To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Coles Corner we’re releasing some special editions of the album + announcing some special Anniversary Shows!

— richardhawley (@RichardHawley) March 4, 2025

 Hawley made the announcement on social media, and quickly followed it up with an appearance on BBC Radio 6’s Lauren Laverne Show on 4 March. The musician revealed that he was initially reluctant to celebrate the anniversary, preferring to look forward to upcoming projects, but he acknowledged the album’s impact on his career. “That record changed everything for me, it was a game-changer. When we made that, it was the last roll of the dice.”  

Named after a well-known meeting spot in Sheffield, ‘Coles Corner’ was released in 2005 and received critical acclaim. The album currently holds a score of 85 on Metacritic, and reviews have compared Hawley to a variety of 60s figures, including Scott Walker and Roy Orbison. The record earned Hawley a Mercury Prize nomination, with the award eventually going to the Arctic Monkeys, prompting frontman and fellow Sheffielder Alex Turner to say, “somebody call 999, Richard Hawley’s been robbed.”

In a rare moment of reflection, Hawley revealed the troubled circumstances that the album emerged from. “I had no record deal at all. We were with Setanta Records, who had backed me since the beginning, but that had ended. I was marooned, and at 34 years old, like most rock stars, it’s not a good time to start a career. There was no money, it was looking bleak.” A friend loaned him £10,000 to record the album, “…and I thought now is the time to make the record you’ve always wanted to make. Without any compromise. It’s sink or swim.”

  The reissue will be available on both CD and vinyl, with the item listing revealing a second disc of 18 bonus tracks, including acoustic and live versions of songs from ‘Coles Corner’. Physical copies of the album are available to preorder on Hawley’s Dig! store, and fans who order before 3pm on 10 March will gain access to a presale for the tour.  

Alongside the York show, Hawley has confirmed shows in Boston, Portmeirion, Blackpool, Margate, Worthing, and Weston-super-Mare. Hawley also hinted that more dates will follow, using his BBC interview to tell fans to wait before booking shows on the other side of the country. “Each gig will be unique and special… Each show will be all over the country in places off the beaten track.”  

 

 

 

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The 58-year-old is synonymous with the Steel City, often using Sheffield as a backdrop for his songs. Speaking about the role it plays in his music, he said, “If you write about things you know, you have authority by living through it. I see beauty in the very simple things of everyday life and always have.”   

The announcement of the reissue and tour have been met with excitement from his devoted fanbase. One X user wrote: “What an album this is. Pre-ordered the [limited] vinyl and 2 CD edition, and tickets for York booked this morning. Already can’t wait.”

What an album this is – pre-ordered the ltd vinyl & 2cd editions & tickets for York booked this morning – already can’t wait! — JonR1973 (@jonnyroberts73) March 6, 2025

With only one appearance in his native city in the past 18 months, hopes are high that Hawley will make a stop in the South Yorkshire city on the tour. Further dates are expected to be announced following the presale. Tickets are not available for purchase yet.

Tonight’s (October 14) event was none other than Pulp in all their irreverent glory, from a concert recorded in 2012. Teenage Cancer Trust have shared a small snippet of it: ‘This Is Hardcore’, ‘Common People’, ‘Babies’ and ‘Disco 2000’. This unseen fragment of Pulp at the Royal Albert Hall is fun and energetic and a truly great reminder of what live music is like at its best – we should all be grateful for the memory!

TONIGHT! @pulp2011 are next up in our Unseen ‘mini-gig’ series, created from archive footage of #TeenageCancerGigs at the @RoyalAlbertHall.
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Watch at 8pm on our Unseen YouTube channel: https://t.co/gRsazEtdHr pic.twitter.com/l3edaKCpA4

— Teenage Cancer Trust (@TeenageCancer) October 14, 2020

It’s worth watching solely for the moment when Jarvis drops to the ground and throws his legs up in the air like he’s going to do a shoulder stand. Richard Hawley is also there, on a flashy red electric guitar. As usual, Pulp’s energy is completely infectious and by half way through “com-mon peo-ple” you’ll hardly be sitting still. (Maybe I should confess that it’s my biggest regret that I’ve never seen Pulp live).

This footage feels like a real product of its time. In part, this is due to seeing the crowd socialise in close proximity and not in giant plastic bubbles, like The Flaming Lips tested out last night in Oklahoma. Also, Jarvis tells the audience affectionately that they can’t stay out too late because he has to go off and do his radio show the next day, taking us all back to Sunday afternoons of Jarvis’ carefully curated BBC 6 Music slot.

And, of course, all of this has always been for a great cause. Teenage Cancer Trust are celebrating their twentieth year of supporting young people through such a harrowing and lonely occurrence, and their numerous testimonies prove just how important this work really is. The slogan for TCT Unseen is simply “TEENAGE CANCER HASN’T STOPPED. SO WE CAN’T STOP.”

The rest of their Unseen line-up contains just as many fan favourites – you can see the entire list below. They’ve already put out sets from Muse, Paul McCartney and Stereophonics, and they’re building up to a full-length feature of The Cure’s 2014 performance to be streamed on Saturday 31^st October.  After each livestream, the shows remain on Youtube with all of the donation information, so you can watch later on and still have the opportunity to make a difference.

Teenage Cancer Trust are the only UK charity that commit to supporting all of the needs of their young people. They fund specialist cancer units, youth support coordinators and even events and networks for people with experience of cancer to come together in safe and supportive spaces. Like so many charities and industries, a great part of their fundraising and their community has been seriously affected by the pandemic. By reaching into their archives for material like this, they have gone some way to recapturing the magic of Teenage Cancer Trust for their fans, the way that music always has the power to.

 Teenage Cancer Trust ‘Unseen’ Line-up:

08/10/20 – Ed Sheeran
09/10 – Muse
10/10 – Rudimental
11/10 – Paul McCartney
12/10 – Paul Weller
13/10 – Stereophonics
14/10 – Pulp
15/10 – Noel Gallagher
16/10 – Them Crooked Vultures
17/10 – The Who
18/10 – The Cure
31/10 – The Cure – full live stream