Paul Heaton Brings the Hits, the Humour and a Whole Lot of Heart to Cardiff UTILITA Arena
Utilita Arena, Cardiff – Monday 2nd November 2026
WORDS / IMAGES SAM HOLT
There’s nothing worse than a bad back, is there?
Having recently released his new album, Jenius, Paul Heaton is back out on the road. The former Housemartins and Beautiful South frontman went solo in 2007, initially joined by Jacqui Abbott and, more recently, Rhianne Downey. For this tour, they are joined by Liverpool’s Lightning Seeds.
The Lightning Seeds have been making music for more than three decades and, during that time, have delivered countless hits. Fronted by Ian Broudie, the line-up is completed by his son Riley on guitar, Martin Campbell on bass, Jim Sharrock on drums and Adele on keys. Initially, the band was considered something of a side project alongside Broudie’s production work. He is also credited as producer on Paul Heaton’s 2024 album, The Mighty Several.
Their feel-good, uplifting sound makes them a great opening act, turning a Monday night into something resembling a Friday. I did notice the inclusion of a few lines from John Lennon’s Imagine, slotted into You Showed Me. Their set also included Change and The Life of Riley, before closing with Pure, their first hit.
The lights dim, and the intro music, Tom Jones’ Delilah, has the crowd in fine voice as the main man appears in his trademark blue anorak. Opening with One Eye Open from his new album, Heaton quickly moves through songs from his vast back catalogue. He has a great rapport with the audience, joking about Rhianne’s double-denim outfit and his first time in Cardiff, although one thing is clearly important to him.
After the eighth song, he jokingly says goodnight, before pointing out how important it is to him to keep ticket prices down. He emphasises that, pound for pound, other artists would give their audiences much less, insisting that he does it for the fans. He then leaves us with the words, “Never forget how cheap I am.”
I’ll Sail This Ship Alone demonstrates that he still has it, with a great vocal range and a fantastic singalong with the crowd, accompanied by an interesting brass solo. Fish ‘N’ Chip Supper follows, before a brief respite as Heaton comments, “There’s nothing worse than a bad back.” However, he adds that there is something worse… just watch the news!
The hits continue with Song for Whoever, keeping the evening flowing and giving guitarist and co-writer Johnny Lexus the opportunity to let his cream Telecaster deliver a beautiful yet powerful solo. The Wirral-born singer then dedicates one of my favourite tracks from Jenius, My Kind of Idiot, to the audience. It's a song that holds its own against some of the older material in the set, and I reckon it could become a regular fixture in future setlists.
Talking about his left-wing politics, Heaton recalls someone who took to social media to complain about them and left a gig early. Jokingly, he remarks, “It’s nice to know his music moves people,” before apologising in case he has offended anyone. From the cheer that goes up, I'm pretty sure he hasn't offended tonight's crowd.
It's the perfect cue for Heatongrad, Old Red Eyes Is Back and several other favourites, including Happy Hour, before bringing the main set to a close with Good for the Bees.
But it isn't over yet. Two encores follow, including Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) and Caravan of Love, rounding off the evening beautifully.
Both acts are on fine form and complement each other perfectly. The stage set-up is basic yet effective, and I suspect that's exactly how Heaton wants it: giving something back to the fans and letting the music do the talking. That becomes particularly apparent when you look at the number of songs packed into the set. Okay, they're relatively short, but it's still fantastic value for money.
SET LIST
One Eye Open
Sitting on a Fence
I Gotta Praise
Sheep
I Want the Job
DIY
Five Get Over Excited
I'll Sail This Ship Alone
Fish 'N' Chip Supper
A Son, a Father
Song for Whoever
Me and the Farmer
Favourite Kind of Idiot
A Little Time
Heatongrad
Don't Marry Her
Some Dancing to Do
Old Red Eyes Is Back
Happy Hour
Perfect 10
Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud)
Good for the Bees
ENCORE 1
Rotterdam (Or Anywhere)
You Keep It All In
ENCORE 2
Prettiest Eyes
Caravan of Love
FOLLOW PAUL HEATON
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