And isn’t she iconic: Seven-time Grammy winner Alanis Morissette heads to Yorkshire coast this summer. Picture: Shelby Duncan
ALANIS Morissette is the 28th and final headliner to be announced for Scarborough Open Air Theatre’s 2026 summer season.
The seven-time Grammy Award winner will play on the Yorkshire coast on Sunday, July 5 on the last night of the Canadian-American alt-rock singer-songwriter’s seven-date UK tour.
After signing up Morissette to complete Scarborough OAT’s biggest ever concert season, Julian Murray, of promoters Cuffe and Taylor, said: “We are absolutely delighted to reveal Alanis Morissette as our 28th and final headliner for 2026. What a massive name to add to the bill for our already record-breaking summer here in Scarborough.
“Alanis is a cultural phenomenon. Her shows are huge and we now get to welcome her to the Yorkshire coast. This will be an incredible night in what will be a sensational summer here at Scarborough OAT.”
Her Grammy-garlanded 1995 debut album Jagged Little Pill has been followed by nine albums, and her hits Ironic, You Oughta Know, Hand in My Pocket and Thank U remain as current as ever today.
In 2019, Jagged Little Pill The Musical made its Broadway debut and was nominated for 15 Tony Awards, winning two at the 2021 ceremony.
In 2021, Morissette’s sold-out world tour was the number one female-fronted tour of the year. Her 2024 North American Triple Moon Tour sold more than half a million tickets and packed every venue to capacity, followed by her sold-out 2025 UK tour and first ever Pyramid Stage set at Glastonbury.
The poster for Alanis Morissette’s July 5 gig at Scarborough Open Air Theatre
TK MAXX PRESENTS SCARBOROUGH OPEN AIR THEATRE 2026: the full line up
JUNE 5, Rick Astley and Lottery Winners
JUNE 6, Madness plus Hollie Cook and The Beat featuring Ranking Jnr
JUNE 12, Paul Weller
JUNE 18, The Kooks
JUNE 20, Skunk Anansie and Garbage
JUNE 21, Anastacia and Heather Small
JUNE 26, Pete Tong Ibiza Classics and Danny Rampling
JUNE 27, Richard Ashcroft, Tom Meighan and Apollo Junction
JUNE 28, Billy Ocean and Marti Pellow
JULY 2, Bowling For Soup and Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls
JULY 3, James Arthur
JULY 4, David Gray and The Divine Comedy
JULY 5, Alanis Morissette
JULY 6, Michael Bublé
JULY 10, Deacon Blue and Lightning Seeds
JULY 11, Bastille and Nectar Wood
JULY 17, Alex James’s Britpop Classical
JULY 18, CMAT
JULY 22, Teddy Swims and Jordan Rakei
JULY 23, Teddy Swims and Jordan Rakei
JULY 25, James Taylor & His All-Star Band
JULY 26, Tom Jones and Stone Foundation
AUGUST 1, The Streets
AUGUST 2, Sex Pistols, The Stranglers and The Undertones
AUGUST 8, Scissor Sisters
AUGUST 14, Holly Johnson, ABC and Heaven 17
AUGUST 15, Hollywood Vampires (featuring Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry) and The Damned
AUGUST 22, Nile Rodgers & CHIC and Brand New Heavies
Clarke Joseph-Edwards, left, Sarah Palmer, Benedict Hastings, Jane Crawshaw, Vinnie Monachello and Kaidyn Niall Hinds in Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show. Picture: James Watkins
LOVABLE big dog Hey Duggee is touring for the first time, bounding into York Theatre Royal from tomorrow to Sunday.
Best Family Show winner at the 2023 Olivier Awards,Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show features Duggee, the Squirrels and many more favourite characters from the CBeebies series.
Betty wants to make costumes, Happy wants to sing, Tag wants to make music, Norrie wants to dance, Roly wants jelly and they all want you to join them at the Clubhouse.
There is so much to do, but luckily Clubhouse leader Duggee has his theatre badge. Will you get yours too in a show full of puppetry and storytelling, fun, laughs, music, singing and dancing?
Produced by Cuffe & Taylorand Kenny Wax Family Entertainmentunder licence from BBC Studios, Hey Duggee – The Live Theatre Showwill be on stage in York tomorrow at 10.30am and 2pm; Friday, 1pm; Saturday, 10am, 1pm and 3.30pm, and Sunday, 10am and 1pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Here the stage show’s lead creatives, director Matthew Xia and his co-adaptor, musical supervisor and arranger Vikki Stone, discuss how they translated 156 episodes of the hit television series – 18 hours in all – into the all-new, 55-minute, interactive stage show for pre-schoolers.
Matthew Xia, director of Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show
“WHEN the producer, Kenny Wax, first approached me, he said: ‘I’m not sure if you’ve heard of Hey Duggee…’, and I said ‘it’s one of my favourites’,” recalls Matthew (artistic director of the Actors Touring Company, by the way).
“My daughter was born in 2014, the same year Hey Duggee started, so we’ve really grown up with the show.”
By contrast, Vikki had never seen a single episode. “I didn’t know Hey Duggee at all when I was approached. So, I spent a long time getting very closely acquainted with the show and now I love it!” she says.
“I very quickly got pulled into it and caught up in the world of Duggee, the Squirrels and their friends. It’s very funny and full of joy and laughs.
“And I very soon realised how special Hey Duggee is, that it sits in the realm of co-viewing; the adults are watching it with their children, not just putting it on to entertain them while they’re doing something else.”
How did they tackle creating Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show? “The first day, Matthew and I sat in an office and had our own lists of our favourite bits – and we had chosen a lot of the same things,” Vikki explains.
“Kenny had given us pretty much free rein,” says Matthew. “That also made the challenge even greater. Taking 156 episodes, each one seven minutes long, and turning them into a complete theatrical experience for children.
“Series one and two I knew really well – I’d seen those episodes a lot. Any parent knows what it’s like! So, I kind of knew where the hits were.
“We had to keep the big format of the show, you know – where the Narrator says to the Squirrels ‘Do you know what time it is?’. That’s the start of the adventure, and that had to be the same on stage.”
Matthew and Vikki have a wealth of experience between them as co-adaptors. As well as working in theatre, Matthew was known as DJ Excalibah and was in the original line-up on BBC Radio 1Xtra, as well as DJing for the London Paralympic Games opening ceremony.
Alongside her work as a composer and musician, Vikki is a stand-up comedian. She made history last year as the first female musical director of a house band on British television in more than 20 years with her appearance on ITV’s Romeo And Duet.
Matthew and Vikki have worked closely with the CBeebies show’s creator, Grant Orchard, and the rest of the team behind Hey Duggee at Studio AKA, to create the live experience.
“It has been really interesting working alongside the Hey Duggee TV team,” says Vikki. “Duggee is effectively Grant’s baby. They are new to theatre and are amazed at what we can do that TV can’t, or how we translate things from TV into a live setting.
“With the animated series, the script has to be locked in and cannot be altered from that point. The dialogue is recorded, and then it’s animated to fit. Whereas, in theatre it’s almost the opposite – we can tweak the script all the way through the process.”
What can fans of Hey Duggee expect from the live theatre show? “We had to think about what an audience member would want and expect to see from Hey Duggee on stage. Badges, songs, jokes, in-gags. It’s all there,” says Vikki.
Jane Crawshaw, left, Sarah Palmer, Kaidyn Niall Hinds, Clarke Joseph-Edwards, Vinnie Monachello and Benedict Hastings in Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show. Picture: James Watkins
“Essentially, we have created a big quest story,” adds Matthew. “The Narrator’s voice has been really important, it’s that big question setting up each episode: ‘Hey, Duggee, what are you doing?’.
“Without spoiling it, the Squirrels have never been to a show before, and they set out to learn about all the things that go into making a show and earn the relevant badges.
“We’ve brought in some of our favourite Hey Duggee stars to help the Squirrels – Mrs Weaver, Hennie and Chew Chew, who I can mention, as well as several more that I can’t…
“And the children and families in the audience are very much going to be part of the Squirrel gang. They will have important things to do!”
Some of the biggest moments in Hey Duggee have been marked by music. “We were spoilt for choice with the songs!” says Vikki. “I wanted to treat Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show as a musical, where the songs could move the story along – and the songs we’ve pulled from the TV series do that brilliantly.
“We’ve taken those songs, added harmonies and dance breaks, made them longer, done all the things which would make them work for stage rather than TV. And there is a brand-new song, unique to the stage show, which is just fantastic.”
Since the tour was first announced in June 2022, a further 13 venues – and more than 100 shows – have been added to the schedule, such is the popularity of the CBeebies show.
What makes Hey Duggee so popular, Matthew? “There are so many brilliant references in it, for the adults, and then this exceptionally strong look and style that’s so instantly recognisable,” he says.
“When adults enjoy a kids’ programme, that’s a very sweet spot to hit. Hey Duggee as a TV show is just so playful. It’s really non-judgemental in a most beautiful way – just as children are.”
Vikki adds: “There’s a lot of activity in the Duggee world that just exists, with the wonderfully subtle light touch. You know, Happy is a crocodile and his parents are elephants.
“You see that in the show’s titles, and straight from the off it is subtly stating that families come in all shapes. But there’s never any question or issue made of it.
“There’s so much social commentary within the show, but it all just ‘is’. The modes of transport that the Squirrels come to the Clubhouse in, where they travel from, it’s all there but without any fuss.
“The TV show is just so brilliantly inclusive, without being virtue signalling – and that’s a beautiful thing for children and families.”
Have they felt pressure in re-creating such a well-loved TV show? “I do feel slightly petrified of letting people down as Hey Duggee is such a very special TV programme,” says Matthew. “It’s a huge responsibility to take such well-known characters and to meet all the expectations.
“Added to that, for many of the children coming to Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show, it will be their first theatrical experience. How exciting is that? I can’t wait to see the children’s responses – that’s why I make theatre, to see the effect it has on audiences.
“The biggest thing I want to achieve, though, is that children leave the theatre and say ‘I can’t wait to go back’.”
Vikki Stone: Musiocal supervisor and arranger for Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show
Quickfire questions for Matthew Xia and Vikki Stone
What is your favourite Hey Duggee moment?
Matthew: “In The Super Squirrel Badge, the Squirrels are naming their superhero characters. Norrie says something like ‘Super Mouse’ or ‘Fast Mouse’, and the Squirrels all look to Roly, who doesn’t quite get it (as he often doesn’t), and say ‘What’s yours, Roly?’.
“He says ‘Roly’, and they say ‘No, you need a different name’. Roly punches the air and shouts ‘Steven’! It’s just so simple, so typical of the character, and so funny.”
Vikki: “I love eggs, so The Omelette Badge and The Egg Badge both really hit the mark for me. And you might find some reference to them in the stage show…”
Who is your favourite Hey Duggee character?
Matthew: “I love Roly. He’s a lot of fun, full of energy and slightly louder than everyone else.”
Vikki: “A lot of the secondary characters. Mrs Weaver, Hennie and Chew Chew are brilliant, so I’ve loved working them into the show. And then there are characters like Mr and Mr Crab just woven into it and existing with no commentary that they are two males.”
Which Hey Duggee character are you most like?
Matthew: “I’m torn between Roly and Betty. Roly reminds me of myself. At the same time, I can be quite like Betty too, in my introverted side, with my head in a book trying to understand the universe.”
Vikki: “Roly. I get easily excited and I like to shout.”
Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show also plays Leeds Grand Theatre, July 19 to 22, 10am and 1pm. Box office: 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
The sun always shines on a-ha in Scarborough in July
NORWEGIAN synth-pop trio a-ha will head to the East Coast on their 2022 World Tour to play Scarborough Open Air Theatre on July 3.
Forty years since forming in Oslo, vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist Pal Waaktaar-Savoy and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen will be playing Europe, the United States and South America in 2022.
a-ha made their breakthrough in 1985 with the chart-topping Take On Me and The Sun Always Shines On TV from debut album Hunting High And Low, since when they have released ten studio and two live albums, plus an MTV Unplugged album. Take On Me has been viewed 1.4 billion times on YouTube and repeatedly voted into MTV fans’ Top Ten Best Music Videos of all time.
a-ha The Documentary, a film that follows the Scandinavians over four years, will be released in British cinemas on May 27 to coincide with their series of UK arena shows.
a-ha: New album in October
The documentary charts a-ha’s rise to the peak of their popularity, portraying the challenging creative and personal dynamics of three strong individuals who achieved their dreams.
After their world tour, a-ha will not be taking time out. Instead, in October, they will release True North, their first collection of new songs since 2015’s I on their debut for Sony Music/RCA.
True North will be not only an album, but a film too, capturing a-ha while recording the songs over two early November 2021 days in Bodø, the Norwegian city located 25km inside the Arctic Circle, in a project completed with the Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic.
Venue programmer and promoter Peter Taylor, of Cuffe and Taylor, says: “a-ha are true pop pioneers, visionaries and one of the most loved bands of the last 40 years.
“Their 2022 tour sees them headline many huge venues, including the Hollywood Bowl, so we’re delighted to be bringing them to the UK’s very own iconic open-air arena, right here on the beautiful Yorkshire coast.”
Christina Aguilera: Follows Britney and Kylie in playing Scarborough Open Air Theatre
AMERICAN singer, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur Christina Aguilera, 41, will play Scarbrough OAT on August 2 as one of three UK shows this summer, with Liverpool and London to follow on August 3 and 5.
Promoter Peter Taylor says: “Christina Aguilera is a music superstar and true global icon and we’re absolutely thrilled she is coming to Scarborough this summer.
“Christina is only playing a handful of shows in the UK, so to bring her here is another major coup for Scarborough Open Air Theatre and the Yorkshire coast.
“First Britney [Spears], then Kylie [Minogue] and now Christina – three incredible women on the global stage – all headlining this special venue. Roll on August 2; this is going to be one of the must-see shows of the summer.”
More than 20 years after her self-titled debut album, New Yorker Aguilera has sold more than 43 million records worldwide, collected 18 million Spotify listens, received three billion YouTube views and achieved five American number one singles, making her the fourth female artist to top the charts over three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, and 2010s).
In 2010, Aguilera received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and she holds the honour of being the only artist under the age of 30 to be included in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.
Aguilera’s British dates follow the release of her single Pa Mis Muchachas, a much anticipated return to her Latin roots in a Spanish-language celebration of Latina sisterhood that features Latin music superstar Becky G, explosive Argentinian rising star Nicki Nicole and Spain-based songwriter and rapper Nathy Peluso. Expect to hear it alongside Dirrty, Ain’t No Other Man, Fighter and Genie In A Bottle on August 2.
Sam Fender: Opening concert of Scarborough Open Air Theatre’s 2022 programme
NORTH Shields singer-songwriter Sam Fender will travel down the East Coast to open Scarborough Open Air Theatre’s 2022 season on May 27 on his biggest ever UK Tour.
The double BRIT Award winner, who turns 28 next Monday, will be airing songs from his two chart-topping albums, last October’s Seventeen Going Under and his 2019 debut, Hypersonic Missiles.
This year he added the Brit Award for Best British Alternative/Rock Act to his 2019 Critics’ Choice Award.
Fender will follow his Scarborough concert with summer headline festival sets at Tramlines, Truck and Victorious and a London outdoor show at Finsbury Park.
Tickets for Scarborough OAT gigs are on sale at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
“It’s going to be wonderfully inspiring when people can go and see bands again. I can’t wait,” says Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall
SIMPLY Red will head back to Scarborough Open Air Theatre next summer for the first time since 2016.
Mick Hucknall’s pop-soul band will play on the East Coast on July 22, with tickets going on sale on Friday at 9am at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Looking forward to his stage return, Hucknall, 61, says: “I’ve spent most of my life going out and singing for people, so it feels strange not to have that. I miss being able to express myself. It’s going to be wonderfully inspiring when people can go and see bands again. I can’t wait.”
Simply Red have notched up more than a billion hits on You Tube and sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, five of them going to number one in the UK: A New Flame in 1989, Stars in 1991, Life in 1995, Greatest Hits in 1996 and Blue in 1998 .
All 12 Simply Red studio albums since 1985 debut Picture Book have made the British top ten; the latest, 2019’s Blue Eyed Soul, peaking at number six.
1991’s Stars was the best-selling album for two years running in Britain and Europe; Holding Back The Years and If You Don’t Know Me By Now both topped the US Billboard singles chart.
Simply Red: Mick Hucknall has retained the same line-up since 2003
Manchester-born Hucknall has been the songwriter and bandleader since Simply Red formed in 1985, working with the present line-up since 2003.
Simply Red join the ever-expanding diary of headliners at Scarborough OAT in 2022: Lionel Richie, Lewis Capaldi, Bryan Adams, Crowded House and Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
Peter Taylor, of venue programmers Cuffe and Taylor, says: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Simply Red back to Scarborough Open Air Theatre.
“Mick Hucknall is a music legend and he and his band sound as relevant and as fresh today as they did when Simply Red first burst into the public consciousness almost 40 years ago.
“We’ve had so many requests for them to return, so we are delighted to oblige and reveal they will be back at this special venue next summer.”
100 not out: Courteeners playing the landmark 100th show at the reopened Scarborough Open Air Theatre tonight. Picture: Cuffe and Taylor
COURTEENERS have the honour tonight of performing Scarborough Open Air Theatre’s 100th show since its 2010 reopening.
Supported by Wirral wonders The Coral, the Manchester band will perform under the East Coast setting sun in a week when fellow Mancunians James will play Britain’s largest purpose-built outdoor concert arena tomorrow and Snow Patrol on Friday.
More than 450,000 people have attended a concert at Scarborough OAT since Her Majesty The Queen re-opened the refurbished Scarborough Borough Council-owned venue in Burniston Road 11 years ago.
Headliners to grace the Scarborough stage include Elton John, Tom Jones, Lionel Richie, Kylie Minogue, Noel Gallagher, Dionne Warwick, Cliff Richard, The Beach Boys, George Benson, Bryan Adams, Michael Ball & Alfie Boe, Status Quo, Happy Mondays, Katherine Jenkins, Little Mix and Britney Spears.
After a pandemic-enforced fallow 2020, this year’s star-studded return has featured Stereophonics, Kaiser Chiefs, Culture Club, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Keane, Olly Murs, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro and Anne-Marie before concluding with Duran Duran’s sold-out finale on September 17.
Councillor Jim Grieve, Scarborough Borough Council’s cabinet member for quality of life, said: “Since reopening in 2010, Scarborough Open Air Theatre has established itself as the borough’s premier outdoor live music venue.
“Working with our partners, we’ve brought some of the biggest names in the music industry to the Yorkshire coast. This has boosted the area’s reputation for high- quality events and contributed millions of pounds to the local economy.
“As we reach the milestone of 100 shows at the theatre this week, we look forward to many more years of fantastic events to come.”
Scarborough Open Air Theatre venue manager Stuart Clark: Worked on 90 of the 100 shows since the 2010 reopening
Live music is programmed at Scarborough OAT by promoters Cuffe and Taylor, who are part of Live Nation and have a ten-year contract to deliver headline shows at the 8,000-capacity venue.
Venue programmer Peter Taylor said: “What a week we have in store here at Scarborough Open Air Theatre. Courteeners, James and Snow Patrol are three of the biggest names in British indie rock and to bring all three here in the same week is just fantastic. This really is going to be a week to remember.
“Cuffe and Taylor are so proud to have programmed live music at this wonderful venue since 2016, in which time we have brought many world-famous music icons to the Yorkshire coast. We absolutely love it and we cannot wait to add to the 100 big-name headliners in the years to come. Watch this space!”
Shows at Scarborough OAT attract thousands of visitors to the Yorkshire coast each summer and have created an estimated benefit to the borough of more than £25m in the past decade.
Cuffe and Taylor work hand in hand with the council-led team at Scarborough OAT. Venue manager Stuart Clark has worked on more than 90 of the 100 headline shows since 2010. “It’s a brilliant venue – a real jewel in the Yorkshire coast’s crown,” he said. “You only have to look at the calibre of artists who come here regularly to realise how well thought of Scarborough OAT is.
“It’s such a team effort to put these shows on and I cannot thank the incredible team here at the venue and Cuffe and Taylor enough. But, above all, we’d all like to thank the people of the borough and the Yorkshire coast for their incredible support of the venue down the years – and here’s to many more brilliant nights at the OAT.”
Tickets are still available for James and Snow Patrol at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com or on 01723 81811. Gates open at 6pm each night.
Mad about the Boy: Boy George lapping up the cheers at Culture Club’s August 14 concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre this summer . Picture: Cuffe and Taylor
Details of 100 Scarboroughian Nights
1. Gala Opening Night, 23/7/2010
2. 80’s Rewind Night, 31/7/2010
3. The Doves, 7/8/2010
4. N Dubz, 5/6/2011
5. Elton John, 21/6/2011
6. Musicport, 14/8/2011
7. Last Night Of The Proms, 28/8/2011
8. 80’s Rewind 2011, 2/9/2011
9. Dionne Warwick, 6/6/2012
10. John Barrowman, 21/6/2012
11. Olly Murs, 15/7/2012
12. Russell Watson, 4/8/2012
13. Big Night Out, 18/8/2012
14. JLS, 25/8/2012
15. Olly Murs, 6/6/2013
16. The Wanted, 13/6/2013
17. Happy Mondays, 22/6/2013
18. Leona Lewis, 12/7/2013
19. Status Quo, 27/7/2013
20. Katherine Jenkins, 3/8/2013
Ricky Wilson at Kaiser Chiefs’ gig at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on August 8 2021. Picture: Cuffe and Taylor
21. The Saturdays, 23/8/2013
22. McFly, 30/8/2013
23. Jessie J, 25/6/2014
24. McBusted, 27/6/2014
25. Last Night Of The Proms, 28/6/2014
26. Status Quo, 12/7/2014
27. Boyzone, 26/7/2014
28. Little Mix, 27.7/2014
29. Legends Of Pop 2014, 2/8/2014
30. Union J, 23/8/2014
31. James, 22/5/2015
32. Boyzone, 13/6/2015
33. The Vamps, 20/6/2015
34. Last Night Of The Proms with Alfie Boe, 27/6/2015
35. Jessie J, 10/7/2015
36. Elaine Paige and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 11/7/2015
37. McBusted, 18/7/2015
38. Tom Jones, 29/7/2015
39. Legends Of Pop, 1/8/2015
40. UB40, 14/8/2015
Nile Rodgers & Chic performing at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on August 20 2021. Picture: Cuffe and Taylor
41. Scouting For Girls, 30/8/2015
42. Will Young, 30/6/2016
43. Status Quo, 9/7/2016
44. James Bay, 12/7/2016
45. Wet Wet Wet, 30/7/2016
46. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, 3/8/2016
47. Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, 5/8/2016
48. Legends Of Pop 2016, 6/8/2016
49. Bryan Adams, 8/8/2016
50. Simply Red, 12/8/2016
51. Busted, 2/9/2016
52. The Beach Boys, 24/5/2017
53. Kaiser Chiefs, 27/5/2017
54. The Charlatans, 16/6/2017
55. The Jacksons, 17/6/2017
56. Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, 28/6/2017
57. Cliff Richard, 29/6/2017
58. UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro, 30/6/2017
59. George Benson, 1/7/2017
60. Tom Jones, 2/7/2017
Keane caught in torrential rain at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on August 21 2021. Picture: Cuffe and Taylor
61. Little Mix, 6/7/2017
62. Olly Murs, 9/7/2017
63. Madness, 3/8/2017
64. 80s v 90s, 5/8/2017
65. Jess Glynne, 11/8/2017
66. Lionel Richie, 19/6/2018
67. The Script, 21/6/2018
68. Gary Barlow, 22/6/2017
69. Nile Rodgers & Chic, 24/6/2018
70. Steps, 29/6/2018
71. Alfie Boe, 30/6/2018
72. Emeli Sande, 5/7/2018
73. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, 6/7/2018
74. Stereophonics, 19/7/2018
75. Pete Tong Ibiza Classics, 20/7/2018
76. Il Divo, 21/7/2018
77. James Arthur, 26/7/2018
78. Bastille, 28/7/2018
79. Texas, 11/8/2018
80. Britney Spears, 17/8/2018
Anne-Marie, arms outstretched, at Scarborough Open Air Theatre’s 99th show on August 29 2021. Picture: Cuffe and Taylor
81. James, 18/8/2018
82. Hacienda Classical, 8/6/2019
83. Biffy Clyro, 14/6/2019
84. Cliff Richard, 26/6/2019
85. Years And Years, 18/7/2019
86. Madness, 19/7/2019
87. Lewis Capaldi, 20/7/2019
88. Jess Glynne, 21/7/2019
89. Kylie Minogue, 1/8/2019
90. Lewis Capaldi, 30/8/2019
91. Queen Machine, 31/8/2019
92. Stereophonics, 28/7/2021
93. Kaiser Chiefs, 8/8/2021
94. Culture Club, 14/8/2021
95. Nile Rodgers & Chic, 20/8/2021
96. Keane, 21/8/2021
97. Olly Murs, 27/8/2021
98. UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro, 28/9/2021
99. Anne-Marie, 29/8/2021
100. Courteeners, 8/9/2021
Courteeners’ Liam Fray leading tonight’s 100th concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre. Picture: Cuffe and Taylor
Clubbing together: Culture Club founder members Boy George, Roy Hay and Mikey Craig will perform at Scarborough Open Air Theatre this summer
BOY George and Culture Club are off to the Yorkshire seaside to play Scarborough Open Air Theatre on August 14.
Bexleyheath-born frontman and fashion innovator George O’Dowd, who turns 60 on June 14, will perform alongside original band members Roy Hay and Mikey Craig in a “stunning live band”.
Tickets go on sale for the 8,000-capacity show via scarboroughopenairtheatre.com on Friday (21/5/2021) at 9am.
Since their inception in 1981, Culture Club have sold more than 150 million records worldwide, clocking up such hits as Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, fellow chart topper Karma Chameleon, I’ll Tumble 4 Ya, Time (Clock Of The Heart), Church Of The Poison Mind, Victims, It’s A Miracle, The War Song, Move Away and I Just Wanna Be Loved.
Poster Boy: Boy George fronts the artwork for Culture Club’s August 14 concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre
In 1984, Culture Club picked up the Grammy Award for Best New Artists and the BRIT Awards for Best British Group and Best British Single.
Boy George’s New Romantic luminaries became the first group since The Beatles to have three top ten hits in the United States from a debut album (1982’s Kissing To Be Clever).
Scarborough Open Air Theatre (OAT) venue programmer Peter Taylor, of promoters Cuffe & Taylor, says: “I’ve wanted to bring Boy George and Culture Club to Scarborough OAT for some time, so I’m delighted we’ve been able to make this happen for this summer.
“George remains one of the most colourful and iconic pop stars in British history, a true music star around the world. Culture Club’s live shows are a true spectacle and this is going to be a really special night.”
For full details of Scarborough OAT’s summer season, go to scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
The poster for James’s return to Scarborough Open Air Theatre in September
WHERE better for James to announce a summer show on the day they release new single Beautiful Beaches than at Scarborough Open Air Theatre?
The Manchester legends will play on the East Coast on Thursday, September 9 in the wake of launching their new album, All The Colours Of You, on June 4. Tickets will go on sale on Friday (23/4/2021) at 9am at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
This will be the third that James, led by Clifford-born Tim Booth, have played Scarborough OAT after shows on May 22 2015 in the venue’s hindersome moat days and post-moat redesign on August 18 2018.
Bassist Jim Glennie says: “We always have a great night there – even back in the days when you had to cross the old moat to get to the audience! We’re looking forward to another very special night on the Yorkshire coast.”
“After all these years, we are still challenging ourselves and our fans,” says bassist Jim Glennie of James’s new album. “Enjoy.”
Peter Taylor, venue programmer for Scarborough OAT promoters Cuffe and Taylor, says: “We are absolutely delighted James are returning here this summer. They continue to be one of the UK’s most relevant and influential bands – pioneers of the Manchester music scene since the 1980s – and a must-see live act. Roll on September 9. It’s going to be an amazing night.”
New single Beautiful Beaches was written by Tim Booth in response to climate change migrations and the subsequent increasingly regular Californian fires bringing devastation to the community where he lived before moving to Costa Rica.
All The Colours Of You, James’ “sweet 16th” studio album, follows last December’s release of Live In Extraordinary Times, a double-CD and DVD concert recording built around their last studio album, 2018’s Living In Extraordinary Times.
Recorded in part before the Covid pandemic struck, All The Colours Of You was produced by Booth’s neighbour in Topanga Canyon, the Grammy award-winning Jacknife Lee, who has worked previously with U2, REM, Taylor Swift, Snow Patrol and The Killers.
Surfing in Scarborough? How can Tim Booth resist on September 9?
On production duties with James for the first time, Lee has bought a fresh approach to their sound, working remotely from his studio as he liaised with Booth and Glennie, reimagining, deconstructing and reassembling their demos and capturing a band in all their virtual glory.
Reflecting on the album’s creation, Booth says: “With all the s**t that went down in 2020, this was a miraculous conception and another big jump forward for us on the back of the last three albums. I hope it reflects the colours of these crazy times. Sweet sixteen is a proper album, no fillers and is up there with our best. With love, Tim.”
Glennie is pleased, proud and surprised by the record in equal measure. “Jacknife has pushed us and the songs somewhere new and it’s very exciting,” he says. “After all these years, we are still challenging ourselves and our fans. Enjoy.”
The track listing on James’s first album on Virgin Music will be: ZERO; All The Colours Of You; Recover; Beautiful Beaches; Wherever It Takes Us; Hush; Miss America; Getting Myself Into; Magic Bus; Isabella and XYST.
The artwork for James’s “sweet 16th” studio album, All The Colours Of You, out on June 4
Looking ahead, James will open their seven-date 2021 tour at Leeds First Direct Arena on November 25, supported by fellow Manchester maverick institution Happy Mondays. “Soo looking forward to seeing you,” said Booth, when announcing the gigs last November on Twitter and at wearejames.com.
“We’re playing with the brilliant Happy Mondays. Last played with them in 1988, hopefully this time they won’t steal our rider or try and spike my drink…”
The tour has sold faster than any previous James tour, chalking up 60,000 ticket sales for shows in Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester and London. Remaining tickets are available at: https://wearejames.com/live/
In the summer, James will play a second North Yorkshire outdoor gig, headlining the Saturday bill at Deer Shed Festival 11, confirmed to run from July 30 to August 1 at Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, near Thirsk.
STEREOPHONICS are to return to the Yorkshire coast this summer for a July 28 concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre.
Kelly Jones’s Welsh four-piece last played Britain’s largest outdoor concert arena on a sold-out July 19 2018. Tickets go on sale via ticketmaster.co.uk at 9am on Friday, April 2.
Promoter Peter Taylor, of Scarborough OAT programmers Cuffe and Taylor, says: “Stereophonics’ show here in 2018 has to go down as one of the best-ever at the venue. Fans have been demanding their return ever since; we are absolutely delighted to be welcoming them back this summer for what is going to be another legendary night.”
Formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales, Stereophonics have accrued seven number one albums, the latest being their 11th studio set, Kind, in 2019. Twenty-five Top 40 singles have been chalked up too, making the summit in 2004 with Dakota.
Kind added the likes of Fly Like An Eagle, Bust This Town, Don’t Let The Devil Take Another Day and Hungover For You to a back catalogue of such Jones gems as Local Boy In The Photograph, The Bartender And The Thief, Just Looking, Dakota, Have A Nice Day, Pick A Part That’s New, Maybe Tomorrow, Mr Writer and It Means Nothing.
At Scarborough OAT, founding members Kelly Jones, vocals and guitar, and Richard Jones, bass, will perform alongside Adam Zindani, guitar, Jamie Morrison, drums, and long-term touring keyboardist Tony Kirkham.
Jones last played a North Yorkshire gig at York Barbican in September 2019, introducing songs from Kind ahead of its October release on the Don’t Let The Devil Take Another Day tour. In Jones’s words at the time, “this tour is about overcoming things and moving on from obstacles and building strength from that”. Kind duly ascended to number one.
Kelly Jones playing York Barbican in September 2019. Picture: Simon Bartle
Anne-Marie: Scarborough Open Air Theatre debut this summer
ANNE-MARIE will head to the Yorkshire coast on August 29 for a headline concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre.
The chart-topping Essex singer-songwriter will be joined at her Sunday show that August Bank Holiday weekend by Hrvy and Gracey. Tickets will go on general sale at 9am on Friday, April 2 via ticketmaster.co.uk.
Nine-time BRIT Award nominee Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson, from East Tilbury, near Thurrock, is a former West End child star who has notched four UK top ten singles and 4.5 billion global streams.
Her 2016 breakthrough, Alarm, has been followed by further lead-artist hits Ciao Adios and Friends, with Marshmello, in 2017; 2002, with Ed Sheeran, and Rewrite The Stars, with James Arthur, in 2018, Birthday in 2020 and Don’t Play, a number two success with KSI and Digital this year.
Hrvy: Singing Holiday in Scarborough over August Bank Holiday weekend
Anne-Marie, who will turn 30 on April 7, has been a featured artist, alongside Sean Paul, on Clean Bandit’s 2016 number one, Rockabye; Artists For Grenfell’s 2017 number one, Bridge Over Troubled Water; David Guetta’s Don’t Leave Me Alone in 2018, Live Lounge Allstars’ 2019 chart-topper Times Like These and Rudimental’s Come Over in 2020.
On March 20, millions tuned in to witness Anne-Marie’s debut Grand Final win on ITV’s The Voice UK as she mentored Scotsman Craig Eddie to victory.
Further buoyed last year by his cheeky-chappie performances with Janette Manrara on Strictly Come Dancing, Hrvy already had progressed from singing in his bedroom to signing his first record deal at 15 and achieving hits with Holiday, Phobia, Personal, Me Because Of You and Good Vibes.
After two sell-out British and European tours, Hrvy – real name Harvey Leigh Cantwell – has signed a new global record deal at 22 with BMG.
Gracey: Supporting Anne-Marie at Scarborough Open Air Theatre
Gracey, a platinum-selling songwriter since the age of 16, has written for Rita Ora, Olly Murs and Kylie Minogue and had a top ten smash with Don’t Need Love, her 2020 collaboration with 220 Kid.
Gracey – 23-year-old Grace Barker from Brighton – has since released Empty Love, a collaboration with Australian singer Ruel, and her second EP, The Art Of Closure.
Peter Taylor, of Scarborough Open Air Theatre (OAT) promoters, says: “We are absolutely delighted to announce a headline show this summer with Anne-Marie, supported by Hrvy and Gracey.
“Anne-Marie has had hits around the world, and we’ve had so many requests to bring her here to Scarborough OAT. This is not only going to be a very popular announcement but one of the must-see shows of the summer.”
UB40, featuring Ali Campbell & Astro: New date for Scarborough show
UB40, featuring Ali Campbell & Astro, is the first concert of the Scarborough Open Air Theatre summer season to be rearranged after the Government’s roadmap roll-out.
The Birmingham reggae-pop stalwarts will play on August 28, switched from June 19, with tickets remaining valid.
Promoters Cuffe & Taylor say: “We now have a roadmap for live shows to return and we cannot wait to welcome audiences back to Scarborough OAT this summer. However, due to new Government guidelines, a number of shows scheduled to take place before June 21 will need to be rescheduled.
“Rest assured we are working with artists to find alternative dates for these shows, so please bear with us and we will announce further details very soon. Take care and stay safe x.”
Should pandemic lockdown-easement measures be lifted fully on June 21, the other concerts now in need of a new date are Crowded House on June 8; Lionel Richie, June 12; The Beach Boys, June 13 and RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World, June 20.
In the Scarborough OAT diary for this summer too are Bryan Adams on July 1; Snow Patrol, July 3; Duran Duran, July 7; Keane, July 9; Olly Murs, July 10; Kaiser Chiefs, July 11; Lewis Capaldi, July 25; Westlife, August 17, and Nile Rodgers & Chic August 20.
UB40 founding members Campbell and Astro, re-united seven years ago and will play with a seven-piece band on their second visit to the Yorkshire coast, following their 2017 debut.
They have been active during the pandemic-enforced hiatus, writing songs for their forthcoming album and reassembling their touring band remotely to record a lockdown single, a poignant cover of the late Bill Withers’ Lean On Me, in aid of NHS Charities Together.
Campbell and Astro will return to the road in 2021 with bassist Colin McNeish, guitarist Winston Delandro, keyboardist Michael Martin, drummer Paul Slowly, backing singer Matt Hoy and a brass section of trumpeter Colin Graham and saxophonist Winston Rose.
A handful of new songs will complement multiple UB40 classics, notably King, a hymn to the legacy of American Civil Rights leader Dr Martin Luther King and One In Ten, a paean to the rising tide of unemployment in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, both as resonant today as they were when first sung in 1980 and 1981.
Campbell says: “We wrote King 40 years ago, but it’s still representative of what’s happening in America. It’s depressing that nothing has changed. It’s the same with One In Ten in the UK. With the impact the Coronavirus could have on jobs, we could soon be looking at unemployment figures on a par with the early Eighties.”
Campbell adds: “Those songs will feature in a show we’ve been honing for the past 12 years. We’ll always play the classics, like Red Red Wine and (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You, but we like to change the beginning and end of the show.
“We’ll play Lean On Me and maybe add three or four new songs. The band members are all fantastic musicians and we’ve climbed back up to the biggest venues.”
Tickets for the Scarborough OAT season are on sale at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
