Grunge four-piece Villanelle have told NME they feel more "locked in" as a band than ever, with new music on the way and big ambitions for 2027. Speaking backstage at Mad Cool 2026, frontman Gene Gallagher and bandmates described a breakout year of festival slots and touring that has left them feeling part of a wider guitar-music community rather than the outsiders they once described themselves as.

The band detailed a packed 2026 schedule including America's Warped Tour, The Great Escape, Neighbourhood Weekender, and upcoming appearances at Reading & Leeds and alongside Deftones at All Points East x Outbreak in London. They also confirmed a new EP is due by the end of the year, with an album to follow, saying their new material marks "an evolution" that has cemented them as a band, while playfully dismissing suggestions they'd be linked to an Oasis-style 2027 reunion narrative.