As Slipknot continue to face controversy for booking Marilyn Manson as a support act for their 2027 UK and South America tour dates, guitarist Jim Root has claimed the decision had nothing to do with him.
The 54-year-old, who joined the nu metal eight-piece as they were recording their 1999 debut album, replied to a comment earlier this week from a fan expressing their disappointment that the band will tour with Manson, following allegations from multiple women accusing Manson of sexual misconduct (he denies any wrongdoing). Root says that he “stay[s] out of the logistics of touring and all that”.
“I concentrate on writing and being a guitarist,” he continues, “so forgive my ignorance about who we do shows with. There are other people with much bigger brains than I that coordinate all that and I honestly don’t keep up with new bands or new music.”
Root adds that he’s “stuck listening to the same music my parents listened to when I was forming myself as a little human”: “And I purposely don’t listen to or pay attention to what’s ‘trending’ or what’s happening at the moment as to not get influenced by anything.”
Despite the widespread social media backlash against Manson’s booking, which has been covered by outlets including the NME and the BBC, Root seems unworried, concluding, “If one is a part of the family, they will come along for the journey that started 26-plus years ago… even before I was a part of the story.”
More than a dozen women have accused Manson, real name Brian Hugh Warner, of misconduct. He has settled multiple lawsuits with accusers while maintaining his innocence. In 2025, a four-year investigation into Manson’s alleged crimes by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department concluded with no charges filed, due to the statute of limitations and a lack of evidence.
Manson’s former assistant, Ashley Walters, has sued the musician for alleged sexual assault, battery, harassment and emotional abuse. Last month, the suit was given a trial date of November 15, 2027. Manson denies any wrongdoing.
Slipknot announced their 2027 tour plans on Monday. Manson will support the band at Wembley Stadium on July 3, their sole European date of the year, along with Lorna Shore and Hatebreed. He’ll also play five South American dates with Slipknot and Hatebreed in September.
Simultaneously, Slipknot announced a run of North American shows where support will come from Bring Me The Horizon. Lamb Of God, Motionless In White and others will also play on various dates.
Root’s comment washing his hands of any involvement in the Manson booking comes shortly after the guitarist teased fans about Slipknot’s upcoming, eighth album, saying that it’s “gonna hurt some feelings”.
“The vibe feels honest and true to me,” he said. “It’s uneasy and reminds me of recording in the earlier days. I’m not saying that means it will translate to the type of music we’re creating or the sound/production of it. The early records had the vibe. You can’t miss that with Ross [Robinson, early producer].”
Slipknot are recording their new album, their first since 2022’s The End, So Far, with Faith No More collaborator Matt Wallace. Even though the band recently released the polarising single Arsenal, it will not be part of the tracklisting.
Personnel: Caitlin Starr – vocals Joey Grimaldi – guitar Zack Jones – drums Lucy Coykendall – drums on “Will u b My Girlfriend“ Carmen Castillo – bass
Producer:Chris Cubeta Release Date: October 9, 2026 Record Label: G-Foil Records
Setting the Scene
After returning to New York City from Northern California in 2022, 25-year-old guitarist and songwriter Caitlin Starr quickly embedded herself in Brooklyn’s thriving indie rock scene. Over the past three years, Starr has built a reputation across NYC’s premier rock venues while touring nationally as the bassist for both Suzy Clue and punk outfit Shred Flintstone. As a solo artist, Starr bypasses simple genre classification, blending introspective songwriting with fiery lead guitar work.
First Impression
Speed Saves, while being a 5-track EP, is a phenomenal release by Caitlin Starr. From the first listen I’ve loved the fresh approach to punk that she has, and the versatility and expressivity displayed throughout the tracks.
Similar Sounds
If you’re into any of these artists, this album should be on your radar.
LøløHoleDie SpitzWolf Alice
The Artwork
Track on Repeat
“Piece of Clay”
If everyone can make a good rock track, certainly not everyone can do a phenomenal ballad, and that’s the selling point for Caitlin Starr. Because if “Will u b My Girlfriend” is Caitlin at her most powerful, “Piece of Clay” is Caitlin at her softest side. And if you’ve read enough of my reviews, you know how much I admire people that are so versatile and have heterogeneous releases!
In-depth Notes
Musical Shape 🎸
The production, mixing and mastering of the EP are done very well, and that is very important to have a smooth listening experience. Starr has the right mindset about this, because a quality product is also enjoyable to listen, and “Speed Saves” is absolutely that.
Vocal Performance 🎤
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Caitlin Starr has an incredible expressivity, and all of the tracks in the EP show her complete mastery of her voice.
Themes and Concepts 💭
“Speed Saves” subverts the classic adages “Jesus saves” and “speed kills,” repurposing the phrase as a sharp commentary on modern survival. And I mean, is she wrong? Absolutely not. It is almost impossible to catch up with everything that everyday life throws at us, but thankfully, at least we have an amazing soundtrack for it.
Final Verdict
★★★★★★★★★★
I have long wondered if there is a future for punk rock, and Caitlin Starr is the absolute proof of this. She is doing everything right, and I’m sure her future is going to be brighter and brigher!
Mood Meter
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Intensity
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Melancholy
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Darkness
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Serenity
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Energy
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Romance
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Perfect For…
Emotional Struggle – escape emotions through some heavy tunes Creating Art – perfect to enhance your creativty
Placebo are just about to head off on their 30th anniversary tour, but that hasn’t stopped them from recording a brand new single.
‘Helen Keller’, sees Placebo referencing their self-titled debut and its hidden track H.K. Farewell. However, instead of revisiting the original recording, the band have created an entirely new song anchored around the track’s keyboard melody with some extra angst. Recorded in London earlier this year, the song was produced by the band and Adam Noble and mixed by Noble.
On the new single, Brian Molko says, ‘‘This is a new rock song inspired by the piano melody from H.K. Farewell and named after one of my favourite people from history.” The band released “Placebo RE:CREATED” earlier this summer, a reworking of their 1996 debut record. With a fresh take on the tracks, the band returned to the album and created reworked versions of the record plus two bonus tracks.
For their 30th anniversary tour, the band will be exclusively performing songs from their first two albums, the self-titled and “Without You I’m Nothing”, across Europe and the UK.
Placebo RE:CREATED is available across a range of physical formats, including 1CD, 2CD, Cassette, a Box Set, and five vinyl variants including a Picture Disc. All available here.
PLACEBO 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR:
2026 28 Sept – Porto, Portugal – Super Bock Arena / Pavilhao Rosa Mota 29 Sept – Lisbon, Portugal – Sagres Campo Pequeno (SOLD OUT) 1 Oct – Madrid, Spain – Movistar Arena 3 Oct – Barcelona, Spain – Sant Jordi Club 5 Oct – Toulouse, France – Zenith De Toulouse (SOLD OUT) 7 Oct – Saint Herblain, France – Zenith Nantes Metropole (SOLD OUT) 9 Oct – Esch/Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal (SOLD OUT) 12 Oct – Leipzig, Germany – QUARTERBACK Immobilien Arena (SOLD OUT) 15 Oct – Vilnius, Lithuania – Arena Vilnius 16 Oct – Riga, Latvia – Arena Riga 18 Oct – Helsinki, Finland – Veikkaus Arena 20 Oct – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet 22 Oct – Oslo, Norway – Oslo Spektrum 24 Oct – Frederiksberg, Denmark – K.B. Hallen (SOLD OUT) 26 Oct – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena 27 Oct – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome 29 Oct – Frankfurt, Germany – Festhalle
1 Nov – Antwerp, Belgium – AFAS Dome 2 Nov – Cologne, Germany – LANXESS Arena 4 Nov – Zuich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion 6 Nov – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum (SOLD OUT) 9 Nov – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle 10 Nov – Vienna, Austria – Weiner Stadhalle 13 Nov – Budapest, Hungary – Papp László Budapest Sportaréna 15 Nov – Prague, Czech Republic – Sportovní hala Fortuna 16 Nov – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena (SOLD OUT) 18 Nov – Łódź, Poland – Atlas Arena 21 Nov – Stuttgart, Germany – Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle 23 Nov – Leon, France – LDLC Arena (SOLD OUT) 25 Nov – Paris, France – Accor Arena (SOLD OUT) 28 Nov – Nottingham, UK – Motorpoint Arena 30 Nov – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro 2 Dec – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena 4 Dec – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live 5 Dec – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley (SOLD OUT)
The main summer festival season has finished, but the UK calendar is far from empty. October and November still bring multi-venue indie festivals, jazz takeovers, indoor rock weekends and some of the heaviest lineups of the year.
Several events are spread across city venues rather than fields, which also makes late-season festivals easier to combine with a weekend away. As of October 1, 2026, these are 12 UK music festivals still ahead before the year ends.
Festival
Location
Dates
Main Sound
Twisterella Festival
Middlesbrough
October 3
Indie, alternative, emerging artists
Tenement Trail
Glasgow
October 10
Indie, rock, new music
Summer’s End Festival
Chepstow
October 15-18
Progressive rock
Neighbourhood Festival
Manchester
October 17
Indie and alternative
Mutations Festival
Brighton
October 23-24
Alternative, post-punk, electronic
Pitchfork Music Festival London
London
November 2-8
Indie, electronic, hip-hop, experimental
Hard Rock Hell
Great Yarmouth
November 4-8
Hard rock and metal
Simple Things Festival
Bristol
November 7
Alternative, electronic, jazz, hip-hop
Damnation Festival
Manchester
November 7-8
Metal, doom, sludge, extreme music
EFG London Jazz Festival
London
November 13-22
Jazz, soul, world music, electronic
Planet Rockstock
Porthcawl
November 26-29
Classic rock, hard rock, metal
WinterStorm
Troon
November 26-28
Hard rock, AOR, heavy metal
1. Twisterella Festival, Middlesbrough, October 3
Twisterella Festival takes place across several venues in central Middlesbrough and focuses heavily on emerging artists.
Twisterella starts the remaining autumn schedule almost immediately. The one-day festival takes over several venues in central Middlesbrough on October 3, keeping the walking distance between stages short enough to move between bands throughout the day.
The 2026 lineup includes Walt Disco, loveshy, The Rooks, Mouth Ulcers, KEG, Bottle Rockets and a long list of newer artists. Twisterella has built much of its identity around emerging music, so it suits anyone who wants to leave with several new names rather than spend the whole day waiting for one huge headliner.
The festival has previously hosted artists including Sam Fender, Dream Wife and Pip Blom before they moved onto larger stages.
Tenement Trail is a multi-venue Glasgow festival known for mixing established touring acts with emerging artists.
A week later, Glasgow gets its turn. Tenement Trail returns on October 10 with performances spread across venues around the city and a lineup led by artists including Brògeal, Baby Strange, Cliffords, The Orielles and Willie J Healey.
The appeal comes from the amount of music packed into a single day. Smaller acts share the schedule with established touring names, and moving between Glasgow venues becomes part of the festival itself.
Tenement Trail can also turn a late-season festival weekend into a much bigger trip.
With other events taking place in Brighton, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Bristol, Wales and London over the following weeks, following two or three festivals is a solid excuse for a road trip across the UK.
Before adding hundreds of motorway miles, we advise you to deal with basic preparation such as checking tyres, fluids and taking a moment to check your car insurance is far less interesting than choosing the playlist, but considerably more useful if the journey does not go to plan. This way, you will surely have a pleasant journey.
Of course, even carefully planned live concerts can produce unexpected moments once the bands actually hit the stage.
3. Summer’s End Festival, Chepstow, October 15-18
Summer’s End has a much narrower musical focus. The Chepstow event is dedicated to progressive rock and returns to The Drill Hall from October 15 to 18 for its 21st edition.
Threshold, Lazuli, Comedy of Errors, EBB, Landmarq, Held By Trees and Nick Fletcher are among the names scheduled for 2026. The smaller venue changes the experience considerably compared with an arena or outdoor festival. Fans can watch full sets without spending half the weekend crossing a giant site.
The complete dates and ticket information are available directly from the Summer’s End Festival.
Manchester’s Neighbourhood Festival returns on October 17 with another multi-venue day built around indie, alternative music and newer British acts.
Red Rum Club, Florence Road, Keo, Brògeal, M60, The Kairos, Jamie McIntyre and dozens of smaller artists are included across the 2026 bill. One ticket gives festivalgoers a chance to move around several Manchester venues rather than stay in front of the same stage from lunchtime until closing.
Neighbourhood is particularly useful for discovering acts lower down the bill. A packed schedule means there is usually another set starting nearby when one room reaches capacity or a band does not grab your attention.
Brighton keeps the autumn festival run going with Mutations on October 23 and 24. Performances are spread across venues including Chalk, Green Door Store, The Hope & Ruin, Patterns and several other spaces around the city.
Friday is led by Fat Dog, with Squid, Working Men’s Club, bdrmm, Lip Critic and other alternative acts on the bill. Saturday brings Mike D’s 5D alongside UNKLE Sounds, Murkage Dave, Panic Shack, Walt Disco, Alex Cameron and The Wave Pictures.
The 2026 Mutations Festival runs across two days, so it works particularly well for anyone who wants a full weekend in Brighton rather than a single evening show.
6. Pitchfork Music Festival London, November 2-8
Pitchfork Music Festival London runs across multiple venues in the capital rather than a single festival site.
Pitchfork Music Festival London is less like a traditional fenced festival and more like a week of carefully chosen gigs spread around the capital. The 2026 edition runs from November 2 to 8 across venues including KOKO, Hackney Church, MOTH Club, Village Underground, EartH and Royal Festival Hall.
The Avalanches, Noname, Actress, Tortoise, The Radio Dept., Hania Rani, Jacob Alon, Aja Monet and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are among the artists appearing across the week.
Individual shows make Pitchfork easy to approach if seven consecutive nights of music sounds excessive. Pick two or three artists, build a weekend around them and leave room for another London gig between festival dates. The 2026 festival schedule runs from Monday through Sunday.
7. Hard Rock Hell, Great Yarmouth, November 4-8
Hard Rock Hell brings hard rock and metal acts together for a multi-day indoor festival in Great Yarmouth.
Hard Rock Hell moves the festival season indoors at Vauxhall Holiday Park in Great Yarmouth. The 2026 event runs from November 4 to 8 and leans heavily into hard rock and metal.
SOiL, L.A. Guns, Danko Jones, Finger Eleven, Adema, Anvil, Crashdiet and Marco Mendoza are among the names associated with the 2026 bill.
The holiday park format is part of the attraction. Accommodation, stages and the festival crowd stay concentrated in the same complex, replacing tents and muddy fields with indoor venues in November.
Simple Things returns to Bristol on November 7 with one of the most varied bills left on the UK calendar.
The Avalanches, Squid, Shabaka, Cobrah, Hannah Diamond, Moor Mother, Nathan Fake and other artists cover electronic music, post-punk, experimental pop, jazz and hip-hop across Bristol Beacon and several surrounding venues.
Someone interested in several genres gets more from Simple Things than a tightly focused rock or metal festival. Sets change direction throughout the day, and Bristol city centre provides the connection between venues rather than a purpose-built festival site.
9. Damnation Festival, Manchester, November 7-8
Damnation Festival is a two-day Manchester event focused on metal, doom, sludge and other heavier styles.
Damnation sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. The two-day Manchester festival is aimed squarely at people who want metal in its heavier forms.
Cult of Luna and Satyricon lead the weekend, with Carcass, Igorrr, Crowbar, Triptykon, HEALTH, Eyehategod, Wolves in the Throne Room and other heavy acts appearing at Bowlers Exhibition Centre.
Damnation has built its reputation around putting established extreme metal bands beside more experimental artists. Anyone choosing between Simple Things and Damnation on November 7 probably already knows which side of that divide they fall on.
10. EFG London Jazz Festival, November 13-22
Ten days of jazz take over London from November 13 to 22 for the 2026 EFG London Jazz Festival.
The lineup reaches far outside a narrow definition of jazz. Samara Joy, Fatoumata Diawara, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Melody Gardot, Goldie, Morcheeba, Ben Folds, GoGo Penguin and Kronos Quartet are among the announced performers.
Concerts take place across numerous London venues, making the festival easy to build around individual artists rather than committing to every day. The EFG London Jazz Festival runs through two weekends, which leaves plenty of combinations for anyone travelling into the city.
11. Planet Rockstock, Porthcawl, November 26-29
Planet Rockstock is a four-day indoor rock festival held at Trecco Bay Holiday Park in Porthcawl
Late November brings four days of rock to Trecco Bay Holiday Park in Porthcawl, South Wales. Planet Rockstock runs from November 26 to 29 and divides its lineup across two indoor stages.
Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts headline Thursday, The Temperance Movement take Friday, Magnum lead Saturday and Geoff Tate closes Sunday with a performance of Queensrÿche’s Operation: Mindcrime.
Girlschool, Blaze Bayley, King King, John Corabi, Alcatrazz, Raven and a second stage of smaller bands fill out the weekend. Day tickets were still available at the end of September, although anyone booking later should confirm current availability before arranging accommodation. The latest Planet Rockstock 2026 update has the full daily breakdown.
12. WinterStorm, Troon, November 26-28
WinterStorm is an indoor rock festival in Troon featuring classic rock, AOR and heavy metal acts.
Scotland gets one more substantial rock weekend before December. WinterStorm runs from November 26 to 28 at Troon Concert Hall and Walker Hall in Ayrshire.
The 2026 lineup includes Blaze Bayley, FM, Tygers of Pan Tang, Tyketto, Toseland, Mostly Autumn, John Corabi, Martin Turner, Bad Touch and Chantel McGregor.
WinterStorm suits fans of classic hard rock, AOR and traditional heavy metal, and the indoor setup removes most of the weather gamble associated with travelling to a Scottish festival late in November.
Anyone using the weekend to catch up on classic rock bands can also find plenty of familiar names across decades of the genre.
The Bottom Line
Anyone who mentally ended festival season after Reading, Leeds, Download or the August bank holiday still has plenty left in 2026.
And for anyone already looking beyond this autumn, the Oasis 2027 tour gives UK rock fans another major run of live dates to plan around.
October is strongest for smaller city festivals and new music, with Twisterella, Tenement Trail, Neighbourhood and Mutations packed into a few weeks. November changes direction with Pitchfork London, Simple Things and EFG London Jazz on one side, and Hard Rock Hell, Damnation, Planet Rockstock and WinterStorm covering the heavier end.
Late-season festivals also require less commitment than a four-day summer camping trip. Many are indoors, several are spread through city venues, and single-day events make it realistic to combine the music with a weekend in Glasgow, Brighton, Manchester, Bristol or London.
Rock festival ArcTanGent is returning in 2027 between the 19th and 21st of August, and they’ve just announced their first wave of artists. On the main stage, post-metal band Neurosis will be heading over from Oakland, California, making a return to playing live shows. Also on the main stage, progressive death metal band Blood Incantation will be performing.
UK band The Wildhearts will also be playing an exclusive progressive set for the festival, while French rock band Slift, UK-based Conjurer, German post-metal band The Ocean, Danish black-gaze band Møl, UK metal band Employed to Serve and Italian doom metal band Messa will also be performing.
This year marks a time of change for the iconic festival as they will be moving to a new site, Todenham Manor Farm, near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. The new Cotswolds site will be the perfect spot for all those genres to collide.
ArcTanGent festival and booker James Scarlett says,“There’s no better way to kickstart the new chapter of ArcTanGent, for the first year at our new location in the Cotswolds, than with two of our most requested headliners. Both bands are absolutely solid gold headliners – anyone that listens to 2 Promoters, 1 Pod will likely be sick of hearing me wax lyrical about the new Neurosis album. To have them along with Blood Incantation – a band it’s frankly criminal they haven’t played before – is the dream way to kick off a new edition of ArcTanGent. We’re also unleashing the vast majority of our Wednesday line-up, bringing back some of the most exciting acts from previous years. There are a lot of bands here that stood out with huge crowds in 2026, so we’re stoked that they want to return and help us kick off the early entry day of ATG 2027. As always, this announcement is simply a list of artists I’m extremely excited about from top to bottom and can’t wait to watch live at our new Cotswolds home.”
Words by Belinda Quick Photos by Justin White “The time has come to turn your heart into a temple of fire. Your essence is gold hidden in dust. To reveal its splendor you need to burn in the fire of love” – Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, Little Book of Life The creative and personal lives […]
Ofnus, Domhain & Adfeilion, The Bunkhouse, Swansea, 26.09.26
The third and final date of trio shows featuring Domhain and Adfeilion, it was the Swansea show that tickled my fancy the most as it also featured Ofnus as the headliner for the evening.
Three bands that dwell in the atmospheric realms of the metal genre, merging extremity with ambience perfectly it was poised to be a brilliant night of music so with the Geophony, playing it was Swansea/West Wales locals Adfeilion who started the evening with their theatrical sound, which now features flute and vocalisations on top of their already dense soundscapes.
We were told by the band that they would performing this particular story for the final time, so their fans gathered close to hear it’s recital between the explosions of hybrid electronic post folk metal, it’s a heady mix that drives through Rock, EDM, Metal and more, the spoken word passages taking you away to fantasy worlds inspired by Welsh folklore.
For those of us who have been there since the beginning of this saga, I’ve noticed that Matt (keys/spoken word) seems to become more mad with power with every show, as if the band is the conduit for his ascent to poetic super villainy. In fact the sonic expansion of the band has been an absolute joy to watch, each set adding something new, be it the flute, the vocals, the heavy industrial and even the dance moves!
What comes next I don’t know but the next story is to be revealed soon and it will once again write the next chapter of Adfeilion.
Next it’s a multi-guitar, dual-vocal driven metal mix from across the water in Northern Ireland as Domhain take to The Bunkhouse stage and fill the room with emotive sound immediately, drawing from their recent debut full length album In Perfect Stillness and it’s EP predecessor Nimue, they cut an exceptional figure on stage, delivering some epic music.
For these recent shows Domhain has expanded their line up with Daniel Dempster and Kacper Lewandowski, joining Nathan Irvine to create a triple guitar attack that allows them to replicate their expansive blackgaze on stage the way it is on the record, the rhythm section of Andy Ennis (bass) and Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan (drums) guiding these sprawling songs through their genre fusing as they both provide the conflicting clean/harsh vocals that work in brilliant harmony, almost giving an idea of angle and demon.
I’d wanted to see Domhain since the release of their album and I was not disappointed in Swansea, the always top notch sound of the venue allowing them to deliver their complex style with ease. I hope it’s not too long before they come back over the water again.
Speaking of complex, like Domhain, Cardiff’s bringers of sad Ofnus also love to play epic song, it allows their atmospheric metal to explore all possible permutations of extreme metal backed by multi-layered string sections for added emotional power. After their last two shows featured Adfeilion’s Ben deputising on guitar, Ofnus now had rhythm guitarist Alyn back in the fold.
I’m sure by the second song in their set he was alwaredy regretting the head down, legs wide stance as a new dad but black metal needs that posturing in order for the tremolos to be let loose. Besides Ofnus are such a tight unit that you wouldn’t notice any issues unless you’d seen them countless times, and even then I’m not looking, as they shifted the set list around a little from Bristol Extreme Fest, but Ofnus never give a bad show in my opinion.
I’ve said it before but with Brendan on vocals they seem more savage, their older material having new life breathed into it on stage, matching the intensity it has on record, however the new songs The Last Flight Of Birds and Beddgelert, still sound better each time, as I find more nuance brought by guitarist James and bassist Rich, as you also stand awestruck by Ethan’s drumming, which of course always blows the mind during Zenith Dolour.
A trio of the UK’s best atmospheric acts all in one place, I definitely chose the right date on this tour, all three need to be seen, so next time they’re in your town make the effort to watch them. 10/10
Words by Belinda Quick Photos by Justin White “The time has come to turn your heart into a temple of fire. Your essence is gold hidden in dust. To reveal its splendor you need to burn in the fire of love” – Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, Little Book of Life The creative and personal lives […]