Music

Regarded by many as one of the best live bands of the 80s, Sad Café are back. Original members Ian Wilson and bassist Des Tong are joined by long-time associate, singer/songwriter Sue Quin, the exciting vocal talent of Barry James Thomas and lead guitarist Dave Day along with multi-instrumentalist Neil Shaw-Hulme, keyboard player Matt Steele and drummer Bryan Hargreaves to once again perform their catalogue of great songs including the unforgettable Every Day Hurts, My Oh My, Strange Little Girl and many more. Support comes from Sunbirds. The man who once told us he loved us from the bottom of his pencil case, founder Beautiful South member Dave Hemingway returns with his new band.

There has never been anything quite like The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, from their formation in 2002 and a cameo appearance at T in the Park in 2004 with the Darkness to opening the main stage in their own right in 2014. The past fifteen years has seen the Red Hot Chilli Pipers become the most famous bagpipe band on the planet…ever! Bagpipes with attitude, drums with a Scottish accent and a show that carries its own health warning. The band’s achievements have reached incredible heights with their groundbreaking fusion of traditional Scottish music and rock/pop Anthems which they proudly call “Bagrock”. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers are a genuinely unique experience.

Following a fantastic opening year in 2015, Waterloo - The Best of Abba Tribute Show returns in 2018 delighting audiences and bringing the “Abba Party” to venues up and down the country. This truly phenomenal tribute show is presented by Sweeney Entertainments and Produced & Directed by James Baker. In 1974 the little known Swedish pop group ABBA swept to superstardom with their Eurovision winning Waterloo, and four decades later the song and the band remain as popular as ever. Waterloo looks back at the sensational rise to stardom of Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid and gives fans the opportunity to experience the thrill of a live ABBA show!

The Gig Cartel presents Hugh Cornwell Electric The Monster Tour. Coming to Harpenden Public Halls on Thursday 21st November 2019. 'Golden Brown, Strange Little Girl, Always The Sun, Peaches, No More Heroes, Nice & Sleazy.....sound familiar? All big hits, all great songs, all written and sung by Hugh Cornwell, the songwriter behind The Stranglers.   He is the hitman and he’s back with a new album ‘Monster’ this Autumn on Sony Music. Expect an opening set of prime solo songs, including picks from ‘Monster’, followed by a storming set of those iconic hits, sung and played by the man himself and his 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!

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.

Here comes the perfect tribute to a Beatles legend! A musical icon who was part of arguably the biggest band of all time will be honoured and remembered with a special show taking place at The Eric Morecambe Centre, Harpenden, on Friday 29th November 2024. Alongside John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Harrison helped the band become the best-selling music act of all time with 600 million units shifted worldwide. After the Liverpudlian four-piece called time on Beatlemania, the songwriter enjoyed a successful solo career, releasing 12 studio albums, including Living In The Material World, Cloud Nine, Brainwashed, and the classic triple album All Things Must Pass.

Jackson Live in Concert, presented by Sweeney Entertainments, brings the hugely talented ‘CJ’ to theatres across the UK, recreating the Michael Jackson experience with his stunning rendition of all his favourite songs. Michael Jackson is not only remembered as one of the most influential artists of all time, but many of today’s artists have been inspired by his iconic style. His career spanned nearly five decades of music, and he was continually at the forefront of popular music. Alban Arena, St. Albans – Friday 26th October 7.30pm.

The Johnny Cash Roadshow played the Radlett Centre on the 16th February 2014. This is a review of that concert.

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.