JANUARY TOUR PREVIEW: Top 10 UK Gigs To See This Month

UPDATE (16/01): Due to the venue’s temporary closure, Sleep Token’s appearance at the O2 Brixton Academy has been moved to the Hammersmith Apollo.

Shaking the music world to its core with their two latest offerings in the form of “Chokehold” and “The Summoning”, Sleep Token have injected a wave of buzz around their upcoming headline tour in the UK.

The five dates will see Sleep Token set a personal milestone of their biggest headliner, performing at venues with capacity of up to almost 5,000.

Expected to play a total of six new songs off their upcoming album, including two singles that are due in the coming weeks, there will be plenty for Sleep Token‘s rabid fanbase to indulge in, whilst also being able to enjoy well-versed fan-favourites such as “The Offering” and “Alkaline“. [TICKETS]

Since Upsurge Festival came to an end after its final weekender last year, there has been a gap waiting to be filled for a hardcore-centric festival down at London’s New Cross Inn. Looking to fill that gap is Reality Unfolds, a hardcore festival spanning across three days with an absolutely stacked line-up of some of the UK’s hardest bands.

Wednesday sees the warm-up show headlined by melodic-hardcore group, Hell Can Wait, who closed out 2022 supporting Last Hounds. Those familiar to the New Cross Inn will be accustomed to Yorkshire’s Street Soldier who headline the Saturday with London newcomers Grief Ritual supporting, alongside Underdark and Negative Frame. Sunday closes out with punk unit Going Off, nu-metalcore quartet Starved, and death metal group Casket Feeder. [TICKETS]

2022 saw alt-rock group Artio come into their own, with catchy bops “Unhinged“, “Hush Money” and “Pyrokid” yearning to be put on repeat. The year also saw the announcement of the band’s upcoming EP, Pyrokid, which will release via Slam Dunk Records later this year.

Until then, Artio will be embarking on a tour across some of the UK’s most note worthy venues. London’s Black Heart and Birmingham’s Asylum will be among the many venues filled to the brim with the grooves and energy of the quartet’s sound.

With them will be Sunderland’s Noyou, who released the fantastic This Game We Started EP back in September of 2022. For those looking for an evening of joyous tunes, it would be a miss not to turn up to this tour. [TICKETS]

Post-hardcore unit Black Coast are storming into 2023, with new single “Mercy” due on the 18th, and a headline tour with Cut Short shortly after, now is the perfect time to see what could be one of this year’s breakout acts.

With their 2021 record, Outworld, pulling from an array of 00s influences, Black Coast’s discography will be sending rooms side to side while entrancing onlookers with their shoegazey sound and verb-drenched guitar melodies.

Taking a different route to many tours this month, Black Coast will be stopping off in Newcastle, Stoke, Liverpool in Nottingham, once they have kicked off their tour at the 229 in London. Shortly before the tour, too, the group have a one-off show down in Southampton down at the The Attic, taking place on the 13th. [TICKETS]

Casey are back and touring for the first time in nearly four years. With singles “Great Grief” and “Atone” signalling their studio return, the Welsh group have not shied away from returning to the stage to celebrate their recent comeback.

The UK dates see them begin in The Fleece at Bristol, before a lone northern date in Manchester, followed by two nights down at The Garage in London on the weekend of January 14th and 15th. Later dates see the melodic hardcore group perform on the main continent in Germany.

With the band’s two new tracks “Great Grief” and “Atone” to see their live debuts, fans will surely be clambering to revisit Casey‘s hits of the past including “Darling“, “Little Bird” and “Bruise“. With only one UK date having tickets remaining, fans best move quick to not miss out. [TICKETS]

North East hardcore is set to go a road trip north of the border later this month, with Wise Up and Aggrieved performing in Dundee and Glasgow before heading back to Newcastle for what will be a blistering hometown show in 70 capacity venue the Little Buildings.

With 2022 seeing a duo of releases from Wise Up, most recently Baptism By Fire which contains ragers “Vow of Silence” and “Reaper Bust“, the Newcastle unit are certainly ones to watch in the UKHC scene.

The Dundee dates at the Flying Duck will see them joined by Nothin’ But Enemies and DIVIDE, with full line-ups for Glasgow and Newcastle to be announced closer to the date. [TICKETS]

Nu-metalcore unit PULSE will perform at four venues across England this coming month, with post-hardcore brawlers Brookehorse supporting them.

Kicking of at the 229 in London on January 19th, there will be a dash of four shows that will further see them perform in their hometown of Birmingham at Dead Wax on the 21st. With PULSE’s latest effort “Pieces Of Me” being a barn burner of a track, this tour will be for those looking to throw some hands in some of the UK’s finest smaller venues. [TICKETS]

Next week, the famous Blondies, most well known for its free-entry shows and its K-Pits down in its cosy bar in Hackney, will pay host to deathcore newcomers Beyond Extinction.

The headliner looks to kick off what will be a busy few months for the group, with single “Gravedigger” releasing the following day, which features off their upcoming EP Nothing More Wretched out on March 17th.

Those who have missed out on seeing Beyond Extinction down in London will have the opportunity to see them in February with three dates across Ipswich, Derby and Nottingham, with support coming from Winter Hotel and Obey a Tyrant on the final date. [TICKETS]

Originally set for early 2022 with Kublai Khan TX as main support, DEEZ NUTS‘ UK and European headliner fell through like many tours last year. For those who have patiently waited, the tour is now set to begin this month with brand new supports coming from The Acacia Strain, Unity TX and Brothers Till We Die.

UNITY TX are heading over to the UK off the back of a tour of the States with familiar acts Loathe and Static Dress and now have the opportunity to bring their beatdown sound to audiences this side of the Atlantic.

Expect violence and primal hardcore grooves entering this one, as this line-up is shaping up to be one of 2023’s finest. [TICKETS]

We’ve covered L.S. Dunes since their formation, so it’s only fitting that we feature their first venture into the UK. The supergroup, formed from members of My Chemical Romance, Saosin, Thursday, and more burst onto the scene in late 2022 with their raw yet sleek full-length, Past Lives. Now, they aim to take the European touring circuit by storm, beginning with the UK later this month.

The tour kicks off in Glasgow on the 27th (Party Canon & Godeater rather than No Devotion), followed by London, Manchester, and lastly Birmingham Academy, which has a capacity of 3,000. There will also be a limited Meet & Greet experience in Soho on the afternoon of the 28th ahead of their London show, where fans will get a signed poster, a picture with the band, and a physical copy of Past Lives. [SHOW TICKETS / MEET & GREET]