The Boxer Rebellion’s first full-length studio album since 2018 arrives with 10 soul-awakening songs this spring. UK/EU-wide tour dates concludes with a celebratory, London homecoming at Brixton Electric on album release weekend
Things aren’t always alright and the courage to accept when life gets heavy falls once again to revered alt-rock four-piece, The Boxer Rebellion. Opening four, slowly chrysalis-breaching minutes of emotive songwriting on latest single “Hidden Meanings,” lyricist Nathan Nicholson’s line: “I no longer wish you dead” submits to realisation that perhaps life’s pain and suffering wasn’t caused by another. It might actually have been the result of self-sabotage instead.
“When it was good, did all I could
To wreck it allAll that was left, only regret
I can’t undoI see hidden meanings
Follow me around
Like I’ve been burning down
My own house”
“Hidden Meanings” follows colourful opening single “Flowers in the Water,” which marked a welcome return for a band who have not recorded a full length studio album in almost six years.
The band’s seventh album, The Second I’m Asleep, is released on Fri 27 March 2026 with 10 songs mapping the emotional landscapes of life – moments of clarity in chaos, letting go of old ghosts and the art of understanding ourselves in a rapidly-changing world. Recorded over an intense creative burst, the sessions were built on a clear challenge to emphasise instinct over analysis and create music with energy, spontaneity and truth. The all original line-up of Nicholson, Adam Harrison, Piers Hewitt and Andrew Smith have delivered a musical statement that is vital, unfiltered and human.
Investing in abundant time and energy to ensure the sonics of the album are as meaningful as its message, the band enlisted the talents of world-class engineers Rees Broomfield, Billy Bush and Kevin Grainger to deliver a record that sounds as magnificent via snatches of drivetime radio or soaking into listeners through audiophile speakers.
Their hugely successful reactivation was realised during an epic performance at the 2025 edition of Landgraaf in the Netherlands’ Pinkpop festival in front of 50,000 fans, following the sale of over 14,000 tickets across UK and EU headline shows in 2025, including a sold out London Koko. The band returns to the stage for selected dates in March 2026, including a celebratory finale, returning to London to play the 1,500-capacity Brixton Electric. All upcoming The Boxer Rebellion tour dates are as follows:
Sat 14 March: Glasgow, Saint Luke’s
Sun 15 March: Manchester, Band On The Wall
Mon 16 March: Bristol, Thekla
Wed 18 March: Rotterdam, Maassilo
Thu 19 March: Groningen, De Oosterpoort
Fri 20 March: Berlin, Metropol
Sat 21 March: Hamburg, Fabrik
Mon 23 March: Amsterdam, Paradiso
Tue 24 March: Alkmaar, Victorie
Wed 25 March: London, Brixton Electric
Forming in 2001 as American-born vocalist and guitarist, Nicholson met his British counterparts, The Boxer Rebellion broke through with standout singles, including Diamonds, often lifted by significant TV exposure. Building a pioneering reputation for self-releasing their music in an era of post-Napster adjustment for the global music business, they raised a flag for artist independence before such complete artist control became common practice. Extensive placements of their music in television and film, including prominent shows like Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill and Skins, have only helped to cement their status as filmic songwriters of significant depth.
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