Music

To celebrate their 10th year anniversary and 30 years since The Beautiful South released ‘Song For Whoever’, The South are back this Spring, with a March 2019 - UK Tour playing shows up and down the whole of the UK. 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 Dave Hemingway, the original singer, left the group at the end of 2016, Gaz has moved across to front the band with Alison and taken on vocal duties. They play the songs made famous by The Beautiful South and bring back the full flavour and arrangements with this exciting live band.

The Alban Arena is a venue with a rich history of welcoming touring acts, some of which have gone on to world-wide fame - such as Dire Straits, who played there in 1978. I saw the legendary Rory Gallagher there in 1988, more recently The Waterboys and The Gorillaz have graced the stage. It is maybe a sign of the times that more tribute bands than original artists perform there these days. So when two of the UKs most respected musical artists were coming to the Alban Arena it was likely to be an evening not to be missed!

This is one of those Christmassy weekends where we are spoilt for choice in St Albans. From Peter Pan, Jingle Bell Jog to family carols and Handel's Messiah, it's all happening.....

Someone Like You: The Adele Songbook - The Radlett Centre - 4th April 2019. With 2018 marking 10 years since the sensational debut album ‘19’ was released, Katie Markham brings an incredible performance to theatres across the UK, recreating the magic that the legendary Adele started a decade ago.

There are hundreds of would-be Sinatras and Bowies roaming the UK and earning a very good living but tribute acts playing the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are a little thin on the ground. Even rarer is a group of musicians who are perfectionists and go to great lengths to recreate the impressive, tuneful rock music created by the singer-songwriter-musician from Gainesville in Florida. Petty died one year ago at the relatively young age of 66 but his music will live on for future generations.

Michael Jackson might be gone but his wonderful music lives on thanks to performers like CJ who brought his show-stopping production to the stage of the Alban Arena on Friday, October 26. The spectacular show, a kind of cross between a Michael Jackson concert and a stage production, is truly sensational. CJ has the not-inconsiderable support of four well-drilled girl dancers , a top-class four-piece backing band, plus dazzling lighting effects and video footage shown on a big screen and keeping everything in context.

The Christmas Pantomime and Show Season in St Albans is about to start and the first snow has arrived this morning! How very timely! There are wonderful events lined up in the city this year so if you haven't already booked a ticket, read the list below and see what might appeal to your family.

Broadway's golden age of musical theatre wouldn’t be what it is today without the incredibly talented Jewish composers and lyricists of the 20th century. Together they created an enduring legacy that is enjoyed by millions of people across the world every year.

Life-long Aretha Franklin fan and power-house vocalist, Letitia George stars in this heartfelt and uplifting dedication to the Queen of Soul. Letitia George rose to the spotlight after featuring on series four of BBC 1's The Voice UK, where she became a member of Team Ricky and soared her way through to the knockout rounds. Letitia also presents the radio show ‘The C Word’ on BBC Radio Coventry every Monday evening and has just won this year’s Gillard Award for Newcomer of the Year.

The top UK tribute to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers is coming to the Alban Arena on the 11th March 2023. The band are based locally, in St. Albans and have been performing since 2018. For this show, as well as all the greatest songs of Tom Petty, such as Freefallin’, I Won’t Back Down, American Girl, Refugee, Learning To Fly, Mary Jane’s last Dance, Breakdown, Don’t Come Around Here No More and Running Down a Dream, the show will also feature some of the best Stevie Nicks songs, including Landslide, Dreams, Gold Dust Woman and Edge of Seventeen.