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...  

TENGGER

Indian harmonium, vocals, and toy instruments are cleverly brought together in the psychedelic new-age drone music of Tengger. The travelling musical family started out as a Pan-Asian couple - Itta, who hails from South Korea, and Marqido (Japan) - but now also includes their son, Raai. 
The duo-turned-trio’s musical output has been described as a soothing sonic portrait of a life spent in transit.

Just Dropped In, Coventry, Thursday 5 June

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SPACE

Widely admired for their eclectic sound and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, Space return to Albert’s Shed to perform songs from latest offering Blood And Bubble Gum. Alongside the new material, the boys will also be performing some of their hit singles, including classic tracks such as Female Of The Species, Me And You Versus The World, Avenging Angels and Neighbourhood. Special guests for the gig are Headfeeder.

Albert’s Shed, Shrewsbury, Friday 6 June

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JERRY HARRISON & ADRIAN BELEW

While a fully fledged reunion of new wave superstars Talking Heads is never likely to happen - apparently they turned down an $80million offer for a tour - band member Jerry Harrison is providing the next best thing. The guitarist & keyboard player has joined forces with Adrian Belew - former singer & guitarist with prog rock giants King Crimson - and an extensive backing band to perform a selection of Heads’ music, including all of their seminal 1980 album Remain In Light.
“It’s a joyful show of Talking Heads songs you know and love,” explains Adrian, “performed by a hot, 11-piece ensemble, including Jerry and me. You can’t help but dance and go home with a happy smile on your face.”

The Wulfrun at The Halls Wolverhampton, Friday 6 June

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JOOLS HOLLAND AND HIS RHYTHM & BLUES ORCHESTRA

Jools Holland is often viewed - somewhat unfairly, it should be said - as little more than an arch-fan, albeit one with his finger firmly on the musical pulse. 

His well-established BBC TV show has long been an eclectic mixture of styles and genres, encompassing music from across the world. His own talent on the piano is immense, his attitude towards his famed Rhythm & Blues Orchestra friendly and egalitarian. The result is a joyous celebration of music, and a sound to which you can’t help but tap your feet.

Chris Difford and guest vocalists Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka join Jools and the gang for this Malvern concert. 

Festival Theatre, Malvern, Friday 6 June

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BELLA HARDY

A former BBC Radio Two Folk Singer of the Year, Bella Hardy has certainly crammed in a lot of living since debuting as a self-taught ‘fiddle singer’ - aged 13 - at Cambridge and Sidmouth music festivals. 

In the decades which have followed, her critically acclaimed songwriting has been informed by a wide range of experiences. These include working as a Tennessee ranch-hand, and learning the songs of Chinese farmers during her time as the British Council’s musician-in-residence in Yunnan Province. 
Bella stops off in C0ventry this month as part of a short UK tour.  

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Friday 6 June; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 12 June

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SAM KELLY

The inspiration for Cornwall-based singer-songwriter Sam Kelly’s exploration of the sounds of his gaelic heritage can be found in his childhood, during which his melodeon-playing grandfather would regularly regale him with folk stories and songs.

Kickstarting his career as a teenager, he reached the final of ITV's Britain's Got Talent and has since gone on to become one of the most prevalent folk singers of his generation. 

Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Sunday 8 June

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LIONEL RICHIE

Boasting in excess of 125 million album sales, Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winner Lionel Richie is a 24-carat superstar. He’s visiting Birmingham this month with latest touring show Say Hello To The Hits, the playlist for which will inevitably feature all the classics from his extensive repertoire, including Hello, Dancing On The Ceiling and Endless Love. Expect numbers from his Commodores days, too, like Brickhouse, Easy and Three Times A Lady.

Utilita Arena Birmingham, Monday 9 June

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NICK MULVEY

Cross-cultural musical expression is the name of the game for Nick Mulvey, a founding member of Mercury Music Prize-nominated Portico Quartet, with whom he enjoyed significant international acclaim. 

Stepping out on his own in 2012, Nick creates and performs music which draws on influences from around the world, while also finding inspiration in the output of Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits. 

He’s visiting Birmingham in support of latest album Dark Harvest Part 1, released on the 6th of the month.  

O2 Academy, Birmingham, Thursday 12 June

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THE DEVOUT

Depeche Mode fans who fancy an extra dose of their favourites (well, kind of) should get along to this concert by fast-rising counterfeits The Devout.
“We are more than aware and respectful that DM have fans of all ages,” say the tribute stars, “which is why we want to create a unique experience; to use all of the skill, talent, production and design possible to create a show that transports you back to the live gigs that [saw] Depeche Mode [become] established as a worldwide act.”  

hmv Empire, Coventry, Saturday 14 June; O2 Academy, Birmingham, Saturday 26 July; Watson Hall, Tewkesbury, Saturday 27 September

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THE WANDERING HEARTS

The Wandering Hearts are widely considered to be one of the UK’s most innovative Americana groups. 
Comprising Tara Wilcox, Chess Whiffin and AJ Dean, the trio beautifully blend harmonious vocals with catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics to produce a sound that cleverly combines country, folk and pop. 
Their Worcester stop-off comes in support of latest album Déjà vu (We Have All Been Here Before), released on the 20th of this month.

Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Sunday 15 June

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CHINA CRISIS

Best known for hit singles African & White, Christian, Working With Fire And Steel, Black Man Ray and Wishful Thinking, Liverpool new wave and synth-pop favourites China Crisis are back on the road. 
Eddie Lundon and Gary Daly formed the band in 1979 and released debut album Difficult Shapes And Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun To Entertain three years later. 
They’re visiting Wolverhampton this month with their Y Stop Now? tour.

Wolverhampton Arts Centre, Friday 20 June

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THE TWANG

The Twang were signed in 2007 and lauded as Britain’s best new band by NME, enjoying great success with debut album Love It When I Feel Like This, which reached number three in the charts. They followed it up with Jewellery Quarter in 2009, and have been hailed a must-see live act ever since. Their concert at Stoke City Football Club’s Bet365 stadium will be opened by local acts Lissy Taylor and Foarn.

Bet365 Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent, Saturday 21 June

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TWOMANTING

Jah-man Aggrey and guitarist Jon Lewis) write songs about subjects as wide-ranging as politics, childhood memories, and, er, duvets... Playing a brand of bouncy ‘Sunshine Afro-roots’, they’ve garnered plenty of media attention since coming together 21 years ago, with BBC 6Music’s Lauren Laverne once saying of their sound, “If you want a bit of early summer, then get this into your earholes!”

Temperance, Leamington Spa, Saturday 21 June; The Morgan, Malvern, Sunday 27 July

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GUNS N' ROSES

Axl Rose and his cohorts make a welcome return to these shores - to remind Guns N’ Roses’ fans how real rock’n’rollers like to party! With well beyond 100 million album sales to their name, the Los Angeles-based band are bonafide rock legends, scoring massive hits with numbers like Sweet Child Of Mine and Paradise City. Not surprisingly, they’ve been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an accolade which came their way pretty much as soon as they became eligible for it.

Villa Park, Birmingham, Monday 23 June

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NILE RODGERS & CHIC

When Chic burst onto the music scene in the 1970s, they described themselves as a rock band for the disco movement that made good on hippie peace, love and freedom.
Formed by bassist Bernard Edwards and the now-legendary guitarist Nile Rodgers, the band have enjoyed success with songs including Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah), Everybody Dance and Le Freak... They are joined in Cannock Chase Forest this month by The Brand New Heavies.  

Forestry England Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, Wednesday 25 June

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MACY GRAY

Coming to the end of a short UK tour which has seen her performing at Ronnie Scotts in London and the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Macy Gray is visiting the Town Hall with a show that celebrates the 25th anniversary of her debut album, On How Life Is. Since that inaugural record, the Ohio-born 57-year-old Grammy winner has released a further nine studio albums and established a successful film and television career. Indeed, her most recent telly appearance came earlier this year, in series six of The Masked Singer.     

Birmingham Town Hall, Saturday 28 June

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ST VINCENT

St Vincent - real name Annie Clark - started out as a member of The Polyphonic Spree before forming her own band in 2006.

In the years which have followed, the multiple Grammy Award winner (she bagged three gongs at the 2025 event, bringing her total to six) has established herself as one of the music industry’s most innovative and fascinating artists, cleverly pushing boundaries while simultaneously managing to stay accessible. 

The Tulsa-born singer-songwriter, who was named the 26th greatest guitar player of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023, is visiting Birmingham this month with her All Born Screaming tour.

O2 Institute, Birmingham, Saturday 28 June