New Year, New Music: Stereoboard's Pick Of 2019's Best Gigs
Wednesday, 06 February 2019
Written by Helen Payne
A brand new year has rolled around, January is finally behind us and with a new month comes a huge number of opportunities to shuffle your feet on down to a gig. Get that ugly diary your nan got you for Christmas out from the back of the cupboard, it’s time to pencil in some of the best gigs to look forward to in 2019.
Think you want cheesy pop? Prefer something more alternative? For the rest of 2019 we’ve utilised the powers that be to collate the biggest artist playing the UK that month, and one act that may have slipped under the radar. So, if you’ll pardon the cliche, there really is something for everyone.
One of the most popular hip hop artists in the charts, one of our top selling artists of the year and the subject of many a meme, Post Malone’s name is on everyone’s lips. He’s got a handful of arena tour dates scheduled for February and March, following which he'll return to the UK this summer for his headline slots at Reading and Leeds. Bring your Beerbongs and Bentleys.
This is a name you won't be able to escape in 2019. The American alt-pop singer has already begun to make a name for herself in the US and is sure to make just as much of an impact on the UK crowds when she heads across the pond in February and March. Expect to hear songs from her debut album, 'When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?', which is due out on March 29.
Also on this month: Catfish and the Bottlemen, Steely Dan, Hayley Kiyoko, Brian Fallon, Massive Attack, John Grant, Jungle, Bastille, Ian Sweet, Anna Calvi, Sleaford Mods, Frank Carter, Chvrches, Joy Formidable, International Teachers Of Pop, Steve Aoki, Andy Burrows, Mayday Parade, Petal, The Orielles, Blue Oyster Cult, Ward Thomas, Peter Doherty and more.
Drizzy will bring his Assassination Vacation Tour to the UK and Europe this spring, touching down in Manchester, Paris, Dublin, Birmingham, London, Antwerp and Amsterdam. God’s Plan? It’s this.
Rebecca Lucy Taylor used to be in a folk band called Slow Club, whereas her solo project is more of an alt-pop inclination. It. Is. Fire. She'll release her debut album under the moniker, 'Compliments Please', on March 1 and hit the road soon after. Do not miss this tour!
Also on this month: Childish Gambino, George Ezra, Panic at the Disco, Maribou State, Idles,Twenty One Pilots, Nicki Minaj, Fredo, James, Gerry Cinnamon, Noname, AJ Tracey, Gerry Cinnamon, The Script, Jason Mraz, Alfie Boe, Sleaford Mods, Ibibio Sound Machine, Embrace, Hayseed Dixie, Octavian, Maribou State, Dodie, Freya Ridings, The Wailers, Sports Team, Gipsy Kings, Sharon Van Etten, The Stranglers, Lady Bird and more.
“Now that I'm without Shawn tickets, I'll be needing stitches…” Those are the lyrics, right? Mendes catapulted into the spotlight with his hit single Stitches back in 2015, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in the UK. His latest output was a self titled bow in 2018 and he'll support with a massive world tour throughout 2019, which includes UK arena stops in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Dublin and London.
Fresh from the surprise release of ‘Assume Form’ in January, Blake is already in the running for one of the best albums of the year. With collabs including Travis Scott, André 3000, Metro Boomin, Moses Sumney, and ROSALÍA, I wonder who’ll be in attendance for his handful of UK live shows in April? Find out by grabbing yourself some tickets.
Also on this month: Kid Ink, Tom Walker, Papa Roach, Robyn, GIRLI, Orchards, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, UB40, Fontaines DC, Nilufer Yanya, Stella Donnelly, VANT, Franc Moody, and more.
Mariah Carey is set to bring her Caution World Tour to the UK and Europe. The trek shares its name with the pop superstar's new album, which dropped in November.
Following the North American leg of the tour, which includes dates during February, March and April, Carey will call at Dublin's 3Arena on May 22 before heading to London for a three night residency at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. She will continue the tour in Europe, calling in Paris, Hamburg, Aalborg, Barcelona, Bordeaux and Amsterdam between June 1 and 13.
“No, I’m not really into rap.” Fair enough, but you’ll definitely enjoy this guy. His bars are so smooth, listening to his music is like having a chat with a mate over a glass of red on a summer evening. The UK and Ireland tour is in extremely high demand so grab tickets where you can.
Also on this month: Michael Bublé, Olly Murs, Sam Fender, Rita Ora, Manic Street Preachers, Catfish And The Bottlemen, Bring Me The Horizon, The Vamps, Boyce Avenue, The Specials, Wu Tang Clan, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Mark Knopfler, Newton Faulkner, Eric Clapton, Dido, Matthew And The Atlas, The Wildhearts, Dermot Kennedy, Flamingods, Soak, J Mascis, Rod Stewart, Robyn Hitchcock and more.
Tell me what you want, what you really really want! If you really want a Spice Girls tour (which obviously you do), you’re in luck. The girls — Mel B, Mel C, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton, are reuniting for a huge stadium tour across the UK and Ireland, with support from none other than Jess Glynne. Zig-a-zih-ah!
What a success All Points East had last year. The inaugural edition of the festival saw LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, the XX, the National and Nick Cave headline — and it was SICK. Bon Iver has been announced as a headliner for the sophomore outing. He’ll be joined by Mac DeMarco, First Aid Kit, John Grant, the Tallest Man On Earth, Julien Baker, Snail Mail, and KOKOKO!. Tell me that’s not a dream line up!?
Also on the bill to headline the rest of the festival are the Strokes, Hot Chip, the Chemical Brothers, Christine and the Queens, and Bring Me The Horizon. See you at the front!
Also on this month: Pink, Westlife, Take That, Muse, Taking Back Sunday, Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, The Eagles, Metallica, Billy Joel, Nile Rodgers and CHIC,Tears For Fears, Backstreet Boys, Foals, Paul Weller, Anne Marie, Craig David, Cliff Richard, Bristol Sounds, Noel Gallagher, Il Divo, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tash Sultana, Beach Boys, Weezer, Bryan Ferry, Gladys Knight, Stray Cats and more.
A woman who needs no introduction. If it was love at first sight for you and Kylie, then you should be so lucky to get tickets to one of her summer UK shows. After all, we just can’t get her out of our heads.
Channelling major Prince vibes, this funky pop vocalist is well worth a listen. She dropped ‘Dirty Computer’ in 2018, and we’ve played nothing else since. Monáe has announced a trio of massive shows in London, Manchester and Dublin for the summer, following her headline slot on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury. You can’t afford to miss out.
Also on this month: Jess Glynne, Stereophonics, Bros, Madness, The Who, Bob Dylan and Neil Young at BST, Kiss, Robbie Williams, Tom Jones, Rammstein, Florence and the Machine, and more.
Of course, it’s little ol’ Ed, and, unlike England in the world cup last year, he’s coming home. The singer-songwriter's got shows planned in his home county of Suffolk and Leeds, near to where he was born.
At one point Ed held nine spots in the top 10 of the charts — so was basically the most popular guy in the world for a time — but amazingly tickets for these shows haven’t sold out yet. There’s definitely still time to nab yourself a seat at one of the biggest shows of the year.
...is the best. Full stop. Upon the announcement of this year’s line up — say hello to Four Tet, Idles, Sharon Van Etten, and Father John Misty at the top of the bill — tickets flew off the shelves, as they do every year. People are eager to head on down to the epic surroundings of the Black Mountains deep in the Brecon Beacons.
Last year the women on the Walled Garden Stage — Haley Heynderickx, Lucy Dacus, Stella Donnelly, Phoebe Bridgers et al — stole the show. Will 2019, the 17th edition of the lovely festival, be a cracker too? There’s only one way to find out.
Also on this month: Foo Fighters, The Cure, Bristol Sounds, Boardmasters, Green Man, ArcTanGent, James, Craig David, Belfast Vital, Reading And Leeds, Creamfields, Madness, Reef, Jess Glynne, the Human League, Victorious Festival, South West Four and more.
This dangerous woman is bringing her Sweetener Word Tour to the UK, and we cannot wait. An R&B pop singer that’s come a long way since her Nickelodeon days, she’s now topping charts, while still finding time to buy matching diamonds for all her mates. She can easily fill up an arena, and we’ll be in the front row. Thank U Ari, Next?
YAAASSSSS QUEENS! THE Bianca Del Rio started her drag career in 1996, rising to fame after winning RuPaul's Drag Race in 2013. She’s currently headlining tours of her own across the world — the latest being It’s Jester Joke, which will head to arenas and theatres across the UK and Ireland. It includes an unprecedented date at the SSE Arena Wembley in London on September 21 - the biggest ever solo drag show in the UK.
Also on this month: Boyzlife, Still Game, Belinda Carlisle, Aled Jones and Russell Watson, Count Arthur Strong, Romesh Ranganathan, Brydon Mack and Mitchell, Les McKeown’s Bay and more.
If you’re in need of a Little Mix fix, look no further. The gals — Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall —who won X Factor seven years ago (where does the time go?!), are supporting their huge new album, ‘LM5’, with a massive tour of the UK and Ireland. Grab a ticket to witness the girl group of the decade.
Finnish alt-rock band the Rasmus will celebrate their seminal album 'Dead Letters' at UK shows in autumn 2019. The band will perform the 2003 milestone record, which spawned the worldwide smash hit In The Shadows, in its entirety around the UK and Europe.
Also on this month: Cher, Dermot Kennedy, Al Stewart, Coco And The Butterfields, Chris De Burgh Jimmy Carr, Ben Elton, Eddie Izzard, Diversity, James Acaster, Ry X, Kevin Bloody Wilson, Paul Foot, Andrea Bocelli, Saxon, the Drifters, Royal Republic, Jools Holland, Lisa Stansfield, Midge Ure, Chris De Burgh, You Win Again, Angie Stone, the Australian Pink Floyd Show, The Smyths and more.
Did you know that A-ha are from Norway? Did you know Take On Me hit number 1 in 12 countries? Did you know it takes approximately 94 minutes of playing different songs to get that synth line out of your head? No? Fear not, practice that high note and make sure to catch the band this year when they hit the UK and Ireland in October and November.
The Chemical Brothers are a force to be reckoned with, what with their ninth studio album, 'No Geography', set for release on April 12. It follows up 2015's 'Born In The Echoes', and already features the anthemic rave singles MAH and Free Yourself — both absolute bangers. Catch them live at arenas around the UK later this year.
Also on this month: Sam Fender, Halestorm, Anne Marie, Circa Waves, Jonathan Pie, Nine Below Zero, Josh Widdicombe, Squeeze, The Selecter, Tim Minchin(oct - nov), Marillion, Dr Hook, Camille O’Sullivan, Steve Hackett, Ardal O’Hanlon, Rob Beckett, Sarah Brightman,Celtic Woman, Lacuna Coil, Hot Water Music, Electric Six, Halestorm, Hawkwind and more.
The man. The myth. The legend. Still going strong at the grand old age of 74, Rod Stewart hosts one of the biggest tours of the year, stretching right the way through from May until December. You’ll be sailing your way to the front row after securing your tickets, and singing along to those ‘70s and ‘80s hits.
Following a string of huge outdoor summer shows, the dance DJ will present a new show packed full of Ibiza house classics — but there’s a twist. These tracks from your clubbing days will be reshaped by the 60-piece Heritage Orchestra, singers, and synths, who will all be directed by conductor Jules Buckley. Get ready to rave, or sit down quietly, or whatever one does at a classical music concert. Bit of both?
Also on this month: Jingle Bell Ball, From The Jam, Mrs Browns Boys, Dr Feelgood, Devin Townsend and more.
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