Tom Dunne: I'm delighted to see that Mandatory Metallica Weekend is back in my life

The excitement is already building in advance of Metallica's gigs in Ireland next year 

 James Hetfield of Metallica, the American band who've announced two dates in Dublin next year. Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images.

Metallica are coming. Two dates back-to-back in June 2026 with two completely different sets each night. A sound system that has set off seismic warnings and new meaning to 360-degree viewing. 2024 had Taylor, 2025 will be Oasis, 2026 will belong to Metallica.

Quite how big Metallica are was revealed to me back in 1997. Something Happens were on an East Coast US tour, during the good old days when it didn’t really matter who the president was, at least not by today’s standards. It was Bill Clinton, seeing as you asked.