Category: Music

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And action! Aesthetica Film Festival is ready to roll for biggest event yet in 16th year

Aesthetica Film Festival director Cherie Federico

THE UK’s creative industries will meet in York from tomorrow  to Sunday for the 16th edition of the Aesthetica Film Festival.

From film and television to music, games, immersive technology and digital media, this BAFTA-Qualifying festival brings leading creative organisations, established practitioners and emerging talent together across the city.

For five days, York’s cinemas, theatres, museums, galleries and creative spaces will host more than 300 films alongside world premieres, live music, games, virtual reality, immersive installations, podcasts, masterclasses, workshops and industry events.

“The programme reflects the increasingly connected nature of the creative industries – and a festival that has made York its natural meeting point,” says festival founder and director Cherie Federico.

“Aesthetica has always been about creating a space where audiences can discover new ideas and where artists and industry can connect. With the city’s UNESCO status, York is fundamental to that. We bring together people working across film, television, music, games, technology and the wider creative industries, and give them a city in which to connect.”

At the heart of the festival is its international film programme, with more than 300 films spanning animation, comedy, dance, documentary, drama, fashion, music video, thriller and more. The 2026 programme features Aisling Bea, David Jonsson, Maxine Peake, Michael Sheen, Sally Phillips and Stephen Fry, alongside emerging filmmakers aplenty.

The industry programme brings significant British creative organisations to York, including Aardman, BBC, Film4, Framestore, ITV, Neal Street Productions, Ridley Scott Associates and Ubisoft.

Award-winning practitioners appearing across the programme include Mark Jenkin, Nina Hartstone & Louise Burton, Mick Audsley, Neil Forsyth and Derry Girls’ Brian J. Falconer.

Alongside sessions on directing, sound design, visual effects, animation and production, audiences can go behind the scenes of a Ridley Scott production and join several celebrations of 50 years of Aardman animation.

The UK Production Summit brings senior figures from film and television to York for panels, keynotes and networking, with commissioners and producers from organisations including Film4, Ridley Scott Associates, Sky and Warner Bros.

“For York’s creative community, this is an opportunity to engage directly with a national industry that is too often concentrated in London and the South East,” says Cherie.

“The ambition has always been bigger than a film festival. We want Aesthetica to be a place where the industry meets, ideas develop and collaborations can begin. Bringing those conversations to York matters. The creative industries are not something happening somewhere else; they are happening here.”

This sense of connection extends beyond film. A dedicated music programme brings emerging artists, record labels, A&R representatives and music professionals together, topped off by the New Music Stage returning to York Theatre Royal on Saturday.

Ten breakthrough artists, including acts from Dublin and Derry, will perform across indie, folk, jazz, hip-hop, alt-pop and pop, alongside panels, masterclasses and networking with BBC Introducing on Radio 1 (Jess Iszatt), Beggars Group (Rough Trade and Matador Records), GQ, Dazed, Universal Music and Futuresound Group.

The festival looks to the future of storytelling through its Games Lab and VR Lab. Now in its fourth edition, Games Lab returns to the National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, with 50 games across PC, console, headsets and smart devices, showcasing independent developers alongside established studios. The VR Lab explores immersive cinema and the possibilities of 360-degree storytelling.

“The future of storytelling is not one format,” says Cherie. “It is film, music, games, podcasts, immersive art, virtual reality and whatever comes next. Aesthetica gives all of those forms a place to meet.”

This approach is particularly at home in York, the UK’s only UNESCO City of Media Arts. This year the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO has moved from the Guildhall to the De Grey Rooms, bringing together 40 organisations and creative businesses working across film, games, immersive technology, digital storytelling and creative innovation on Thursday and Friday. Admission is free.

To complement the EXPO, in a new festival strand, York Business School at York St John University will present free workshops and talks by Argonon, Creative UK, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, Innovate UK, Scottish Games Network and Screen Yorkshire. The EXPO and workshops will open up conversations between creative businesses, students, audiences and industry professionals.

The festival will extend into York’s public spaces. Through its partnership with Audible, the free Radical Listening Immersive Media Arts Trail, running from Exhibition Square and the York Theatre Royal patio towards King’s Square, will feature new light, sound and interactive technology installations by Squidsoup, Steve Messam and Being Now.

Audio storytelling is represented by Aesthetica’s Podcast Lounge at City Screen Picturehouse, exploring true crime, investigative journalism, documentary and audio fiction.

The partnership with Audible continues with the Listening Pitch, culminating in the premiere of three new documentaries on Friday at City Screen, followed by a Q&A, DJ, drinks and networking.

Family Friendly screenings and workshops at York St John University Creative Centre will introduce children aged seven to 14 to filmmaking, acting, gaming and stop-motion animation, giving them practical experience of creative technology while developing digital literacy.

“I’m keen for people who may not have come to the festival previously to come this time,” says Cherie. “It’s bigger than just going to the films or masterclasses,” says Cherie. “Why not go to the free EXPO or Immersive Media Arts Trail, so that everyone can feel part of it?

“This festival is a chance for York to embrace with new media, which doesn’t happen anywhere else in the UK and is unique to this city.

“For five days, York becomes the UK hub for these industries. That’s exciting and something we should take pride in – and the festival brings £2mto the York economy.”

Aesthetica Film Festival 2026, York, November 4 to 8. Festival passes include access to film screenings, masterclasses and events, with selected activities requiring advance registration. Single-screening tickets and one-day, two-day and unlimited passes are available. York residents can save 25 per cent on a One Day Festival Pass. Tickets and full programme: asff.co.uk.

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Shed Seven to play Forestry England Delamere on June 18 2027 after selling out York LNER Community Stadium gig

Shed Seven: Heading outdoors again. Picture: Tom Oxley

SHED Seven will go down in the woods next year to headline Forest Live’s June 18 concert at Forestry England Delamere in Cheshire.

After selling out the biggest headline gig of their four-decade career at the 14,500-capacity York LNER Community Stadium on May 29 2027, the York band  will be crossing the Pennines to top the bill as part of a week of shows also featuring Ronan Keating with Blue, Madness with Scouting For Girls, Pete Tong Ibiza Classics and Rudimental. Supporting the Sheds will be The Lathums and The Lilacs.

The Sheds last played a Forest Live show in Thetford Forest alongside James in 2025.  Lead singer Rick Witter says: “We can’t wait to headline our first Forest Live show. They are always an amazing experience in beautiful surroundings with an electric atmosphere. We have played a few over the years, but always as bridesmaids, so it’s great that we can now feel like dizzy brides.”

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday from www.forestlive.com.

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Top Ten Things To Do at Aesthetica Film Festival 2026 from November 4 to 8

The poster for Aesthetica Film Festival 2026: five days of film and much more in York

FESTIVAL director Cherie Federico provides her guide to five days of film and much more besides in York.

Film screenings

EXPERIENCE more than 300 shorts, features, documentaries, animations and experimental films from across the globe. Many of these titles are Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying, giving audiences a first look at the filmmakers of the future.  Genres include Advertising, Artists’s Film, Comedy, Dance, Drama, Family Friendly, Thriller, Fashion and Thriller.

Attend the Makers’ Forum at York Theatre Royal from November 5 to 8 to hear from directors and producers, discover new cinematic voices and celebrate bold, thought-provoking storytelling that pushes boundaries and challenges perspectives.

VR and Games Labs

STEP into the future of storytelling. The VR (Virtual Reality) and Games Labs at the National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, invite audiences to explore cutting-edge works in virtual, augmented and mixed reality, plus innovative indie games. Engage with immersive environments, interactive narratives and demonstrations from the frontier of creative technology. Learn how artists are merging code, design and emotion to reinvent what it means to experience a story.

Enjoying the full virtual reality experience in Aesthetica’s VR Lab

Masterclasses and panels

AESTHETICA’S industry sessions feature icons and innovators from Ridley Scott Associates, Aardman, BBC, Film4 and Framestore. Gain insight into the craft and business of filmmaking, from production design and cinematography to pitching, funding and post-production. Ideal for anyone serious about their creative career.

Workshops and roundtables

BE hands-on with practical sessions designed for filmmakers, producers and writers. From screenwriting labs and pitching clinics to discussions on funding, diversity and distribution, these workshops provide actionable advice from professionals.

The roundtable format encourages open dialogue and peer learning: an ideal space to test ideas, ask questions and gain valuable mentorship.

Venues for masterclasses and workshops range from York Theatre Royal, the Yorkshire Museum and York St John University Creative Centre to Spark: York and the De Grey Rooms.

A still from Owen Richards’s Elsewhere, one of 300 films showing at Aesthetica Film Festival 2026

Networking and pitching

MEET producers, commissioners and collaborators at Aesthetica’s networking events and UK Film Production Summit, featuring more than 150 companies, at The Grand, Station Rise, on November 5. Socials and informal meet-ups give you a chance to share your ideas, find partners and make connections that could propel your next project forward. This is where creative relationships and future deals are born.

Parties and socials

WHEN the lights go down, the city comes alive. Aesthetica’s parties are legendary:  relaxed and welcoming spaces where creatives from film, music, gaming and art collide.

Whether you are winding down after a screening or celebrating a new collaboration, the festival’s social scene is where friendships form, ideas spark and stories continue long into the night.

Going behind the camera at Aesthetica Film Festival

Listening Pitch premieres

NOW in its sixth year, the Listening Pitch at City Screen Picturehouse from November 5 to 8 shines a spotlight on the future of audio documentary. Aesthetica has commissioned 13 original documentaries through this pioneering programme, and this year marks the premiere of three new projects.

Previous commissions have gone on to screen at SXSW (South By South West) and Sundance and have been acquired by the Guardian. This is the place to discover bold new documentary talent with live presentations, audience Q&As and an atmosphere that celebrates the art of sound and story.

New Music Stage

FEATURING a line-up of some of the UK and Ireland’s most exciting emerging artists, the New Music Stage blends film and sound in thrilling ways. This year’s acts at York Theatre Royal on November 7 from 1pm to 8.50pm include LFay, Katherine Aly, Lepani, Chisara, Circe, Pavey Ark, PH, Winemom, Other People’s Leisure and Roe –the headliners of tomorrow.

In addition, hear from the keynote speaker, BBC Introducing/BBC Radio 1 presenter Jess Iszatt, plusUniversal Music, Rough Trade, Domino Records and more. This event is included in all valid festival passes. Alternatively,  a New Music Stage ticket can be bought from York Theatre Royal at https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/show/aesthetica-new-music-stage/.

New Music Stage: Showcasing British and Irish emerging artists at York Theatre Royal

Immersive Media Arts Trail

CREATED in partnership with Audible, the Radical Listening Immersive Media Trail will bring three new installation-based artworks to York from November 4 to 8. Works by Squidsoup, Steve Messam and Being Now Here will use light, sound and interactive technology to transform public spaces in a free art trail that will run from Exhibition Square and York Theatre Royal and towards King’s Square.

Podcast Lounge

AESTHETICA is the first UK film festival to offer a dedicated Podcasting Lounge, a space where audio is at the centre of storytelling. Curated to spotlight dynamic voices in independent podcasting, the lounge offers the opportunity to pause and take a moment to truly listen. Here is a chance to sit down, discover new voices and listen to bold new stories in The Basement at City Screen Picturehouse, open daily from10am to 9.30pm throughout the festival.

Now in its 16th year, Aesthetica Film Festival will run in myriad York locations from November 4 to 8. For full details and to book festival passes and tickets, go to asff.co.uk.

Look out too for UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO featuring games, films, VFX and design, showcased by 40 exhibiting organisations at the De Grey Rooms, Exhibition Square, York, on November 5 and 6 from 9am to 9pm. Admission is free, For more details, go to mediacityexpo.com.  This will be complemented by UNESCO Expo Workshops, presented by York Business School.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as Aesthetica Film Festival expands again. Hutch’s List No. 44, from The York Press

Fladam Theatre’s Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter cooking up the York musical comedy duo’s Halloween show in Hallowbean

FROM the 16th Aesthetica Film Festival to a nocturnal ghost sculpture trail, Strictly stars after hours in Vegas to punk poet Dr John Cooper Clarke, Charles Hutchinson says yes to November events.

Children’s Halloween show of the week: Fladam Theatre in Hallowbean, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 2.30pm

FLADAM Theatre, the madcap York musical comedy duo of Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter, head to Helmsley this afternoon with their spooktastic musical comedy Hallowbean. In the town of Ghooul, Dr Frankenheinz is rustling up his Hallowbean for the annual Halloween cooking competition, hoping his tomatoey terror will dazzle Scary Berry, the most frightful food critic of them all.

Rather than scary, however, Hallowbean is downright lovable. Problem! “Will Halloween have to be cancelled? Or can the Hallowbean find her scare in time?” ask Fladam. Find out in this hour-long, pun and puppet-packed Halloween treat for three to ten years olds. Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Seann Walsh: Putting himself through an anxiety filled-hour at York Theatre Royal on November 6

Comedy gigs of the week: Russell Howard, Don’t Tell The Algorithm, York Barbican, today, 3.30pm & 7.30pm, and Sunday, 7.30pm;  Seann Walsh, This Is Torture, York Theatre Royal, November 6, 8pm

POLITICAL comedian and Five Brilliant Things podcaster Russell Howard returns with a new stand-up show for 2026, where he invites you back into the room: no phones, no distractions, only humans and jokes, but don’t tell the algorithm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk; best availability on Sunday night.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2022 series survivor Seann Walsh has decided to name his latest stand-up tour show after the phrase he says the most: “This Is Torture”.  The dishevelled Camden comedian brings his signature blend of chaos and charm to York to put himself through an anxiety filled-hour. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

James Swanton: Back on track with The Signal-Man’s return to York Medical Society

Recommended but sold out already: James Swanton presents The Signal-Man, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, November 2 to 8, 7pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday; 5.30pm & 7.30pm, Saturday

A RED light. A black tunnel. A waving figure. A warning beyond understanding. And the fear that someone – that something – is drawing closer in The Signal-Man, Charles Dickens’s most frightening ghost story, here paired with the supernatural terrors of The Trial For Murder in York storyteller and actor James Swanton’s delightfully macabre double bill. Box office for returns only: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Isabel Azar’s Clare in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Life-changing story of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

THE lives of the young St Clare and St Francis of Assisi are the subject of American playwright Chiara Atik’s comedy Poor Clare, presented in York for the first time by Black Treacle Theatre, directed by Jim Paterson.

Noblewoman Clare (Isabel Azar) is set for marriage to a rich aristocrat and a life of wealth and privilege in 13th century Assisi, but then she meets Francis (PJ Gregan), whose strong faith and commitment to rejecting the established order and serving the poor makes her look at her life in a new way. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Ghosts After Dark: Taking over York Museum Gardens for five nights from November 4

Sculpture trail of the week: York BID and York Museums Trust present Ghosts After Dark, York Museum Gardens, November 4 to 8, 5.30pm to 9.30pm; timed entry slots until 8pm

AFTER the Ghosts In The Gardens free public art trail of 70 wire-mesh sculptures – including ten new ones – across 32 city-centre locations concludes on Sunday, Ghosts After Dark takes over for five atmospheric nights of nights of live storytelling, light, smoke and sound next week in the Museum Gardens, plus King’s Manor courtyard and Library Lawn, the Anglian Tower, Edible Wood, Artists’ Garden, St Olave’s churchyard and the area beside York Art Gallery.

Representing a fascinating person, creature or story connected to York’s history, each sculpture was made by York creative agency Unconventional Design. A new interactive experience and the inaugural night market will be further highlights of the 90-minute trail. Bookings: www.theyorkbid.com/ghosts-after-dark/.

All heading to the Aesthetica Film Festival 2026 as York awaits five days of film and much more

Festival of the week: Aesthetica Film Festival 2026, York, November 4 to 8

IN its 16th year under the artistic directorship of Cherie Federico, Aesthetica Film Festival welcomes filmmakers, games developers and virtual reality experts from around the world. The five-day programme comprises  screenings, VR & games labs, a podcasting lounge, industry masterclasses and workshops, networking sessions, live performances, pitching opportunities, the New Music Stage and much more. For the full programme and tickets, go to asff.co.uk.

Strictly Come Dancing stars Pasha Kovalev, Brendan Cole, Vincent Simone, Ian Waite and James Jordan head to York Barbican in Legends in Vegas: After Hours. Picture: Ryan Howard

From Strictly to Sin City dance show of the week: The Legends in Vegas: After Hours, York Barbican, November 4, 7.30pm

THE Legends, alias Strictly alumnae Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite, reunite for a third tour, Vegas: After Hours, where the dance floor never sleeps as they bring the spirit of Sin City to life through breathtaking routines and nonstop entertainment, set to a soundtrack inspired by the greatest Las Vegas performers of all time. 

Think neon lights and electric nights, roulette tables spinning, glamorous showgirls, dazzling casinos, desert sunsets, lavish pool parties, whirlwind weddings, iconic hotels and world-class entertainment, captured in dance. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Julie Russell Wilson’s Miss Marple, front, leading the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company cast in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced

Murder mystery of the week: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, November 4 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

WHEN a mysterious announcement appears in the local newspaper, stating the date and time a murder will take place in a quiet village home, curiosity and disbelief turn quickly to alarm: it is chillingly clear that the threat is all too real. 

What follows is a classic Agatha Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities and long-held secrets for the sharp-witted Miss Marple (Julie Russell Wilson) to unravel in Alex Schofield’s fundraising production in aid of the JoRo.

“Christie was a master of surprise who understood that audiences love being challenged,” says Schofield. “Then there’s the incredible premise. Someone reveals that a murder is going to take place, but not who the victim will be.

“From that moment on, anyone could be the victim and anyone could be the killer. There’s also something wonderful about hearing a collective gasp from the audience when their expectations have been turned upside down.”Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Dr John Cooper Clarke: Showcasing new poetry collection Have It at the Grand Opera House, York

Punk poet of the week: Dr John Cooper Clarke, Grand Opera House, York, November 6, doors 7pm

SALFORD sage Dr John Cooper Clarke’s anarchic punk poetry and no-nonsense approach to his work has led to a career spanning cultures, art forms and continents, drawing audiences from clubs to arenas. On his 20-date tour, Cooper Clarke, 77, promotes his new collection, Have It, the follow-up to 2024’s What, as well as performing fan favourites with his trademark machine-gun delivery. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The Shires: Lighting up Bonfire at York Barbican the day after Bonfire Night

Country gig of the week: The Shires, York Barbican, November 6, 7.30pm

BRITISH country duo The Shires – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – promote their sixth studio album, July 3’s Bonfire, on their 12-date UK tour, their first with a full band in four years. Expect new songs celebrating togetherness, escapism and positivity, complemented by fan favourites. Kaylee Bell supports. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Karl Bushby: The Man Who Walked The World

In Focus: Norwell Lapley Productions present Karl Busby: The Man Who Walked The World, York Theatre Royal, November 22, 6.30pm

KARL Bushby, the Yorkshireman who walked the world, will set out to York Theatre Royal from his Hull home on November 22 to tell his extraordinary story.

Adventurer Karl, now 57, set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, in 1998 with the almost unimaginable ambition of walking all the way home to East Yorkshire.

He made himself two promises:  he would use no transport to advance his journey and he would not return home until he had completed the entire expedition on foot. After 28 years, he will be welcomed home to Hull on November 2.

Along the way, Karl has crossed some of the world’s most hostile landscapes, faced life-threatening dangers and endured immense physical and psychological challenges, pushing himself to limits few could comprehend.

From navigating the perilous Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia, to tackling the frozen expanse of the Bering Strait, between Russian and Alaska, his journey is a remarkable testament to courage, resilience and the indomitable human spirit.

Now, York audiences are invited to step inside an adventure spanning continents, cultures and generations. Through first-hand storytelling, Karl will reveal the experiences behind the headlines:  the moments when survival hung in the balance, the obstacles that threatened to derail his mission, the sacrifices demanded by a life on the move and the extraordinary determination that kept him heading towards home. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

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Gilbert O’Sullivan plays Harrogate Theatre tonight on 60 Years Of Music tour ahead of November 6 release of On The Record

Gilbert O’Sullivan: Playing songs old and new at Harrogate Theatre tonight

TO listen to Charles Hutchinson and Graham Chalmers’ interview with Gilbert O’Sullivan on the Two Big Egos In A Small Car arts podcast, head to: https://twobigegos.buzzsprout.com/1187561/episodes/19758732

IN 1972 Gilbert O’Sullivan topped the American Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks with Alone Again (Naturally), a song later covered regularly by Morrissey in concert.

The Smiths frontman has performed Nothing Rhymed too and recorded I Didn’t Know What To Do, the B-side to somewhat obscure May 1971 single Susan Van Heusen, as the flipside to his 2018 single Back On The Chain Gang. “He sent me a recording with a full band – and he told me he liked my image too,” recalls Gilbert.

Dusty Springfield performed Nothing Rhymed on The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine on November 22 1971, while Alone Again (Naturally) has attracted at least 88 cover versions, from Nina Simone to Shirley Bassey, Neil Diamond to Pet Shop Boys & Elton John, Diana Krall & Michael Buble to Donny Osmond, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass to Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Mathis to Andy Williams. No wonder CMAT has called it “the greatest Irish song ever made”.

Born in Waterford, Ireland, and long resident in Jersey, triple Ivor Novello Award winner Gilbert will be turning 80 on December 1, but before then he is celebrating 60 Years Of Music on an autumn tour that visits Harrogate Theatre tonight.

It will be a chance to revisit his UK chart toppers, 1972’s Clair and 1973’s Get Down, as well as such O’Sullivan favourites as No Matter How I Try, We Will, Matrimony, Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day, Why, Oh Why, Oh Why  and What’s In A Kiss?, the last of his 16 Top 40 entries from August 1980. 

Gilbert O’Sullivan in his early songwriting days. Picture: Park Promotions

Then add selections from his multiple studio albums that bear witness to his enduring gift for endearing tunefulness, unabashed sentiment and existentialist musings, with his last three reaching the Top Ten, Top 20 and Top 30 respectively.

Sixty years, Gilbert: where has all that time gone? “I guess I don’t think about it because I always look ahead, with the imminent release my new album on November 6,” he says. “It’s all new material, and there’s a duet with the lead singer from The Corrs, Andrea. A song called Is That You?

“On the last studio album [July 2022’s Driven], we had duets with Mick Hucknall [Let Bygones Be Bygones] and K. T. Tunstall [Take Love], which were rock songs, and this time there’s no piano, just acoustic guitar, like a folk song.

“We thought, ‘who could we have singing on this?’, and it was suggested Andrea would be a good choice. So we approached her and she did it in her own way in her own studio because technology is really good for letting you do that now. That will be released as a single, hopefully before the album comes out.”

“Without ever having bothered to look it up, I’m told it will be my 21st studio album,” he says. It will be entitled On The Record (a title shared with a 1976 spoken-word album by controversial British politician Enoch Powell, according to AI Overview). “Between my daughters, my management, my wife and my record company, all my possibilities were rejected,” says Gilbert. “If there were five people arguing about it, this one had three supporting it.

Gilbert O’Sullivan with guitarist Bill Shanley, who will join him for the 60 Years Of Music tour

“We did the album artwork in Nashville, where I was playing the Grand Ole Opry after they got in touch with us and I was asked to go there to perform three songs, What’s In A Kiss, Nothing Rhymed and Alone Again (Naturally), one with a band and two with Bill [guitarist Bill Shanley], who’ll be playing on tour with me.”

After working with producer Ethan Johns on his self-titled 2018 album, Gilbert recorded Driven with Andy Wright, . “I feel that by having a different producer, you get that difference you want. He’d worked with Simply Red and Simple Minds, so this was Simply O’Sullivan!” he says.

O’Sullivan and Wright then made Songbook, a collection of key songs from Gilbert’s expansive catalogue accrued over 55 years, recorded at Lafayette, King’s Cross, London in late 2023 for release in September 2024.

For On The Record, “I decided to go with Andy again, letting him choose the musicians, with some of them having played on the last album,” says Gilbert who recorded the 13 tracks over five days in Eastcote Studios in London. “They know how I work. I play the song to them on the piano, we rehearse it a few times, and then we do a take. No rocket science involved.

“There’s an element of a Sixties feel to a couple of tracks that I really liked, re-mixed with another producer in the USA, Tony Hoffer, who’s well respected in the production field, and it’s worked out really well on the album.”

The poster for Gilbert O’Sullivan’s tour, Celebrating 60 Years Of Music. Picture: Park Promotions

One song in particular addresses the ageing process. “We have a track called Growing Old Disgracefully, which I was anxious to get done before anyone else pinched it!” says Gilbert.

“We also have a song with a choir, made up of studio singers, to sing the chorus to See Us Gone. That song deals with the end of the world, Putin, and what’s going on now. That fear that one day someone is going to press that bl**dy button and we’ll all be gone.

“That’s what I like when writing songs. My songs are like newspapers with the common denominators as headlines, so you can incorporate things that are going on in the world, like on Nothing Rhymed too.”

Heading out on his 22-date tour from September 1 to November 8, pianist Gilbert travels with his own keyboard, rather than relying on each venue to provide him with a piano. “This keyboard allows me to face the audience, and the sound I get is proper sounding, with electric piano for a couple of songs,” he says.

“I have eight versions of one keyboard instrument now, including one in Nashville, one in Ireland and one in Denmark. They’re kept by people I’m working with, who are happy to put them up.

“In the beginning, of course, I used a grand piano – like I do when writing songs – and my voice could sing in concert pitch, then one tuned one below concert pitch, and now I have buttons on my keyboard that allow me to be one tone below concert pitch and a semi-tone below concert pitch.

“Morrissey told me he liked my image,” says Gilbert O’Sullivan, pictured in his trademark Charlie Chaplin-inspired garb when first making his name. Picture: Park Promotions

“It helps me because, as you get older, your voice drops and you have to drop your singing voice. I have a good voice but limited range so I make sure I’m in the right key.”

Gilbert conducts vocal exercises before each concert. “If you don’t have a good voice, forget it,” he says. “I look after my voice. I’ve had no issues, thank goodness.”

He has lived on the island of Jersey for more than 30 years, having moved there with his wife, Aase, to raise their two daughters. “I love it here. It’s just home,” says Gilbert, who has a studio there. “I’m not a social animal. I go on my walks; home life is great.

“My daughters look after the business for me. Tara is on the internet, doing the social media, which is so important for musicians now.”

Summing up 60 years of songwriting, Gilbert concludes: “Why are we able to keep doing it? You do it because of your love of music. You love what you’re hearing. You hear the chords of Burt Bacharach? You want that. I’m a rhythm pianist, I can’t tinkle the ivories, but we have the ability to write music because we love what we hear.”

Gilbert O’Sullivan, 60 Years Of Music 2026 Autumn Tour, Harrogate Theatre, October 30, 7.30pm. Box office: Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk.

The artwork for Gilbert O’Sullivan’s 21st studio album, On The Record, to be released on November 6 on BMG

What is the track listing for On The Record?

1. It’s Me

2. I Suppose

3. Growing Old Disgracefully

4. Go The Way I Came

5. I Must Be Going

6. Don’t Shout

7. She Never Ceases To Amaze Me

8. Our Love Is Gonna Grow

9. Is That You? (featuring Andrea Corr)

10. Wait

11. Minus Is A Plus With You

12. No Place Like Home

13. See Us Gone

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REVIEW: Wharfemede Productions in The Addams Family Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday ****

Meet the Addams Family and their butler in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical: Abbie Law’s Wednesday, left, Matthew Warry’s Pugsley, Henrietta Linnemann’s Morticia, Chris Gibson’s Lurch, Zander Fick’s Gomez, Nick Sephton’s Uncle Fester and Rosy Rowley’s Grandma. Picture: Simon Trow

JOKE shop bats and giant cobwebs and director Helen “Bells” Spencer in a rather fetching wig greet Halloween week theatregoers on the stairway to Wharfemede Productions’  production of The Addams Family Musical.

Enter the black box theatre, where more bats and cobwebs fill the walls, and it is immediately striking how the audience is younger than usual at Theatre@41, now full of families. All this week’s performances are sold out, such is the reach of Netflix’s two seasons of Wednesday,  whose visual style carries the hallmarks of executive producer Tim Burton, full of fashion flair and camply dark humour while making Jenny Ortega “Gen Z’s scream queen”.

Combining properly tuneful music and smart lyrics by Andrew Lippa, worthy of musical theatre’s golden age, with a deeply kooky, devilishly witty book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, The Addams Family Musical spreads the focus more broadly, while giving the headline story to Abbie Law’s sourpuss Wednesday.

She may have a perma-scowl and carry a crossbow, but Wednesday Addams has fallen in love with a “normal” young  man, Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s floppy fringed, chisel-jawed Lucas Beineke, looking every inch the college jock in his varsity bomber jacket.

The masked Ancestors in director Helen Spencer’s nod to commedia dell arte in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family. Picture: Simon Trow

When Wednesday invites Lucas’s ultra-respectable parents (Steven Jobson’s Mal and Connie Howcroft’s Alice) to dinner, two cultures will clash: the uptight Beinekes, from Ohio, with their unfortunate propensity for wearing yellow, and the eccentric, louche, strangely attractive Addams Family, from metropolitan, arty New York, with their penchant for black in both humour and clothing.

From the familiar theme tune opening to the disembodied hand in the picture frame and two cameo appearances by Cousin Itt (Lao Singhateh, face hidden beneath all that hair), everything is in place for a musical comedy that nods to the nostalgic TV past but also finds it own character, not least through the ghostly presence of the Ancestors, at the beck and call of Nick Sephton’s Uncle Fester.

Drawing on her own commedia dell’arte training in Italy, Spencer kits them out in masks – made with a 3D printer by Sephton – to complement their white clothing to add to their contrast to the Addams family members.

Each family member or retainer is established quickly, from Rosy Rowley’s loose-cannon Grandma to Chris Gibson’s taciturn, towering, gloom-and-doom butler Lurch and Matthew Warry’s Pugsley, whose unconventional relationship with sister Wednesday is rooted in stoic acceptance of being the target of her experiments in torture.

Zander Fick, the classically trained South African singer and actor – and software engineering director by day – has excelled on the York stage since his arrival in 2023 and here he gives his best performance yet as Gomez Addams, the father who often has to think on his feet to cover his initial actions.

Hair slicked back and turned jet black, pinstripe suit as immaculate and neat as his pencil moustache, accent a conflation of Hispanic and American, his Gomez leads the show with a showman’s panache, eyebrow-raised comic timing, nimble feet and a wondrous singing voice.

He combines delightfully with the glacial hauteur of Henrietta Linnemann’s Morticia, his elegant, aloof wife with her exacting standards and often contrasting strategy.  She sings superbly too, whether solo in Just Around The Corner or in the stand-out duet, Live Before We Die, with Fick’s Gomez.

Howcroft, always such a thrilling singer, brings the house down at the climax to Act One with her no-holds-barred rendition of Waiting, while Sephton’s love-struck Fester sings to his true love, the Moon at her fullest, in The Moon And Me, the show’s most unexpected yet beautiful moment.

Howcroft’s choreography is another joy, utilising the Ancestors to the max, capitalising on the clash between the itchy feet of Fick’s Gomez and sang-froid of Linnemann’s Morticia and exploring  the differing physicality within the company, not least Gibson’s lumbering Lurch and Rowley’s crumpled Grandma,  to humorous effect.

Musical director James Robert Ball has a ball with Lippa’s wonderful songs, his band at once playful and diligent, sprightly and fun.

Wharfemede Productions bring the “wonderfully weird world” of the distinctly dysfunctional Addams Family to glorious Gothic life, perfectly timed for Halloween. As Spencer puts it, “Beneath all the darkness, eccentricity and wonderfully questionable behaviour lies a story about love, belonging and celebrating things that make us different.” And that, by the way, is the very essence of theatre, whether performing or watching.

Wharfemede Productions present The Addams Family Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. SOLD OUT. For returns only: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 44, from Gazette & Herald

Alex Keenan’s Chris and Charlie Brooks’s Judy, her mum, in The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, staged by Melting Pot and Birmingham Rep. Picture: Johan Persson

FROM a new female spin on ‘Curious Incident’ to Ricky Gervais’s “most personal” tour, Halloween shows to Leo Sayer’s last tour, Charles Hutchinson finds ways to brighten up darker nights.  

Reboot of the week: Melting Pot and Birmingham Rep present The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees

MELTING Pot and Birmingham Rep are touring a gender-swap reboot of Simon Stephens’s inventive adaptation of Mark Haddon’s compassionate novel, in which neurodivergent 15-year-old Chris Boone is now a female role, played by Alex Keenan and matinee alternate Imi Price.

Ned Bennett’s cast features Joe McFadden as dad Ed and Charlie Brooks as absentee mum Judy in the story of Chris becoming both detective and suspect when a neighbour’s dog is discovered killed, drawing her into a mystery that grows darker and more complex with every clue uncovered. Box office: atgtickets.co.uk/york.

The Addams family in Wharfemede Productions’ The Addams Family Musical at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York

Halloween family entertainment of the week: Wharfemede Productions in The Addams Family Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

COMPANY co-founder Helen Spencer directs North Yorkshire company Wharfemede Productions in Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s devilishly funny, deeply kooky comedy The Addams Family Musical.

When Wednesday Addams falls in love with a “normal” young man and invites his respectable parents to dinner, chaos, secrets and macabre mayhem ensue in this spooky celebration of family, love and embracing the wonderfully weird, replete with sharp comedy, dazzling dance numbers, a witty score and a nine-piece band. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Victoria Delaney’s Kat, left, Beryl Nairn’s Ma and Clare Halliday’s Maudie in York Actors Collective’s The Strongbox

Struggle for survival of the week: York Actors Collective in The Strongbox, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow, 2.30pm & 7.45pm, Friday, 7.45pm, and Saturday, 2pm

YORK Actors Collective presents Stephanie Jacob’s study of freedom and control, The Strongbox,  in which a mother (Beryl Nairn’s Ma) and her daughter (Victoria Delaney’s Kat) keep a homeless woman (Clare Halliday’s Maudie) as a slave in their London home. Power shifts, however, when the daughter becomes distracted by business and the mother falls ill.

“Three women learn how to live and survive by making their own rules, but at what cost?” asks director Angie Millard. “As Ma says, ‘ If you do and do and do and do to someone, can it be undone?’ That’s the question the play explores with honesty and some humour.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

New York Brass Band: Having a blast at Malton’s Milton Rooms for the fourth time

Ryedale gig of the week: New York Brass Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 7pm

NEW York Brass Band return to the Milton Rooms for a fourth party night of big tunes, huge brass sounds and plenty of dancing. York-born, New Orleans-inspired and Glastonbury festival fixtures for eight years, they have performed for Kylie Minogue, Liam Gallagher, Ellie Goulding and Jamie Oliver with their trademark infectious energy. Tickets: 07813 889085 (Ali) or newyorkbrassband.co.uk.

Leo Sayer: Playing York Barbican on “what could well be his final full UK tour”

The show must go on…for one last tour: Leo Sayer, Can’t Stop Loving You, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm

AFTER almost 60 years on the road, Leo Sayer, now 78, returns to the UK stage for “what could well be his final full UK tour”. “I love performing for my fans and look forward to doing so for many more years, but this will be the last time I play so many dates across the country. I am not retiring, just slowing the number of live shows down a little,” clarifies Sayer, in a year when he is releasing his autobiography and a career-spanning box set.

Meanwhile, Brighton folk-rockers Levellers have sold out tomorrow’s return to York Barbican. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Fladam Theatre’s Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter cooking up their Halloween show Hallowbean

Children’s Halloween show of the week: Fladam Theatre in Hallowbean, Acomb Explore, Front Street, Acomb, York today, 3pm, and Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 2.30pm

FLADAM Theatre, the madcap York musical comedy duo of Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter, head to Acomb and Helmsley with their spooktastic musical comedy Hallowbean. In the town of Ghooul, Dr Frankenheinz is rustling up his Hallowbean for the annual Halloween cooking competition, hoping his tomatoey terror will dazzle Scary Berry, the most frightful food critic of them all.

However, his ‘eeny beany’ lacks scariness. Instead she is downright lovable. Problem! “Will Halloween have to be cancelled? Or can the Hallowbean find her scare in time?” ask Fladam. Find out in this hour-long, pun and puppet-packed Halloween treat for three to ten years olds. Box office: York, https://www.tickettailor.com/events/exploreyorklibrariesandarchives/2432836; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Clare (Isabel Azar) helps Francis (PJ Gregan) to straighten himself out in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

Life-changing story of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

THE lives of the young St Clare and St Francis of Assisi are the subject of American playwright Chiara Atik’s comedy Poor Clare, presented in York for the first time by Black Treacle Theatre, directed by Jim Paterson.

Noblewoman Clare (Isabel Azar) is set for marriage to a rich aristocrat and a life of wealth and privilege in 13th century Assisi, but then she meets Francis (PJ Gregan), whose strong faith and commitment to rejecting the established order and serving the poor makes her look at her life in a new way. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Ricky Gervais: Returning to York Barbican next February, this time in his Legend show

Gig announcement of the week: Ricky Gervais, Legend, York Barbican, February 15 2027

COMEDIAN Ricky Gervais will return to York Barbican as one of the newly added 2027 dates on his 2026-2027 tour after all this year’s shows sold out. Already Legend has been acquired for streaming on Netflix.

“This is my most personal show so far and because both cancel culture, and most people I knew growing up, are dead, I can really say what the **** I want now,” promises Gervais, who once again will donate a portion of the ticket-sale proceeds to charity after giving £2.43 million to worldwide animal charities from his Mortality tour in 2025. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am at: https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/ricky-gervais-legend.

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Levellers mark 35th anniversary of groundbreaking Levelling The Land album at sold-out York Barbican on Thursday

Levellers: Returning to York Barbican on Thursday. Picture: Steve Gullick

BRIGHTON folk-rockers Levellers are celebrating the 35th anniversary of landmark second album Levelling The Land with an 11-date autumn tour that visits the sold-out York Barbican on Thursday (29/10/2026).

Playing songs from the platinum seller, alongside further fan-favourites from their extensive catalogue, Levellers opened their travels in Köln, Germany, on October 16, coinciding with the original release date of 16/10/1991.

On the road until November 21, Levellers will be sure to perform the hit singles One Way, Fifteen Years and Far From Home, plus the incendiary Battle Of The Beanfield.

In fact, the set list for Holmfirth Picturedrome on October 21 featured all 11 Levelling The Land songs in track order, taking in The Game, Liberty Song, Riverflow, The Boatman, Sell Out, Another Man’s Cause and The Road, complemented by Hope St., a cover of The Devil Went Down To Georgia and Beautiful Day.

“We’re playing the album from start to finish, then coming back after a break to play some greatest hits,” says bass player Jeremy Cunningham. “That’s what people are expecting. I just think it’s the best way: give people what they want. It’s not rocket science! Come and see us again next year and it’ll be a different set.

“Usually we’re used to building things up, slowing things down, with peaks and troughs in a live show, but when you’re playing the whole album you can’t do smoke and mirrors because the audience know what’s coming next and they’re excited by that.

“On some of these shows, we’re also going to have a string section playing with us to beef up the really big tunes.” It is not known whether York Barbican will be one of those nights.

“I didn’t realise Levelling The Land would go on to have such significance as our most recognisable album,” says Levellers bassist Jeremy Cunningham (third from left). Picture: Steve Gullick

Looking back to the gestation of Levelling The Land, Jeremy says: “It was quite easy to make. We started writing it almost immediately after the first album [A Weapon Called The Word]. We wrote the first song, Liberty Song, then Alan [original bassist and mandolin player Alan Miles] left and Simon Friend joined, bringing some songs with him, like Battle Of The Beanfield, which was a particularly important to us.

“The album came quite quickly to us, which was remarkable since we were touring so much. In a couple of years’ time, in our 40th anniversary year, we’ll be doing 40 shows, but back in the day we were doing 100 shows a year.”

Jeremy recalls riding down to the sea front, listening to Levelling The Land as he cycled. “I thought , ‘wow, we’ve made a better album than the first one’, but I didn’t realise it would go on to have such significance as our most recognisable album,” he says.

During that summer of 1991, Levelling The Land redefined the UK’s musical landscape by providing the counter-cultural soundtrack for a society fed up with Thatcherite politics and the post-1980s, pre-grunge music scene. 

“I think it was a certain time and a certain place. It captured the zeitgeist of that time and place very well,” says Jeremy. “That’s why it did well, but now it sustains because it’s full of banging tunes  and the lyrics unfortunately still resonate as much as they did back then. If you write great tunes, they will last forever.”

Levellers took their name from a radical political movement in the English Civil War. “Back in Thatcher’s Britain, they were political times when you could still get a political song to number one,” says Jeremy. “People weren’t afraid to wear their heart on their sleeves and to declare their beliefs, whereas now they’re more timid.”

Levellers’ legacy runs deep, whether in contemporary folk music, grassroots political movements or the evolution of British festival culture, encapsulated in their Beautiful Days Festival, whose 23rd instalment in Escot Park, Devon featured Madness, Super Furry Animals and Levellers in August.

Two thirds of the band still live in Brighton, including Jeremy. “It’s hard to leave,” he says. “I moved here at 19 to go to art college and I never left.

Jeremy Cunningham’s artwork for Levellers’ frontman Mark Chadwick’s 2026 solo album Ouse Dragon

“I do all the band’s artwork; since the start I’ve done all the record covers and T-shirts – I’m doing some T-shirts for the tour. I’ve also done the cover for Mark’s solo album [Mark Chadwick’s Ouse Dragon, released on August 21]. The River Ouse runs through Lewes, where Mark lives, so it’s an album about his adopted home.”

This year too, Jeremy held an exhibition in Lewes, at the Star Brewery Gallery, where he showcased a year’s collection of artworks in Edge Of No Control, reflecting a journey back to health after a mental breakdown in September 2025, moving away from his gig posters and album sleeves for Levellers.

Now his focus is on the Levelling The Land tour, where Battle Of The Beanfield will ring out loudest once more. “That song tells of a piece of underground British history, which we told six years after it happened and were amazed that no-one had written about it in those six years, especially some of the underground punk and political groups that hadn’t touched it,” says Jeremy.

“But we did write it and got to commemorate the event as part of the underground folk history, and now it’s above ground as one of the big events of 1985.”  

Levellers, Levelling The Land 35th Anniversary Tour, at York Barbican, October 29, supported by Essex punk duo The Meffs; doors 7pm. SOLD OUT.

Did you know?

LEVELLERS last played York Barbican on March 9 2025 as the only Yorkshire date of their 17-date Levellers Collective acoustic tour with a ten-piece line-up.

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Shed Seven sell out 14,000-capacity York LNER Community Stadium show on May 29

Lead singer Rick Witter in Shed 7 York City home shirt on the halfway line at York LNER Community Stadium

SHED Seven’s biggest-ever headline show at the York LNER Community Stadium on May 29 2027 has sold out.

The news of the 14,000 full house at the home of York City and York Knights breaks on the day York’s premier band share new single Let The Good Times Roll, the third to be lifted from their self-titled seventh studio album, set to arrive on January 8 2027 through Cooking Vinyl.

Released amid a sold-out run of UK tour dates in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their definitive Britpop album, 1996’s A Maximum High, the latest single shows yet another side to what the new album, Shed Seven, has to offer.

Where lead single Stand Together heralded a muscular and sky-scraping sound and its follow-up, The Centre Of My Everything, paraded sweeping strings and a rousing chorus, Let The Good Times Roll is “as epic as the band come”.

Shed Seven’s Rob ‘Maxi’ Maxfield, left, Paul Banks, Tom Gladwin, Rick Witter and Tim Wills in the seating at York LNER Community Stadium. Picture: Tom Oxley

Lead singer Rick Witter says of the new single: “Eyes on the prize, watch silver turn to gold. Winning in life, a time to be positive and enjoy the things happening around you. Forget the negativity and Let The Good Times Roll.”

Meanwhile, in conjunction with the LNER Community Stadium show, a special York City card wallet edition of next January’s album is on pre-sale now at https://store.shedseven.com/product/shed-seven-york-city-edition-cd.

It will feature unique artwork and three bonus tracks – Let’s Go Dancing, Talk Of The Town and Chasing Rainbows, all live recordings from the Sheds’ concert at The Piece Hall, Halifax, on June 6 2026 – and £1 from every York Edition sale will go to the York City Foundation to support the charity’s work with communities across York. 

Keen to use the stadium occasion to support York’s next generation of musicians, Shed Seven will provide a fan zone stage ahead of the main stadium show to showcase up-and-coming artists from the city.

The cover artwork for Shed Seven’s seventh studio album, next January’s Shed Seven

Rick comments on the sold-out stadium show: “Our ambition, even as school kids, was to one day play our own stadium show. What kid who dreams of being in a rock’n’roll band doesn’t want to do that? Now, almost 40 years later, we’ve reached the point where we thought… it’s now or never. And if we were going to do it, it had to be York.

“What will make it even more special is that the stadium is a stone’s throw from where we met, went to school and where we first formed a band. We’re coming back to pretty much where it all began to play the biggest show of our career and that is a proper full-circle moment.”

The Sheds will conclude their Shedcember X tour with two nights at Leeds O2 Academy. December 12 has sold out but tickets are still available for December 13 at https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/shed-seven-leeds-13-12-2026/event/.

New album Shed Seven can be pre-ordered/pre-saved at https://s7.lnk.to/shedseven. The track listing will be: Stand Together; The Fifth Amendment; The Centre Of My Everything; Lost In Space (featuring Lotte Witter); Winter; We Got The Love (featuring Elles Bailey); What Becomes Of The Ones Left Behind; Can’t Help It; Let The Good Times Roll and Drifting.

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Kings Of Leon to play Scarborough Open Air Theatre on June 27 2027 after releasing tenth album O My Beloved on November 6

Kings Of Leon: Heading to the Yorkshire coast next summer

KINGS Of Leon will play Scarborough Open Air Theatre on June 27 next summer on a tour promoting their tenth studio album.

O My Beloved will be released on November 6 on standard CD, standard vinyl, deluxe signed vinyl and cassette on LoveTap Records.

Tickets will go on general sale at 9am on Friday via ticketmaster.co.uk and scarboroughopenairtheatre.com. O My Beloved can be pre-ordered at https://uk.kingsofleonshop.com/ to receive special pre-sale access today (27/10/2026), ahead of general sales.

The Scarborough gig will be one of only two northern UK shows next summer for the Tennessee band, who will play Lytham Festival on June 30 as well as two sold-out nights at London’s The O2 on July 2 and 3 and a headline appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival on June 20.

Brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill and cousin Matthew Followill, from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, formed Kings Of Leon in 1999, since when they have headlined the world’s most prestigious festivals, such as Glastonbury, Coachella, Lollapalooza numerous times and Reading and Leeds Festival on three occasions, as well as a record-equalling five nights at London’s Hyde Park.

The cover artwork for Kings Of Leon’s tenth studio album, O My Beloved, to be released on November 6

Julian Murray, of Scarborough Open Air Theatre promoters and programmers Cuffe and Taylor, says: “Kings Of Leon are one of the world’s biggest rock bands, with an incredible catalogue of hits and a live reputation built over more than two decades.

“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome them to the Open Air Theatre next summer. This is a huge addition to our 2027 programme and promises to be a really special night on the Yorkshire coast.”

Scarborough OAT will stage 2027 headline shows by Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, Bananarama, Alex Warren, Kaiser Chiefs, Alfie Boe, Ronan Keating, Jack Savoretti and James Morrison and Simply Red. For more information and to book tickets, go to: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

SCARBOROUGH OPEN AIR THEATRE 2027

JUNE 11              KAISER CHIEFS + WHITE LIES

JUNE 27              KINGS OF LEON

JUNE 30              ALEX WARREN

JULY 1                  SLASH FT. MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS

JULY 9                  JACK SAVORETTI & JAMES MORRISON

JULY 17               BANANARAMA + JASON DONOVAN + ALTERED IMAGES 

JULY 18               RONAN KEATING + BLUE + GERMEIN SISTERS  
JULY 25               ALFIE BOE + GRAVITY

AUG 17             SIMPLY RED + SOUL II SOUL

*More dates and artists to be confirmed 

The poster artwork for Kings Of Leon’s June 27 2027 concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre

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