Following the 1979 dissolution of female punk trendsetters The Runaways, in which Jett played guitar and sang backing vocals, she found herself in England starting her journey as a solo artist. Here, she recorded three songs with the Sex Pistol’s Paul Cook and Steve Jones, one of which was a demo version of ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’, before recording a self-titled solo album at London’s Ramport Studios, which was owned by The Who. She then formed The Blackhearts, and later reissued the self-titled album as ‘Bad Reputation’ in 1981.

From there Joan Jett and The Blackhearts released their full debut LP as a group, 1981’s ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’, the title track of which topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 7 successive weeks and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Jett established herself as one of the most important female trailblazers in rock, both as a singer and guitarist, going on to receive a Grammy nomination for 1989 single ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You’ and earn the induction of herself and The Blackhearts into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Jett and the group have just completed a US tour with Iggy Pop, and were due to hit the UK this July supporting former-Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar on his star-studded ‘Best Of All Worlds’ tour. Hagar recently announced that these shows would be down-sizing venues to foster a more intimate atmosphere, which sees Joan Jett and The Blackhearts now missing from the current billing.

The vacuum from the Sammy Hagar tour has been filled by Jett’s first headlining UK shows since 2010, and her first trip across the pond since 2011’s Isle of Wight Festival. The tour will visit Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, and Wolverhampton before finishing at the brand-new British Airways ARC venue in London’s Olympia redevelopment project, which is due to open in June. Jett has said of the announcement “We can’t wait to be back on stage in the UK this Summer! I wrote and recorded Bad Reputation, my first solo LP in London. It’s been too long since we’ve been in the UK and we’re excited to see everyone!”

Tickets for Joan Jett and The Blackhearts solo dates go on sale at 10AM on Friday the 24th of April. Essex punk two-piece The Meffs are opening on all dates. Their UK shows conclude with one night supporting emo heroes My Chemical Romance on their Black Parade 20th anniversary tour, hitting Wembley Stadium on the 10th of July. Check the poster below for their headline run: