It's The Most Wonderwall Time Of The Year!

Inspired by 2026, a defining chapter of it’s story, Soccer Six Fest proves to be a sparky, playful hub that’s an interdependent ripple outwards from the grassroots venue circuit.

A decade after mainstream armchair critics were writing off guitar bands, collectively, many artists are an oasis of creativity heralding a blur of positivity.

Beautiful Games In Ugly Days

We’re in an age where Sonya Madan’s 1990s “My Home Too” t shirt is unfortunately still relevant but on the fortunate side, so are Echobelly and many more of the 20th century and naughties bands.

Longevity could happen for the non privileged again. Why not? Though the music world’s profile and exposure landscape is on a different planet to the myspace age, we CAN aim to help newer artists have careers, as well as fun. Despite everything. I still believe, do you?

Onwards. Together.

January 2026 felt like the opening scenes of a rock opera in real time. Now into the second half of the game, that’s what it actually was.

DIY’s new music industries have many artists and their audience IN-volved. Behind-the-scenes connectivity is part of what pulses this new energy. Keep connecting the mutual support that’s putting the STORY in back story.

Our daydreamed (often whimsical, political and political) reporting would not be the same without the expanding Music Industry Soccer Six community.

Respect for what's building and for the many on side.

There's no major hype for this organic situationism. Some unstoppable forces of Nature go beyond scene and herd to being seen and heard.

From TheZineUK’s first upload, the original rock n goal tournament has woven a party-hearted golden thread since Heather Minx took us to see Pete Doherty showing his (quality !)footy skills over a decade or so ago!

Photography (c) Rupert HItchcox for TheZineUK Chapter 01 - **Pete Doherty** at Soccer Six in 02’s Ex-Beckham Academy, Greenwich

It’s a serious laugh all day, but it’s serious business on the pitches!

Teams of bands/industry and allies (mostly in kit colours of choice) compete. Clarity, charity and hilarity make an uplifting day. "We'll be back" said more than one artist, before this year was over.

Soccer Six Fest?

It's a unique day out for music fans. Like a people's World Cup in shades - sometimes with fags n beer. in hand, sometimes with a flamingo… A 'School Of Rock' sports day with a stage. You don't even have to follow or know much about football. What’s not to love?

After the matches, competing gives way to collaborating for some as new connections are made. It’s social media content gold - something different made by national cultural pursuits; music and football.

As TheZineUK's attending cast and crew members can attest, we've repped at quite a few of these since that first time. We keep coming back for more (and appreciate having a meet up marquee to hang out in!)

Post lockdown, after what felt like forever of legally seated, masked, spaced and hand sanitised public events, CUP (officially C for Creativity, U for Uniting and P for People), Soccer Six has consistently gifted necessary escapism!

CUPlife! The Story So Far.

The original “rock n goal” sports tournament, Soccer Six is a working class endeavour founded and headed with love by Mark 'Abes' Abery.

It was partly inspired by him sitting on flight-cases watching Oasis rehearse, back in the day, hearing them chatting footy in between songs - and partly by working with Damon Albarn and industry legend, Andy Ross to actually live the dream.

**Robbie Williams, Steve and Jarvis of Pulp and Damon Albarn of Blur** sit in the **Mile End Stadium** stands (1996) where the new golden era bands began something new on **5th July 2026.** image via /soccersix social media

Those who come on side, are a growing family of entertainment heritage in their own right. It’s a much needed total playtime for children of all ages.

Next Golden Era, the prequel years...

2021

The 90 minute Game Of History happened at Hamilton FC in tribute to the environmental climate change event COP26 Glasgow, It brought young people and influencers together to raise vital awareness and debate around eco-anxiety and it's affects on the next generation, while supporting local childrens charity, Blameless. Musicians, footballers (from Celtic and Rangers), celebrities, social media influencers and crowd participation got the Soccer Six ball rolling again.

2022

The Mile End Stadium comeback was pure joy at being able to run around outside together again.

When a gang of presenters, DJs, actors and hosts (including Louise Schofield, Abbie McCarthy and Katie Owen, who were on a team with S Club 7's Rachel Stevens) shout out “Soccer Six!" at the start in the youtube video, it's the call to charms of next generational inspirations uniting to create new futures.

Bands like The Now, Lock-In and The Assist are a recurring chapter update of many names building a rock n roll flavoured family - as are influential international promoters like This Feeling, End Of The Trail Creative and Scruff Of The Neck.

This ain't a "posh old boys network". Everybody is invited.

The public and artists of all backgrounds, enjoy a day outside. A musical kick about with laffs and selfies. Supporters witness some superb skills and cheer the losers and medal winners alike.

These moments feel like who the majority of us really are and how we live. Still. 30 years since the likes of Jarvis Cocker were on the field. What a rich history to be a part of.

“watch out for the streakers” by the 21st century, that sounds like a band name

2023

The first SoccerSixFest Manchester (Scruff Of The Neck, Alex Spencer, Megan Wyn, Cobain Jones, The Bracknall, The Cheap Thrills, Humz, Rolla - aah, many more) was another pairing of the beautiful games: Music and Football - in "A City United".

Though the tournament has happened at various famous football grounds around the country, the one with a live music stage - Soccer SixFest - literally has an Oasis end AND a Blur end, now, in Manchester and London.

Louise Schofield and Megan Wyn, SoccerSixFest Manchester, Summer 2023. Megan is one of the artists who soundtrack Music Industry Soccer Six YouTube videos commemorating events.

2024

Lovefootball stepped up with a live DJ set soundtracking the Inner City World Cup with dance remixes of Manchester classics.

2025

The results of the above meant that by the first half of the 30th anniversary, there was a genuine community of artists and supporters involved in the next alternative rock and pop music industry.

The Musos Awards was REBORN after 20 years at London’s Electric Ballroom to become the biggest indie rock party of the year. Celebrating British/Irish talent in the British/Irish NW1 postcode. Only musicians can vote, while young artists were also the creative production team behind the scenes.

The Musos launched with The Bands Come Out To Play competition to support headliner, Laurie Wright, at the award ceremony. New friendships made new futures in the soundcheck. (The Now, Harvey Jay Dodson and Rikki Lee joined winner, FNTSY, on stage at the ceremony hosted by Louise Schofield)

111 seconds of The Musos Awards 2025 on YouTube

The opening scenes of the above clips from 6th March include Alfie Clayton who was, at the time, the drummer of Laurie Wright’s band but is now the front man of A.R.T. - plus members of Sweet Unrest on the green carpet, out to support their musical peers.

A surreal show that included Rowetta (long time Soccer Six Womens Teams ambassador), Pete Doherty (and his dog, Gladys), Lock-In and Tom A Smith. A connection to what followed.

**Lock-In** at The Musos Awards 2025, photographed by **Rhona Murphy**

CUP Soccer Six is a road show.

On 10th May 2025, scorers, defenders, performers, awards winners, nominees and members of TheZineUK cast and crew flavoured SoccerSixFest at Mile End Stadium.

“clips n blips of a #musicpeopleparty outdoors” (TikTok)

"Soccer Six continues to bring wonderful energy to our community
- championing women’s football, supporting young talent,
and raising vital funds for important causes.”
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets

It was yet another gorgeous sunny day which was warm in every way. "The wild beast known as Soccer Six is back" said ASBO Magazine.

Ewan Hawkins and Leo Gerchen of **Emergency Break** at Soccer SixFest 2025, Mile End Stadium by **Melli Foris** of Play It Loud

In Autumn 2025, Soccer Six additionally revived The Camden Cup (which was also started by Abes with the involvement of Andy Ross and Damon Albarn). It was announced with Camden faces, Kate Fuller of the Electric Ballroom and Toby Mitchell of The Velvet Hands joining Abes with the trophies.

On October 12th, Camden music venues and musicians came together to raise charity money with a football tournament at Castlehaven Community Association. The Camden Cup after party was a gig over the road at The Hawley Arms, filled with familiar faces and was headlined by Laurie Wright (who paid homage to what Mark Abery is doing) .

Winner of the 2025 Inspiration Award, Laurie said that The Musos Awards had inspired him to come back to headline the Electric Ballroom (In December - Sold Out!)

2025's live music was a quality list of gateways, names who are part of what's being seeded now. Some you won’t have heard/heard of. 2026 has even more names to add to this by the end of the year.

2026

All the above paragraphs are the musical foundation of a new golden era, by the second half of this 30th anniversary game.

The year’s kick off was with The Musos Awards repping at Tim Burgess' Merch Market London, then presenting The Bands Come Out To Play competition's Round Of 32, Round Of 16 then the final six playing live. A.R.T. who were 7th, made the finalists when another band could’t make the show.

More bands woven into this tale. Oh, and the anecdotes… you best ask Abes. Door lady, Lisa Knight, became Musos door lady, too.

Industry mover shakers, Music Venue Trust, not only came on board for this year's Musos Awards events, but were on the judging panel with punky hero, Mark Davyd, rousing the Dublin Castle crowd. What’s not to LOVE about grassroots music venues as they’ve just proved with #EverywhereAtOnce music festival with The National Lottery.

Further stories fuse into this ecosystem (not an ego system!) from nominees and winners by the time of Musos Awards 2026 on Thursday 12th February.

The Players' Player is a people's equaliser, independent artists get an affordable entry invitation, are photographed on the Musos Green Carpet and their cheers and applause help to make the show. There were so many new bands and familiar faces out to support the talent and event.

100 Seconds of The Musos Awards 2026 on YouTube

Yesss opening scene! The Musos Line Up on a Build Hollywood Billboard opposite the Hawley Arms!!! Much appreciation to the higher profile names who support up and comers.

"I went to The Musos Awards last night at the Electric Ballroom in London. A nice combination of awards to different people within a certain side of the music industry, complimenting them on their work and their achievements. It was really exciting. They also brought together a whole lot of different bands performing live on stage which was brilliant as well. Some familiar, some unfamiliar and there were some great, great sets.

(John Kennedy, X-posure Show, Radio X)

12th February 2026 at the Electric Ballroom, **John Kennedy** presented Musos Awards to **Spangled** and **Tim Burgess. There were JK fans down the front chanting “John! John! John!”**

It’s a Movement Movie In Real Time

Back in the day is so back in the day, another world of screaming fans and paparazzi but fresh in the day is what’s happening now.

This was the banner hanging in the reception of Mile End Stadium where the people entered and exited the parallel dimension

Creating Another Golden Era. Together

With photographers, bloggers and vloggers capturing posterity, alternative influencers like The Best New Indie, The Songbird HQ, This Is The Music, Travellers Tunes and industry podcast, The Money Trench, showing support for Soccer Six - plus the audiences for independent artists (often luckily catching them at close range) being part of this - the bigger picture is coming into focus boosted by word of mouth.

In June 2026, Lovefootball returned to West Ham FC for the launch of Inner City World Cup (CUP is home to the real united nations - "We speak one language, football". There are many strings to this bow but this year they’re knotting. ICWC Women's team winners, Ecuador, were an inspired nod to the World Cup at Soccer SixFest the following month.

July 2026 - Britpop Tournament 30th Anniversary

This year marks another cultural landmark. Iconic images of Mile End Stadium’s musician teams in Soccer Six kit like an orchestra of rock n roll ringleaders.

There was a variety show of participants alongside all generations making the rock n roll world go round. In sweltering heat, the day was simultaneously hot and cool as fck with the custom £6 early bird ticket paying homage to the 1990s.

Football AND Athletics AND a Live Music Show? The energy of passionate musicians is not to be taken lightly! "A modern day triathlon" said my friend Sam at On The Meadow Festival the following weekend. He's sussed it.

Talking interdependence, in 2025, Leo Gerchen, lead singer of Emergency Break (pictured above) and earbed legendary status for running the entire Mile End Stadium track during a song, returning to the stage to sing it. (yeah, of course there’s footage on YouTube)

This year, Leo’s just presented his third, packed out On The Meadow indie music festival, while also busy working as a booker at one of the music industry’s major agencies.

The musicians remain pro-active.

After The Musos Awards, there was a Rock n Roll Rumble at Bush Hall between A.R.T. and Sweet Unrest. It sold out in advance and both bands keep raising each other up (they played football, did athletics AND performed live). Stay tuned, what’s next?

Lead singers Alfie Clayton of A.R.T. and Jack River of Sweet Unrest

Soccer SixFest 2026 - Mile End Stadium, East London

Represented by bands and individuals on the pitch and stage, were many more cool's gold names; including ASBO Magazine, The Assist, Broken Colours, Bugeye, Buzzcocks, The Clause, The Darkness, End Of The Trail, Gary Walker (photos), Hollows, Jonny Wah Wah, Kick Down The Doors, Lisa Nash, Lock-In, Louise Schofield, Maya, Music Venue Trust, The Ovines, P G Ciarletta, The Outers, Rebellion Festival, RGM Magazine, Rhona Murphy (photos), Ruby Blue, Screens, Snowdrop, Spizz Energy, Southern Heights, Stereo Cupid, Talk In Code, This Feeling, Tracy Holloway, Tracy Kiss...

Some of them are are no strangers to this documentary. An extra shout out for anybody who gives our "new whimsical express" the time of day...

Like the Musos Green Carpet, SixFest is a social mixer.

This is a circle of life shot. Presenter, **Louise Schofield** with Designer/Journalist, **Ruby Blue**. Time travelled from the start of 2020 when we piloted music TV “FuturePicks” but then lockdown came. Lou has gone on to how many seasons of her Spill The Sound TV show among very much more, internationally. rebel stylist, Ruby writes such articulate anti-industry fashion pieces.

Spotted on the day were various Vampyres of Soho, Sonja The Blur Fairy AND Fairy Liza on the crew plus at one point, the 'Inglourious Bastards' movie actor, Christoph Waltz, playing sax with A.R.T. (they of the big hands and flamingo adorned van stage!)

Against the iconic Canary Wharf backdrop, there was a summer soul dance party happening courtesy of SGA All Stars, adding an “on holiday” postcard from Tower Hamlets feel.

There were also cocktails and ice creams as well as the usually festy food and bars. There’s always more photos and clips… Much appreciation to Abes and the gang for the shade marquees between the bars/food vans and stage.

“Come with me to Soccer Six. I had a class time playing at Soccer Six with This Feeling winning the plate” TikTok by PG Ciarletta

Imagine the sizzling hot sun, running about all afternoon. Add a live music performance into the equator heated equation and you get an inkling of how much energy and stamina there is in the up and coming names. Do not take the determination of the now and next bands for granted. Despite the heat, all of today’s performers made their mark.

Artpop duo, The Outers for instance. In 2025, they were in the Soccer Six Fest audience having a supportive day out. This year, they made some new friends with their set. (TikTok excerpt) "They could really go places" said the man in the enviable pirate shirt. Agreed.

Macclesfield players, Snowdrop, actually got too far in the football to make their stage slot. It's the way of the unpredictable tournament. They had a great time while being this good, that’s the main thing. We've checked them on line and hopefully they can return next year.

We'd not caught Essex contenders, Southern Heights, live on stage, previously. Tight and confident. They will make their mainstream music festival debut on Truck Festival's main stage.

Musos Awards ceremony stars, A.R.T. and Sweet Unrest brought the full force of bluesy punky power to the heat and, like (the invited back rockers) Tres Kings (fresh from a Libertines support the previous day), had recently graced the Isle Of Wight Festival.

To be fair, there's a top quality all dayer of new live music worth the £20 SoccerSixFest ticket in it's own right and the fans and friends dancing in the heat (ow! how?!) knew they were part of something special.

The 30 Years celebration was tinted with references to Britpop's golden age onwards, while adding the future into the mix with it’s soundtrack.

Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. Here's to post lockdown songs and - from the last decade, especially - bands who may still be heard/heard of by 2056 - and I don’t mean by nearly 9pm

https://linktr.ee/soccersix

And Why Not?

Ask ticket buyers if there are any bands with songs released even in the last ten years that stand alongside timeless classics in a cultural wealth so deep that it’s the 50th anniversary of punk this year.

Sure, heritage and stadium names are still dominating mainstream music media, but it's collective backstory treasure troves, like this, for arts and music journalism to get it's investigative teeth into. The Interdependent sector believe is many names who belong on bigger stages. Most of them don’t have the priviledge to get there, so it all counts.

New music reporters could do worse than look at the Music Industry Soccer Six players, nominees and winners as a gateway starting point to so much more. Ask the photographers, blogs and podcasts who are already listening, documenting and sharing the next gen rocking music industry. Musos Awards stars, Pedestrian, for instance, are an insider tip from photographer Gary Walker as well as starting the year on This Feeling’s Big In 2026 sell-out tour and vinyl.

Next: The Punk Musos Awards - as advertised on football kits! - will happen on Thursday 3rd December.

This roadshow of Players is loaded with dear souls, warm hearts and good sports. In the 50th anniversary of punk, CUP Soccer Six is a DIY endeavour with a fierce heart. It’s punkazfuq behind the scenes.

Inspirational

"Trust me, Oasis, Blur, Dodgy and all them back in the day - part of the reason they've cracked on so much is 'cause the media latched onto it. Who's to say you younger bands are not gonna get the same if we carry on together at really pushing this. That's what carries us on."
Mark 'Abes' Abery (speaking to the teams and thanking his crew before tournament kick off). He helps to make things happen.

Congratulations to ALL the players, (just going faster than a walk in that heat is heroic!) and extra kudos to the winners and runners up. Awards at Music Industry Soccer Six last a lifetime and are sincerely deservied. Let’s aim to help the now and next Players, do the same. Count our little documentary IN.

The flipside of bands who get an audience discovering a favourite new band with each set they play, means that every live outing is the equivalent of an exclusive private gig for a minimum of expense and the possibility of their followers accidentally joining the music industry. It’s common in this doc. Hence TheZineUK living a Music Tourist Board trail of recommendations.

2027

Suggest potential Musos Noninees for 3rd December Punk Musos and next year’s Indie Rock Musos party. Who is fielding a team for Soccer Six next year? Grab a space and hold tight for the Next Golden Era is about to land. Be on that space ship! TheZineUK will be there, again, in support of the artists punky funky garden party

.Be seeing you.