Gigs and festivals to look forward to in 2023

Virgin Radio

23 Dec 2022, 12:52

As the year draws to a close, we can start looking ahead to all of the good stuff that is happening in 2023. 

There are plenty of concerts and festivals that we are already excited about, and - from our current position in the depths of winter - many of them have got us dreaming of hot summer months.

Here are a few dates for your diary:

Elton John at Glastonbury

There can be few better places to be in the sunshine than at Glasto and, in 2023, lucky ticket holders are in for a real treat as it has been announced that Elton John will headline, in what will be the last UK date of his farewell tour.

The singer will make his debut on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday 25th June and has promised a memorable show. He said: “There is no more fitting way to say goodbye to my British fans. I can’t wait to embrace the spirit of the greatest festival in the world. It’s going to be incredibly emotional.”

Pulp are back

Talking of notable festival moments coming in 2023, how about the most exciting comeback of the year?

Sheffield legends Pulp are back, and will be headlining Latitude Festival on Friday 21st July as part of their reformation tour. The Sheffield band last took to the stage together all the way back in 2012.

Along with Pulp, Paolo Nutini and George Ezra will also headline the festival.

Pulp will go on their own headline tour as well, and are supported by Wet Leg for their gig at London’s Finsbury Park in July.

Blur take over Wembley Stadium

The Britpop legends are playing at the iconic London venue for the first time ever next July.

Guitarist Graham Coxon added: “I’m really looking forward to playing with my Blur brothers again and revisiting all those great songs... Blur live shows are always amazing for me. A nice guitar and an amp turned right up and loads of smiling faces.”

Demand was such that the band have added a second Wembley date. 

The Boss is coming

He was Born in the USA, but Bruce Sprinsteen will be heading to the UK in the summer, for his first shows on these shores since 2016.

Bruce and The E Street Band’s UK tour will start in Scotland on Tuesday 30th May, when they will play at the BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. Then, on Friday 16th June, the singer-songwriter will head to Birmingham, where he will take to the stage at Villa Park.

The tour then rolls on to London, with two special back-to-back dates for American Express presents BST Hyde Park, on Thursday 6th July and Saturday 8th July.

P!nk, Guns N’ Roses and more to play BST Hyde Park

Bruce isn’t the only big name to be performing at BST Hyde Park next year. P!nk has also announced she will be headlining in the summer of 2023, on top of other huge outdoor shows in the UK as part of her European tour. 

Gwen Stefani will be P!nk’s special guest at the London gig, on 24th and 25th June.

And rock royalty Guns N’ Roses are set to headline there for the very first time, on Friday 30th June, as part of the event's 10th anniversary.

Also due to play are Billy Joel and Take That.

Suede are touring 

Fresh from having played an incredible Sunset Session live at Virgin Radio, Suede are hitting the road in 2023, in support of their acclaimed ninth studio album, Autofiction.

The tour will take place in March 2023, and will see the band play shows in England, Wales and Scotland.

If their shows are anything like the performance that they put on at the top of the tower for us, they’ll be unmissable.

Billie Eilish, The Killers, Lewis Capaldi and Sam Fender set for Reading & Leeds

Billie Eilish, Lewis Capaldi and Sam Fender are among the big names revealed for Reading & Leeds Festival 2023.

Foals, The Killers and Imagine Dragons have also been confirmed for the festival - which is held over two sites - along with the likes of West Leg, Steve Lacy, The Snuts, Bicep, MUNA and many more.

Roll on August bank holiday!

Let’s Go Girls! Shania’s coming

The biggest-selling female artist in country music history is heading out on a massive world tour in 2023, hitting 48 cities across North America and Europe over 54 dates.

The tour will mark the first-time fans will get to see the artist live in almost five years, and celebrates her upcoming album, Queen Of Me, which lands on 3rd February.

The artist - who recently replaced her iconic Brad Pitt lyric with a different actor’s name - will play in London, Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester.

By the way, Red Hot Chili Peppers are taking on two big shows

Following on from their 2022 albums, Unlimited Love and Return Of The Dream Canteen, RHCP will play one show in England, and another in Scotland.

On Friday 21st July, they will be  at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London, and then move on to Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow on Sunday 23rd July.

Noel Gallagher’s special homecoming gig

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are set to play a big Manchester show, not far from where the former Oasis man grew up.

Gallagher and his band will play at Wythenshawe Park for a show on Saturday 26th August, and they’ll be supported by much-loved Scottish act Primal Scream and Baltimore-based alt-synth-pop band Future Islands. 

Obviously there are loads more gigs and festivals to look forward to, and the above is just a small selection of things going on in 2023.

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