If you’ve been paying attention to the UK’s alternative scene lately, you’ll already know one thing—unpeople are absolutely on fire.
Fresh from tearing up the main stages at Download Festival, Copenhell, and a string of huge summer events, the quartet have now announced their biggest UK and Ireland headline tour to date, proving that 2027 is shaping up to be their biggest year yet.
As if that wasn’t enough, the band recently picked up the Best Breakthrough Live Artist award at the Heavy Music Awards, cementing their place as one of the most exciting new names in British heavy music.
Safe to say, the hype is very, very real.
🎤 From Festival Heroes to Headline Shows
There’s been something special about unpeople from day one.
Whether they’re melting faces at Bloodstock or winning over indie crowds at Kendal Calling, they’ve built a reputation for being one of those rare bands that simply fit everywhere.
They’ve even been jokingly described as:
“The lightest band at Bloodstock and the heaviest band at Kendal Calling.”
That’s a pretty accurate way to describe their sound.
Massive choruses.
Crushing riffs.
Four-part vocal harmonies.
Hooks that’ll live rent-free in your head.
And enough unpredictability to keep every song feeling fresh.
💿 We Are unpeople Arrives This October
The tour follows the announcement of the band’s eagerly anticipated debut album:
we are unpeople
📅 Released: 9 October 2026
🏷️ Label: SharpTone Records
The record promises to capture everything fans have fallen in love with over the past year.
Drawing inspiration from arena-sized alternative rock, the chunky riffing of Reuben, and the wonderfully chaotic energy of System Of A Down, the album balances aggression with melody in a way that feels uniquely unpeople.
Fans have already been treated to a string of standout singles including:
- 🎵 friends
- 🎵 clouds
- 🎵 the garden
- 🎵 waste
If those tracks are anything to go by, October can’t come soon enough.
🤘 A Band Going From Strength to Strength
Made up of Jake Crawford, Luke Caley, Em Lodge and Richard Rayner, unpeople have wasted absolutely no time making an impression.
Over the last year they’ve:
🔥 Won Best Breakthrough Live Artist at the Heavy Music Awards.
🔥 Opened for Metallica in Vienna.
🔥 Shared stages with The Smashing Pumpkins and Coheed & Cambria.
🔥 Pulled massive crowds at 2000trees Festival.
🔥 Been praised by Kerrang! as:
“One of alternative music’s best new bands.”
Not bad going for a band that’s only just getting started.
🇬🇧 unpeople – UK & Ireland Tour 2027
Here’s where fans can catch them next January:
📅 January 2027
🇮🇪 18 January – Dublin – Grand Social
🇬🇧 19 January – Belfast – Voodoo
🇬🇧 21 January – Bristol – The Fleece
🇬🇧 22 January – Leeds – The Key Club
🇬🇧 23 January – Manchester – Rebellion
🏴 25 January – Glasgow – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
🇬🇧 26 January – Birmingham – O2 Institute 2
🇬🇧 27 January – Nottingham – The Bodega
🇬🇧 28 January – London – Electric Ballroom
🎪 Catch Them Before Then
Before kicking off their headline run, unpeople still have some huge festival appearances lined up.
July
🎸 17–18 July – Ilosaarirock (Joensuu, Finland)
🎸 31 July–2 August – Radar Festival (Manchester)
August
🎸 27–30 August – Reading & Leeds Festival
September
🎸 3 September – Burn It Down Festival (Torquay)
If you’ve never seen the band live, one of these festivals might be the perfect introduction before the intimate headline shows arrive.
🤘 The Riff Report Says…
Some bands spend years trying to break through.
Others simply kick the door off its hinges.
That’s exactly what unpeople seem to be doing.
With a debut album landing in October, festival crowds growing by the month, industry awards already sitting on the shelf, and a headline tour that takes them into some of the UK’s best-loved grassroots venues, it’s clear this is a band with serious momentum.
There’s something brilliantly refreshing about a group that can comfortably share stages with Metallica, then head straight to a sweaty club venue and make it feel like the biggest party in town.
If you’ve been looking for your next favourite alternative band, now’s the time to jump aboard.
Because judging by the way things are going…
2027 could well be the year unpeople become impossible to ignore.
🎟️ Are you heading to one of the January dates, butt? Let us know which show you’ll be rocking out at in the comments! 🤘🔥
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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