In the magazine December 2025 / January 2026

Featuring Florence Road, Chloe Qisha, Westside Cowboy, Nell Mescal, Chloe Slater, Nxdia & more!

Hello readers! We hope that you’re already feeling suitably merry, and that the festivities are starting to get underway wherever you are. It feels rather surreal to think that we’re already on the descent towards the end of 2025, but what a year it’s been! From the long-awaited return of Oasis, to our last round on the hallowed fields of Glasto ’til ’27, through to the first new music from Pulp in 24 years (!) and Lily Allen’s last-minute bombshell of a record, it really has been a memorable one for music of all genres.

And while a little reminisce is always welcome, we are truly excited to start looking ahead to the future. That’s why we’re thrilled to share our Class of 2026 with you all in a bumper double edition that comes fronted by the brilliant Florence Road, who have had a truly massive year - one that’s included releasing their huge mixtape ‘Fall Back’ and a slew of shows across the world. “That really blew our heads off,” the band’s Lily Aron said, of when they played a packed headliner over in Sydney, Australia. “It was a really cool moment, because we were on the other side of the world - we were upside down! - and people knew who we were. It was very surreal.”

As ever, they come backed by an incredible crew of new music’s finest in the rest of our Class of 2026. From soon-to-be-household names in pop like Chloe Qisha, Alessi Rose and Nxdia, to poignant songwriters like Nell Mescal, Chloe Slater and Nectar Woode; incredible bands, such as Westside Cowboy, Cliffords, Cardinals, Man/Woman/Chainsaw and The NONE, to the more experimental end of the spectrum in TTSSFU, Chalk and Silver Gore, 2026 is shaping up to be a truly ace year for new artists.

And that’s not all that’s in our December 2025 / January 2026 double issue! We’ve also rounded up a handful of DIY favourites - Nova Twins, Felix from Divorce, Gretel and Demob Happy’s Matt Marcantonio - to reflect on the year and look ahead to what’s in and out for 2026. 

For all that and more, just head to our online shop to grab a print magazine (a perfect last min Christmas pressie, if we do say so ourselves), or check out the issue in full below. 

As ever, we’d like to say a huge thank you to our Class of 2026 sponsors, Jack Daniel’s, BIMM Institute, Q Acoustics and Fender; but most of all, thank you to everyone who’s supported us over the last year, and we hope that this issue’s a particularly special one for you all. Cheers!