With a number of the UK’s biggest and most impressive venues in our patch, we Midlanders are guaranteed a chance to see some of the music industry’s brightest stars as they tour the country. Our grass-roots music scene is super-cool, too. Here’s a selection of gigs worth grabbing a ticket for over the next few weeks...  

COLLABRO

Since winning Britain’s Got Talent, Collabro have earned themselves an impressive following with their musical-theatre renditions. Their visit to Worcester comes as part of a tour which sees them performing intimate, piano-led concerts in some of the UK’s most beautiful cathedrals. 

Worcester Cathedral, Friday 13 February

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BROOKE COMBE

Rising star Brooke Combe visits the region this month off the back of a US tour supporting Benson Boone and a debut appearance on A Night With Jools Holland.

Brilliantly bringing a new edge to Northern Soul, the Scottish singer-songwriter is touring the UK having last year released debut album Dancing On The Edge Of The World to considerable acclaim. 

The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent, Friday 13 February; Dive, Wolverhampton, Saturday 14 February; O2 Academy, Birmingham, Friday 3 April

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LAURENCE JONES

Laurence Jones’ CV provides ample evidence of just how hugely talented and well regarded he is. Legendary American guitarist & singer Buddy Guy hailed him “a young Eric Clapton”, while music-industry icons Ringo Starr, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck and Johnny Winter have all been so impressed that they’ve had the Liverpool-based blues-rock guitar maestro hit the road with them. Status Quo are also among his many admirers, taking him on their farewell tour back in 2024... Laurence is visiting Worcester this month to perform a special acoustic concert. Support comes from his real-life partner, Amy Eftekhari.  

The Marrs Bar, Worcester, Sun 15 February

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SUEDE

Think back to the Britpop era of the 1990s, and four bands spring readily to mind: Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede. 

The latter, formed in 1989 by singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Justine Frischmann and bassist Mat Osman, launched their debut album in 1993, and in so doing also kickstarted the whole Britpop movement. 
Splitting up 10 years later, they re-formed in 2010 and have been active ever since, releasing five well-received studio albums, including last autumn’s Antidepressants. 

hmv empire, Coventry, Monday 16 February

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MERMAID CHUNKY

Audio visual Gloucestershire duo Mermaid Chunky - comprising Freya Tate and Moina Moin - are forging a career for themselves in a truly unique way. Drawing on their shared and splendidly bizarre sense of humour, they create genre-crossing and frequently mindbending sounds which are primarily designed to celebrate their friendship and make them happy (other people enjoying their music is very much viewed as a bonus!). 

To further stand out from the crowd, they dress in homemade costumes, create soundscapes using everyday objects, and describe themselves when on stage as bathing in milkmaid serenity and improvised chaos. Expect a memorable experience.   

Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Thursday 19 February  

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CHANTEL MCGREGOR

Blues-rock musician Chantel McGregor was once told by a major label that she had “a great voice, but girls don’t play guitar like that!” Ignoring their view, she enrolled at the Leeds College of Music and became the first student in the college’s history to achieve a 100% pass mark at BTEC, with 18 distinctions.
She’s since released three studio albums of new material, including debut offering Like No Other and last year’s The Healing.

The Robin, Bilston, Thursday 19 February; Temperance, Leamington Spa, Sunday 6 December

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CHARM OF FINCHES 

Darkly bewitching folk-pop, boasting seamless blood harmonies that ‘traverse melancholy and wonder in equal measure’, is the stock-in-trade of Melbourne sisters Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes. With a propensity for writing haunting tunes about emotive subjects such as love and grief, the Aussie duo visit Shrewsbury this month in support of their brand-new single, Meteor, a song inspired by ‘the powerful forces of nature that reflect a tumultuous inner world’.

The Hive, Shrewsbury, Sunday 22 February; Temperance, Leamington Spa, Tuesday 24 February; Kitchen Garden, Birmingham, Wednesday 25 February

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RAYE

Last year was a truly fabulous one for Rachel Keen, better known, of course, as Raye. Highlights included an appearance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, an impressive performance of Adele’s big Bond number, Skyfall, at the Oscars, and chart-busting success with the spectacularly catchy single Where Is My Husband!.

And the award-winning singer-songwriter & record producer is certainly hitting the ground running in 2026, stopping off in Birmingham for two nights as part of a four-month-long world tour. Support for both gigs comes courtesy of her talented younger sisters, Absolutely and Amma.     

bp pulse LIVE, Birmingham, Monday 23 & Tuesday 24 February

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SPIERS & BODEN

Founding members of big band folk phenomenon Bellowhead, John Spiers and Jon Boden are musicians extraordinaire, boasting between them an impressive mastery of fiddle, guitar, assorted squeezebox instruments and the stomp box. Oh, and they both know how to carry a tune into the bargain! With more than a quarter-century of experience playing together, the fellas are a well-honed duo indeed, and are widely admired for their ability to give traditional folk music a brand-new feel.

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Monday 23 February; Kidderminster Town Hall, Tuesday 24 February; Number 8 Arts Centre, Pershore, Wednesday 4 March

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BADLY DRAWN BOY

Damon Gough’s debut album, The Hour Of Bewilderbeast, announced him as a star in the making, winning him the Mercury Music Prize in the year 2000. Twelve months later, he penned the score for the Hugh Grant movie About A Boy, and then quickly followed up with two further albums: Have You Fed The Fish? and One Plus One Is One. 

Touring solo for much of the time since those heady early-career days, he’s recorded only one album in the last 13 years but retains a solid fanbase and an admirable ability to be his raw and honest self when on stage.    

The Jam House, Birmingham, Wednesday 25 February

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KAISER CHIEFS

Primarily inspired by new wave and punk-rock music of the late 1970s and 1980s, Kaiser Chiefs have released eight studio albums, including their debut offering Employment, which caused a major chart splash back in 2005. Having last year celebrated the album’s 20th anniversary with a series of headline-grabbing summertime shows, the boys then decided to extend the party into 2026 by announcing a new set of concert dates, one of which is this late-month Wolverhampton stop-off.

The Civic at The Halls Wolverhampton, Saturday 28 February

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ELKIE BROOKS

With an impressive 60-plus years in the music industry behind her and 20 albums under her belt, Elkie Brooks quite rightly continues to hold the title of British Queen of Blues. She’s back in Birmingham this month with her ongoing Long Farewell tour, presenting a gig that will feature all of her greatest hits, including Pearl’s A Singer, Fool (If You Think It’s Over), Don’t Cry Out Loud and Sunshine After The Rain.

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Saturday 21 March

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