News

Ah, music festivals – that magical time of year where you trade your bed for a collapsing camping chair, your dignity for glitter, and your diet for a 3-day menu of lager, chips, and the occasional mystery kebab. 🎪🔥 You’ve raved, roared, and raised your pint to the heavens. You’ve seen your favourite bands smash it, discovered some new ones...

Well, butt, get the tissues ready and crank “Crazy Train” up to eleven, because the BBC are giving us what promises to be one of the most emotional, raw, and downright legendary rock documentaries of the year. Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, airing on BBC One, 18th August 2025, is set to follow the final three years of The Prince of...

Well, c’mon butt, this one’s a proper head-scratcher. Slam Dunk Festival – the pop-punk and alt-rock bank holiday blowout that usually serves up sunny vibes, cheap(ish) beer, and mosh pits hotter than a Valleys chip shop fryer – is under fire after pit crew allegedly refused to help crowd surfers during a heavy set. And when we say “refused to...

Well, here we are, folks. The end of the road — or at least the end of the road across the pond. Roger Daltrey, the mic-swinging, lung-busting frontman of The Who, has officially confirmed that the band’s upcoming American tour will be their last ever in the States. At 81 years old, Rog is still every inch the rock ’n’...

"Up the Irons – and up the Dawson!" When you join Iron Maiden, you’re not just stepping into a band — you’re stepping into a heavy metal institution. And when you’re replacing the mighty Nicko McBrain? That’s like stepping onto the pitch at the Millennium Stadium wearing Gareth Bale’s boots, with the whole of Wales watching. Since December, Simon Dawson...

By The Riff Report Blog – August 2025 Oi oi, metal maniacs! 🥁🎸 You know when your mate at the pub says, “Got something big in the works, but can’t tell you yet” — and then proceeds to totally tell you anyway? That’s basically Lars Ulrich this week. The Metallica drummer’s been yapping about not confirming things… while confirming just...

Phil Collins — the man who somehow went from Genesis drummer to global pop icon, from beating the skins to beating the charts, and from In the Air Tonight to in your head forever. He’s the king of the big gated snare sound, the double life in two mega careers, and the only man brave enough to play two continents...

A Riff Report History Lesson in Love, Loss & Legendary Riffs If there’s one band that’s lived more drama than an EastEnders Christmas special, it’s Fleetwood Mac. Across decades, continents, and line-ups, they’ve managed to create some of the most beloved music in history while also breaking up, making up, swapping members, and swapping partners – sometimes all in the...

Thrash metal isn’t just about shredding riffs, circle pits, and beer flying over your head at Download — it’s also about who’s stacked the fattest pile of cash while screaming about “Caught in a Mosh.” So what’s occurring with Anthrax’s bank balances? Who’s rolling in the most dosh? Let’s dive in, mun. 💷🔥 🎤 Joey Belladonna – The Richest Anthrax...

Britain. The land that gave the world cups of tea, wet weekends in Blackpool, and riffs so heavy they’ve probably rattled the Queen’s corgis. 🫖🐶🎸 When people talk about metal, they’re usually talking about British metal, because let’s be honest – we invented the bloody thing. From Birmingham factories to sweaty Camden clubs, from Bridgend valleys to Sheffield arenas, the UK has...

"Imagine asking for two scoops and they ask if you want it warm or cold..." Right then. Strap in, grab a spoon (or maybe don’t), and let’s talk about the latest flavour sensation (abomination?) to hit freezers near you: BREAST. MILK. ICE. CREAM. Yes, you read that right. You’re not hallucinating. You haven’t accidentally walked into some dystopian supermarket sponsored...

When the world lost the Prince of Darkness, fans flocked to Birmingham like moths to a flame. From die-hard metalheads to casual Sabbath listeners, thousands gathered to pay tribute to our beloved Madman. And where did they go? To the place where it all began: Black Sabbath Bridge on Broad Street and The Crown, the legendary pub where a young...

A sequel nobody asked for, but we still showed up wearing hockey jerseys and hope. 🏌️‍♂️ We Showed Up in Our Hockey Jerseys for This? When news broke that Happy Gilmore was getting a sequel, The Riff Report office erupted like someone just announced a secret Foo Fighters pub gig. We were buzzin’, mun. A 90s classic returning with Adam...

By The Riff Report Blog – “YESS MUN, what the hell did we just watch?” edition Well, well, well… here we are. Nearly three decades after 28 Days Later infected our screens with rage-fuelled brilliance, and about 20 years too late for anyone to ask for a sequel, 28 Years Later lurches onto the screen like a hungover extra from...

July didn’t turn up the heat — it incinerated it. While the UK sun tried its best to melt us into puddles at every festival from Steelhouse to Bloodstock, our beloved bands were busy dropping absolute monster albums. We got shock-rock comebacks, power-metal operas, cinematic deathcore, nu-metal throwdowns, grindcore filth, and even a bush revival (not that kind, mun…). July...