My Chemical Romance to Westlife – Our most anticipated gigs and concerts | Music | Entertainment

2025 was a bumper year for the UK as musicians, artists and bands flocked to our biggest and best venues from around the globe. From Beyoncé and Coldplay to Ed Sheeran, Kylie and Pitbull, this was truly one to remember. But, looking ahead, 2026 may be fighting to take its throne.

The looming new year marks the beginning of many countdowns for Britain. Depending on who you ask, that might be the possibility of a general election, or the football World Cup, the Winter Olympics, or My Chemical Romance. With this in mind, our team has thought long and hard about what musical acts they’re looking forward to next year, and we’ve provided links on how to buy tickets to the same events if you’re already anticipating the FOMO. Otherwise, enjoy the read, and we’ll catch you next year.

Fully prepared to be the oldest raver in town, I’m delighted to have snapped up tickets to see the legendary Fatboy Slim in Colchester next summer. After catching him at Latitude Festival last year, I’m firmly of the belief that while my Brighton beach days may be behind me, I’m still more than up for a two-hour dance-athon – preferably somewhere in a field.

Nothing beats an iconic Norman Cook set to bring together music lovers of all ages. As an extra treat, I’ve also purchased a ticket for my 21-year-old daughter who will be there to witness me throw some shapes.

The chart-topping DJ will be heading out to north Essex as part of the Colchester Castle Summer Series, a string of big outdoor concerts planned for 2026 in the city’s Lower Castle Park. Spread out over the course of ten days, the festival will see old favourites like Billy Ocean and Marti Pellow take to the stage as well as dance diva Becky Hill and indie chart-toppers Bastille on the Sunday. British rock legend Richard Ashcroft will also be performing, alongside a series of special guests.

Speaking of rock, Essex is also set to welcome the brand new State Fayre Festival to Hylands Park in Chelmsford next June. Hailed as being ‘the UK’s largest music and barbecue festival’ it promises to blend rock, country, folk and Americana with food experiences, fairground fun and camping.

Not far from home, this creaky old raver’s next purchase for 2026 will be tickets to see Kings of Leon at State Fayre on Friday night. The weekend line-up is equally irresistible, with Neil Young, The Lumineers and The Black Crowes all taking to the stage.

Who knew Essex had become such a hotspot for live music? I’m very glad it has though, as it means I can dance the night away and still be home in time for a cuppa in half an hour or less. Get in!

TICKETMASTER – Buy Fat Boy Slim tickets here.

VIAGOGO – Buy Fat Boy Slim tickets here.

Like so many women my age I feel like I grew up with Ariana Grande. From seeing her on my TV screen when I was still in primary school all the way to now, tearing up as I watch her bring Glinda to life. I fell completely in love with her music for the first time with My Everything and have been hooked ever since.

I feel like I can measure key moments in my life through her albums, which quite quickly became my whole personality for a few months following their release. She’s helped me through more breakups and situationships than I’m proud to admit.

R&B has been one of my all time favourite genres for as long as I can remember. Ariana has a talent for merging the genre with pop, dance and trap for something I can’t get out of my head. Despite filling the back of my wardrobe with ticket stubs, I’ve never actually managed to get tickets to one of Ariana Grande’s concerts.

With the star making a splash in her return to acting and calling the Eternal Sunshine Tour her ‘last hurrah’ before prioritising other artistic pursuits, this feels like it could be my last chance to see her perform.

TICKETMASTER – Buy Ariana Grande tickets here.

VIAGOGO – Buy Ariana Grande tickets here.

I try to be a Cool Girl with my music taste, but I can never quite resist the nostalgia of ’90s and ’00s music. And, although I was more of a Backstreet Boys fan back in the day, I found a newfound love for Westlife in the pandemic. Life sucked, and only the harmonies of four Irish songbirds could, ahem, raise me up.

So when the band announced a 25th Anniversary Tour, I knew I had to go. The tour will see the boys – now a three-piece following Mark Feehily’s departure – perform all their greatest hits, live and in full stadium glory. And yes, that includes that moment: when they stand up together for the key change.

I’m fully expecting the whole thing to be a nostalgia fest, packed with millennials collectively romanticising a simpler time – when our biggest worry was which member of Westlife we fancied most, and not back pain and mortgage rates.

What I’m most excited about, though, is finally hearing Flying Without Wings performed live. It’s always been one of my favourite songs and just thinking about hearing those opening notes in person is enough to make me want to drop to my knees with emotion (although I bagged seated tickets, so this is unlikely to actually happen during the gig).

I can’t wait to be right there in the crowd, singing along to every word, reliving the songs that somehow hit just as hard 25 years on.

TICKETMASTER – Buy Westlife tickets here.

VIAGOGO – Buy Westlife tickets here.

I was a teenage girl on Tumblr in 2014 which meant, just like thousands of others, I found myself obsessed with a little Australian band called 5 Seconds of Summer.

They didn’t have an album yet, but I listened to their Somewhere New EP and rough recordings of live performances so much that my family probably wanted me to invest in noise-cancelling headphones. I got tickets to their first world tour, Rock Out With Your Socks Out, and practically lived in their merch for years. As I grew older my taste in music changed and 5 Seconds of Summer fell off my radar a little, which 16-year-old-me would be horrified by.

This year I read a book called Mayluna, a rockstar love story that came to author Kelley McNeil in ‘the span of a roughly three-and-a-half minute song’ that was playing in her car at the time. I’d found the entire book reminded me of Beside You, which had been my favourite song on Somewhere New. A song that conveniently clocks in at 3 minutes and 41 seconds.

Since then, I feel transported back to my days as a member of the 5SOSFam – although now I’ve swapped Tumblr for TikTok. The boys (although, now with two of them being fathers, ‘men’ might be the more apt description) are coming back to the UK in 2026 – and this concert would be the ultimate nostalgia hit for me.

I just wish my old merch had survived the seven house moves I’ve had since then.

TICKETMASTER – Buy 5 Seconds of Summer tickets here.

VIAGOGO – Buy 5 Seconds of Summer tickets here.

I will be seeing Lewis Capaldi for the third time in 2026 – his first tour since returning to music following a short hiatus – and I’m not ashamed to admit that.

His hit songs are relatively… sombre, heartfelt, and emotionally draining – but in the best way (there’s a reason Someone You Loved, Grace, Bruises, Forever and more have constant radio play). And I have been to a helluva lot of gigs in my three decades, and Lewis’ live concerts are up there with the best I’ve ever attended. Almost going as far as to say joining the ranks of greats Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Taylor Swift. Almost.

His live singing voice is utterly beautiful (the vibrato, the timbre, the vocal fry, the realness, the passion… it’s just *chef’s kiss*), the chemistry with his band is palpable and he rarely hits a bum note – and if he does, he can laugh at himself doing so.

But that’s not all: his shows are undeniably a comedy act and musical extravaganza all rolled into one. The wit, comedic timing and silliness we often see and hear on TV and radio flows so easily from him, making those few hours utterly enjoyable for all in the moments between songs.

My first time seeing him – my first live concert after the pandemic, it was emotional – was nothing short of a spiritual experience. Set within the walls of Cardiff Castle, it was dramatic and oozed his charismatic charm and renowned cheekiness (complete with salty language). I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I sang, I swayed (Lewis’ music doesn’t often induce electrifying dancing, admittedly), I had the time of my life.

If there are still tickets available, I implore you to get them. Who wouldn’t want to be serenaded one minute and sent into a giggling fit the next?

TICKETMASTER – Buy Lewis Capaldi tickets here.

VIAGOGO – Buy Lewis Capaldi tickets here.

My best friend in secondary school had a crush on a man called Abel Tesfaye, who she believed she knew too personally to call by his stage name.

In all honesty, we were probably too young to be listening to House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls but that didn’t stop us. We would plug in our headphones to our Blackberry phones and listen to him constantly, I even got in trouble with teachers you caught me trying to listen during lessons. The Weeknd felt like our little secret until Beauty Behind the Madness, then everyone seemed to have heard Often and Earned it.

On a particularly anxiety-inducing solo trip where I’d lost all phone signal, and as a result access to maps or a translation app, The Weeknd’s Reminder was playing in my headphones when I finally reached somewhere I recognised. Ever since then whenever I hear his music I feel a boost of confidence that I on some level know what I’m doing, even if it’s something I’ve never done before. Perhaps it’s unorthodox as I don’t think that’s strictly the aim of his music.

I would love to see him perform live, and perhaps it would rekindle my friendship with the unofficial Mrs Tesfaye I used to spend hours everyday with.

TICKETMASTER – Buy The Weeknd tickets here.

VIAGOGO – Buy The Weeknd tickets here.

Yeah, who could have guessed it? The elder-emo who has already mentioned My Chemical Romance twice in this very article, is seeing the greatest band of all time twice in 2026.

The rockers, who are still filling stadiums around the world, recently announced a very short string of shows in the UK in July. Three of which are at London’s Wembley Stadium. And, honestly, I couldn’t be more excited.

As an impressionable teen I saw My Chemical Romance a handful of times throughout all their eras. From Bullets to Killjoys, this is _the_ band I have followed for my entire life. Hell, I even saw Gerard Way’s solo tour. And it never gets old.

With that said, I’m expecting a lot from this Long Live the Black Parade tour. The lore and mystery surrounding their shows has taken TikTok by storm over the past year, but ultimately I want to know: What does it all mean for the band’s future? Is there another album coming? Is this the final time they’re going on tour? Will Gerard ever be saved from his prison? It’s going to be a whole thing, and I can’t wait.

TICKETMASTER – Buy My Chemical Romance tickets here.

VIAGOGO – Buy My Chemical Romance tickets here.