by Andrew Trendell | Photos by wenn
26 reasons to be excited about guitar + rock music in 2016
Get ready - the new year is going to be really, really loud
Muse's Drones tour rolls on: Already renowned as one of the greatest live acts on the planet, now their 'most ambitious' and adventurous on stage experiences hits the UK and Europe - with the band performing in the round, with a few Drones and some pyro thrown in, along with all of the modern rock anthem, vocal histrionics and guitar heroics - expect this to be the live event of the year. There's also rumours they'll call at Glastonbury...
Last Shadow Puppets ride again: While word from Arctic Monkeys' camp is quiet, we can all rejoice that Turner has teamed up once again with Miles Kane, with the follow-up to The Age Of Understatement coming in Spring. Expect a thoroughly classy and cinematic affair.
Red Hot Chili Peppers are back: Yup, not only are they playing shedloads of festivals across the world, including Reading + Leeds, but the funk-rock heroes are set to drop their 11th album - with it said that the band have already recorded 30 songs, and have reportedly been working with Danger Mouse.
Radiohead's return: They've been working on the follow-up to The King Of Limbs for as long as we can remember, and now guitarist Johnny Greenwood has suggested that they're just adding the finishing touches with hopes for a tour in 2016. If their attempted Bond theme 'Spectre' is anything to go by, it is going to be very special indeed.
Bowie's back: David Bowie - Blackstar: Technically, Bowie's 25th album isn't called Blackstar, it's called ?.. Never change, Bowie, never change.The title track and 'Lazarus# have already been revealed, in all their experimental jazz glory. It's amazing to see an artist of his age still striving forwards, forever in his prime.
Green Day's big comeback: Green Speaking with Rolling Stone, Billie Joe Armstrong said, "I've got, like, four or five songs right now. I'm gonna take it really slow. I'm just gonna make sure every moment is inspired and that we have something that's really special to us." After releasing three studio albums within three months with the fairly gimmicky Uno!, Dos!, Tre! trilogy, hopefully this offering will be a more focused and polished affair.
Sigur Ros are back to bedazzle you: The follow-up to 2013's incredible and dark Kveikur is coming, with the band taking new material on the road for huge summer festival shows. "In the spirit of adventure, all we can say right now is its going to be different," say the band. "In addition to playing all the songs you know and love, there will be new unreleased songs, a new show and more Trust us on this one.
The Libertines finally hit arenas: We never thought this day would come. They went from playing toilet venues and soon descended into a rock n' roll implosion. We wondered how long their comeback would last, but Anthems For Doomed Youth is is the sound of a band that still matter. Now they're enjoying their champagne days, but can they conquer arenas? We think so. It's a pretty ace line-up too - the likes of Blossoms and Sleaford Mods are supporting. The Libertines tickets on sale here.
Slipknot's masked menace hits the UK: They made history yet again when they owned Download Festival, now they're back for more. Get ready, maggots - this is going to be intense. Slipknot tickets on sale here.
New stuff from Nine Inch Nails: We've not much to go on, except for a Tweet from Trent Reznor saying 'New NIN coming in 2016. Other stuff too'. Just bring it.
Bloc Party's new album: After a mini hiatus, and a fundamental line-up change, Bloc Party returned with 'The Love Within' earlier this year, simultaneously combining their old school indie vibes with more zany, danceable sonics that are heading in different directions. They're releasing Hymns in January, so there's not long to wait now. Can they return to the initial glory?
Savages return, and they're better than ever: 'T.I.W.Y.G' was in the top 10 of Gigwise's Songs of 2015 - and it only trumped the brilliant, aggressive, stomping 'The Answer' by a hair's breadth. Full disclosure - we've already listened to Adore Life (perks of the job) and it's incredible.
Bring Me The Horizon - with an orchestra: Yup, they're playing the iconic Royal Albert Hall with an orchestra, which is going to be pretty special. But they also recently told fans of a full UK tour, adding: 'This is not an announcement, this is a warning'. Bring Me The Horizon tickets on sale here.
Daughter's new album sounds subline: 'Doing The Right Thing', a sprawling, melancholic glance at the painful effects of dementia, added an even greater depth and heft to Daughter's sound, and was one of Gigwise's Songs of 2015. It bodes extremely well for their forthcoming second album - Not To Disappear. Daughter tickets on sale here.
PVRIS finally tour the UK: "If anybody hates you, you must be doing something right," Lynn Gunnulfsen told Gigwise last month. Granted, they were talking about the Westboro' Baptist Church, but Pvris are so good it's difficult to imagine anyone hating them. PVRIS tickets on sale here.
Rammstein are back: Your favourite German pyromaniacs shared a photo of the band in the studio back in October, before being confirmed for a bunch of live dates including Download Festival. 2016 just got a whole lot hotter, and more terrifying.
The 1975 take the throne: Matt Healy and the gang are about to drop their new album, which includes the funk-laced singles 'Love Me' and 'Ugh!' - and will be called, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it. Yep - it's a mouthful, but we predict it's going to be on everyone's lips pretty soon as there is no chance that it won't be absolutely game-changing. They're playing a handful of UK shows, including three in London and three in Manchester, in March. The 1975 tickets on sale here.
Rolling Stones: Speaking to The Sunday Times Magazine, Keith Richards said, "These guys aren't getting any younger, but at the same time, they're getting better. I'd love to shove them in the studio in April, hot off the road." Fingers crossed they'll be done by the end of next year.
Blossoms: After a couple of really strong EPs, we suspect that since signing to Virgin EMI the Stockport five-piece will have the time and budget this year to create a brilliant debut album. Definitely one of the strongest acts to have been nominated in the BBC Sound of 2016 shortlist.Some are tipping them to be the next Catfish + The Bottlemen, Courteeners and maybe Arctic Monkeys.
The Killers: After saying that 2012's Battle Born "wasn't good enough," Brandon Flowers told Jo Whiley that in a "perfect world", the band would be releasing new material in late 2016. Later, he told Loaded that the band are in the studio, and have been working on a potential new track, 'Look Alive'. Look alive, indeed. It's been four years. With Flowers' solo commitments coming to an end and after the band played a bunch of Stateside festival shows, it stands to reason that the band should be back in the studio soon and back on stage at festivals by summer.
The xx: OK, this one was in our gallery of "Albums to look forward to in 2015" last Christmas. It's still not here. We swear they went to Texas to record it approximately 17 years ago. Now Jamie xx's solo album is out the way (brilliant though it was) they might finally buckle down and get this out. They've also been in Iceland and London - saying that each different landscape is having a strong impact on them. Expect something very special indeed.
The Cure: The Godfathers of Goth-pop return for an epic, globe-spanning world and UK tour with The Twilight Sad - and the promise of potentially two new albums. This alone, could make 2016 the year we've all been waiting for. The Cure tickets on sale here.
Garbage: After spending 2015 celebrating the 20th anniversary of their classic debut, they're back in the studio with a huge new album coming next year. Speaking to Gigwise about what to expect, frontwoman Shirley Manson said: "It's sort of a romantic record in a way. I don't feel like any of our records yet are 'romantic' - I don't really think in terms of romance, ever, but this is probably the closest I'll get to being romantic."
Queens Of The Stone Age: After dropping their storming and immaculate record Like Clockwork back in 2013, bassist Mikey 'Shoe'' Shuman explained that a new album was definitely in the works, but that "we decided to take a break because we had been going so hard for so long." A record should be surfacing next year, though, with whatever they produce being as hard hitting as ever.
Suede: Not only were they ever really part of Britpop, but they continue to fight and evolve outside of the label and genre - with their massive new album Night Thoughts coming in January with a huge tour to follow. Suede tickets on sale here.
The bells will soon be chiming for the new year, and with that comes the dawn of the future and the unknown. One thing we do know however, is that 2016 is going to rock.
With huge tours from the likes of Muse and Slipknot, there's also epic new music on the way from everyone from David Bowie to The xx, Daughter, Savages, The 1975, Queens Of The Stone Age and beyond. Wave goodbye to 2015, and say hello to one hell of a year of incredible shows and game-changing new records.
Make it your new year's resolution to rock as hard as possible. Here are 26 very exciting reasons to be excited about guitar music in 2016.