Legendary 70s singer-songwriter announces rare UK gigs just weeks before first date

Van Morrison has announced a short UK headline tour that’s due to kick off in just over a months time. The singer-songwriter, 79, will kick off the string of dates at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham on March 18. He will then head to Birmingham’s Symphony Hall for a show on March 19, the New Theatre Oxford on the 23rd, and The Subscription Rooms in Stroud on the 24th. All of the shows will begin at 8pm with the exception of Nottingham which will begin at 7:30pm.

The tour is an attempt to give the artist’s fans the opportunity to see the legendary musician in more intimate settings and ‘specially selected’ venues with smaller crowd capacities than the usual venues he plays. Tickets go on general sale soon, so fans had better start making plans to snap one up as they’re almost certainly going to sell out quickly. The online sale begins at 9am GMT this Friday, February 7.

Morrison had previously announced two homecoming shows at Whitla Hall in Belfast on February 21 and 22, as well as European headline gigs in Antwerp, Brussels and The Hague. Morrison released his latest offering in 2024, an album called New Arrangements And Duets. Its comprised of unreleased material and deep cuts that fans may have never heard before. It also includes new collaborations with artists like Willie Nelson, Joss Stone, Curtis Stigers and Kurt Elling.

18 – Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham. 19 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham. 23 – New Theatre Oxford, Oxford. 24 – The Subscription Rooms, Stroud. You can buy tickets here on February 7 at 9am GMT. Alternatively, you can find pre-sale information via Ticketmaster. A statement from Morrison about the record reads: ‘This album represents a small percentage of the huge amount of unreleased material we are hoping to roll out in the near future, rather than letting it gather dust in some archive.’.

Born in 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Morrison is known for his distinctive blend of rock, blues, jazz, folk, and soul. He first gained prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead vocalist of the band Them. But Morrison cemented himself among the most famous singer-songwriters of all time when he launched his solo career with the 1967 hit Brown Eyed Girl, which remains one of his signature songs. His album Moondance, which came out in 1970, is among the most iconic of the decade, bringing him legions of fans.

Morrison has received multiple awards, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, solidifying his legacy as one of the most influential artists in modern music. The icon played a show at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall last summer as well as another gig in London in September 2024, but he rarely plays in the UK, more often touring Europe and the US, making this a huge win for British fans.

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