Camille O’Sullivan
Date: 8 September
Location: Band on The Wall
Raunchy and dangerously fragile with an exceptional voice, Camille O’Sullivan is a courageous and singular performer, one of the most gifted interpreters of narrative songs about loss, love, joy, light, and darkness. Known as the “Queen of the Edinburgh Festival” (BBC) and the original star of Olivier Award-winning LaClique, Camille enjoys a formidable reputation for her intensely dramatic interpretations of the songs of Brel, Cave, Waits, Bowie, Edith Piaf, and more.
Danny Beard
Date: 14 September
Location: Playhouse, Liverpool
The winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 4, Danny Beard, has a brand-new tour for 2024. The show, Straight Expectations, will see Danny and their full live band perform a night of killer vocals, snappy comedy, put-downs, and pick-me-ups. Join the host of BBC3’s The After Shave for an evening of scandalous behaviour, lots of laughs, and an honest insight into what life’s really like as a Z-list ‘celeb.’ More details on Everyman Playhouse.
The South
Date: 22 September
Location: Band on The Wall, Manchester
The South are back on the road and do what they do best – perform the songs of that great British pop institution, The Beautiful South, to the thousands of fans of these timeless classics. The South are an impressive 9-piece band who feature former members of The Beautiful South including singer Alison Wheeler and lifelong sax player Gaz Birtles. Since the demise of The Beautiful South in 2007, this exciting live band has spent 15 years touring the theatres and festivals of the UK up and down the country.
The Holly Johnson Story
Date: 14 September – 27 July 2025
Location: Museum of Liverpool
This exhibition celebrates Holly Johnson’s creative genius, charting his personal life and extraordinary music career over four decades. The 1980s was a time of innovation and rebellion, punks, and new wave bands, and at the forefront stood Holly Johnson. This exhibition celebrates Holly’s creative genius and marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood album, ‘Welcome to the Pleasuredome,’ featuring songs ‘Relax,’ ‘Two Tribes,’ and ‘The Power of Love.’ More information is available at Liverpool Museums.
War Horse
Date: 18-22 September
Location: The Lowry, Salford
War Horse, adapted by Nick Stafford and originally directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, has become the most successful play in the history of the National Theatre, winning more than 25 major awards and has been seen by over 8.3 million people worldwide. War Horse tells the remarkable story of a young boy called Albert and his horse, Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness, filled with stirring music and songs, featuring ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company.
Larry Dean
Date: 12 September
Location: Hot Water Comedy Club, Liverpool
Three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Larry Dean, is set to embark on a national tour this autumn with his brand-new stand-up show Dodger. Dodger sees Larry contemplate his heroes and his identity. His hero was Elvis, but this year, his thoughts have been all shaken up. Stemming from his granny’s dementia diagnosis, a few things have been put into perspective regarding the people who deserve our respect and why. Dodger is a hilarious show about finding out our heroes weren’t necessarily who we expected, nor were we.
Katherine Ryan
Date: 26 September
Location: Parr Hall
She’s a comedian, presenter, writer, actor, and singer. Now Katherine Ryan has another string to her bow – Battleaxe. That’s the name and theme of the Canadian entertainer’s new tour. The show comes at a particular time in Katherine’s life. She’s recently entered her 40s and is marking the ‘Battleaxe era’ with a feisty new outlook. As the dictionary defines it: by becoming ‘a frightening and unpleasant older woman with strong opinions’. More details on Pyramid Parr Hall.
Ben Elton
Date: 7 September
Location: Parr Hall, Warrington
Following the huge success of Ben Elton’s critically acclaimed sold-out UK tour in 2019, which marked his return to stand-up after a 15-year hiatus, the undisputed godfather of modern stand-up is going back on the road with a brand new live show – Authentic Stupidity. The world has changed a lot since Ben last toured five years ago – a whole new existential threat has emerged to challenge our very existence: Artificial Intelligence. Apparently, it’s going to render all human life meaningless, but Ben is here to warn you that AI is not the greatest threat that we face: it’s Authentic Stupidity. More details on Parr Hall.
The Tiger Lillies
Date: 10 September
Location: Manchester HOMEGrammy-nominated, post-punk pioneers The Tiger Lillies will be embarking on a tour with their new show ‘Come On Down (The Nihilism Tour)’ from September 2024, the theme of which has always run through their work – the meaninglessness and absurdity of existence. The Tiger Lillies are one of the foremost avant-garde bands in the world. Double Olivier award winners, their shows are dark, peculiar, and varied, with moments of black humour and immense beauty.
