leprous, also bands who we’ve played with and made friends with along our journey like, Wrex, Graphic Nature, Seething Akira, and Dream State.
Playing the EMP Stage is just the first steppingstone in a bands journey. What’s next in your plans for world domination?
Oh yeah this performance will be the starting point for the new era of After Smoke Clears. We have a brand new EP we’re recording this year which we’ll be debuting a few songs at Bloodstock (be there to see it!), the first single will drop some time later this year. We’re already starting to plan out 2027, and it’ll be bigger and better than ever.
Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?
I believe we’ll be fortunate enough to be camping in the artist area, which will be a huge honour to be surrounded by the other bands on the bill, obviously we don’t expect to be in the tent next to Rob Halford, but you never know who you’ll meet!
You’ve gotta keep hydrated at Bloodstock, what is your drink of choice for the weekend?
To be fair we each have our own favourite drinks, Joe loves a Monster, Kiran loves a lager, Dave loves a Guinness, and Aaron will have a Tequila. Otherwise we’ll just take what’s on the rider and have a party.
Heavy hitters Big Noter will see the release of their debut album in September, but before that the band is doing a three-day run of shows in the east coast capitals in August.
Kicking things off is new single FMD which takes aim at the myths and racism shaping the nation’s conversations about Aboriginal people. Check it out below and pre-order the album Songs in the Key of Wrestlinghere.
As Bloodstock gets closer, we delve deep into the line up to find out more about some of the bands playing the New Blood and EMP stages at this years event.
Today we chat with Troll Mother
Please introduce yourselves.
Yo! Derg and Roman.
How would you describe your sound?
Powersludge man. Its like an alloy, all the best bits of all the other metals
How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?
We just got that email from Simon, we said that just sounds swell. Next thing we know we’re on the goddamn poster.
What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?
We met because of bloodstock many moons ago. It’s a whole love story. Maybe we’ll just re-enact it on stage instead of actually playing. Long story short, its pretty dope.
For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?
You’ll cry and fart at the same time. You wont know what you’re more shocked about.
What day are you performing?
Saturday
What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?
Body Count and Judas Priest. Definitely some bucket list bands for us.
Playing the New Blood Stage is just the first steppingstone in a bands journey. What’s next in your plans for world domination?
We don’t want to dominate the world. We want to dominate your hearts!
Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?
Where ever we can park our van
You’ve gotta keep hydrated at Bloodstock, what is your drink of choice for the weekend?
Crown The Empire are back with their first new music in three years, and things are a little bit different round here.
The track is titled ‘Raw’ and is the first song from the band as a two piece, that being vocalist Andy Leo and guitarist Brandon Hoover. And you can tell that the pair are taking things in a fresh direction based on the beautifully glacial pace of this new offering.
A wonderfully brash pop hit that manages to feel discomforting and curious as much as soothing and sentimental, it’s a moment that will take you by surprise but also feels ultimately fresh and fierce.
The new chapter of CTE is here, and it is off to a stellar start.
The band had this to say about it:
“‘raw‘ is the first step into the final form of Crown The Empire, taking everything we’ve learned from the emo alt rock space, and reinventing ourselves yet again in what’s our most ambitious project to date. We loved making this song and we hope y’all enjoy it too.”
Italian Classic Hard Rockers Voodoo Highway have released the first single and video, ‘Serpent’s Choir‘ from their new album ‘The Satan Inqviesta‘ (out: Septeber 18th, 2026) via Pride & Joy Music today. Voodoo Highway was formed in Ferrara, Italy, in 2010. In the same year, the band released their self-produced debut album, ‘Broken Uncle’s Inn‘. […]
Post Download Festival 2026, I caught up with Iain and Heather from The Pit, who were running the hugely popular spin classes in the RIP campsite throughout the weekend. We chatted about their favourite moments from this year’s festival, what it was like bringing fitness to Download, and how festival-goers responded to the RIP spin … Continue reading Video Interview: The Pit – Download 2026
Keb’ Mo’ has released a reimagined version of “Hand It Over” featuring Soweto Gospel Choir, the latest single from his upcoming album The Breakdown, which arrives August 21 via Concord Records.
Originally released on Keb’ Mo’s 1996 GRAMMY-winning album Just Like You, the new version of “Hand It Over” was recorded at Flame Studios in Johannesburg, South Africa. The studio is housed in a former prison where Nelson Mandela was held during the Rivonia Trial.
About the song, Keb’ Mo’ explains, “I’m excited to share my collaboration with the Soweto Gospel Choir. Recorded at Flame Studio in Johannesburg, South Africa. Once again, I’m makin’ my mama proud by performing her favorite song of mine. And thank you to the SGC for going on this journey with me!”
“Hand It Over” follows the recent release of “Fussing and Fighting,” the first single from The Breakdown, which was accompanied by a live performance video.
The upcoming 10-song album was recorded at Keb’ Mo’s home studio outside Nashville during a difficult period in his life. Just months after recording “Hand It Over,” he underwent life-saving open-heart surgery after experiencing shortness of breath while on tour. During the same period, he was also dealing with the end of his nearly 20-year marriage.
Reflecting on the experiences that shaped the album, Keb’ Mo’ says, “I had to go through some difficult experiences to get these songs, but I learned a lot looking back on my life and my relationships and taking inventory of everything in a new light.”
He adds, “I’m turning 75 this year, and I know I won’t be around forever. All you can do is make the most of what you’ve got and be grateful for every step of the journey.”
The Breakdown, due out August 21 via Concord Records, features 10 tracks, including collaborations with Take 6 on “They Don’t Make ’Em Like They Used To” and the Soweto Gospel Choir on “Hand It Over.”
TRACK LIST 01. Fussing and Fighting 02. Every Step of the Way 03. They Don’t Make ’Em Like They Used To (feat. Take 6) 04. More Yesterdays 05. We Make Love 06. Walking on Water 07. Hand It Over (feat. Soweto Gospel Choir) 08. Living in the Moment 09. Stitched Up Heart 10. One Day Away
