Starsailor With Strings Love Is Here 25th Anniversary UK Tour

STARSAILOR WITH STRINGS

LOVE IS HERE 25TH ANNIVSERAY UK TOUR

Starsailor will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of their critically-acclaimed, multi-platinum debut album Love is Here with a special tour featuring a string ensemble arranged and conducted by Joe Duddell.

The album will be played in full during the six-date Starsailor with Strings: Love is Here 25th Anniversary UK Tour, beginning at the historic London Palladium on Friday 2 October 2026, which marks the band’s latest collaboration with Duddell.

Earlier this year, Starsailor marked their 25th Anniversary by playing two special shows with Duddell and the Up North Session Orchestra at Liverpool’s Tung Auditorium, which resulted in the release of the Starsailor with Strings: Live from Liverpool album via East West / Parlophone in October. Duddell’s other credits include New Order, Elbow, James, and Richard Hawley.

Starsailor with Strings: Love is Here 25th Anniversary UK Tour will comprise the following dates:

Friday 2 October London Palladium, London

Saturday 3 October De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill

Saturday 17 October Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Sunday 18 October Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Thursday 22 October Lighthouse, Poole

Friday 23 October Town Hall, Birmingham

The release of Love is Here on 8 October 2001 secured Starsailor’s reputation as one of Britain’s most exciting new bands. NME described it as “a debut album of real emotional depth… a lyrically deft record… partly thanks to James Walsh’s remarkable tuning fork of a voice”, and Rolling Stone commended it for its “irresistible, expansive melodies”. Q Magazine was among those to name it as one of their albums of the year. It reached #2 on the UK Album Chart and sold over a million copies worldwide - including more than 500,000 in the UK alone. The album has also been streamed over 56 million times on Spotify alone to date.

“The response to the Starsailor with Strings: Live from Liverpool gigs and, more recently, the album release has been incredible, so it made sense to continue working with Joe and the Up North String Orchestra as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Love is Here,” said Starsailor lead singer and guitarist James Walsh.

“Fans continue to tell us how much our debut album means to them, so we’re excited to be playing it in full for them next year, this time with the added power and emotion of the strings!”

To add to the 25th Anniversary celebrations, Starsailor have never previously played any headline gigs at any of the six venues that make up the UK Tour. These gigs take place in the same year that the Bridgewater Hall turns 30, while the Birmingham Town Hall (opened 1834), London Palladium (1910), Usher Hall (1914), and De La Warr Pavilion (1935) will sit among the oldest and most stunning venues the band will have played during their illustrious career.

Tickets are available now via the artist pre-sale with a Spotify Fans First presale starting at 10am on Wednesday 26 November. Remaining tickets will go on general sale at 10am on Friday 28 November.

Starsailor are currently touring the UK and Ireland as part of their 25th Anniversary Tour, which includes sold-out shows at Glasgow’s world-famous Barrowland Ballroom (Friday 28 November) and the Albert Hall in Manchester (Saturday 29 November).

About Love Is Here

Love Is Here was released on 8 October 2001 in the UK and 8 January 2002 in the US to critical acclaim. It reached #2 on the UK Album Chart and has sold over a million copies worldwide, including over 500,000 in the UK alone. The album has been streamed over 56 million times on Spotify alone to date.

Starsailor were crowned the Brightest New Hope at the NME Awards and Best New Act at the Q Awards in 2001, and also received a nomination for Best British Newcomer at the BRIT Awards in 2002.

Every single taken from the album charted in the UK Top 40: Alcoholic #10, Good Souls #12, Fever #18, Poor Misguided Fool #23, and Lullaby #36. All five singlers were performed on Top Of The Pops.

Debut appearances on Later… with Jools Holland (April 2001), Late Night with Conan O’Brien (December 2001), and the Late Show with David Letterman (January 2002), and MTV Five Night Stand performance and interview with Zane Lowe (April 2001).

NME and Q Magazine front covers throughout 2001 - NME magazine hailed them as "Britain's best new band" and put them on their esteemed NME Brat Tour package.

Radio performances for BBC Radio 1 Lamacq Live – NME Carling Awards Tour (January 2001), Mark & Lard Show (October 2001), The Evening Session (October 2001), Live Lounge with Jo Whiley (February 2002).

Radio playlists from Radio 1, XFM (Radio X), and Virgin Radio (Absolute).

Live performances on radio and TV from Glastonbury (June 2002), T in the Park (July 2002), plus appearances at the first modern Isle of Wight Festival (Rock Island, June 2002), V Festival (August 2001 and 2002), Rock Werchter (June 2002), and Roskilde Festival (June 2002).

Album launched with live performance at HMV’s flagship Oxford Street store, followed by headline UK Tour that featured gigs at Manchester Academy, Nottingham Rock City and London Forum. The latter show was released on the Love is Here: Live DVD and VHS in September 2002.

Performed alongside Travis and Ryan Adams at the NME Warchild Benefit Show at the Astoria, London (February 2002).

Headline US gigs at The Troubadour (August and December 2001) followed by North American Tour (February - March 2002) and a slot on the MTV Campus Invasion Tour (April - May 2002).