About this event
Tokyo-formed, London-based trio return with their most expansive and experimental record to date, featuring new singles “Derek” and “Atlas” Barbican Estate announce their second album, Rock Drill, due for release on 6 November 2026 via God Unknown Records. The Tokyo-formed, London-based three-piece have spent the past few years carving out their own space within the UK underground,
combining the stark geometry of Brutalism with experimental rock, noise and intensely physical live performance.
Rock Drill sees Barbican Estate pushing that sound further. More experimental and expansive than their previous work, the album stretches the trio’s palette while retaining the raw, confrontational energy that has become central to their live shows. It is a record
built around tension and movement — abrasive and playful, dense and spacious, with the band continually pushing against the edges of what three musicians can do together.
The first glimpse of the album comes with “Derek”, released 18 September. A joyous call to arms, the track captures Barbican Estate at their most immediate: propulsive, unruly and full of momentum, turning their noise-driven approach into something unexpectedly
celebratory.
A second single, “Atlas”, follows on 16 October, offering another window into the wider sonic world of Rock Drill.
Since relocating from Tokyo to London in 2022, Barbican Estate have become a distinctive presence in the city’s underground scene. Their performances have taken them through events and festivals curated by Eat Your Own Ears, Baba Yaga’s Hut, Rough Trade East and The Great Escape, while their music and live work have also featured on NTS Radio and Resonance FM.
The band’s history stretches back to their debut album Way Down East, originally released in 2021. The record was subsequently reissued by US label Echodelick Records, with selected material also released through UK label Feral Child Recordings. In 2024, Barbican Estate independently released the Viscum EP, a collaborative project created alongside emerging British visual artists that further established their interest in bringing music, image and physical space into conversation. With Rock Drill, that restless approach expands again. The album finds Barbican Estate moving beyond the confines of their earlier work without losing the sense of danger and immediacy that defines them on stage — a record that feels as physical as it does exploratory.
