News

Spotify Wrapped has spoken, mun — and The Riff Report is apparently gallivanting around the globe like a riff-hungry rock nomad with a passport full of stickers and a suitcase full of distortion pedals. Our Spotify for Artists stats dropped this week, and five nations rose above the noise to become our biggest listeners of 2025. So grab a cuppa,...

If you felt a sudden cosmic tremor ripple through the UK music scene today, don’t panic. That was just Kurt Cobain’s legendary 1959 Martin D-18E — yes, the guitar from Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged — being handed over to the Royal College of Music in London, instantly turning the place from posh to grunge-chic in one glorious moment. And not just...

Rotterdam has always had a heartbeat of its own, but for the last decade there’s been an extra thump in its chest — the pulse of two indie labels who’ve carved out a place for prog lovers, folk dreamers, experimental wanderers and genre rebels across the world. January 2026 marks a massive milestone: 10 years in the music business and...

Gene Simmons has done the verbal equivalent of stepping on his own dragon boots again, butt — and this time it involved a rather grim prediction about former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s mortality. Yes, the Demon woke up and chose chaos, and now he's scrambling to stuff it back into the codpiece. After making comments suggesting he expected Ace Frehley...

The Riff Report Blog If you’ve ever trudged across a festival field on Monday morning and thought, “Sweet baby Lemmy… this looks like the aftermath of a Viking raid,” then you’ll understand exactly why the AGF Festival Awards matter. These beauties are the eco Oscars of the gig world, honouring the festivals and events that don’t just blast bangers into...

Grab your scarves, heat up the mulled wine, and prepare to glide over the Valleys like a festive rock god, because “Walking in the Air” has officially crossed the 40-year mark… and it’s still haunting our Christmas playlists like a snow-dusted angel with perfect pitch. 🌨️🎤🔥 Let’s dive into this chilly slice of cultural magic, butt. ❄️ FROM ANIMATED DREAM...

What’s occurring, butt!? Prog fans across Britain just collectively dropped their calculators, spilled their craft beer, and shouted “DISCIPLINE!” into the void, because BEAT have announced their first-ever UK shows — and they’re performing a full 80s King Crimson set at every stop. A whole tour of polyrhythmic wizardry? Yes, mun. Santa came early. This isn’t just a gig. This...

What’s occurring, butt!? The quiet streets of Abertillery just got a thunderbolt of heavy metal energy straight to the chest, because the town has unveiled a giant, screamingly brilliant mural of none other than Ozzy Osbourne. Yes, the Prince of Darkness himself is now gazing majestically across Blaenau Gwent like some occult guardian angel of riffs. And this magnificent beast...

What’s occurring, butt!? Grab your Santa hats, your eyeliner, and maybe a spare bauble to chuck into the pit because Taylor Momsen has just pulled the most gloriously full-circle move in rock ’n’ roll festive history. Yup. The Pretty Reckless have dropped a brand-new cover inspired by How the Grinch Stole Christmas to celebrate the movie’s 25th anniversary, and the...

🔥A full-fat, fully-loaded Riff Report deep dive. Extra cheese. No 67. What’s occurring, butt!? Gather round the neon glow of the drive-thru sign, because today’s headline tastes like chaos dipped in secret sauce.In-N-Out Burger — the cult Californian burger temple worshipped by tourists, celebrities, and lads on their first trip to LA — has reportedly ELIMINATED order number 67 altogether....

What’s occurring, butt!? Strap in, grab your pint, and prepare your eardrums, because rock history has just been rewritten with a royal flourish.The one. The only. The unstoppable microphone-lassoing hurricane known as Roger Daltrey has been knighted at Windsor Castle — and the entire rock world is howling with pride like it’s the intro to “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. 🤘⚡...

🔥Welcome to the loud, lawless, beautifully unhinged corner of music history where amps roar, crowds erupt, and the authorities whisper “absolutely not.” Some bands just play; others commit fully to the chaos. And sometimes, that chaos ends with flashing blue lights and a bruised stage manager crying into a laminate pass. Here’s the roll call of rebels, renegades, and riot-starters...

What’s occurring, mun!?The rock universe has just done a cartwheel, spilled its pint, and screamed “YEEEEEEES!” because Graham Bonnet has confirmed he’s recorded a brand-new song with Iron Maiden’s Bruce bloody Dickinson — and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most unexpected, spine-tingling metal alliances of the decade. Two absolute titans.Two voices that could shatter a quarry...

What’s occurring, butt!?Sharpen your pencils, tune your guitars, and get ready to yell “STICK IT TO THE MAN!” at full volume because we’re taking a nostalgic, riff-drenched dive into School of Rock — the 2003 masterpiece that turned a classroom of quiet kids into a fully operational rock battalion. It’s been over twenty years since Dewey Finn and his mini...

What’s occurring, butt!? Every once in a blue moon, the rock gods bless us with a prodigy so electrifying that even Simon Cowell’s face threatens to crack into a smile. Enter Olly Pearson, the tiny tornado from Wrexham who tore onto Britain’s Got Talent 2025 and made the nation collectively shout: “WHO GAVE THIS CHILD A GUITAR AND WHERE CAN...