Starsailor announce 2026 UK tour “with strings” to mark 25th anniversary of debut album ‘Love Is Here’

Starsailor have announced a 2026 UK tour to mark the 25th anniversary of their debut album ‘Love Is Here’ – see all the dates below.

• READ MORE: Starsailor’s James Walsh: “There’s a misconception we were a stop-gap before The Strokes”

The six dates will see the band joined by a string ensemble that will be arranged and conducted by Joe Duddell, who has previously collaborated with New Order, Elbow, James and Richard Hawley.

The ‘Starsailor With Strings: Love Is Here 25th Anniversary UK Tour’ will see them play the album in full and it will kick off with a show at the iconic London Palladium on October 2, with dates to follow in Bexhill, Edinburgh, Manchester and Poole, before they round off the run with a date at Birmingham’s Town Hall on October 23.

Tickets go on a Spotify Fans First pre-sale at 10am on Wednesday (November 26), while general sale begins at the same time on Friday (November 28) – you will be able to find yours here.

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The dates follow a pair of shows the band played with Duddell and the string section at Liverpool’s Tung Auditorium earlier this year, which resulted in the ‘Starsailor With Strings: Live From Liverpool’ album, released via East West / Parlophone in October.

Lead singer James Walsh has said: “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’.”

“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!”

Starsailor will play: 

OCTOBER 2026 
2 – London, Palladium 
3 – Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion 
17 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall 
18 – Manchester, Bridgewater Hall 
22 – Poole, Lighthouse 
23 – Birmingham, Town Hall 

The band are currently in the middle of a UK and European tour to mark 25 years since their formation, with dates remaining in London, Newcastle, Glasgow and Manchester. See all the info here and find any remaining tickets here.

Back in 2021, Starsailor celebrated the 20th anniversary of their debut album ‘Love Is Here’ with a deluxe reissue. Previously speaking to NME about the album and the band’s legacy, frontman James Walsh opened up about the “misconception” that post-Britpop bands were just a “stop-gap” before The Strokes and The White Stripes.

“One of the big misconceptions is that people were stood around waiting for The Strokes or The White Stripes to come around, like they needed this big explosion,” he told NME. “I love The Strokes, but there’s a perception music fans needed this injection of life.”

He continued: “But I remember our gigs and it was exciting to be part of the New Acoustic Movement with Turin Brakes and Coldplay. The people coming were passionate, and it certainly didn’t feel like a stopgap.”

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