Of the dozen or so artists lined-up for this year’s Brits Week gigs in aid of War Child – among them Fatboy Slim, Myles Smith, Olivia Dean and Robbie Williams – only one will actually be evoking the sound of an innocent lost in warfare. Or, for that matter, an inching glacier, a homecoming krautrock Caesar or a space shuttle full of gospel blues accelerating directly into the sun.
That act, the highlight of the 2026 bill, is Spiritualized, the art rock gods behind 1997’s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, finally coming down to Earth (or at least Hackney’s ruin-chic namesake venue) after last year’s run of shows to mark the 30th anniversary of their second album Pure Phase. And, as is the celestial noiseniks’ wont, they’re still basking in its scorched rock afterburn.
