AFI have just revealed several new UK headline dates.
The California icons confirmed last month that they’d be making their way back across the pond for London’s All Points East presents Outbreak this summer – their first live appearance in the UK since Download Festival in 2017.
Now, they’ve also announced some headline dates surrounding that mega-show in the capital, kicking things off at the O2 Ritz Manchester on August 22. Then they’ll join Deftones, IDLES, Amyl And The Sniffers and co. for Outbreak, before heading to the O2 Institute Birmingham on August 24, then Glasgow’s SWG3 on August 26 and Bristol’s The Prospect Building on August 27.
Tickets go on general sale this Friday, March 27 from 10am.
Catch them at the following:
AFIUK tour dates 2026
22 Manchester O2 Ritz 23 London Deftones at All Points East presents Outbreak 2026 24 Birmingham O2 Institute 26 Glasgow SWG3 27 Bristol The Prospect Building
Ellefson-Soto have released two powerful new cover songs, paying tribute to Elvis Presley and punk icons FEAR. Recorded live at Rogue Recording Sessions in Battery Studios, London, the tracks deliver raw energy and modern Heavy Metal intensity.
The band reimagines Jailhouse Rock and I Don’t Care About You with a punchy, no-mercy approach that reflects their signature style while honouring the originals.
“The band FEAR has been a staple of our attitude and style of music from the beginning,” David Ellefson said. “And Elvis Presley has only become more legendary in recent years with so many films and documentaries about his iconic life. Let’s face it, he’s the one who showed us all how rock stardom was done from the start. So we thought it fitting to honour the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the kings of punk rock at the same time.”
The Ellefson-Soto recordings were produced by Alessio Garavello, with video work by Elia Turra. The release arrives ahead of upcoming shows at the Whisky A Go-Go and the Monsters of Rock Cruise.
Ellefson–Soto have released two albums through Rat Pak Records: Vacation in the Underworld (2022) and Unbreakable (2025).
“We wanted as many tools as possible to lure you into our recent album Unbreakable,” Vocalist Jeff Scott Soto said. “So we all met up in London to make a few more videos for ya! BUT these two songs are NOT on the album. Instead they are two cover jams that gave us more reason to have fun together… familiar in the punk world, FEAR’s I Don’t Care About You and Elvis’ Jailhouse Rock, delivered with in-your-face, no-mercy power!”
A sharp mix of reggae rhythms, pop hooks, and offbeat instrumentation pushed Men at Work out of the Melbourne club scene and onto the global stage in a remarkably short time. The band formed in 1979 around Colin Hay and Ron Strykert, soon solidifying with Greg Ham, Jerry Speiser, and John Rees, a lineup that quickly developed a distinctive sound built on flute lines, tight arrangements, and Hay’s unmistakable vocal delivery. Before signing a major deal, the group released the independent single “Keypunch Operator” backed with an early version of “Down Under,” and by 1980 they had already built a
Aotearoa New Zealand is often trumpeted as a clean, green utopia. However, the truth is, plenty of New Zealand is a rotting dungheap. In fact, here’s a recent story from the country’s capital city (and my hometown), Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), to highlight that fact.
On February 4, 2026, the wastewater treatment plant for Wellington City suffered a catastrophic failure. Over the following weeks, a billion litres of raw, untreated sewage were pumped into the ocean; initially through a short outfall pipe located a few feet from a much-loved beach.
That spill was an environmental disaster. It contaminated a vast stretch of coastline, including an ecologically sensitive marine reserve, and it destroyed decades of environmental progress in a heartbeat. Local Wellingtonians expressed absolute horror, with many reporting that a slimy, brown ‘faecal spray’ coated their homes, cars, and window sills following weeks of storms. It was, and remains, a shit-show.
I’m telling you this because that crap-coated beach mentioned above is a hop, skip, and jump away from the birthplace of four-piece thrash band Total Violation. To be honest, Total Violation don’t sound like they have a high opinion of Homo sapiens at the best of times. However, if the band ever needed a reminder that humanity is a scourge, they don’t need to look very far. All they need to do is open the front door and take a deep breath; people = shit, as those nü-metal clowns once said.
At times like this, when humanity’s predilection for self-destruction feels so acute, we need bands that’ll slip on their high-tops, strap on their bullet belts, and cut through all the bull(shit). We need bands that’ll get down to business, pumping out mosh-while-the-world-burns music. Bands like Total Violation.
Total Violation’s mix of speed metal, crossover, and old-school thrash is both exorcising and annihilating; a definite win-win at this stage of the apocalypse. Total Violation’s full-length debut, Speed Dealers, delivers exactly what it says on the tin. There’s no goofball pizza-metal or arch affectations here; Total Violation deliver hard, fast, face-melting thrash. If your first encounters with Power and Pain or Evil Invaders felt like a religious awakening, Speed Dealers will be right up your greasy alley.
Total Violation aren’t the only ones scratching that subterranean, old school itch in New Zealand. The obvious comparison is fellow Wellington speed metallers Stälker. The Napalm Records signees have been quiet of late, but Stälker’s have sold truckloads of records at home and in Europe by nailing that classic 80s aesthetic we all love: radioactive riffage, over-the-top theatrics, gauntlets, battle vests, the works.
Total Violation follow a similar route, albeit festooned with less spandex and bondage gear, and the band inject plenty of punk-like attitude into their fist-pumping metal. NZ punk label Razored Raw backed Total Violation’s previous releases, and label founder Matai Szwed recorded the drums on Speed Dealers. Stälker’s own Daif King stepped in to produce the bulk of Speed Dealers while also contributing bass and adding his signature sky-high vocals to the album’s title track. Speed Dealers oozes gritty/grimy basement thrash. Guitarist Leroy shreds like a wildman, while vocalist Clayton pairs gravel-gargling growls with piercing falsettos; a sure-to-be happy surprise for fans of Clayton’s previous endeavours, which had a far more evil tone. Amphetamine-fuelled tracks like “Delapidated Minds”, “At Full Moon They Rise (Lord of the Woods)”, and “Sadistik Exekution” roar by, powered by lightning-fast guitar and concussive percussion (and amped-up by throat-scouring vocals). Riffs rage throughout Speed Dealers, and while there’s a ripping crossover tang to “Mr Plow” and “Tailgater”, the bulk of the album leans further into the darkness of early speed metal than Total Violation’s previous releases.
I don’t want to drain all the live-wire energy out of Speed Dealers by dryly picking it apart. However, it definitely takes genuine skill and forethought to deliver metal this lean ‘n’ mean. Everything sounds off-the-chain, boiling with an almost demo-like gusto that adds to Speed Dealers’ punch and potency.
Are there issues to consider? Sure. There are some spicy lyrical threads; a nod to the incendiary days of yore, perhaps. A peek at Speed Dealers‘ vivid cover art (courtesy of Wellington tattooist/artist Trash Bandicoot) tells you what to expect, thematically: monsters, boobs, blood, death, weird boners, et cetera!
The only real limitation here, which won’t bother fans of über-savage thrash, is that Speed Dealers stakes its ground in the first few seconds and refuses to budge. Total Violation occupy a clearly delineated space in the coterie of raw thrash. If you’re searching for progressive or avant-garde metal, look elsewhere. Total Violation are definitely more Whiplash than Voivod.
There’s a lot to love here. Speed Dealers reminds us how much vital, down-to-earth metal exists just below the surface. This is prime ‘second-tier’ thrash, which is no insult. We all know that second tier is crammed with bands that sound gnarlier and hungrier than plenty of supposedly top-tier, pro-level groups.
(Side note: I don’t know about you, but when I was a nipper, there was only one store in town where I could catch a glimpse of genuinely underground – or non-Big Four – thrash albums. In my case, that was Grunt Records, a legendary spot for sourcing LPs from the early years of death metal, thrash, and grindcore. Grunt Records owner Bruce Rae was a tireless advocate for extreme metal, and he would have gone to bat for an album like Speed Dealers in a heartbeat.)
Production-wise, Speed Dealers captures Total Violation’s strengths/authenticity without ever sounding too polished. There’s riff gymnastics galore here, but none sounds like pointless showboating. It’s all geared to get your blood pumping, and everything is rough-edged but tough-as-steel, adding muscle to Total Violation’s momentum.
Much like Stälker, Total Violation are in the business of celebrating underground metal’s prized hallmarks: dive-bombing guitars, volatile vocals, and uncompromising songs. Bang thy head. Wreck thy neck. Metal, most assuredly, up thy ass. Speed Dealers fuckin’ slaps.
On International Women’s Day, EVE Wrestling delivered its most emotional show yet, with a long‑awaited return, a new champion crowned and a card stacked with some of the most exciting talent in the world. If you have ever stood in a packed venue waiting for the first chord to hit, you already understand EVE Wrestling. Wrestle Queendom VIII carried the same electricity as a great Metal show.
Just like a great Metal show, the crowd was buzzing and the room was shaking. Performers left everything on the stage. That crossover hit even harder later in the night when guitarist Heidi Cotton tore into a live entrance theme, turning the Indigo into something that felt halfway between a gig and a battleground.
Wrestle Queendom VIII put the wrestling world on notice for International Women’s Day. A new EVE champion was crowned, Charlie (formerly Dakota Kai in WWE) stepped back into the ring after almost a year out, and some of the most exciting wrestlers in the world, including top AEW talent, tore the roof off the Indigo. If the world needed a reminder of what women’s wrestling can be, EVE delivered it with a grin and a clenched fist.
Moth Martina – Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
The Riot Grrrls of Wrestling grabbed the venue by the scruff of its neck. EVE’s punk, DIY identity felt louder than ever, a brand that refuses to sit quietly in the corner. A sold-out crowd of 1,200 packed the room, turning the afternoon into the crown jewel of EVE’s calendar. Their biggest card to date mixed returning favourites with rising talent, pushing the promotion into new territory and setting the tone for the future.
The crowd was in full voice from the moment the doors opened. Some fans even had tears in their eyes, overwhelmed by the meaning and emotional weight of the event.
EVE’s appeal cuts across every type of person. A promotion that celebrates athletes of all shapes and sizes with empowering, inclusive shows. A sexism‑free, homophobia‑free girl gang of extreme talent. The audience reflected that spirit perfectly, a sea of people who felt seen, welcomed and fired up.
The first match was a 16‑woman battle for the ages, culminating in Alexxis Falcon securing a shot at any Pro Wrestling EVE Championship of her choosing. The match could be won by pinfall, submission or the classic over‑the‑top‑rope elimination, which only added to the chaos.
Miyu – Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
Miyu Yamashita and Jamie Hayter kicked things off, a heavyweight opening that set the tone. Bodies flew left and right, crashing over the ropes and into the corners. Midway through, four powerhouses squared up in a stare‑down that froze the room before they tore into each other with frightening force.
Nyla Rose made a surprise appearance, Yuu stepped out of retirement, and the biggest pop of the match came when Charlie Morgan returned to EVE. In the middle of the carnage, DASH Chisako set a ladder up on the entrance stage, climbed to the top without hesitation and hurled herself off, crashing through a limp body and the table beneath her in a moment that sent the room into meltdown.
DASH Chisako – Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
In the final stretch, Falcon drilled Charlie Morgan with a spinning DDT for the three count, sealing her victory and her future title shot.
The night kept climbing. AZM and Safire tore through a fast‑paced sprint that never let up. Precision, speed and timing defined every exchange, and the match ended when AZM hit a Canadian Destroyer to put Safire away. A sharp burst of chaos that kept the crowd buzzing.
The four‑way tag match pushed the pace even further. Bodies flew in every direction as teams fought for control in a match that never slowed. Cory Zero and her partner JGU, wrestling under the tag team name French Art, showed exceptional teamwork throughout, moving with a fluidity that made every exchange look effortless.
Post-match, Cory Zero launched herself from the top rope to the outside, wiping out wrestlers and ring crew in one wild sweep. It was messy, loud and perfect for a night that celebrated the pinnacle of women’s wrestling. You could feel the pride of the die-hard fans who had packed the venue for the largest independent all‑women’s wrestling event Europe has ever seen.
Amira Blair – Harley Cameron – Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
Harley Cameron and Amira Blair brought a different kind of energy. Harley tried to win over the British crowd with a rendition of Sweet Caroline, only for Amira to cut her off with a sudden attack that kicked the match into gear.
Amira arrived with a shirtless male dance troupe that had the crowd laughing before the bell even rang. It was a burst of comedic relief, a reminder that EVE has always embraced the full spectrum of performance. The match itself was quick, sharp and fun, a small palate cleanser before the next wave of intensity.
Nina Samuels delivered one of the most beautiful moments of the night with an exquisite 450 splash that drew a gasp from the room. It was not enough to seal the win, but the effort felt valiant. The kind of moment that sticks because it shows the heart behind the spectacle.
Alex Windsor – Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
Alex Windsor’s entrance hit with the same spark you feel when a band you love steps onstage. Heidi Cotton, guitarist for Hair Metal Glamageddon, who appeared at Iron Maiden’s EddFest this summer with MetalTalk’s own Monty, tore into Windsor’s theme live. The volume shook the Indigo before the match even began.
Heidi Cotton – Alex Windsor – Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
What followed was a fierce, technical battle with Syuri for the NJPW belt. The momentum swung constantly. When Windsor sealed the win, the reaction felt like a room letting loose after a killer set.
The tag champions kept the momentum alive with a match that leaned into grit and teamwork. The champions had travelled from Australia, landing in London only hours before the show after competing down under two nights earlier, yet still fought with the sharpness of a team refusing to loosen their grip on the division. They retained the belts in a match that felt like a testament to endurance as much as skill.
Charlie – Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
Then came one of the most anticipated clashes of the night. AEW star Kris Statlander against former WWE favourite Charlie. The atmosphere shifted as soon as they locked eyes.
It took three tombstone piledrivers for Statlander to finally put Charlie down. Three. The crowd cheered for both women because the match captured everything this brand stands for. Magic. Success. Talent at the absolute peak of their craft.
Kris Statlander – Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
The main Wrestle Queendom VIII event for the evening
Session Moth Martina walked into Wrestle Queendom VIII chasing a prize she had never held in almost a decade with EVE. She left with the championship, drenched in sweat, blood and pure defiance.
The match turned violent fast. A trash can shot split her head open, blood streaking down her face as the crowd roared her on. She took a piledriver through a table that seemed to shatter in slow motion, the impact making the whole room wince. At one point, Rhio introduced thumbtacks into the match, only for Martina to turn the tables and drop Rhio onto them to a huge reaction. As she clawed her way back into the fight, Alexxis Falcon dragged the referee out of the ring, opening the door for more interference as the heels swarmed ringside.
Rhio = Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
For a moment, it looked like the numbers game would crush her. Then the cavalry arrived. Jamie Hayter, Alex Windsor and Millie McKenzie stormed the ring, clearing house and dragging the match back to level ground. The room erupted. Not just for the save, but for the sense that the entire locker room had decided this was Martina’s night.
As the chaos dissipated, Martina surged. A burst of adrenaline. A flurry of strikes. A sharp run of signature offence. Then the lift. A clean, brutal brainbuster that planted Rhio and sealed the win. The bell hit, and the place went wild.
Moth Martina – Wrestle Queendom VIII – Indigo At The O2 – 8 March 2026. Photo: Beyond Gorilla
The locker room emptied, this time in celebration. Wrestlers flooded the ring, hoisting Martina into the air as she clutched the title she had chased since 2017.
Will Ospreay stepped through the ropes and presented her with a new championship belt, with a renewed design and a crucial update to the title’s name to become the EVE World Championship. A final touch that pushed the emotion and atmosphere to a fever pitch.
On a night built on grit, chaos and heart, EVE proved once again that its crown belongs to the fighters who never stop swinging.
Another Friday night and another gig at one of the four rooms that make up Manchester’s Academy venue. If this continues for much longer I’ll be able to derive tenant’s rights from the University, though they might start charging me rent.
Tonight’s entertainment comes in the familiar format of a four-band bill, and sees old stagers, Miss May I and Crystal Lake locking horns with a couple of young upstarts. The venue isn’t as busy as it could be, which is a shame because the effort put in by all four acts tonight really did warrant a bigger audience.
Out of Brisbane, Australia come Diesect who borrow Great American Ghost drummer, Seb, to cover for sickness that has lain-low their own percussionist, Nick. You wouldn’t know this as the band’s short set is an unrelenting barrage of punchy, mid-paced, slamming metalcore, built around dirty riffs and huge beatdowns. It’s raw, visceral and primal in its attack, sometimes sounding industrial, at other times maybe even a little melodic maybe. Yet the intense vibration of the music through the very foundations of the build can not only be heard but felt too. New tune, Four Walls, has been out since January and carries on in the direction of full-length, Hide from the Light. Mercilessly intense, Diesect were a shock, but a very welcome one.
Photo Credit: Rich Price Photography
The only time I’ve seen Crystal Lake before was on the 2019 Impericon Never Say Die show in this very room, and also on the bill that November night was New Hampshire quartet Great American Ghost who have come along tonight too. They are, however, very much not here to make up the numbers, with Seb returning to more familiar surroundings, and frontman, Ethan, sparking like he could go off at any moment. Taking the raw aggression of Diesect and adding melody, nuance and darkness, GAG show that they are rabid road dogs, who know how to deliver.
Focusing largely on last year’s Tragedy of the Commons, only Hymn of Decay’s atmospherics and Catadeath – which is dedicated to The Artist Formerly Known as Prince… Andrew, that is, and all those who are alleged to have associated themselves with a convicted wrong ‘un – comes with sharp, snappy vocals and a hint of groove. Kerosene is introduced as being Biblical, Echoes of War is more pertinent than ever now, and set closer, Forsaken finds Ethan off the stage and mixing it up in the pit with the other revellers. It’s an abrasive, bruising and confrontational set that bridges the gap between the previous rawness and the technicalities to come.
Photo Credit: Rich Price Photography
Those technicalities come in the form of Tokyo terrors, Crystal Lake, who returned this year after an eight-year absence with the stonking new album, The Weight of Sound. That album, and this tour, is the first-time new vocalist, John Robert Centorrino, gets to show off his chops. Ever-present guitarist Yudai Miyamoto is still the firm hand on the band’s tiller, navigating them through personnel changes over the years.
New tunes, Neversleep, Blüdgod and Everblack open the show with an unbridled chaos and a sheer brutality that is supplemented by flavours of the band’s home country. Blended into the mix you can pick out subtle but apparent musical references to Japan. Hail to the Fire and Lost Forever book end Six Feet Under’s clinical attack; “Are we in a library?” asks John, going into Lost Forever’s unmistakeable J-Pop riff-meets-musical ferocity, which attracts crowd-surfers aplenty. Open Water never settles on any given style, content instead to wear many aspects; new tune, Watch Me Burn comes with melody and skipping drums, Apollo makes everyone jump and the set closes with The Weight of Sound itself, which is likely to become Crystal Lake’s signature tune going forward.
Photo Credit: Rich Price Photography
Ohio survivors, Miss May I are fast approaching their twentieth anniversary and arrive tonight as closing this co-headline event. Their more melodic take on metalcore feels like jolt after the musical devastation we’ve heard so far tonight. Harkening back to a more-old school take on the genre, with the combination of growls from Levi Benton, clean vocals courtesy of the relatively new guitarist/ vocalist, Elisha Mullins, feels a little too polished after the slams and aggression.
The band feel confident to take a trip through their discography, with early tunes, A Dance with Aera Cura, Architect and Forgive and Forget lifted from the Apologies Are for the Weak debut, and Monument’s Masses of a Dying Breed and Relentless Chaos, pay homage to the band’s formative years. Most recent album, Curse of Existence is represented by Into Oblivion, but it’s the inclusion of a couple of new tunes, Pray for Silence and Die on the Vine that will be getting the fan salivating at the prospect of a new album landing soon.
Miss May I’s fanbase were out in force tonight and, while I preferred the musical chaos of the opening three acts, the majority has spoken and put me in the minority. But, that’s opinion for you
For more than a decade, Hellripper have provided sustenance for speed’n’blasphemy-hungry headbangers. But while blackened thrash is a realm often resistant, if not downright hostile, to progression, mainman James McBain has consistently pushed the boundaries. Coronach continues this momentum, embracing diverse sounds and influences without toppling the project’s evil edifice.
James has spoken of his desire to try something new on every song, something evident here from The Art Of Resurrection’s gothic piano intro, through the almost hair metal catchiness of Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite), to the title-track’s epic funeral march vibes and varied vocal approaches. The whole thing sounds incredible, too, the combination of high production values and dynamic songwriting lifting this out of the sonic dungeons inhabited by contemporaries like Midnight. Rest assured, however, that Coronach is certainly not lacking in frenzied riffs, galloping D‑beats, moments that sound exactly like Motörhead, or indeed a tune by the name of Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm.
Admittedly, it’s unclear where that last number fits into the album’s central theme, but everything else here explores myths and history from Hellripper’s native land: uniquely Scottish vampire legends on Hunderprest and Baobhan Sith (Waltz Of The Damned), Edinburgh grave robbery on The Art Of Resurrection, even traditional Celtic wakes on the title track. While their musical ancestry takes in soaring Maiden-esque solos, cranked-up speed metal mayhem and the chewy ferocity of cult Brit thrashers Sabbat, this lyrical focus on the band’s cultural roots provides a distinctive identity to proceedings.
Coronach is a reinforcement of Hellripper’s compelling vision, 45 minutes of scything magnificence both ancient and timeless. It might hail from the grimiest reaches of the underground, but it deserves to be celebrated by metal maniacs everywhere.
Speed Dealers oozes gritty/grimy basement thrash. Guitarist Leroy shreds like a wildman, while vocalist Clayton pairs gravel-gargling growls with piercing falsettos; a sure-to-be happy surprise for fans of Clayton’s previous endeavours, which had a far more evil tone. Amphetamine-fuelled tracks like “Delapidated Minds”, “At Full Moon They Rise (Lord of the Woods)”, and “Sadistik Exekution” roar by, powered by lightning-fast guitar and concussive percussion (and amped-up by throat-scouring vocals). Riffs rage throughout Speed Dealers, and while there’s a ripping crossover tang to “Mr Plow” and “Tailgater”, the bulk of the album leans further into the darkness of early speed metal than Total Violation’s previous releases.
