The Ephemeric

A second album from 2024 Debbie Award runner up Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Irreversible was recorded largely live with producers Yves and Lawrence Rothman, capturing the raw intensity and kinetic energy that defined the group’s sound with their debut. 

Lead single Slumber Party showcases frontman Wes Leavins’s emotive vocals backed by propulsive guitars and driving percussion, hinting at a record that blends bold arrangements with emotional depth. Written and road-tested amid sold-out shows and festival appearances, Irreversible promises to expand the band’s signature sound, marrying urgency, heartfelt songwriting, and nostalgia, and firmly establish Brigitte Calls Me Baby as one of the most compelling alt-rock acts emerging today.

London six-piece Blousey are building a reputation on the city’s DIY circuit with a striking blend of garage-rock grit, noir-tinged art-rock textures and swaggering rhythms, and all signs point to their impending debut album being a bold expansion of that sound. 

Early singles like Canela Skin with its eerie, sultry energy and visceral lyrical focus, and the crunching, late-night swagger of Chances showcase a band equally at home storming through raw, visceral riffs and weaving in unexpected touches of saxophone, violin and organ that push their arrangements beyond straight rock clichés. 

Their debut EP The Precipice already hinted at a cinematic palette that’s gritty and unpredictable, and as Blousey prepare to translate that momentum into a full-length record, listeners can expect something that captures the band’s restless tension, cinematic songwriting and appetite for dramatic contrasts, all the ingredients that have made them one of London’s most intriguing new acts.

OK, I’ll admit, I don’t have much to go on with this one. But Sir Paul McCartney says he is working on an album for release in 2026, and that’s good enough to make my list.

I won’t even bother to say the man needs no introduction, because, come on, It’s Paul McCartney. I won’t insult your intelligence by linking some Beatles or some of his solo stuff because, seriously, it’s Paul McCartney. Global treasure.

Production on the new album commences upon conclusion of his tour at the end of 2024, and as of August last year is confirmed to be complete, which means we should start to hear some new material very soon.

One of the most exciting new projects in music. Braxe + Falcon is a new collaboration of legendary French producers Alan Braxe and DJ Falcon. 

Their work, deeply rooted in '70s disco and pioneering production techniques, showcases a reverence for classic sounds while embracing modernity. The duo's first EP, Step By Step, marked a fantastic debut that reflects a seamless blend of timeless music and contemporary flair, featuring the unmistakable vocals of Panda Bear, lead vocalist of Animal Collective and highly successful solo artist in his own right.

The EP was well received, generating hype for what was to come next. A smattering of additional singles and remixes have followed in the last few years to similar praise, but we're all really just waiting now for the inevitable full blown LP. This one has been a feature on this list for a few years running, but I am sticking with it for now. If, as expected, this sees the light of day in 2026, it will be one of the biggest releases in electronic music for the year.

Now it's time for another band that needs no introduction. The Mountain is the highly anticipated ninth studio album from British virtual band Gorillaz, and marks the first full-length project since Cracker Island. 

Spanning 15 tracks and recorded across locations from London and Devon to India, Turkmenistan, Syria, and the United States, the record embodies Gorillaz’s signature collaborative ethos with contributions from an extraordinary roster of artists, from Sparks and Bizarrap to IDLES, Black Thought, Johnny Marr, Omar Souleyman, and posthumous appearances by Dennis Hopper, Bobby Womack, Tony Allen, and more. 

So far it sounds like something of an experimental depature from what one might expect of Gorillaz. The Mountain places songs in multiple languages (Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish, Yoruba) and has been described as a rich, genre-blurring soundscape that explores deeply emotional themes, including life, death, and connection, reflecting personal experiences of loss by co-founders Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett during its creation. Accordingly, the singles released so far, whcih includes The Happy Dictator, Damascus, and Orange County, runs a range of diverse musical styles that meshes world influences with the band’s distinct blend of experimentation, storytelling, and global sonic textures, a bold evolution in the band’s discography.

After several years of pursuing solo work, The xx are back in the studio and widely expected to unveil a fourth album in 2026, marking their first full new body of group work since I See You in 2017. 

With Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, and Jamie xx all bringing fresh perspectives developed through solo projects and collaborations, early studio comments suggest the band’s next record will meld their signature intimate, atmospheric sound with the broader influences they’ve absorbed in recent years. It's been a while, but go on, listen to VCR, Islands, or On Hold and remind yourself of just how good these guys are.

Their return is being teased alongside high-profile live dates, including festival appearances at Coachella and Primavera Sound. While details on a title or tracklist are still under wraps, anticipation is building for a record that could marry the band’s classic emotional precision with new creative edges honed across individual journeys.

And we close off with a somewhat speculative one (that didn't work out too well for our number 1 pick last year, which is still AWOL). We know that legendary Aussie plunderphonics duo The Avalanches is working on a new album. But we don't know a whole lot more than that.

The Avalanches are a near mythical name in electronic music, having exploded onto the scene with the pioneering 2000 album Since I Left You, before vanishing from the face of the Earth for sixteen years, supposedly for a combination of health issues and legal complications relating to the sample rights of their sophomore album. They returned in 2016 with the brilliant Wildflower, and followed it up in 2020 with We Will Always Love You.

The Avalanches are quietly teasing a new studio album in 2026 that many listeners hope will continue the group’s tradition of transformative sound collage and adventurous production. Known for redefining plunderphonics with dense, emotive works like Since I Left You and the lush, collaborative textures of If I Was a Folkstar and The Divine Chord, the Australian duo of Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi have built a reputation for albums that feel cinematic, meticulously crafted, and full of hidden details waiting to be discovered. While specific details on title, release date, or guest collaborators have yet to be officially confirmed, every album they have released to date has been a 10 out of 10, and the band’s return to new music in 2026 has sparked excitement among fans and critics alike.

4. "War Horse" by Nick Stafford, at the National Theatre

One of the great pieces of British theatre, the revival of War Horse returns to the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre in spring 2026, running from 16 May to 30 July 2026 as the landmark production comes “home” almost 20 years after its original premiere and following a hugely successful UK and Ireland tour. 

Based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford, this Tony-award-winning theatrical phenomenon blends stirring live music and songs with the ground-breaking puppetry of South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, whose life-sized creations bring the horses, especially Joey, the loyal steed at the heart of the story, to vivid, breath-taking life. 

Set against the sweep of the First World War, War Horse follows young Albert’s determination to reunite with his beloved horse after Joey is sold to the cavalry, delivering a powerful meditation on love, loss, courage and the ravages of conflict that remains one of the most emotionally affecting and visually inventive experiences in modern theatre.

3. "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard, at the Old Vic

The Old Vic Theatre in London presents a major revival of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia from 24 January to 21 March 2026, marking the first time the play has been staged at the historic venue as part of artistic director Matthew Warchus’ final season. 

Directed by Carrie Cracknell, this celebrated modern classic, often regarded as Stoppard’s masterpiece, interweaves two timelines within a Derbyshire country house: in 1809, a precocious young genius, Thomasina Coverly, explores mathematics, science and the mysteries of the universe with her tutor Septimus Hodge, while in the present day scholars piece together the clues of the past as they unravel love, loss, thermodynamics and literary intrigue. 

With witty, flirtatious dialogue and a visually dynamic in-the-round staging, the production brings Stoppard’s deep blend of romance, intellectual inquiry and human emotion vividly to life for contemporary audiences.

2. "The Story" by Tracey Scott Wilson, at the National Theatre

The National Theatre’s 2026 British premiere of The Story is a gripping, high-stakes newsroom drama playing in the Olivier Theatre from 27 August to 24 October 2026. 

Written by acclaimed American playwright Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Clint Dyer, this taut thriller follows an ambitious Black reporter who defies her editor to pursue an incendiary lead inspired by real events, pushing questions of journalistic ethics, racial politics and the cost of truth-seeking to the forefront. 

The production marks the National Theatre debut of BAFTA-winning screen star Letitia Wright in the central role, supported by a strong ensemble that includes Ashley Thomas, Lorraine Toussaint, Aliyah Odoffin and Wilf Scolding, with further casting to be announced. The Story promises to be a compelling blend of adrenaline-fuelled drama and timely social commentary, making it one of the standout new plays of the London season.

1. "Dracula" by Kip Williams, at the Noel Coward Theatre

And finally, our number 1 pick for 2026 in theatre. The Noël Coward Theatre’s 2026 West End production of Dracula isn’t a traditional staging of Bram Stoker’s gothic classic so much as a theatrical reinvention; a bold, immersive solo adaptation that reimagines the iconic vampire tale for a new era. 

Directed and adapted by visionary Aussie creator Kip Williams, this electrifying version sees three-time Oscar nominee and Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo return to the London stage in a tour-de-force performance in which she embodies all 23 roles, from the innocent solicitor Jonathan Harker to the terrifying Count himself, in a fusion of live action, video and cinematic techniques that pushes the boundaries of theatrical form. 

Opening in February 2026 and running through 30 May 2026, the production blends high-tech storytelling with intimate performance to probe the seductive horror and timeless themes of fear, desire and the monstrous within, making it one of the West End’s most talked-about events of the season. 

So there you have it folks: 2026 in theatre. Tune in soon for our next instalment of the Hot List, covering the essential new music coming this year!