Star-studded line-up to play special shows on 'United By Music' Tour
150 gigs will take place
Artists including Sam Ryder, Cat Burns and Bloc Party will play special one-off gigs as part of The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust's 'United By Music' Tour.
The tour will see the Music Venue Trust stage 150 gigs at 130 venues across the UK in support of the grassroots music sector. The £1.5m grassroots music legacy is the largest initiative announced so far for Eurovision 2023, as it provides support to live music venues and continues the celebration of Eurovision.
Tickets for the events will go on sale at 10am on 30th June and will be 2 for 1 for National Lottery players. More than 20 artists will take part in the national tour, which commenced this week with Amber Run's first performance in Norwich.
'Space Man' hitmaker and Eurovision 2022 representative Sam Ryder is set to perform at Southend venue Chinnerys on 8th September. Speaking about taking part in the tour, Sam said: "These are the venues where myself and so many of my pals started at and still play.
"They are crucial for young artists getting into the music industry to be able to experiment across the entire spectrum of musical genres, and to go out and cut their teeth in front of real-life people and create connections that live in the physical world. Can’t wait to come sing my head off with you all and celebrate what music is all about - connection.”
The United By Music initiative was launched with a special free concert for 15,000 people in the Eurovision Village on 10th May and follows the Liverpool leg of the tour, which saw Miles Kane, The Coral and Lightning Seeds play local venues in support of the live music sector.
Every National Lottery player who purchases a ticket will be invited to bring a plus one to the show for free. To qualify for the offer, players must bring any National Lottery product with them when they attend the gig. Players of all National Lottery games must be aged 18 or over.
Tickets for the newly announced dates for the The National Lottery's 'United By Music' Tour will be available to purchase at 10am on June 30th. You can purchase tickets via the United By Music website.
The CEO of Music Venue Trust, Mark Dayvd, said, “The partnership between The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust is delivering desperately needed support to Grassroots Music Venues right across the country in a very difficult and challenging year.
"By investing directly into artists and venues, creating hundreds of new shows and one off events, the 'United by Music' Tour is making sure that everyone can continue to access the very best live music in their local community.”
Artists taking part in The National Lottery's 'United By Music' Tour:
86TVs
Amber Run
Bloc Party
Blossoms
Cat Burns
Ed Harcourt
Hamish Hawk
Lily Moore
Luke La Volpe
Metronomy
Newton Faulkner
Noah & The Loners
October Drift
Opus Kink
Prima Queen
Sam Ryder
Sleeper
The Dirty Nil
Witch Fever
Take a look at some of the tours taking place this year:
Myles Smith
Myles Smith has announced his biggest solo tour due to take place in February 2025. His tour, called the 'We Were Never Strangers' tour, will start on 15th February in Leeds, before finishing in London on 26th February.
Craig David
Craig David will be going on tour in February 2025, with special guest Lemar. The singer has announced a series of dates across the UK, including Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle and many more.
Sabrina Carpenter
'Espresso' icon Sabrina Carpenter will be gracing the UK & Ireland with dates on her 'Short N' Sweet Tour' in March 2025. The tour is in support of her sixth studio album of the same name, and will also see her perform across North America and Europe.
She's also announced she'll headline American Express Presents BST Hyde Park, in London, on Saturday 5th July.
Sean Paul and Ashanti
Sean Paul and Ashanti are teaming up for a collaborative tour in April 2025, playing dates across the UK and Ireland. The tour will kick off in Belfast on 9th April with both Ashanti and Sean Paul, before Sean plays solo in Aberdeen and Newcastle. Ashanti will then re-join the tour for dates in Leeds, Glasgow, Nottingham, London, Birmingham and Manchester, with Sean finishing the tour on his own in Cardiff, Brighton and Bournemouth.
Olly Murs
Olly Murs has announced a huge 16 date UK and Ireland tour for April and May 2025. The tour is to celebrate 15 years in music, and he will be joined by special guests Blue.
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow has announced a huge UK and Ireland tour, with dates in April, May and June 2025. The 'Let Me Go' singer will be visiting 27 locations, performing songs from his back catalogue, including some of his iconic Take That hits. Tickets for the 'Songbook Tour' go on sale on Friday 29th November 2024.
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue has announced her latest tour will be called 'The Tension Tour' and will take place in the UK throughout May 2025. Speaking about her tour, Kylie said: "I am beyond excited to announce the TENSION TOUR 2025. I can't wait to share beautiful and wild moments with fans all over the world, celebrating the Tension era and more! It's been an exhilarating ride so far and now, get ready for your close up because I will be calling Lights, Camera, Action … and there will be a whole lot of Padaming!"
Scissor Sisters
The Scissors Sisters are returning for a UK tour, performing in Nottingham, Glasgow, Manchester, London, Leeds, Birmingham and more in May 2025. The last time the band were on tour was back in 2012 with their 'Let's Have A Kiki Tour', named after a song on their fourth album 'Magic Hour'. This new tour will feature Jake Shears, Babydaddy and Del Marquis and celebrate the release of their debut album.
Nelly
Noughties legend Nelly is bringing his 'Where The Party At' tour to the UK in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his debut album 'Country Grammar'. He'll be joined by special guests Eve, Fabolous, Jermaine Dupri and St. Lunatics when he heads to London, Birmingham and Manchester in June 2025.
Nelly is best known for his iconic R&B tracks 'Ride Wit Me', 'Hot In Herre' and collab with Kelly Clarkson 'Dilemma'.
Sam Fender
Sam Fender has announced two dates in his home town of Newcastle in June 2025, which will follow his tour of the UK and Ireland in the run up to Christmas 2024. He'll head to St James' Park on Thursday 12th and Saturday 14th June.
Dua Lipa
Not only did Dua Lipa delight fans when she announced a new UK date for her 'Radical Optimism' tour - performing at Wembley Stadium in London - but she upped the excitement as she added another date, due to popular demand. She will be performing at the world-famous venue on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st June 2025.
She later announced a date in Liverpool on 24th June 2025.
Olivia Rodrigo
Despite only recently finishing her 'Guts World Tour', 'Vampire' singer Olivia Rodrigo has announced more UK tour dates for 2025. She'll be heading to London's Hyde Park for American Express presents BST Hyde Park on Friday 27th June. She'll also be heading to Manchester's Co-Op Live Arena for her rescheduled set on Monday 30th June and Tuesday 1st July, after problems with the venue forced cancellation at the eleventh hour in May 2024.
The Script
The Script sold out the first UK leg of their 'Satellites World Tour', which took place in 2024 — but they have now announced several more dates for June and July 2025 taking place at several festivals and outdoor venues.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish's 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' tour will be coming to the UK in July 2025 after visiting the US, Australia and wider Europe. The 'Bad Guy' singer will be performing 12 dates in the UK, including in Manchester and London. It follows the release of her third album of the same name in May 2024.
Coldplay
Coldplay announced eight-date UK stadium tour in September 2024. The tour will take place in London and Hull, with two dates at Hull's Craven Park Stadium, and six at London's Wembley Stadium, in August 2025.
One Republic
One Republic will be heading out on tour in September 2025. The band behind huge hit 'Counting Stars' will be joined by special guest, Ella Henderson as they head to London, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Birmingham for the 'Escape to Europe 2025 Tour'.
Busted Vs McFly
Busted and McFly are teaming up for an ultimate battle of the bands tour in 2025, playing dates across the UK in September and October 2025. The tour is called Busted Vs McFly.
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is never afraid to put on a show, and she'll be doing just that in London, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham and Glasgow in October 2025. She revealed in November 2024 that she'll be bringing 'The Lifetimes Tour' to the UK.
Now read:
Celebrity Gogglebox 2023: Which famous faces are taking part?
Sir Elton John's Glastonbury performance in pictures
Matilda the Musical is now available to watch on Netflix UK