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Scotsman
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Stereophonics announce UK tour in December 2025
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Kelly Jones and gang look to ride again with a series of arena shows this December. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Stereophonics look to close their 2025 with a nine date arena tour of the United Kingdom in December. The group are set for dates in Nottingham, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Glasgow, London and more. Here's where you can catch Kelly Jones and the gang during their Winter Arena tour, and when you can get tickets for the show. Following a triumphant summer of stadium and outdoor performances, Welsh rock legends Stereophonics have unveiled plans for a major UK arena tour in December 2025. The extensive run of dates will see the band play Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, and London's iconic O2 to finish up the year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The announcement comes hot on the heels of a string of hugely successful gigs, including a sold-out show at London's Finsbury Park on July 4, 2025, where the band captivated audiences with dazzling visuals and their signature soaring melodies. The tour announcement coincides with the continued success of their recently released thirteenth studio album, Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait. The album debuted at No.1, marking their ninth official No.1 album – a testament to their enduring appeal and prolific career. With three decades of ground-breaking achievements and a legacy of chart-topping albums, Stereophonics remain one of the most respected and beloved bands in rock, with Kelly Jones' introspective lyrics continuing to resonate with fans both old and new. The band's dynamic live performances this year further solidify their reputation for never resting on their laurels, promising an electrifying experience for tour attendees – one that fans can check out for themselves during the Stereophonics Winter Arena Tour. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Where are Stereophonics playing on their 2025 UK arena tour? Stereophonics will close out their 2025 with a nine-date arena tour of the United Kingdom this December. | James D Kelly The band are set to perform at the following locations on the following dates: Where can I get tickets to see Stereophonics on their 2025 UK arena tour? Tickets to see Stereophonics on their Winter Arena tour will go on sale through Ticketmaster UK from 9:30am BST on July 11 2025. What have Stereophonics been performing live recently? We don't have to venture too far back to find out what Kelly Jones and company have been performing live. have listed that the band performed the following set during their show at Finsbury Park, London earlier in the month (July 4 2025.) Vegas Two Times I Wanna Get Lost With You Have a Nice Day There's Always Gonna Be Something Just Looking Do Ya Feel My Love Pick a Part That's New Seems Like You Don't Know Me Superman Geronimo (with 'Heartbreaker' riff by Led Zeppelin) Maybe Tomorrow Local Boy in the Photograph I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio (Kelly solo on ukulele into full band) Mr. Writer Mr and Mrs Smith Fly Like an Eagle Graffiti on the Train C'est la vie The Bartender and the Thief Encore: Step on My Old Size Nines (Kelly solo) Handbags and Gladrags (Mike d'Abo cover) (Kelly solo) Traffic A Thousand Trees Dakota Have you caught Stereophonics on their most recent stadium tour, or will you be seeing them perform during this arena tour in December? Let us know your thoughts on this tour announcement by leaving a comment down below.
Wales Online
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Stereophonics make big announcement ahead of Principality Stadium shows
Stereophonics make big announcement ahead of Principality Stadium shows It will be a busy year for the Welsh rock stars The Stereophonics have announced another UK arena tour at the end of this year Welsh band Stereophonics have announced a brand new UK Arena Tour for December 2025, with shows in Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and at London's The O2. This news comes ahead of the band's two sold-out homecoming shows at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on July 11 and July 12. Earlier this month, the band played their headline set at this year's Isle of Wight Festival, with Rolling Stone UK dubbing the band's set as 'the highlight of the night' that 'upheld every expectation' for 55,000 festivalgoers. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here This weekend, the band is expected to play some hits from their thirteenth studio album, 'Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait' that they released earlier this year. Their next tour is due to start in December and tickets will go on general sale on Friday, July 11 at 9.30am, for the following dates: December 4 - Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Article continues below December 6 - Newcastle Utilita Arena December 7 - Sheffield Utilita Arena December 9 - Aberdeen P&J Live December 10 - Glasgow OVO Hydro December 12 - Manchester Co-Op Live December 13 - Birmingham Utilita Arena December 16 - Liverpool M&S Bank Arena December 18 - London O2 Since their formation in 1992, Stereophonics have consistently held their place as one of the UK's most successful and beloved bands, a status that remains unchallenged in 2025. And late last year, the Welsh rock group announced a series of UK tour dates starting this week. The Welsh rock band was founded in the village of Cwmaman, and have become known for their gritty, emotionally charged sound and evocative storytelling. Fronted by lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, the band rose to fame in the late 1990s with their debut album Word Gets Around, followed by the multi-platinum success of Performance and Cocktails. Blending elements of alternative rock, Britpop, and classic rock influences, their music often explores themes of working-class life, relationships, and personal introspection. Article continues below Over the decades, Stereophonics have maintained a loyal fanbase and released a string of successful albums, solidifying their status as one of the UK's enduring rock acts.
Glasgow Times
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Stereophonics announce huge show in Glasgow OVO Hydro
Hot off the back of a hugely successful summer run of outdoor and stadium gigs that saw Stereophonics play to over 500,000 fans across the UK and Europe, including in Bellahouston Park last month. The Welsh band announce a brand new UK Arena Tour for December 2025, with shows in Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and at London's The O2. Tickets go on general sale on Friday 11th July at 09:30am. Stereophonics announce huge show in Glasgow OVO Hydro (Image: Supplied) READ MORE: 'Going Green': OVO Hydro announces all food will be plant-based for huge shows The announcement comes after the band roused crowds with their dazzling visuals and soaring melodies at their show in Glasgow two weeks ago. This week, the band will play two epic sold-out homecoming shows at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 11th & 12th July. Earlier this month, the band played a showstopping headline set at this year's Isle of Wight Festival, with Rolling Stone UK dubbing the band's set as 'the highlight of the night' that 'upheld every expectation' for 55,000 festivalgoers. The band recently released their much-anticipated thirteenth studio album, 'Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait', which debuted at No.1, marking their ninth official No.1 album. READ MORE: Police statement ahead of Kneecap's O2 Academy show after TRNMST drop READ MORE: 'I would do anything': Billie Eilish fans camp out at Hydro before sold-out show With three decades of groundbreaking achievements under their belts, and a legacy of nine No.1 albums, Stereophonics have earned their status and respect amongst their fans, peers and artists from across the musical generations, ranging from Bob Dylan to David Bowie to Dua Lipa. Stereophonics continue to solidify their place as one of the most enduring and beloved bands in rock. Their ability to seamlessly blend rock sensibilities with soaring melodies keeps their sound fresh and relevant, while Kelly Jones' ever-introspective lyrics continue to resonate with each passing year. Stereophonics have never been content to rest on their laurels, and this year's performances continue to be some of their most dynamic yet. Stereophonics UK Live Dates: December 4 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena December 6 Newcastle Utilita Arena December 7 Sheffield Utilita Arena December 9 Aberdeen P&J Live December 10 Glasgow OVO Hydro December 12 Manchester Co-Op Live December 13 Birmingham Utilita Arena December 16 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena December 18 London - The O2
Extra.ie
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Stereophonics: 'We're into all of it, whether it's Cyndi Lauper or fucking Metallica, I don't really care...'
As Stereophonics release the fantastic Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait, frontman Kelly Jones chats about his myriad influences, David Bowie, the Stones, and the band's upcoming Irish shows. Stereophonics were on stage on Sunday night at The Wiltern Theatre, on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, at the business end of an extensive North America tour, which kicked off in Montreal in mid-March and wraps up in Mexico City in a few days. But not before the band's head buck cat, Kelly Jones, joined Hot Press, a few hours before showtime, to chat about the band's blasting new album, Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait – their 13th long player. Is he superstitious? 'Thirteen has always been quite lucky for me,' he grins. 'Actually, I came 13th in the Grand National the other day. We had a tour pool, and our merchandise guy won it all.' Thirteen Stereophonics albums not out. It's some way back to 1997's Word Gets Around, and its lead single 'Local Boy In The Photograph', the opening salvo from the Cwmaman trio and that voice. Frontman Kelly Jones and late drummer Stuart Cable grew up on the same street, and recruited another native son, Richard Jones, before gigging the tough working man's club and pub circuit. A gilded tour support slot with fellow Welshmen Manic Street Preachers set packs of labels on their heels, with Richard Branson's V2 Records nabbing them. Sophomore album Performance & Cocktails, with its iconic cover – the Scarlet Page photograph of the kissing couple under the Westway – was on the shelf of every decent record collection, and lead single 'The Bartender And The Thief' blared out of every respectable tavern. The record went to Number 1 in the UK, a remarkable feat that seven more of the band's albums have achieved since. The 2025 Stadium Tour, the band's first run of live shows in over three years, has been billed as 'No Hit Left Behind'. The title is bang on the money, with the setlist packed with hits and fan-favourites – 'Dakota', 'Have A Nice Day', 'Maybe Tomorrow', 'Mr. Writer' – as well as a couple of cuts off the new record. 'We've only been doing the two that are out so far', Kelly says. 'When you've got 13 albums… We've got another song coming out the week after next and we'll probably add that. Everybody's filming everything, so I'd rather not have it that the first time somebody hears a new song is through somebody's phone.' Tickets to the shows are flying out the door, with over 300,000 already pocketed, and Kelly informs me that the audiences are multi-generational. After completing the North American leg of the tour, the band take an Easter break, before plunging into Europe, and arriving on these shores for three massive outdoor gigs in Belfast, Dublin and Cork. That's some pace, and when you couple that with the curr ent creative splurge, which Mr. Jones is revelling in – between this record and Stereophonics' 2022 effort Oochya!, he sandwiched in a solo record and other projects – the man is a machine. 'The Far From Saints record, which I did with my mates from Austin, Texas, was an Americana record,' Kelly explains. 'We co-wrote it together. So that's one way of making a record that was very different for me, and the solo record was all played on the piano. Those songs kind of swam to the surface, and they reveal themselves to tell you which projects they are for. 'I can instantly tell what's for the Stereophonics camp. But I'm grateful for the option to work with different musicians and learn from different people. This Stereophonics album came about quite fast. It was recorded in about two or three weeks. I had two songs – 'Seems Like You Don't Know Me' and 'Colours Of October' – which were potentially going to be used by Universal to release a new greatest hits record, because they haven't done one since 2008. 'But when they heard the two new songs, they suggested making a new studio record. So, I invited the boys to the studio for maybe 10 days and it was done.' Sounds pretty effortless when you consider the impact Kelly's songs continue to have on the masses. 'I think if people sense there's truth and honesty in it – whether it's 'Maybe Tomorrow', 'Traffic' or 'Dakota' – they know. They can feel it and they connect to it. That's why 60,000 people sing those words back to you in a field, because they've gone through something similar to that feeling. 'For 'Seems Like You Don't Know Me', I think everybody's been in a relationship where the communication hits a wall, and nobody knows who they are in the relationship anymore.' 'Backroom Boys' could have featured on the Phonics' debut, being as it is, a track about being young in small-town Wales. 'That was a Friday night in the house,' Kelly explains. 'I had a couple of beers, picked the guitar up, and it just come out in one take. I couldn't actually believe that it happened, I'm glad I put the phone on record! It's a song about leaving my girlfriend's house when I was about 15 – I'm supposed to be catching the last bus home. 'But there's a rock band playing in the local pub, and all my brother's mates are taking the money on the door. I was always allowed to sneak in and watch the bands, because they knew I was in a band since I was 12 years of age. It was amazing to be sat in these old backrooms of pubs with grown men and grown women doing adult things. 'I was allowed to sit and watch the music and all this stuff going on around me. I was always surrounded by older people in working men's clubs and pubs.' Indeed, Kelly's father, Arwyn, a singer in Oscar and the Kingfishers, performed in working men's clubs. 'I used to carry his speakers around from when I could lift them,' he recalls. 'I mean, being in those dress rooms, listening to people talk, and watching how somebody creates a setlist – how, when they walk on, nobody cares, and by the end, they're receiving a standing ovation – that takes a craft. 'I don't care if you're playing a stadium or whether you play a working man's club – to make people who are not giving a shit, fall in love with you and not want you to leave, that's an art. I learned that from playing those clubs.' Further influence came from his older siblings. 'Having two older brothers,' Kelly expands, 'there was lots of music around, and Stuart's brother was playing all different sorts of music. So, we were exposed to so many musicians and styles of music. My older brother, Kevin, was always playing Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Chicken Shack, all sorts of weird stuff, so I was always listening to lots of lyrics about things I didn't understand. 'And then there'd be Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin coming out of another room. And there'd be MOR stuff, like Foreigner and Journey, really melodic stuff, and Bruce Springsteen coming out of yet another room. When I listen to Stereophonics, it's all in there, really – country, MOR, punk rock elements. And there's an energy, obviously, AC/DC and the rock and roll thing. 'We were never a closed book. We're into all of it, whether it's Cyndi Lauper or fucking Metallica, I don't really care. I like listening to whatever energy is being put out there.' Indeed, the last song on the album, 'Feeling Of Falling We Crave', has a country hue to it. 'It has,' Kelly nods. 'That could have gone on the Far From Saints record, and it was a contender for a while. Then I pulled it back and I got a guy, a friend of mine – Jason from Nashville – to play the lap steel pedal, he did an incredible job. It's a beautiful song.' Talk to me about the album title. 'It goes back to the setlist and working man's clubs I was in,' says Kelly. 'I didn't want to get a job in a factory, like all my mates, so I ended up going to art school because I knew I could draw a bit. And then I ended up doing film school, screenplay writing and stuff like that, and it's led onto lyric writing oddly. 'And one of the guys there, he wrote in my notebook, 'Just make 'em laugh, make 'em cry, make 'em wait.' And I took that notion into all my setlists, and the arcs of my stories and songs. So, I thought it was time to use it as an album title.' Credit: James D Kelly I was reading that when you were touring with Bowie, you remarked that he would tinker with his setlist depending on what part of the States he was in. 'It was incredible,' Kelly confirms. 'None of my brothers were playing Bowie records. So when Tony, our keyboard player from Manchester, introduced me to Bowie just before that tour, I wasn't starstruck, because I wasn't really a huge fan at the time. I really got into Hunky Dory on that tour. 'I was writing a short story, and I used the character names Hunky and Dory, and he would read my screenplay treatments and give me notes. But on the east coast, he'd be playing Trent Reznor songs, and when he'd get into middle America, he'd be whacking on 'Let's Dance'. It was great to watch him carving out parts of his catalogue to appeal to different parts of an audience across America, incredibly interesting.' Let's talk about the band's huge upcoming Irish shows. 'We're looking forward to getting back over there,' says Kelly. 'It's been a little while, and it's always nice to do the outdoor shows. We just threw caution to the wind, really. We just chucked a bunch of stuff on sale. No fucking idea how people are going to buy tickets these days. 'But as you can tell, the event has gone crazy. People are buying our stadium shows all over the world, and we've been a band that's always been different sizes in different countries at different times. So, I'm really excited that people have bought the tickets, and we're looking forward to getting back over and playing to the people.' The Phonics are regular visitors to these shores. 'We've done anything and everything in Ireland,' Kelly confirms. 'From the Witness festival to the Point, from clubs in Temple Bar right up to headlining Slane Castle – we've done it all over there, even played the Guinness factory. I've done all of them.' The Stereophonics then make their triumphant UK return, playing stadiums across Britain, including two nights in the band's backyard – the iconic Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Considering the awful run the Welsh rugby team are enduring, I risk bantering that when the Phonics touch down there, it will be a definite hometown win. 'Yeah,' he drily laughs, 'Thanks for that. Appreciate it.' It turns out that a young Kelly Jones was in the audience when The Rolling Stones played the then Wales national stadium, the old Cardiff Arms Park. 'I saw them on the '89 Urban Jungle tour,' he confirms. 'I think it was the Steel Wheels album. That was a typical backroom boys story, they all took me to The Rolling Stones. I was 14. I think it was just after Keith cut his finger, so the Stones rescheduled the gig and one of the boys couldn't go. 'I was weeding my mother's shoe-shop garden at the time, and they said, 'You want to come?' And I'm like, 'Well, fuck the weeds, I'm coming.'' Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait is out now. Stereophonics play Belsonic, Belfast on June 5; St. Anne's Park, Dublin (6); and Virgin Media Park, Cork (7).
Wales Online
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
‘Surreal' moment Oasis' Noel Gallagher took Kelly Jones ‘under his wing' and introduced him to huge rock icons
'Surreal' moment Oasis' Noel Gallagher took Kelly Jones 'under his wing' and introduced him to huge rock icons Stereophonics and Oasis frontmen Kelly Jones and Noel Gallagher are firm friends Stereophonics will be playing Cardiff twice. (Image: GETTY ) Kelly Jones has spoken about the 'surreal' moment Noel Gallagher 'took him under his wing' and introduced him to rock icons The Who. The Stereophioncs frontman was opening up about his friendship with the Oasis guitarist, and the times that Noel took him 'under his wing' while discussing the band's 13th studio album, Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait, which is out now. Kelly said: 'I remember him [Noel] picking me up from V2 Records and driving me to the first Teenage Cancer Trust gig in his car [in 2000]. He introduced me to John Entwistle, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey and he set me up onstage with a cup of tea to do my first soundcheck with them. That was pretty f****** surreal,' he told the NME. Kelly also recalled his 'pretty messy' memories of touring with Oasis. He said: 'We toured while we were in Japan with them. We were on the same bill as them on Fuji Rock [in 2001] and we used to hang out in this bar in Tokyo called Abbey Road where there's a [Japanese tribute] band called The Parrots who used to play four sets a night. 'Funnily enough, I found some old pictures of me and Noel rehearsing when he used to have a studio down in Windsor recently. We were having a laugh about them and I asked him what he'd been up to and he said he'd been doing some writing in the studio. 'I'm assuming he's doing some writing for either his stuff or if they're [Oasis] gonna bring out a couple songs, I don't know,' he added. Article continues below When asked about the upcoming Oasis reunion tour, Kelly said he was sure it's going to be 'amazing' and that he thinks it's a good thing that the band have gotten back together. 'It's taken a long time. The band aside, just the magnitude of those shows and the magnitude of people wanting to be at shows is an amazing thing for musicians to be part of and for them to have that second bite of the cherry after everything that's gone on, it's pretty amazing really,' he said. 'I know a lot of people who've got kids who can't believe they're finally gonna get the chance to see them.' Both bands will perform at Cardiff's Principality Stadium this summer, with Oasis set to kick-off their highly anticipated reunion tour on July 4 and July 5 in Cardiff. The Stereophonics are set to perform a week later, playing two shows on July 11 and July 12. Stereophonics' new album Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait is out now via EMI. The band play the Principality Stadium on July 11 and 12. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here . Article continues below
