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Back in 2009, The Circus Live set a new precedent for stadium pop; it was not just a hit; it was a phenomenon of sorts, smashing records by selling 600,000 tickets in under five hours. It wasn’t just about the music; it was also the immersive spectacle, crowned by the unforgettable sights of the band riding a 30-foot mechanical elephant through stadiums packed with a million fans screaming. This time around, band members Gary Barlow, Howard Daniel, and Mark Owen have promised something “bigger, braver, and bolder”, a contemporary show which will be laced with nostalgia, and an opportunity for the band to showcase something fresh to their fans who have been waiting for the last 17 years.

 

 

 

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The 11-date tour kicks off on May 29 2026, at St Mary’s Stadium in the port city of Southampton, making its way through iconic venues like Manchester’s Etihad Stadium, Hampden Park in Glasgow, and the London Stadium, before concluding in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on July 4. Support acts will include The Script, who had also supported the original 2009 tour, returning alongside the iconic Belinda Carlisle, guaranteeing a multi-generational feast of pop classics.

General sale opens on Friday, September 26, at 09:30 BST. Fans who pre-order their forthcoming tenth studio album from their official website, titled ‘TT10’, before 17:00 BST on Tuesday, September 23, will receive a code, allowing them to participate in the pre-sale, which begins at 09:30 BST on Thursday, September 25.

Much like the scene in Derry Girls, Take That’s revival of The Circus Live taps into collective memory. It’s about more than nostalgia; it is about how pop culture is lodged in the contemporary pop landscape. As the pre-sale frenzy grips, Take That isn’t just simply reviving a tour; they are resurrecting a feeling of joy, spectacle, and shared celebration. Whether this tour soars or merely glimmers will depend on how much risk they take and how well they live up to the expectations, as it seeks to create a shared spectacle of British pop theatre at its grandest.

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    The Eden Sessions are a set of outdoor concerts held at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The concerts are held in high regard as one of the best places to see live music, with the Evening Standard saying “The nearest you can get to watching a gig on the moon.” The Eden Project, where the concerts are held, opened in March 2001. In the year following, August 2002, the first Eden Sessions took place with Pulp headlining the first show, and big name artists such as Oasis, Amy Winehouse, Kylie, Elton John, and more headlining over the years.         

 

 

 

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Madness are a ska and pop band formed in Camden Town, London in 1976. Current active members include Chris Foreman, Mike Barson, Lee Thompson, Graham “Suggs” McPherson, Dan Woodgate and Mark Bedford, with five past members Cathal “Chas Smash” Smyth, John Hastler, Dikran Tulaine, Gavin Rodgers and Garry Dovey. Their first release “The Prince”, a homage to their idol Prince Buster, was a hit on the UK charts, reaching number 16 despite their rookie status. Their most well-known song is the 1982 track “House of Fun, ” their only UK number-one single. Their most recent album “Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est la Vie” also took the number one spot on the UK albums chart.

Gary Barlow is an English singer, songwriter and member of the well-known band Take That. Born in 1971 in Cheshire, he became lead singer in Take That in 1989. He wrote many of the group’s songs, including Take That’s first UK charts number-one single “Pray”. He embarked on a solo career in 1996 and is also active in the band with members Howard Donald and Mark Owen (previous members include Robbie Williams and Jason Orange). Barlow’s most recent music release is the 2023 album “This Life” with Take That, which peaked at number one on the UK albums chart.

The Script are an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 2001. The current members are Danny O’Donoghue, Glen Power, Benjamin Sargeant and Ben Weaver, with only one past member Mark Sheehan who passed away last year. After signing to record label Sony Label Group, they began working in London and released their debut album “The Script” in 2008 – the album reached number one in the UK charts. They are known for mainstream hits “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “Hall of Fame”. Their most recent release is the album “Satellites” which peaked at number two on the official album charts.

Madness last performed at the Eden Project in 2017 and it’s no surprise that they have been invited to perform again off the back of their recent chart success. The managing director of the Eden Sessions, Rita Broe, expressed her excitement in a comment, “We can’t wait to see what the band have in store for us this time around.”  

The dates each artist is set to perform can be found below. 

Gary Barlow

18/06/2025 – Eden Project – Cornwall 

The Script plus Tom Walker 

25/06 – Eden Project – Cornwall 

Madness 

12/07 – Eden Project – Cornwall

More information can be found on the Eden Sessions website, and ticketing information can be found here. 

Attempting hip hop for the first time, Williams was met with confusion upon the release of the track. He has now shared his embarrassment surrounding “Rudebox” in his new 4-part Netflix documentary.

Williams said, “My biggest regret is putting that out as the first single. If I’d have put it out third and explained properly [that] it’s daft – I know! I’m not trying to be a grime artist. I know it’s daft.”

He continued, “In the documentary, the biggest cringe point for me is explaining to an audience who are about to listen to ‘Rudebox’ for the first time that this is gonna be the biggest single since ‘Angels’. Then I had another thought about it, that it’s my second most important single because ‘Angels’ gave me the career and ‘Rudebox’ heralded the end of my imperial phase. So in a way I was right, but not in the way I wanted to be.”

The documentary series, simply titled Robbie Williams, explores the highs and the lows of Williams’ career since his debut with boy band Take That in 1990. Williams addresses many hot topics throughout, including his relationship with Geri Haliwell, also known as Ginger Spice of The Spice Girls, and his feud with bandmate Gary Barlow.

The show also touches on the raw topic of mental health struggles, with Williams candidly sharing his history of self-harm and depression. He opened up saying, “Thank God mental health is being talked about in a different way. I read something that triggered me, somebody talking about ‘celeb washing’ of mental illnesses. And celebs making mental health issues sexy.”

He continued, “[people] need to be careful about what we say and how we say it.”

“It felt like, every day, I would read in print what an abhorrent person I was.”

Robbie Williams opens up on his battles with the media. pic.twitter.com/ZQD2g9fE7J

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) November 12, 2023

The series has already received rave reviews, with fans sharing their opinions on social media.  

The Robbie Williams doc was compelling. Two things stood out. 1. Robbie is a self aware, genuine and decent man. 2. The British press are fucking scum. They’ve driven many of Britain’s best and most talented people to despair, suicide and addiction. They need to be stopped. — Supertanskiii (@supertanskiii) November 12, 2023

Robbie Williams documentary on Netflix – hats off to him for being so open and honest, owning his own shit and somehow finding a way through the madness of superstardom. But what the tabloids tried to do to him was absolutely appalling. #RobbieWilliamspic.twitter.com/aHWTisepRu

— James Melville (@JamesMelville) November 11, 2023

Watch Robbie Williams on Netflix now.

Robbie, being the youngest and most rebellious member, joined the band at the tender age of 16, while Gary, who was positioned as the group’s leader, was a few years older at 19. In the docu-series, Robbie reflects on his time in the band and reveals a sense of rivalry between himself and Gary.

During interviews for the show, Robbie candidly expressed his dislike for Gary, primarily because he believed Gary had everything and the successful career that he himself desired. Robbie admitted to feeling vengeful and wanting to make Gary pay for his perceived advantages.

Robbie said, “I disliked Gary the most because he was the one that was supposed to have the everything, and the career. I wanted to make him pay. I was vengeful.”

Despite Robbie’s departure from Take That after just five years, which left fans devastated, the band split the following year. Robbie embarked on his solo career in 1996, initially achieving moderate success with a few singles entering the charts. However, it was his collaboration with songwriter and producer Guy Chambers, along with the release of the hit song “Angels,” that truly propelled his music career to new heights.

In the documentary featuring one of Robbie’s earlier solo performances, archive footage captures him taunting the audience and directing his hostility towards Gary. He said,“I’m sorry that I treated Gary like that. You can understand why a younger me and a younger you would bump heads,  I’d be like, ‘It’s my game’, and you’d be like, ‘No, it’s my game… it’s my ball’.”

Williams revealed that he did not seek Barlow’s input during any phase of the documentary’s creation. Williams clarified that he was not obligated to do so by law. Although the two had previously discussed the concept of a biopic, Williams admitted that their conversations on the topic were awkward. Robbie said, “Legally I didn’t have to. I’ve had to have chats there, yeah, and they are uncomfortable.”

Take That appeared to have a clear leader in Gary Barlow, with all attention and management focused on him. As a youth, I couldn’t help but feel envious and resentful towards him. Robbie said “And it seemed like there was one person being managed in Take That, and it was Gary Barlow. It was all geared around him and as a young person, I would’ve been jealous of that. I suppose a lot of me resented him.”

In 2006, Take That produced a documentary about their band, during which Robbie offered a brief and apology to Gary. However, Gary appeared to have little to add, stating that he had already expressed his thoughts on the matter in previous interviews. Gary said, “I think I’ve said it all in my interviews, yeah.”

Excitement has been growing since Take That announced they were “back for good” following the King’s Coronation Concert. Where they revamped their 2008 single “Greatest Day’s”

The tour begins in Sheffield on April 13th, with the line-up consisting of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen. Thereafter they will be hosting two concerts in Dublin, two in Leeds, and four at London’s 02 Arena. The Dublin dates will take place at the 3Arena on Monday, April 22nd and Tuesday, April 23rd.

We’re extremely excited to announce that we are going on a tour of the UK & Ireland in 2024! You can get pre-sale access by pre-ordering our brand-new album ‘This Life’ from the official Take That UK store before 10AM BST on the 26th Sep. https://t.co/7ElauYKxH8 pic.twitter.com/Riwg5PM1OI

— Take That (@takethat) September 22, 2023

Announcing the news, Gary Barlow told BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, “New music, it is exciting, we’ve been together for 33 years now so it’s like, ‘what’s next, how do we sound in 2023?There’s nothing more we love than going into a studio and going ‘who are we now, how does our music sound now when it comes out’ and it feels fresh and it feels exciting and it feels like we’re looking upwards.”

The tour will kick off in Glasgow’s OVO Hydro and feature three shows at the beginning of May, prior to four performances at Manchester’s Co-Op Live. The band will then move on to Birmingham for four dates, followed by gigs in Middlesbrough, Nottingham, Norwich, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Plymouth and Swansea. Finally concluding with a show at Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium on June 8th. Olly Murs who first gained recognition from his X Factor appearance in 2009, will be the opening act throughout.

Today this could be the greatest day of our lives wow I’ve had this secret for some time but next year I’m on the road with these legends TAKE THAT! What a tour this is going to be! Tickets go on sale NEXT FRIDAY 29th SEPTEMBER! https://t.co/HxrVjtoGBj gunna be a special!! pic.twitter.com/xPAAiVqGz8 — Olly Murs (@ollymurs) September 22, 2023

Take That’s new album This Life is available to pre-order, click here.

Take That’s 2024 This Life On Tour tickets go on sale 09:30, Friday 29 September. Click here to purchase.

New tour dates have been added by Take That, due to an overwhelming response from fans.

Your response to the tour has been nothing short of incredible – so we’re adding a further two more shows in Birmingham and Manchester! Tickets go on sale this Friday at 9:30am BST here: https://t.co/HALXwEiJiz pic.twitter.com/3TeQdPHRGX

— Take That (@takethat) October 4, 2023

13/04/2024 – Utilita Arena – Sheffield
14/04 – Utilita Arena – Sheffield
17/04 – Leeds First Direct Arena – Leeds – NEW DATE
18/04 – Leeds First Direct Arena – Leeds – NEW DATE
19 /04 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
20/04 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
22/04 – 3Arena – Dublin
23/04 – 3Arena – Dublin
25/04 – The O2 – London
26/04 – The O2 – London
27/04 – The O2 – London
30/04 – The O2 – London
01/05 – The O2 – London – NEW DATE
03/05 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
04/05 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
05/05 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
07/05 – Co-op Live – Manchester
08/05 – Co-op Live – Manchester
10/05 – Co-op Live – Manchester
11/05 – Co-op Live – Manchester
14/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
15/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
17/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
18/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
19/05- Utilita Arena – Birmingham – NEW DATE
20/05 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham – NEW DATE
20/05 – The City Ground Stadium – Nottingham – NEW DATE
24/05 – Riverside Stadium – Middlesborough
26/05 – The City Ground Stadium, – Nottingham
28/05 – Carrow Road Stadium – Norwich
30/05 – Milton Keynes Stadium – Milton Keynes
01/06 – St Mary’s Stadium – Southampton
02/06 – St Mary’s Stadium – Southampton – NEW
04/06 – Home Park Stadium – Plymouth
06/06 – Swansea Stadium – Swansea
08/06 – Ashton Gate Stadium – Bristol
09/06 – Ashton Gate Stadium – Bristol – NEW DATE
11/06 – Co-Op Live – Manchester – NEW DATE
12/06 – Co-Op Live – Manchester – NEW DATE

Three of the original members, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, and Gary Barlow, performed at the celebration with Robbie Williams and Jason Orange absent from the festivities having left the band in 1995 and 2014 respectively. They started their performance with “Greatest Day” bringing out German Grammy Award-winning DJ Robin Schulz for the tune and then sang two more of their number-one hits “Shine” and “Never Forget”.

After the concert, the band took to Twitter to confirm they have more plans up their sleeves writing, “It was incredible to perform live together again for the first time in 4 years and there is so much more to come. We’re back for good”.

It was incredible to perform live together again for the first time in 4 years and there is so much more to come. We’re back for good #CoronationConcert #CoronationOnTheBBC #iPlayer #BBC pic.twitter.com/Rw4oy6M4rZ

— Take That (@takethat) May 8, 2023

Originally released in 2008 as a single from the group’s fifth studio album The Circus, “Greatest Day” has been given new life with the remix by Schulz and multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter Calum Scott’s added vocals. The single released on the 5^th May is the band’s first release since their Odyssey Greatest Hits album in 2018. Listen to the track below:

On the 15^th June, Greatest Days, a British film based on the Take That jukebox musical of the same name, will be premiering in cinemas across the country.

“’Greatest Day’ is a special song for us – it was one of our biggest singles, and our 11th No.1,” the band said in a press release. “It’s been fantastic being in the studio working on the new version of the track with Calum and Robin, both such talented artists. With the movie Greatest Days coming out this summer we wanted to do something special with the title track and we were really excited that Calum and Robin agreed to be involved. They have been brilliant, and we’re really excited for everyone to hear it!”

Watch the original music video for “Greatest Day” (2008) below:

Take That will headline British Summer Time in Hyde Park on the 1^st July. The band shared their excitement over the concert: “We have incredible memories of playing there in 2016, and we can’t wait to see everyone in July”. Also on the bill for that date are The Script and Sugarbabes with the full line-up yet to be released. For tickets and more information see here.

.@Adele, @katyperry and @johnlegend have all recently signed up for residencies https://t.co/Unnf0AmHp4

— NME (@NME) December 29, 2021

Barlow said: “Just before lockdown we were so close to signing contracts to do a residency in Vegas and we want to do that…It won’t be next year, but we’re hoping for 2023. It’s something we all want to do and I think our fans would love it.”

If this does indeed go ahead, group will be joining a pantheon of big names who have signed up for Vegas residency, including Adele, who announced last month that she will be taking up a 12-week residency, and will be playing shows at The Colosseum and Caesars Palace Hotel. Other artists who have signed up for residency include Mariah Carey, John Legend and Boyz II Men.

Presently, Take That are on a break, and Barlow took that time to work on a Christmas album entitled The Dream of Christmas, which was released on the 26^th of November through Polydor Records. The album features a mixture of original songs (including the titular track “The Dream of Christmas”) and classic Christmas tunes such as “Winter Wonderland” and “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”.

Whilst it has not been covered by publications such as NME or Rolling Stone, the album has been well-received by fans and has garnered praise from a number of different entertainment blogs, such as Love London, Love Culture who said of the record: “It has to be said that one of the album’s main strengths is that it is not simply made up of festive songs that we have heard many versions of over the years – but also features some original songs that allow Barlow to show off his song writing skills to the full…Overall, this is an album that is perfect to listen to when you are just cozying up around the fire at the end of the day with the family. It is gently enjoyable.”

The album is available via all streaming services, and physical copies can be purchased here.

In other news regarding Take That, the group reunited earlier this year for a virtual show, that featured a one-off reunion with former Take That member and revered British singer Robbie Williams. The show included performances of fan favourites such as “The Flood” and “Back For Good”. 

The singer took to his Instagram to announce the news.

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The new music orientated programme will see Barlow present and perform with the shows band as well as a collection of very special guests. The singer’s star-studded band consists of music’s most respected musicians as well as Barlow himself on keys and vocals. The band includes James Bay and McFly member, Tom Fletcher on guitars, Jazz musician Jamie Cullum playing piano/keyboard and on vocals, Mica Paris also providing vocals, Danya Fisher on bass, Donovan Hepburn on drums and Guy Chambers on piano/keyboard and is also involved in the band’s musical direction.

The ‘Shine’ singer released this statement expressing his excitement for the new show.

“A key reason for me doing this show for BBC One was that I just wanted to get in a room with a load of people I love and respect and play music. We’re aiming to give artists a platform and place where they can perform and have fun. It’s simply a musical treat for everyone who loves watching the best musicians performing great songs from any genre and any decade.”

The show’s special guests will be interviewed by Barlow to discuss their careers but will also perform with the house band. The roster of guests to appear include, Anne-Marie, MoStack, DJ Nathan Dawe and musical legend, Craig David.

The inspiration for the show came from Barlow’s lockdown project, ‘Crooner Sessions’, which saw the singer perform duets over Zoom with artists including Sir Elton John, Brian May, Rick Astley, Ronan Keating and his Take That bandmate Robbie Williams. As well as the presenter, Barlow is also the co-producer of the programme, along with Penny Lane Entertainment. The production company, which is run by ITV’s former Creative director, Lee Connolly and is backed by successful English media giants, Spun Gold.

Penny Lane Entertainment’s Executive producer Lee Connolly also gave the following statement concerning the new show and discusses the show’s inspiration.

“Artists and musicians love to perform, and I’m With The Band (w/t) creates a platform for them to do just that. Gary continues to show, with his Crooner Sessions, how much fun it is to collaborate with fellow musicians and I’m With The Band (w/t) takes this concept further by creating a bespoke environment where artists can relax and do what they do best.”

The new one-off show is set to air this summer and will feature some old classics as well as introduce audiences to new music.

It is a unique quirk of these times that fans find themselves waiting an entire year before they are able to see their favourite artists touring in support of an album release but it is a situation that many of us have sadly had to get used to this year. In fact, fans of artists like Dua Lipa and Glass Animals, whose albums came out earlier in the year have had to adjust to waiting even longer than a year for a tour to materialise. ‘Music Played By Humans,’ charted at number 1, his most successful chart performance since 2012’s ‘Sing,’ may be a sign of a return to this successful as well as the heights of 1997’s ‘Open Road.’

Speaking about the announcement on her instagram, Leona Lewis said that she was ‘beyond excited to be invited to join Gary Barlow next year on tour! She also said, referring to the ongoing restrictions which have been placed on live music this year, ‘I’ve missed performing so much and am counting down the days until I can be back on the stage singing with my fans who have continued to be amazing throughout this crazy year.’ Fans of Gary Barlow and Leona Lewis alike will surely be counting down the days till they can see their favourite singers performing live once again.

Tickets for the tour can be bought here, with early dates starting in Belfast and Ireland in the summer of 2021 and the rest of the UK dates beginning in November and continuing through to December. Fans got a taste of what they might be able to expect from the tour when Gary Barlow appeared last week on The Royal Variety Performance for the Royal Family. He performed a version of ‘Incredible,’ taken from the ‘Music Played By Humans,’ album with a live orchestra and the effect was stunning.

In a world of pop music which is increasingly saturated with singers performing to backing tracks, it is refreshing to see Gary Barlow taking a stand against this and making a deliberate effort to include real musicians in his tour. It is also exciting to see him performing with a full orchestra, rather than the now standardised Rock and Pop lineup which most artists which do use real musicians will be performing with, the orchestra approach is a throwback to the music of the early 20th century which featured much more traditional instrumentation.

Full UK dates for Gary Barlow’s 2021 ‘Music Made By Humans,’ tour are as follows:

21/06/2021 – The SSE Arena – Belfast
31/11 – P&J Live – Aberdeen
1/12 – The SSE Hydro – Glasgow
2/12 – FlyDSA Arena – Sheffield
5/12 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
6/12 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
7/12 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
9/12 – AO Arena – Manchester
10/12 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
11/12 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
13/12 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool
16/12 – The O2 Arena – London
17/12 – The O2 Arena – London
18/12 – Utilita Arena – Newcastle

He then explained that performances from the band will not be conventional and instead, he’ll rent a place which he’ll use to display his artwork which he created over lockdown and at night, he plans to host and DJ old school raves. He said during the live feed, “I’m gonna do this thing with my friends. Form a band and what I’m gonna do is rent a space, put my art in there. During the day it’ll be a gallery. Then at night I shall be DJing and it will be a musical venue, something the old folks will call a rave.”

He continued by saying, “I’ll be on the espressos. Oh yes I will. Quadruple espresso. Doing it old school. I’m very, very excited about this. I want to do it in Berlin. I also want to do it in Tokyo. I wanna do it in several places. Be fun won’t it? It’s one of them things, it’s a passion project. If some thing hap-pens then great, if not, I’ve just had fun.”

As well as keeping busy with his artwork over lockdown,  Robbie has been songwriting and has created more than 50 songs during the period. The Sun newspaper reported that back in June, “he confirmed he had been writing music with his former bandmate Gary via Zoom.” During lockdown back in May, Robbie re-joined his former Take That bandmates, for a one off virtual charity gig.

He revealed his latest news just weeks after his surprise release of his latest Christmas song, “Can’t Stop Christmas,” which is a light hearted, cheeky song which has references to the measures we’ve all faced over the past 12 months due to the pandemic. Robbie mimics zoom, facetime, hand sanitizer and the two metre social distancing rule in his latest track with a line which is written in The Daily Mail, “‘Santa’s on his sleigh, but now he’s two metres away.”

The song begins, “Oh what a miserable year, but what a time to be alive. Sadly some friends disappeared , It’s never been like this before, It feels like we’re at war. So I wonder who’s gonna decide, if we can do the Auld Lang Syne. I wish that I could do what I like, with this family of mine We’re going out of our minds.” Although the unprecedented 2020 in nearly at an end, it seems that Robbie has used his time over lockdown wisely with new creations and exciting plans for future projects for 2021.