Here's Punktuation editors Ruth and Alex's essential picks for '26:
The Molotovs
In our opinion, the Cartlidge siblings Matt and Issey have done more to bring younger people into the alternative scene than most bands, drawing huge crowds while still only being in their teens themselves! Hailing from London, UK, The Molotovs guitarist / lead vocalist Matt and bassist / vocalist Issey grew up on a diet of music from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, played by their parents on car journeys. Jamming together during lockdown, sister and brother took their music out busking onto the London streets as soon as they were able, and started getting gigs from there.
Soon The Molotovs name was on everybody’s lips, as their fast-paced blend of mod/punk/rock’n’roll, plus their incendiary live performances became the talk of the town. Building their reputation the DIY way, they’ve played 600 shows in advance of releasing their debut album, ‘Wasted on Youth‘ which comes out on 30th January 2026 via Marshall Records, who signed them early last year.
“We try to do a lot to help to fundraise and support the grassroots scene” says Issey. Playing in 2024 during the campaign to keep Shepherd’s Bush venue Bush Hall alive, they came to the attention of a famous Punk local resident.. “Paul Cook, from the Sex Pistols, came down and halfway through the gig, he came to the side of the stage, and he was like, “Can I come up on stage?” – So he ended up coming up and playing ‘God Save the Queen‘ with us!” The Molotovs soon went on to support the Pistols, plus Stiff Little Fingers, The Libertines, Blondie and Iggy Pop. Catch The Molotovs on their album release tour this month, and supporting Yungblud in April – all dates HERE
RAD
As we’ve told you before, crossover thrash is the best kind of metal out there, because it strips away the genre’s tendencies towards self-indulgence in favour of blistering hardcore punk speed and aggression. A case in point: RAD, who played their first ever show less than two years ago, and have since become quite the force to be reckoned with. A product of Brighton’s fertile punk and hardcore scenes, they play with the kind of boundless energy and razor-sharp riffing to get punks and metalheads alike to unite in some serious pit action (trust us, we’ve seen it for ourselves).
RAD dropped their debut EP ‘Toxic Slime‘ midway through last year, and it didn’t disappoint us, although we did fear for vocalist Andy Mansell‘s larynx as he put it through stern testing on the gravel-throated likes of ‘Snake On The Take‘ and ‘Gaslighter‘. A follow-up and more touring (including a date at London Blondie’s Brewery on January 17th) await them in 2026; go see them if you can, because gigs are rarely this loud, fast and – most importantly – FUN.
Two Tonne Machete
Aggressive, politically charged punks Two Tonne Machete come from the North West of England and North Wales. Fronted by Emily (vocals/guitar/keys) alongside Ro (bass), Thibaut (drums) and Mark (lead guitar), their authentic, high-energy, feel-good punk anthems hit as hard live as they do on their records. Writing songs to confront misogyny, control, radical politics and toxic masculinity, and about sexuality, dissent and protest, all are delivered through full-throttle energy, razor-sharp guitars, thumping bass and striking vocals.
Despite being proudly DIY, Two Tonne Machete‘s first singles – along with their latest track ‘PIGS PIGS‘ – have earned support from BBC Introducing (Merseyside), Radio X Exposure, and over 400 stations worldwide. They have performed at Focus Wales, Manchester Punk Festival, Future Now Festival, and Rebellion, where they drew a record crowd to the Introducing Stage! Following a huge year of shows, Two Tonne Machete will release a brand new EP in Spring 2026 before heading out on an extensive run of UK dates throughout 2026, including January support for Skinhawk in Reading and Pulled Apart By Horses in Birkenhead.
‘PIGS PIGS‘ references real police tactics — from kettling to tasers — and challenges the violence of incarceration and suppression. Its repeated chant, “Lights, gather, remember, to RUN!”, is inspired by the shocking scenes at the candlelit vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common, where women mourning her murder were met with heavy-handed police aggression. A band saying what needs to be said in these times, with the musical chops to hammer these messages tunefully home.
Bones Ate Arfa
We first came across Brighton trio (is there something in the water in Brighton?!) Bones Ate Arfa a couple of months ago, opening for Dead Air in London. We’ve been blown away by support bands before, but rarely as fiercely as by BAA that night. They’re a young bunch, but they’ve clearly done their desert-rock homework; taking the kind of riffs that that would surely win the approval of Kyuss, Fu Manchu et al, and feeding them through a punk rock blender with a hint of grunge here and there. Mmm, tasty.
Bones Ate Arfa finished 2025 on a triumphant note, giving London’s Old Blue Last a good seismic shaking in the process, and you’d do well to check out last year’s ‘It’s All Good‘ single and ”Just Bananas‘ EP. Close your eyes, crank them loud, and you can almost imagine the packed-out gigs ending a massive tangle of cables, limbs and feedbacking guitars; let’s help them make such glorious chaos a reality in 2026, eh? Oh, and you’ll get to experience the ‘soda scream’ (your guess is as good as ours) into the bargain. See them live on 21st January at The Blue Posts in London.
Skinhawk
Taking Rebellion Festival’s Introducing Stage by storm last August, youthful Reading, UK foursome Skinhawk hatched from the local scene through a shared love of gaming, punk rock, and visual art. Dynamite vocalist Nikki and bass ace Archie are long time pals, ‘best moustache in town’ drummer Jez was on a game design course with Nikki, while self-taught guitar whizz Lauren joined through a mutual friend. Nikki creates stunning artwork for the band with their Skinhawk creature inspired by visual artist Brett Parson’s ‘Zombie’ drawings.
Self-confessed nerds, Skinhawk‘s music is influenced by punk and hardcore bands from across the ages; from Dead Kennedys to The Distillers to Restraining Order; and by playing D&D plus various video games. They have a lot to say about the state of the world that’s being left for them, and how hard it is for younger people to achieve the things older generations took for granted. “It’s a combination of political and nerdy that we try and fit into all out music” says Archie. “We want to write more songs that make people wanna punch each other in a consensual manner, basically!” explains Jez.
Live mosh pit favourite ‘Not My Problem’ overtly calls out political apathy, while debut single ‘Killer Robots’ tackles the band’s hatred of AI. Look out for Skinhawk’s debut EP, ‘Man Made Horrors’, dropping this year. Catch them live on 10th January at the Castle Tap in Reading, and in London at the New Cross Inn on the 14th. As Nikki sarcastically states at the end of every show: “We’re not a political band; we just write about monsters..”
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Wishing you all a Fabulous Festive Season from Punktuation Magazine! Here’s to even more great music in 2026, There are plenty of sensational new sounds
Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
