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Real name, Mike Rosenberg’s, journey began in Brighton, making the gig a memorable one for him and his fans. He also started very differently to where he is now as a multi-award winning, platinum selling artist, where he busked on the streets of Brighton.

He said: “I did not have a house. I just stayed in hostels and on people’s couches.” 

Now, the year 2026 marks a huge milestone for the singer, with a ten year anniversary of the release of his seminal album in 2024, ‘All The Little Lights’. On the album is his global hit ‘Let Her Go’, which reached number one in 19 different countries.

The singer has also been nominated for a Brit Award, and recently achieving a nomination for the Olivier Musical Awards for his tracks on the musical ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’, being his last album called ‘One For The Road’ in 2025.

Rosenberg’s known for his folk-pop, indie folk and acoustic sound, with songs often reflecting his own experiences or feelings. His songs tell stories, with a distinctive rasp to his voice, he often centers his music around the acoustic guitar. ‘Let Her Go’, gained the most attraction back upon its release in 2012, where he explores the irony of appreciating a relationship after it ends. Recorded in Sydney, the song became a success due to it’s honest simplicity that differed to trending hits of the time that revolved around pop and electronic sound, such as artists like Daft Punk and Avicii.

After releasing 13 albums and 17 singles since the year 2009, Passenger’s return to playing in Brighton is a special full-circle moment for the singer. His last studio album of original music was ‘Birds That Flew and Ships That Sailed’ in 2022. Indeed, hearing his hits live is anticipated, after his last live performances of the musical album being last year, where he ended his tour in late 2025 at Clockenflap Festival. Also, he did performances to celebrate the anniversary of ‘All The Little Lights’, where he played intimate shows, with a return to Sydney’s Opera House in 2024.

With his last appearance in Brighton, being 2023, he also had a homecoming performance in 2021 where he played at the Brighton Dome. He also makes frequent returns to the city to appreciate where his career began, including a surprise gig at The White Rabbit pub in 2019.

Tickets for the special event go on sale tomorrow, April 30th, at 10am.

The album’s cover features a depressed looking clown clutching a bottle of whisky with some colourful balloons floating discordantly behind him on a a pale pastel background. This imagery is a somewhat suitable summary of the mood of this album which centres around love loss and heartbreak. Tracks like ‘Nothing Aches Like a Broken Heart,’ are the perfect examples of this downtrodden mood which is only brightened by the dusty sweet tone of the Brightonian’s vocal take.

The production on ‘Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted,’ is nostalgically full and rich and harkens back to the early days of passenger when Mike Rosenberg was still accompanied by a full band. Fans of the intimate, busker-style performances which define favourites like ‘Let Her Go,’ will not be disappoint though as the album’s deluxe version includes acoustic versions of all of the ten new tracks which have all the indie-folk energy that his loyal fans are so fond of. While it is hard to say at this stage if any of the tracks on this album will be the next ‘Let Her Go,’ the strongest contender so far does seem to be ‘Sword from the Stone,’ which has the radio friendly lyrics and uplifting vocals that could make a great January hit.

‘Sword form the Stone,’ is the fourth single released from Passenger’s new album and the first to be released after the turn of 2021. While the lyrics are somewhat downbeat, the track is nonetheless suitable with muted optimism to strike a chord with the beleaguered British public who have seen through a difficult 2020 and continue to struggle through a very challenging start to 2021. Passenger has UK tour dates scheduled for 2021, however these are subject to Covid-19 delays and it is recommended to keep abreast of government advice before ordering tickets. Full dates are as follows:

26/08/2021 – Ulster Hall – Befast
30/08 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh
31/08 – Barrowland – Glasgow
2/09 – O2 Apollo – Manchester
4/09 – Rock City – Nottingham
7/09 – O2 Academy – Bristol
8/09 – O2 Academy Brixton – London

He also explained the premise of both the song and music video, saying, “It tells the tale of an older woman that spends her time drinking alone in a bar, thinking back to happier days . A time when she was beautiful and youthful and unaware of what the years would bring.” In a press release, Passenger expanded on this, commenting that it’s a recurring topic in his songs.

Picking up where his previous release left off, the video is set in the same bar as in ‘Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted’, the title track from his upcoming album. Due out on 8th January 2021, the album will contain a number of songs written my Passenger (real name Mike Rosenberg) when he was going through a break-up.

Not only will there be ten new tracks for fans to listen to, but also an acoustic version of each one. Furthermore, all physical copies of the record will be made entirely of recycled materials, and one tree will be planted for every copy sold via the official website – it is available to pre-order now. This is in parternship with Ecologi and the Eden Project.

Despite having to postpone his plans to tour until later in 2021, the artist will perform an intimate show at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 10th January once the album is released. All those who pre-order gain priority access to to event and also to the instant downloads of four songs: ‘Suzanne’, ‘A Song For The Drunk and Broken Hearted’, ‘The Way That I Love You’ and ‘London In The Spring’.

Find the full track-list for the album below.

1. Sword from the Stone
2. Tip of My Tongue
3. What You’re Waiting For
4. The Way That I Love You
5. Remember to Forget
6. Sandstorm
7. A Song for the Drunk and Broken Hearted
8. Suzanne
9. Nothing Aches Like a Broken Heart
10. London in the Spring
11. London in the Spring (Acoustic)
12. Nothing Aches Like A Broken Heart (Acoustic)
13. Suzanne (Acoustic)
14. A Song for the Drunk and Broken Hearted (Acoustic)
15. Sandstorm (Acoustic)
16. Remember to Forget (Acoustic)
17. The Way That I Love You (Acoustic)
18. What You’re Waiting For (Acoustic)
19. Tip of My Tongue (Acoustic)
20. Sword from the Stone (Acoustic)

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