2026 in British music

This is a summary of the year 2026 in British music.

Events

January

• 1 January – Radio X listeners have voted the Wolf Alice single "The Sofa" as their Record of the Year for 2025 in the station's annual poll of music for the year.
• 7 January
• Aurora Orchestra announces that John Harte would depart as its chief executive in July 2026.
• The London Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of John Harte as its next managing director, effective in August 2026.
• 9 January – Skye Newman is named as the BBC Sound of 2026.
• 12 January – The Orchestra of the Swan announces the appointment of Zoë Curnow as its next executive director, effective 1 April 2026.
• 19 January – Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon is named as the winner of the 2026 Brits Critics' Choice Award.
• 23 January – Robbie Williams' album, Britpop, reaches number one in the UK Albums Chart, giving him his 16th number one and surpassing a record previously held by The Beatles.
• 30 January – The Molotovs release their debut album Wasted on Youth.

February

• 13 February – It is announced that the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest live tour, scheduled to begin in London on 15 June, has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.
• 16 February – Organisers of the 2026 Meltdown Festival announce that the event will be curated by Harry Styles.
• 17 February – The electronic music and YouTube content creator Look Mum No Computer is chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.
• 20 February –
• Sam Fender and Olivia Dean make UK chart history after their track "Rein Me In" reaches number one after 35 weeks on the chart.
• The winners of the 2026 Radio 1 Dance Awards are announced.
• 25 February –
• Phil Collins and Oasis are among artists to be nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Cruz Beckham, the youngest son of David and Victoria, embarks on his first headline tour with his rock band, Cruz Beckham and the Breakers at a venue in Birmingham.
• 28 February – The 2026 Brit Awards are held at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, the first time in the ceremony's history that it has been held outside London. The event includes the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Ozzy Osbourne to his widow, Sharon.

March

• 3 March
• The London Philharmonic Orchestra simultaneously announces the scheduled conclusion of the tenure of Edward Gardner as its principal conductor at the close of the 2027–2028 season, and the appointment of Paavo Järvi as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2028–2029 season.
• Rapper Ghetts is sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing a student in a hit-and-run in north east London.
• 6 March – Launch of the first Official UK Christian & Gospel Singles Chart. Nottingham singer Jerub is named as the inaugural chart topper with a version of "Kumbaya".
• 11 March – The UK government loses its appeal over a judgement of a terror charge against a member of the Irish language rap trio Kneecap.
• 12 March – The Royal Philharmonic Society announces the recipients of its 2026 RPS Awards:
• Chamber-Scale Composition: Claudia Molitor – Fever
• Conductor: John Wilson
• Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
• Gamechanger: Jacob Collier
• Impact: Orchestras for All
• Inspiration: Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society
• Instrumentalist: Peter Moore (trombone)
• Large-Scale Composition: Mark-Anthony Turnage – Festen (libretto by Lee Hall)
• Opera and Music Theatre: Uprising – Glyndebourne
• Series and Events: "Multitudes" – Southbank Centre
• Singer: Louise Alder (soprano)
• Storytelling: "Everything We Do Is Music" – Elizabeth Alker
• Young Artist: Matilda Lloyd (trumpet)
• 13 March
• Opening of Sheffield's Electric Studio, which replaces the Leadmill, a music venue that closed in 2025.
• Harry Styles' third album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally reaches the top of the UK Albums Chart following sales of 183,000 in its first week, making it the biggest selling physical album of the year.
• 13–15 March – The 2026 festival are held at The O2 Arena in London, OVO Hydro in Glasgow, and SSE Arena in Belfast, headlined by Zach Top, Keith Urban, and Brooks & Dunn.
• 26 March – The 2026 MOBO Awards are held in Manchester.

April

• 16 April – The 2026 Jazz FM Awards will take place at Koko in London.
• 25 April – BBC Radio 1Xtra will host its first club night with the 1Xtra Takeover at EartH Hall in Hackney.

May

• 22–24 May – BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend will take place in Herrington Country Park, Sunderland. Acts include Fatboy Slim and Sonny Fodera (22 May), Zara Larsson, Louis Tomlinson and Lola Young (23 May), and Olivia Dean, Niall Horan and Kehlani (24 May).
• 29 May – Release of Paul McCartney's album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, his first release for six years, and inspired by his childhood in post-war Liverpool.

June

• 12 June – Harry Styles is scheduled to play the first of 12 dates at Wembley Stadium as part of his Together, Together tour, and will set a new record for the number of concerts played at the venue when he completes the Wembley leg of his tour on 4 July.
• 19 June – Richard Ashcroft is scheduled to headline the opening night of the 2026 TRNSMT festival in Glasgow, with his set scheduled to finish early so that concertgoers can see Scotland's 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Morocco at 11pm.
• 27 June–1 July – A new music festival, the Blenheim Palace Festival, is scheduled to be held in Oxfordshire.

July

• 23–26 July – The WOMAD Festival will return after a year's hiatus with the festival now based at Neston Park Estate near Corsham, Wiltshire.

August

• 1–8 August – The National Eisteddfod of Wales will be held in Llantwd, Pembrokeshire.
• 12–16 August – The 2026 Boomtown Festival is scheduled to take place in Hampshire. Acts include Kneecap, Madness, Scissor Sisters, Faithless, Vengaboys and Groove Armada.

September

• 7–9 September – Radio 2 in the Park is scheduled to take place at City Park in Stirling.

Charts and sales

Number-one singles

The singles chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Number-one albums

The albums chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Number-one compilation albums

The compilation albums chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Deaths

• 2 January – Tony Carr, 98, Maltese session drummer and percussionist (CCS, Hot Chocolate).
• 5 January
• Andrew Bodnar, 71, English bass guitarist (The Rumour) and songwriter ("I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass"). (death announced on this date)
• Andrew Carter, 86, classical choral composer and pedagogue
• 11 January
• Sheila Bernette, 94, English singer (The Good Old Days, The Black and White Minstrel Show) and actress (The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins).
• Andrew Clements, 75, classical music critic
• Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, 26, British guitarist (Black Midi). (death announced on this date)
• John Wallace, 76, Scottish trumpeter, composer and arts educator.
• 15 January – Kenny Morris, 68, English drummer (Siouxsie and the Banshees). (death announced on this date)
• 26 January – Danny Coughlan, British singer and guitarist.
• 10 February –
• Des de Moor, 64, English writer and musician. (death announced on this date)
• Andrew Ranken, 72, English drummer (The Pogues).
• 21 February – John Bertalot, 94, English organist.
• 2 March –
• Len Garry, 84, English musician (The Quarrymen), pneumonia.
• Mike Vernon, 81, English record producer ("Albatross", "Hocus Pocus"), music executive and recording studio owner (Chipping Norton Recording Studios).
• 9 March – Zeph Ellis, 37, British rapper. (death announced on this date)
• 13 March – Phil Campbell, 64, Welsh guitarist (Motörhead, Persian Risk, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons).
• 20 March – Richard Phillips, 85, British music promoter. (death announced on this date)
• 25 March – Mick Roberts, 57, English singer (The Bridewell Taxis).
• 31 March – Tony Rivers, 85, English singer (Harmony Grass).

See also

• 2026 in British radio
• 2026 in British television
• 2026 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 2026

References