STARSAILOR WITH STRINGS: LOVE IS HERE 25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ANNOUNCED
Starsailor will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of their critically-acclaimed, multi-platinum debut album Love is Here with a special tour featuring a string ensemble arranged and conducted by Joe Duddell.
The album will be played in full during the six-date Starsailor with Strings: Love is Here 25th Anniversary UK Tour, beginning at the historic London Palladium on Friday 2 October 2026, which marks the band’s latest collaboration with Duddell.
Earlier this year, Starsailor marked their 25th Anniversary by playing two special shows with Duddell and the Up North Session Orchestra at Liverpool’s Tung Auditorium, which resulted in the release of the Starsailor with Strings: Live from Liverpool album via East West / Parlophone in October. Duddell’s other credits include New Order, Elbow, James, and Richard Hawley.
Starsailor with Strings: Love is Here 25th Anniversary UK Tour will comprise the following dates:
Friday 2 October London Palladium, London
Saturday 3 October De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill
Saturday 17 October Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Sunday 18 October Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Thursday 22 October Lighthouse, Poole
Friday 23 October Town Hall, Birmingham
Pre-sale tickets are available NOW for the Starsailor mailing list. Remaining tickets will go on general sale at 10am on Friday 28 November here.
The release of Love is Here on 8 October 2001 secured Starsailor’s reputation as one of Britain’s most exciting new bands. NME described it as “a debut album of real emotional depth… a lyrically deft record… partly thanks to James Walsh’s remarkable tuning fork of a voice”, and Rolling Stone commended it for its “irresistible, expansive melodies”. Q Magazine was among those to name it as one of their albums of the year. It charted at #2 in the UK and has sold over 300,000 copies in the band’s home country alone.
“The response to the Starsailor with Strings: Live from Liverpool gigs and, more recently, the album release has been incredible, so it made sense to continue working with Joe as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Love is Here,” said Starsailor lead singer and guitarist James Walsh.
“Fans continue to tell us how much our debut album means to them, so we’re excited to be playing it in full for them next year, this time with the added power and emotion of the strings!”
To add to the 25th Anniversary celebrations, Starsailor have never previously played any headline gigs at any of the six venues that make up the UK Tour. These gigs take place in the same year that the Bridgewater Hall turns 30, while the Birmingham Town Hall (opened 1834), London Palladium (1910), Usher Hall (1914), and De La Warr Pavilion (1935) will sit among the oldest and most stunning venues the band will have played during their illustrious career.
Starsailor are currently touring the UK and Ireland as part of their 25th Anniversary Tour, which includes shows in Newcastle (Thursday 27 November) and sold-out gigs at Glasgow’s world-famous Barrowland Ballroom (Friday 28 November) and the Albert Hall in Manchester (Saturday 29 November).
