York Theatre To Host Bold New Adaptation Of The Great Gatsby By Local Company
From the 14th to 16th May, Theatre@41 in York will host a brand-new production of The Great Gatsby, performed by local repertory company Pop Yer Clogs Theatre.
Ne-Yo And Akon - Having The Time Of Their Lives In Leeds
The idea of having two artists tour together with each taking turns on stage is not an entirely new one: Paul Simon and Sting pulled it off together on tour many years ago. Whilst their own music might have been entirely different from each other, the pairing of Ne-Yo and Akon is a good one – both come from the same pop, soul and R&B backgrounds.
Classical Music: Mahler: Symphony No. 5
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Runnicles confidently judges the pace from the stark severity of the opening Trauermarsch, which features well-phrased trumpet solos. Runnicles is a conductor who paints in broad strokes without sacrificing detail, and each section of the orchestra phrases with evident care. The drama is conveyed with real conviction, and he shifts mood with the kind of assurance that comes from long acquaintance with this music.
Louis Tomlinson Takes A New Direction In Leeds
As the former One Direction singer, Louis Tomlinson took to the stage at Leeds First Direct Arena; the confetti cannons exploded in a sea of yellow as he, along with the rest of the band, arrived on stage to perform Lemonade – a track from his latest album, How Did We Get Here. That is a question which finding the answer to is not that easy.
Olivia Dean Sparkles In Manchester
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For anyone wishing to know the current health of British soul and pop music, then they need to look no further than the Olivia Dean tour to discover that everything is in top shape. Jalen Ngonda provided the ideal match to open for Dean on the second of two sold-out nights at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.
Kirk Brandon Chats About Spear of Destiny's New Album Janus
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Having spent the tail end of 2024 revisiting classic 80s works on tour with The Skids, 2025 & 2026 are the years of Janus for Spear of Destiny.
Longlist For Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year 2026
Harrogate International Festivals today announced the 18 titles longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2026, the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime fiction award, now in its twenty second year.
Britain’s Favourite Clarinettist Heads To Northern Aldborough Festival
Almost ten years since her last appearance in Aldborough, the famed clarinettist Emma Johnson MBE is making a much-anticipated return with her star-studded trio. Described by The Times as ‘Britain's favourite clarinettist’, Emma Johnson is one of the few clarinet players to have made a career as a soloist.
The Red Shoes: When Love And Obsession Step Out Of Kilter
The catastrophic cost of a wrong decision sends a beautiful dancer - with everything to live - for spiralling to her nemesis. While we know the plot is heartbreaking, it is the compelling manner in which it agonisingly plays out step-by-step that renders Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes a masterpiece of storytelling.
Settle Orchestra Seeks New Leader To Shape Next Chapter Of Musical Excellence
Settle Orchestra has announced an exciting opportunity for an accomplished violinist to take on the role of Orchestra Leader from September 2027, as the current postholder prepares to step down after many years of dedicated service.
Spellbound Alex Warren
Alex Warren has had a phenomenal couple of years. The former viral TikTok icon made an initial move towards a career in music back in 2021; however, while achieving international chart success with several of his singles, it was not until 2025's Ordinary that he hit the stratosphere.
Blue - Still In The Pink In York
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Twenty-five years ago Blue arrived onto the music world by becoming one of the biggest pop bands of the new millennium. Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan, Duncan James and Antony Costa were seldom out of the charts with songs that became the soundtrack to the young lives of their fans.
York Opera Celebrate Tits 60th Anniversary With Die Fledermaus
2026 marks a big year for York Opera as they celebrate both their 60th anniversary, and 40 years since their first appearance at York Theatre Royal.
Albums: Zayn’s KONNAKOL
There’s something refreshing about how he leans into his influences here. The album threads together R&B, pop, and rhythmic ideas inspired by South Asian traditions with a light, curious touch. Rather than presenting these elements as statements, he lets them breathe—subtle vocal flourishes, intricate phrasing, and layered harmonies that echo a wider musical heritage without feeling forced. It’s playful in its exploration, as if he’s rediscovering sounds he’s always carried with him.
Albums: Dames Brown - Take Me As I Am
Dames Brown is a three-piece Detroit powerhouse vocal group who bring their version of funk, soul and gospel to the masses on this, their debut album.
Manchester Must Dance - Mike Pickering
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As the resident DJ at the famed Hacienda in Manchester, Mike Pickering was there at the forefront of the euphoria of the acid house and dance movements. In his informative and compelling new book,Manchester Must Dance he tells the story of his time at the legendary club and life afterwards when he formed the soul and pop act M People.
Classical Music: Mendelssohn Works For Solo Piano, Vol. 3
The Piano Sonata in E major, Op. 6, is virtuosic brilliance of the most demanding sort, bristling with technical complexities that do not for a moment faze Donohoe. The performance is spotless. And then, after all that brilliance, Mendelssohn has a surprise in store: once Donohoe has taken us energetically through the finale, the music returns to the opening allegretto con espressione of the first movement, framing the sonata with quite the loveliest of endings — beautifully captured here by a pianist whose interpretative depth is by now second nature.
Classical Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams Rise, Heart
Founded under the auspices of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society, the label has built a catalogue that consistently rescues, restores and reilluminates corners of the RVW repertoire that the bigger labels have long overlooked. Rise, Heart is another exemplary addition to that enterprise and one of the most rewarding Vaughan Williams discs of recent memory.
The premise is characteristically thoughtful: every track here is a first recording of the work in the version presented. At its centre stands the Five Mystical Songs, those luminous settings of George Herbert first heard in 1911, given in Vaughan Williams's own arrangement for voice, piano and string quintet, made around 1925 and seldom performed.
Sari Schorr Set To Premiere Her New Studio Album ‘Running Wild’ In Full During Headline UK 2026 Tour
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US chart-topping American singer-songwriter Sari Schorr is returning to UK stages to perform twelve headline shows in April and May – and has announced that she will premiere her eagerly anticipated new studio album across the UK dates. Sari has been working across multiple albums, with Running Wild—set for release later in 2026. The album is regarded as her most ambitious to date.
London Concertante Presents: Two Candlelit Concerts At Leeds Minster
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This spring and summer, London Concertante brings two candlelit concerts to Leeds Minster, offering audiences the chance to experience four distinct programmes across the season in one of Yorkshire’s most historic spaces.
The RPO Celebrates 80 Years Of Music-Making
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) has announced its London season for 2026–27, celebrating 80-years of music-making in the capital.
Shed Seven Announce Autumn Tour
Following a huge run of success that has seen them secure two UK Number 1 albums in 2024 with A Matter Of Time and Liquid Gold, and as they celebrate 30 years of A Maximum High and their defining anthem Chasing Rainbows, Shed Seven have announced. the return of their iconic winter tour, Shedcember X, spanning multiple dates across the UK this November and December.
Rick Astley At Manchester's Co-Op Arena
Nearly 40 years since his debut single, Never Gonna Give You Up, catapulted him from drummer turned studio 'tea boy' into a #1 charting international pop star, Rick Astley is the first act to ever return to headline a show at the UK's largest indoor arena, Manchester's Co-Op Arena.
Albums: Jessie Ware Superbloom
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There’s also a sense of lived-in joy running through the album. Snippets of everyday life and understated details give it a human touch, grounding the polished production in something real. It makes the listening experience feel less like a performance and more like an invitation into her world.
Albums: T'Pau Be Wonderful
Rather than revisiting past glories, T’Pau has created something that feels relevant in 2026. It’s an album that respects their legacy while refusing to be confined by it.
Eurovision26: Monroe
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With five wins under their belt, France is pretty high up on the leaderboard of Eurovision winners. However, their last win was nearly 50 years ago – when, in 1977, Marie Maryam took home the trophy for the iconic L'Oiseau et l'Enfant.
Fast Money Music
Fast Money Music is the guest-packed, nostalgic hit from the alias of Nick Hinman. Written across a decade, Fast Money Music explores longing, identity, rejection, and, above all, how timing is everything. "It’s part novel, part autobiography, part love story, part tragedy, and part comedy: life on life’s terms" says Nick.
The Danger Of Secrets: A Dark Death By Alice Fitzpatrick
A cosy crime, this novel is set on a suitably isolated, fictitious Welsh island which is inhabited by a close-knit population who look out for each other and don’t seek publicity.
Albums: Skindred - You Got This
Whilst in the past Skindred have sometimes been seen as the perfect festival band to get the crowd energised, You Got This sees the band come firmly into the spotlight with a set of songs that takes the band up into a higher league.
Classical Music: Arvo Pärt: The Complete Symphonies
Chandos has performed a genuine service in assembling all four of Arvo Pärt's symphonies on a single disc. Complete recordings of Pärt's symphonies are rare, and the works themselves bear little relationship to one another, each representing a distinct phase of a restless and searching creative life.