View Of The Arts

London is set to become the centre of Japanese culture once again as HYPER JAPAN Festival 2026 returns to Olympia Events, London (Hammersmith Road, W14 8UX) from Friday 24 July to Sunday 26 July 2026. Running over three days, the festival is the UK’s largest celebration of Japanese culture, bringing together live music, anime, gaming, cosplay, food, fashion, shopping, traditional arts and special guests from Japan.

Dark, sexy, and possessing something a little more than the average K-pop boy group, OMEGA X are finally back with UNCAPPED: seemingly unleashing everything they hadn’t already. They’re currently a prime seven; after Hwichan, Sebin and Kevin’s return to activity, the boys clearly wanted to come back with a bang. The titular track features afrobeats, an energetic EDM chorus, and affirmations that they’ve ‘got no limit’.

“We prepared this album as though it could be our last,” says YOONWOO. It is a sentence that says everything about where TRENDZ are today. Four years after their debut, the seven-member group continues to move forward with the same determination that first introduced them to fans, but with an even deeper sense of purpose. Their latest single album, On My Knees, is more than just another comeback.

J-pop has never been more diverse, and PSYCHIC FEVER are one of the groups helping to push it in new directions. Combining R&B, hip-hop, pop and dance music, the seven-member group has built a sound that doesn’t fit neatly into one category. Now, following the success of Just Like Dat featuring JP THE WAVY, they return with their second full-length album, DIFFERENT. Released four years after their debut album, DIFFERENT is an important step forward for PSYCHIC FEVER.

K-pop festivals can be hit or miss, but Poland’s August line-up looks too big to ignore. One of the joys of following K-pop in Europe is that no two festivals ever feel quite the same. Some become unforgettable celebrations where artists and fans feed off each other’s energy. Others promise a dream line-up only for schedules, set lengths or production decisions to leave people frustrated.

London really is a hub for incredible soul and R&B artists. The more you discover them, the more you appreciate just how much talent the city has to offer, and as a Londoner, it’s hard not to feel proud. Olympia Vitalis is one of those artists. With her rich vocals and beautiful songwriting, she is one of a new generation of artists helping to build London’s thriving soul scene.

Japanese hip-hop found its voice through pioneers like Seiko Ito, whose 1989 album Mess/Age is widely regarded as the first game-changing Japanese rap record. Alongside Hiroshi Fujiwara and Kan Takagi, who helped introduce hip-hop to Japan’s airwaves and underground scene, they laid the foundations for a movement that was later propelled into the mainstream by groups such as Scha Dara Parr and East End X Yuri in the mid-1990s.

We met Pedro Santos shortly after his performance on BST Hyde Park’s Rainbow Stage and found a quiet spot in one of the festival’s shaded chill-out areas. Relaxed, smiling and still energised from the set he had just played, the British-Portuguese singer-songwriter reflected on performing at one of London’s biggest festivals, the emotional honesty behind his latest music, and why he finally feels comfortable embracing exactly the artist he wants to be.

It was the second week of BST Hyde Park, and Friday’s line-up featured even bigger names than the previous weekend, bringing another impressive day of music to one of London’s most iconic festivals The day began on the Great Oak Stage with Reading band Only The Poets, whose indie-pop provided the perfect start to the day.

Maroon 5 have always been one of those bands that seem to have been around forever, soundtracking different phases of pop-rock culture without ever really asking for too much attention. They started out as a group of school friends in Los Angeles, originally called Kara’s Flowers, writing scrappy indie-rock songs long before anyone knew what direction they would eventually take.