BRITs Week 26 for War Child, delivered by DHL, has officially widened its plans for 2026, welcoming global soul standout Olivia Dean, space rock icons Spiritualized and chart leading favourites The K’s to an already packed run of intimate performances.
The upcoming edition also signals a major moment for the event, with The BRIT Awards heading to Manchester for the first time. To mark the move, BRITs Week will extend beyond London, with shows set for Newcastle, London, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Brighton and Manchester.
New Headliners and Exclusive UK Dates
The newly announced artists bring some of the country’s most celebrated names into close up venues across the UK.
February 18th sees Spiritualized step onto the stage at London’s EartH Theatre.
On February 20th, The K’s arrive at Manchester’s Gorilla following their recent number one album success.
February 26th will see five time BRIT nominee Olivia Dean deliver a soulful performance at Manchester’s Albert Hall.
Alongside the headliners, the first round of support acts has been revealed, including Bimini, Max Jones, Saint Raymond, Gabriella Cilmi and emerging R and B artist CARI.
Intimate Shows for a Global Cause
Around one in five children worldwide, more than 520 million, are currently living with the impact of conflict. Money raised through these shows goes directly toward War Child’s vital work, helping to provide education and mental health support for children affected by war.
The 2026 programme begins on February 12th in Newcastle with Fatboy Slim and continues with a wide ranging line up, including Lambrini Girls in London on February 16, Myles Smith in Nottingham on February 24, and a joint performance from Jack Savoretti and Katherine Jenkins OBE on February 25.
How to Get Tickets
With venues kept deliberately small, demand is expected to be extremely high and tickets are likely to disappear fast.
Prize Draw: Enter for just £10 HERE www.warchild.org.uk
General tickets go on sale at 10 am on Friday, January 30th.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
