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Llangollen Pavilion goes to Hollywood for Holly Johnson show

Holly Johnson will headline Live at Llangollen Pavilion on Sunday 27 June 2027, with Haircut 100 and Toyah as special guests.

Tickets are on sale now via llangollen.net and Ticketmaster, after a 10am general sale on Friday 2 October. Listings put the show start at 4pm at Llangollen Pavilion.

Johnson made his name as lead vocalist and lyricist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, one of the biggest selling bands of the 1980s. The group opened with three consecutive UK number one singles: Relax, Two Tribes and The Power of Love.

He has been solo since 1987, with the album Blast and singles including Love Train, Americanos and Atomic City. He has remained an outspoken voice for LGBTQ+ visibility and human rights. This summer he played sold out shows across the country.

Haircut 100 join him after releasing Boxing the Compass earlier this year. The record followed The Unloving Plum, a BBC Radio 2 Record of the Week, and brought the classic line-up back together for the first time in 44 years: Nick Heyward (vocals and guitar), Graham Jones (guitar), Les Nemes (bass) and Blair Cunningham (drums). Their 1980s hits include Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl), Love Plus One, Fantastic Day and Nobody’s Fool.

Toyah completes the bill. Across a five decade career she has had 13 Top 40 singles and 25 albums, including It’s a Mystery, I Want to Be Free and Good Morning Universe, plus the platinum albums Anthem and The Changeling. She is also due to release a new studio album, Future Dreaming.

Artistic director of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Dave Danford, said: “Holly Johnson, Haircut 100 and Toyah are three unmistakable names in British music and bringing them together in Llangollen promises a night packed with character, colour and some truly iconic songs.

“Each of them has carved out a very distinctive place in popular music, and all three continue to command enormous affection from audiences. I think this will be one of those evenings with a real sense of occasion, great energy in the Pavilion and plenty of moments people will want to sing along to.”

The Sunday date is part of a wider 2027 programme at the Pavilion. Further names are still to be confirmed. The dates announced so far are:

Friday 25 June: James Morrison and Jack Savoretti
Saturday 26 June: Alfie Boe with Gravity
Sunday 27 June: Holly Johnson with Haircut 100 and Toyah
Thursday 1 July: Ronan Keating with Blue and the Germein Sisters

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod:

Thursday 8 July: Llangollen 80, Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra
Saturday 10 July: Llangollen 80 Anniversary Gala Concert

The Pavilion concerts follow the 2026 Live at Llangollen Pavilion series, which included Alex James’ Britpop Classical, Tom Grennan, Billy Ocean, Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics and David Gray.

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has run since 1947. Each year more than 4,000 performers travel to the town for a mix of competition and performance built around international peace and friendship. Since 2025 the Eisteddfod team has also run Llangollen Pavilion all year round. Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras and Dame Shirley Bassey are among the names who have played its stage.

More information is on llangollen.net and Ticketmaster. Holly Johnson, Haircut 100 and Toyah are online at hollyjohnson.com, haircut100.com and toyahwillcox.com.

5th October 2026 0 comments

Features

Why nostalgia is taking over entertainment and gaming

written by Taylor Bradshaw

If you look around, you might have noticed that the past is having a noticeable influence on modern culture. From fashion and music through to television shows, retro aesthetics, familiar characters from childhood and reworked classics are finding enthusiastic audiences. And gaming is no exception – you’ll see nostalgic touches ranging from pixel-inspired visuals to traditional slots games. Nostalgia provides familiarity in a rapidly changing digital landscape, but its about much more than just recreating the past. Here’s why the nostalgic pull of retro influences is so powerful and how it might shape entertainment in years to come.

Why nostalgia holds emotional appeal for players today

If you’ve ever played a game that offers familiar imagery, music and gameplay, you know how it can instantly take you back to an earlier period in your life. A visual style that evokes the 1980s might bring back memories of childhood gaming. A recognisable clubbing soundtrack can remind you of all that partying with friends. That familiarity make entertainment feel approachable since players are encountering elements they recognise and love. Nostalgia can also be collective – a game associated with particular decades or cultural moments is a common reference point, encouraging connection over memories and experiences.

Traditional slots get a modern update

You can see the retro influence in much of modern gaming design (bright symbols, simple interfaces, sounds inspired by the classic casino atmosphere). However, developers aren’t just reproducing older games. Instead, they’re combining recognisable elements with contemporary graphics, mobile optimisation and the convenience of modern functionality. You can see this approach when you play slot games online, where familiar arcade-inspired aesthetics sit alongside new digital features. Players get the thrill of recognising the visual language of traditional games while experiencing it through modern devices.

When retro entertainment brings people together

Nostalgia becomes even more powerful when people can share it. Features such as retro-themed events, online discussions and gaming communities give players a chance to compare memories and rediscover interests together. And younger audiences can join in too – they don’t need to have experienced an original era to enjoy its aesthetics or games. Communities bring generations together and enable both long-standing fans and newcomers to participate without the need for specialist knowledge.

How nostalgia could shape gaming’s future

Tech will continue advancing but that doesn’t mean nostalgia will disappear. Developers will experiment with new platforms and features while turning to familiar themes to provide a sense of continuity. The challenge will be balancing recognition with originality – rather than recreating what came before, expect future games to use familiar ideas as starting points to create games that combine the comfort of the past with experiences that feel new and exciting.

5th October 2026 0 comments

Line-up

Neighbourhood Festival adds final names for Manchester takeover

written by Sam Warrenger

Neighbourhood Festival has announced its final names for this year’s Manchester takeover, with final tickets now on sale for Saturday 17th October.

Keo and Red Rum Club lead the bill, joined by Florence Road and Manchester’s The Guest List. The latest additions are Alex Spencer, Basht, Beaux, Brogeal, Cherryholt, The Covasettes, Father of Peace, Girl in the Year Above, The Kairos, M60, The North and Tooth.

Also confirmed are Rosadocs, Charlotte MacInnes, Chris Hawkins (6 Music), Et Al., Half Star, Little Dog Star, Mel Raeburn, Morningstar, Sell Everything, Sinead Ashiokai and The Mercians. Organisers say many more acts will also play.

The one day festival takes over Manchester city centre on Saturday 17th October, running across venues on the Oxford Road corridor. Doors open at 12 noon. Final tickets are on sale now.

NBHD MANCHESTER 2026 FINAL WAVE 4x5 1 — Click to zoom

Neighbourhood Festival is sponsored by AO Arena, Co-op Live, Eventim and Ticketmaster Local. The partners are working with the festival to support grassroots venues and emerging talent.

Since it launched in 2016, the festival has been billed as a launchpad for the next wave of UK artists. Its ones to watch alumni include BRIT Award winners Sam Fender, Mabel and Holly Humberstone, alongside Yungblud, Declan McKenna, Mahalia and The Lathums.

Keo headline this year’s edition after a sold out show at Manchester’s O2 Ritz. BBC Sound of 2026 nominees Florence Road also return to the city, while the day spreads across 11 venues, including YES, The Deaf Institute, Manchester Academy, O2 Ritz, Gorilla and Ambers.

The June wave had already locked in more than 30 further names, including Abbie Piper, AKA, Amiify, August, Bank Holiday, BBY, Bella Barbe, Big Truck, Blossom Caldarone, Brodie Milner, Brooki, Charlie Noordewier, Compost Compost Compost, Dan Parks, Dirty Blond, Dreamhouse, Esmeralda Road, Ewan McKenna, Fatale, Florentenes, Garage Flower, Gossip Queen, Heidi Curtis, Jamie McIntyre, Jasper Hodges, John Denton, Jos Rivers, Kate Couriel, Loveshy, Mên An Tol, Mouth Ulcers, My First Time, Pack of Animals, Panicbaby, Paulie Swan, Pevova, Pixie McCann, Rageflower, Saint Clair, Tadgh Nolan, Talia Rae, The Paris Match and Zoë’s Brother.

Neighbourhood Festival returns to Manchester this October. Stay tuned for any further line-up additions.

Image credits: Anthony Mooney
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Disclosures: TheFestivals is funded through advertising and sometimes earns a commission on purchases made through links on this website, including in this article: None

2nd October 2026 0 comments

Glastonbury Pyramid Stage flags and flagpoles

Tickets

One registration gets one place in the Glastonbury ticket queue

written by Sam Warrenger

Coach and ticket packages for Glastonbury 2027 sold out in under 30 minutes on Thursday night. The Standard reported that See Tickets had them marked sold out by 6.31pm. General admission is still due at 9am on Sunday 4 October, and only from glastonbury.seetickets.com.

The sale used a new queue. Fans had to enter a registration number before they could join, rather than only when they reached the booking page. Time Out reported a captcha, then the registration number, then a queue ID linked to that registration. The Independent, NME and the Standard all reported the same change.

Extra devices on the same registration number did not help. Another phone, browser, incognito window, VPN or mobile connection produced the same queue ID and the same place in line. It did not create a second chance.

In some cases it broke the booking. NME reported a buyer who joined at about 5.45pm, then had a syndicate of six enter the same registration number. “I got to the front of the queue at 18:14, but instead of the booking page, I got an error page,” they wrote. Everyone else on that number got the same error.

Glastonbury has not confirmed the change. The published 2027 ticket sale FAQ still says you enter the registration number and postcode only when you reach the front. It already told buyers to stick to one tab or device per IP address, and warned that extra devices, tabs or refreshes can look like a bot. Sharing registration details, cookies or QueueIDs can get your details blocked. The Independent said it had asked the festival for comment.

A group can still try with different registration numbers. Each person queues on their own device, with their own number. Whoever gets through can still book up to six tickets, using each person’s registration number and postcode. Those names cannot be changed once you move on. It is not clear whether a registration that already bought a coach package can queue again on Sunday.

Sunday’s tickets are for Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 June 2027 at Worthy Farm, the first Glastonbury since the 2026 fallow year. Be in the waiting room by 8.50am. Anyone who joins after 9am goes to the back. Registration closed at 5pm on Friday 25 September and will not reopen until after these October sales, so anyone not already registered cannot buy. There will be another registration window before the spring resale. Children aged 12 and under do not need a ticket. Everyone aged 13 or over needs their own registration.

General admission is £408, including a £5 booking fee, plus £11.25 postage and packing per order. That is £29.50 more than the £378.50 charged for 2025. You pay a £100 deposit now and the balance in the first week of April 2027. Coach bookings also had a £3 e-ticket fee per order. You get 10 minutes on the details page, and tickets are only allocated once payment goes through. Do not refresh, leave the tab, or use a VPN, proxy, ad blocker or privacy plugin. On Thursday the queue showed bars turning green, not a number, and a lot of people reported sitting on two bars until the tickets were gone.

Photo registration is not new. Coach packages also went first in the 2023 ticket sale, at 6pm on the Thursday, with general admission at 9am on Sunday. The 2024 ticket guide set out the same limit of six tickets, each matched to a registration number and postcode, as part of the photo check against touts. Emily Eavis has already ruled out Oasis and Madonna for the 2027 line-up. The 2025 Pyramid headliners were The 1975, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, and Olivia Rodrigo.

2nd October 2026 0 comments

Music News

Noel Gallagher’s MTV Unplugged guitar sells for £226,800

written by Sam Warrenger

Noel Gallagher’s owned and autographed Takamine acoustic guitar, played during Oasis’s 1996 MTV Unplugged performance, has sold for £226,800 ($299,376) and set a world record for the highest price achieved at auction for an Oasis acoustic guitar.

Propstore announced the result from the first day of its Music Live Auction, held in London yesterday, Thursday 1 October 2026. Across Day 1, rare instruments, handwritten lyrics, stage-used pieces and personal memorabilia achieved a combined £2.5 million ($3.2 million), including buyer’s premium. Day 2 continues today, Friday 2 October.

The day’s highest-selling lot was a notebook containing Freddie Mercury’s handwritten working lyrics and notes from the recording sessions for his debut solo album, Mr. Bad Guy. It sold for £277,200 ($365,904).

The notebook formed part of The Reinhold Mack Collection, an archive of handwritten lyrics, recording memorabilia and personal gifts documenting the producer’s close friendship and creative partnership with Mercury. The collection’s running total stands at £742,738 ($980,415) including buyer’s premium, with 43 lots sold on Day 1. A further 41 lots from the collection go under the hammer today.

Another standout was Michael Jackson’s photo-matched black-and-gold military-style jacket, worn at multiple public appearances during the Dangerous and HIStory eras. It matched the Oasis guitar at £226,800 ($299,376). Offered as part of The Omer Bhatti Collection, the jacket came directly from the Norwegian rapper and dancer, to whom Jackson gifted it.

The sale is the same Propstore Music Live Auction previewed last month, when more than 800 lots carried a combined estimate of around £3 million. Guitar highlights then included Noel Gallagher’s stage-played Nash Telemaster from his High Flying Birds’ 2016 summer tour, estimated at £40,000 to £80,000. Day 1’s record result instead came from the Takamine FP460SC tied to the 1996 MTV Unplugged set.

Mark Hochman, Propstore’s Music Specialist, said setting a world record with Noel Gallagher’s MTV Unplugged guitar was “a fantastic result for Propstore and a testament to the lasting connection fans have with Oasis.” He called Mercury’s notebook “an extraordinary glimpse into his songwriting,” and said the results showed how much collectors value pieces with a personal connection to the artists and their music.

Other notable Day 1 sales, all including buyer’s premium, were:

John Lennon’s tinted prescription “Lost Weekend” glasses, £126,000 ($166,320)
Musicland Studios’ Yamaha C3 grand piano, played by Freddie Mercury, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Deep Purple and many other recording artists, £81,900 ($108,108), from The Reinhold Mack Collection
Freddie Mercury’s screen-and-photo-matched stage-worn black wrap-around embellished top and flared trousers from the Sheer Heart Attack Tour, £75,600 ($99,792)
Michael Jackson’s photo-matched Sailors varsity jacket, from The Omer Bhatti Collection, £56,700 ($74,844)
Roland Orzabal’s photo-matched Fender Walnut USA Stratocaster, used to compose “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and perform live in 1985, £53,550 ($70,686)
A framed Pan Am menu from The Beatles’ first flight to the USA in 1964, autographed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, £50,400 ($66,528)
A custom Fender Stratocaster with The Dark Side of the Moon artwork, autographed by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason, £34,650 ($45,738)

Music fans can flip the cassette for Day 2, with more memorabilia from Michael Jackson, Oasis, Queen and many more going under the hammer in Propstore’s online-only sale. It starts today at 3:00 PM BST (7:00 AM PST). Registration is open at propstoreauction.com.

2nd October 2026 0 comments

Gigs

Jack Kays And His Band announce six date UK headline run for April 2027

written by Sam Warrenger

Jack Kays And His Band have announced a return to the UK for six headline dates in April 2027, part of a major world tour. The run visits Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and Bristol before closing at London’s Scala. Tickets are on sale now via jackkays.com/tour, with Manchester and London also available through a separate ticket link.

The dates land as Kays releases his sophomore LP, CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT, which is out now. The record features the singles “To Be American”, “Mirror” and “I’ve Got A Gun”. Recent releases have come through Jack’s Jams, distributed by Stem, following earlier work through Columbia Records.

The UK shows sit late in the routing. Jack Kays And His Band tour Australia, New Zealand and North America before hitting Europe this spring. An Australian headline leg in January 2027 takes in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with a New Zealand date in Auckland, before the band reach the UK in April.

Cincinnati native Jack Kays is known for raw, emotive vocals and introspective songwriting. He started on drums at three and has since become a multi-instrumentalist whose music mixes punk, folk, alternative and hip hop.

Since he began releasing music in 2020, Jack Kays And His Band have built an international live following, playing to sold out crowds across North America, Europe and Australia. Festival appearances include Warped Tour, BottleRock and Riot Fest. He most recently supported Pierce The Veil on their Australian arena tour, the I Can’t Hear You World Tour, alongside Movements.

UK fans have seen him before, including a May 2025 visit that took in The Garage in Glasgow and The Underworld in London. The 2027 run is billed as a headline return rather than a support slot.

This year he will also host the third annual Jack’s Jams, his hometown Cincinnati show, with support from Worry Club, Kenny Hoopla and Pretty Bitter.

UK headline tour, April 2027

Thursday 1 April 2027: SWG3 Studio Warehouse, Glasgow
Friday 2 April 2027: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Saturday 3 April 2027: Gorilla, Manchester
Monday 5 April 2027: Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Tuesday 6 April 2027: Thekla, Bristol
Thursday 8 April 2027: Scala, London

2nd October 2026 0 comments

Line-up

In Cider Festival returns to Weston-super-Mare for a seventh winter weekend

written by Sam Warrenger

In Cider Festival will return to Sand Bay holiday park near Weston-super-Mare on 5 to 7 February 2027, with UK indie rock legends The Wildhearts headlining Saturday night. Weekend and day tickets are already on sale and selling well, and organisers want as many local people as possible in for the weekend.

Fuelled By Cider has called the booking a real coup for the festival and the locality. The Wildhearts will be joined by Bar Stool Preachers, Carsick, Nick Parker & The False Alarms, Skimmity Hitchers, Gaz Brookfield and plenty more still to land on the live music line-up.

Now back for its seventh outing, the three day indoor event is built to bring summer festival vibes back early, with accommodation, catering and leisure facilities included in the ticket price. Full weekend tickets start from £229 at inciderfestival.com, though only twin and triple berth rooms are still available.

In Cider Festival 2027 Daily Line Ups SMALL — Click to zoom

Day tickets start from £47 and include an evening meal. Local fans can also buy a three day weekend ticket without accommodation for £128, with an evening meal included each day.

Away from the bands, the weekend takes in karaoke, bingo, fancy dress and other seaside entertainment, or you can use the games room and indoor swimming pool. Morning walks along the beach are already a regular part of the In Cider weekend.

Sand Bay holiday park sits on the Sand Bay shoreline, about a five minute drive along the coast from Weston-super-Mare.

Kev Davis of Fuelled By Cider said: “Summer doesn’t have to end when you have In Cider Festival on your calendar! 3 days of pure fun and brilliant live music, completely weatherproof with all your home comforts. Grab a day or weekend ticket and come join the goodness!”

The same site hosted the sixth edition in 2026, when She Drew The Gun headlined and Skimmity Hitchers were also on the bill. Tickets and event details are on the festival website, with updates on Facebook and Instagram at @fuelledbycider.

2nd October 2026 0 comments

steph press photo by Sebastian Fjord Grenz

New Releases

steph returns with haunting Halloween single October 31st

written by Sam Warrenger

Danish singer-songwriter steph has released her debut single October 31st, out today, Friday 2 October. The track reintroduces Stephanie Meincke under the name everyone already uses, pairing soulful indie-pop with a brutally honest tale of a bittersweet Halloween tradition.

The song is built around dusty piano chords that are gradually overtaken by distorted guitars, while steph’s velvety, soaring vocals reach into the night. It is reflective, melancholic and quietly playful, and it marks a debut in more than one sense: a new introduction to a distinctive singer and songwriter, now simply as steph.

The story is specific. Every year on 31 October, the protagonist lets herself fall back into the arms of her toxic ex. The streets are filled with gravestones, skeletons and ghosts, so why not spend one more night with the person who was otherwise dead to you? Along the way she realises the ritual of relapse is completely hopeless. She is also an example of how, “in the name of love”, people can convince themselves of things that are anything but healthy.

“I’m very inspired by how, as humans, we keep throwing ourselves headfirst into relationships and into life, even when the chances of getting hurt are so incredibly high,” steph explains.

“‘October 31st’ is about a person who has her very own self-destructive Halloween tradition: every year on October 31, she lets herself fall back into the arms of her toxic ex. The streets are filled with gravestones, skeletons and ghosts, so why not spend just one more night with the person who was otherwise dead to you? Along the way, the protagonist realizes, of course, that this ritual of relapse is completely hopeless. But she is also an example of how we can all, ‘in the name of love’, convince ourselves of things that are anything but healthy for us.”

steph has already made her mark. Last year’s Never Not Thinking EP, released worldwide through independent label Unmuted on 14 March 2025, featured the internationally acclaimed lead single Full-Time Driver. Realising she had never introduced herself by her full name (“Everyone just calls me steph anyway”), she is back to introduce herself once again.

Her music grows out of an innate love of folk-pop, soul and singer-songwriter traditions. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, and her forthcoming music has been produced in close collaboration with Nikolaj Lippert. Never Not Thinking, by contrast, was produced and mixed by Linus Valdemar.

October 31st is available to stream and download now.

Image credits: Sebastian Fjord Grenz
In this article:
Disclosures: TheFestivals is funded through advertising and sometimes earns a commission on purchases made through links on this website, including in this article: None

2nd October 2026 0 comments

New Releases

Palaye Royale announce Amsterdamage and 2027 tour

written by Sam Warrenger

Palaye Royale have announced their sixth studio album, Amsterdamage, and a major international tour that is expected to sell more than 80,000 tickets. The album is released on 22 January via Sumerian Records, with pre-orders available now, and the first track, Lost In Translation, is out now.

The limited-edition release will include a bonus track, The Unholy One. A major international run will see brothers Remington Leith, Sebastian Danzig and Emerson Barrett play arenas around the world, including a headline show at OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday 3 April 2027.

Fans who pre-order Amsterdamage from the Sumerian store before Tuesday can get early ticket access. Anyone ordering between 1pm on Friday and 5pm on Monday (UK time) will be able to access the tour ticket presale from Tuesday. General sale begins at 10am local time on Friday 9 October. Tour tickets go live from 1pm on Friday, with album pre-orders and Lost I n Translation already available.

The Amsterdamage Tour hits the UK and Europe in March and April, with dates in Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin before Wembley. A US tour then begins in Dallas at The Bomb Factory on 18 April and ends with a run of shows on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, taking in The Roxy, The Viper Room and The Fonda Theatre.

Palaye Royale Amsterdamage World Tour poster — Click to zoom

Formed in 2008, the Las Vegas band has passed a billion streams. This year also marks the latest stage after signing with UK-based Expectation Management.

In 2024 the brothers lost their mother, Stephanie Rachel, to cancer. Emerson said: “I think if we didn’t have this album, we would have all kind of gone separate ways. After losing our mother, this is our phoenix rising from the ashes. Each one of us took our own paths in dealing with death, and rejoined not only as individuals, but with our partners, and as brothers. This creative bond was the thing that kept us together.”

Written throughout 2025 between relentless touring, Amsterdamage took shape everywhere from the San Diego coastline to the Netherlands before being completed in Chris Greatti’s Los Angeles studio.

Remington said of Lost In Translation: “We felt pretty nostalgic writing this one. It took us back to the music we grew up on which was a lot of mid 2000s Brit rock bands. We wanted something upbeat and one that would go crazy live but the lyrics represent wanting to make something work so bad, whether it be a dream or a relationship and it seems like something is in the way of it working out and trying to push through at any cost.”

Palaye Royale 2027 tour dates

09 March – Warsaw, Poland – COS Torwar
11 March – Prague, Czechia – Forum Karlin
12 March – Munich, Germany – Tonhalle
13 March – Munich, Germany – Kesselhaus
15 March – Milan, Italy – Fabrique
16 March – Zurich, Switzerland – Volkshaus
17 March – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer
18 March – Berlin, Germany – Huxleys
21 March – Copenhagen, Denmark – VEGA
23 March – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene
24 March – Stockholm, Sweden – Borsen Live
26 March – Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Den Atelier
28 March – Brussels, Belgium – AB
30 March – Manchester, UK – Apollo
31 March – Glasgow, UK – Academy
01 April – Dublin, IE – 3Olympia
03 April – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley
05 April – Madrid, Spain – La Riviera
06 April – Lisbon, Portugal – LAV
08 April – Paris, France – Olympia
09 April – Tilburg, Netherlands – 013 Poppodium
10 April – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
18 April – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
20 April – Orlando, FL – The Beacham
21 April – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern
24 April – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
26 April – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
28 April – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
01 May – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
05 May – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
06 May – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
10 May – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
12 May – San Francisco, CA – The Castro
13 May – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey
14 May – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
15 May – Los Angeles, CA – The Viper Room
16 May – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre

2nd October 2026 0 comments

Gigs

The Womack Sisters add Manchester Academy 2 date after London sell-outs

written by Sam Warrenger

The Womack Sisters have added a headline show at Manchester Academy 2 on Wednesday 17 February 2027, after both London dates sold out instantly. Tickets for Manchester went on sale at 10am on Friday 2 October.

The new date is part of a major European tour. The sisters are currently on The Constellation Tour across the United States and Canada, then return to the UK in February before continuing through the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Germany. Later in the run they open for Harry Styles at Chicago’s Soldier Field on 28 May, 29 May, 31 May, 4 June and 5 June.

Thursday 18 February and Friday 19 February at London’s Islington Assembly Hall are both sold out. Manchester Academy 2 is the extra UK headline date. Tickets are available here.

After the UK shows, the tour reaches Utrecht’s TivoliVredenburg on 21 February and Amsterdam’s Tolhuistuin on 22 February. French dates follow at Le Trabendo in Paris on 24 February and Le 106 in Rouen on 26 February. They play Depot in Leuven on 27 February as part of COOL Festival, then Stadtgarten Köln on 28 February, Hamburg’s Mojo Club on 2 March and Berlin’s Lido on 3 March. They are also booked for Big Ears Festival in Knoxville from 1 to 4 April.

The dates follow their debut album, The Womack Sisters, out now on Daptone Records. If I Let You, Chauffeur and You Went Away Too Long are among the tracks. If I Let You found a viral audience, bringing more than 200,000 new Instagram followers, with co-signs from SZA, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Erykah Badu, Timbaland, Jon Batiste, Pharrell, Ghostface Killah, Tamar Braxton, Terrace Martin, Questlove and Jermaine Dupri. The trio were also named on the Cross The Tracks 2026 line-up.

The record sticks to the soul music they grew up with, rather than reshaping it for industry trends. Kucha, the youngest of the three and a mother of two, sings the Wayne Gordon ballad I Am Your Season. Zeimani takes Didn’t Mean Much to Me. BG leads on Monster and I Just Don’t Want You (To Say Goodbye), moving between pop runs and gospel growls in a way the release compares to their grandfather. The three voices lock together on Chauffeur, You Went Away Too Long and Laughter and Tears. The album closes on the line, “People come and go, but, darling this I know, it will always be my sisters and me.”

The Womack Sisters tracklisting

Chauffeur
If You Want Me
Monster
If I Let You
I Just Don’t Want You (To Say Goodbye)
Laughter and Tears
Didn’t Mean Much To Me
You Went Away Too Long
I Am Your Season
All Around
My Sisters and Me

The album is available here. Further tour tickets are here.

The Womack Sisters 2026 to 2027 tour dates

29 September: Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (sold out)
30 September: Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn (sold out)
1 October: Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn (sold out)
2 October: Apollo Music Café, New York (sold out)
2 December: Bimbo’s 365 Club, San Francisco (sold out)
3 December: Bimbo’s 365 Club, San Francisco (sold out)
5 December: The Peppermint Club, West Hollywood (sold out)
6 December: The Peppermint Club, West Hollywood (sold out)
8 December: Music Box, San Diego
10 December: El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
17 February: Manchester Academy 2 (tickets)
18 February: Islington Assembly Hall, London (sold out)
19 February: Islington Assembly Hall, London (sold out)
21 February: TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht
22 February: Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam
24 February: Le Trabendo, Paris
26 February: Le 106, Rouen
27 February: Depot, Leuven (COOL Festival)
28 February: Stadtgarten Köln, Cologne
2 March: Mojo Club, Hamburg
3 March: Lido, Berlin
1 to 4 April: Big Ears Festival, Knoxville
28 May: Soldier Field, Chicago (opening for Harry Styles)
29 May: Soldier Field, Chicago (opening for Harry Styles)
31 May: Soldier Field, Chicago (opening for Harry Styles)
4 June: Soldier Field, Chicago (opening for Harry Styles)
5 June: Soldier Field, Chicago (opening for Harry Styles)

Image credits: Rosie Cohe
In this article:
Disclosures: TheFestivals is funded through advertising and sometimes earns a commission on purchases made through links on this website, including in this article: None

2nd October 2026 0 comments

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