After a year and a half away from releasing music, Irish singer-songwriter Paddy Keyes returns with a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of direction. From the more synth-heavy sound of "12:15" to the more personal themes running through his upcoming new music, Paddy is figuring out who he wants to be as an artist – and finding the answer might lead him back home to Sligo.

The Strokes at O2 Arena in London, EnglandOctober 6th 2026

For Alaina May, songwriting begins with words. Based in Brooklyn, New York, the artist describes herself as a lyrics-first writer, drawn to the process of playing around with phrases, themes and stories until they become something listeners can recognise themselves in.

Tooth at Bodega in Nottingham, EnglandOctober 15th 2026

Belfast post-punk industrial duo Chalk are taking their listeners to the afterlife with new singles Heaven and Hell.

Nieve Ella’s musical trajectory has been one of the most interesting ones I have witnessed yet. What started out as an indie-pop project has evolved into a fully developed and matured alt-rock powerhouse. Comparing her previous releases to her debut album How Long Will It Take? feels like looking at two different artists entirely. Nieve Ella has shed her teenage pop persona and stepped into a confident new era, one that embraces the grit, distortion and emotional intensity of alternative rock without losing the vulnerability that made her music so compelling in the first place.

My first experience listening to Dopamine Chamber was on vinyl, front to back, in a record store surrounded by fellow Fontaines D.C. fans. And ever since then I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

Belfast's Alice Sloan releases her second single this year, and Within You is a heartfelt rock ballad that gets under your skin. There’s something beautifully raw about the track, drawing you in with its emotional honesty, but letting the track unfold and detonate through its arrangement. 

Some songs have a way of taking you back to a time you didn’t realise you missed until it was gone. For Galway four-piece Talllon, that feeling sits at the heart of their single ‘Go Back Again’, a track built around fading friendships, childhood memories, and the universal longing for simpler times.

With many of Dublin’s high-profile gigs already sold out, this October is a good time to look beyond the usual names. From emerging artists in intimate venues to under-the-radar shows worth discovering, Dublin still has plenty to offer. Here are some alternative picks to keep your October nights busy. 

There is something suffocating about the world right now. Between political power plays, institutional failures, and the seemingly endless stream of human suffering delivered straight to our screens, it can feel as though we are watching everything fall apart with no real power to intervene. On Poor Advice, Basht. take that frustration and turn it into something almost unbearably claustrophobic.

When the news about the Fontaines D.C listening parties dropped, I didn‘t have much hope because events like these rarely happen near me, but I was lucky enough that one record store relatively close to me hosted one. On Thursday, Groove Zone Records in Koblenz, Germany, was filled with a couple Fontaines fans who were eager to listen to Dopamine Chamber in full before it‘s release on October 16th. The staff was more than accommodating and I found myself in a few discussions about the band‘s new experimental sound and new favourite songs.

Hailing from Cork, self‑described bubblegrunge five‑piece Other Mother are ready to tear open the human condition, mental health, and the serrated edges of female rage on their new EP Can’t Help But Feel Dramatic.

Nerves are on a run this year. After releasing N26 earlier in April, they’re already back with their new single Ulcer – a wall of noise that somehow knows when to breathe.

Nieve Ella shares her final single ‘At Any Cost’ ahead of the release of her debut album How Long Will It Take out next Friday, October 16th. Described by the singer herself as the “missing piece” to the album, it’s a song that, in her words, “really deserves to stand on its own”.

Formed in 2020 during their school years, Snuckouts – Rodrigo Schwalbach (guitar), Finn Panschar (bass & vocals), Tim Purwin (drums) and Romy Weidner (main vocals) –  have come a long way from their playful pop-punk beginnings. Now, following Romy’s arrival as their new vocalist in 2025, the band are entering a distinctly new chapter. After appearances at festivals across Germany and support slots for acts including LA Witch and TEMMIS, Slutshaming-Song arrives as their first single in three years.

With their sixth album Songs From The Wedding Cake freshly released, Blossoms do what they do best. Deliver groovy, fun, yet somehow heartfelt songs. It’s a record that feels like a wink: playful, romantic, and unabashedly domestic, but only if you’re in love, or at least willing to pretend for fourty‑five minutes.

Dublin indie pop‑rock artist Taylor D steps into a new era with Bad Decisions, a four‑track EP arriving on October 2nd, 2026 - the day she turns 21. It’s a symbolic milestone, one she’s chosen to mark with her darkest, heaviest work to date. Across Bad Decisions, Taylor explore different stages of heartbreak, obsession, insecurity, anger, healing and finally choosing yourself.