Elvis Costello has announced that he will be hitting the road with The Imposters and Charlie Sexton next year, and celebrating his earlier discography.
The new run of shows will be dubbed the ‘Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello Tour’ and will see the iconic singer, songwriter and guitarist head over to the UK next summer for a handful of shows.
As the title suggests, the dates will see him concentrate on playing material from his earlier discography including the 1977 debut album ‘My Aim Is True’ and the 1986 record ‘Blood & Chocolate’, as well as other surprises.
Those nine years marked a pivotal time for Costello, with the 1977 debut first putting him on the map, and being written alongside the band Clover, before he formed The Attractions.
As his discography progressed into the ‘80s, the songwriter started to push the boundaries of his sound, and introduce more experimental new elements including subtle nods to punk and new wave. Some of Costello’s biggest tracks from the period include ‘Watching The Detectives’ and ‘I Want You’.
For the live shows, Costello will be backed by The Imposters and Charlie Sexton. The latter joined him for the 2021 ‘Hello Again’ tour, and has continued to hit the road with him in the time since. Two of The Imposters members, keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas, were members of The Attractions, which formed in 1977.
Dates kick off on June 13 with a stop at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham, and continue two days later (15) with a show at the historic Royal Albert Hall in London. From there, they will perform at the Guildhall in Portsmouth, before wrapping things up in Newcastle, playing a gig at O2 City Hall on July 6.
“For any songwriter, it has to be a compliment if people want to hear songs written up to fifty years ago. Among them, ‘Radio Soul,’ the first draft of what eventually became ‘Radio Radio,” Costello said. “You can expect the unexpected and the faithful in equal measure.
“Don’t forget this show is ‘Performed by Elvis Costello & The Imposters’, an ensemble which includes three people who first recorded this music and two more who bring something entirely new. They are nobody’s tribute band. The Imposters are a living, breathing, swooning, swinging, kicking and screaming rock and roll band who can turn their hands to a pretty ballad when the opportunity arises.”
Dates go on sale on Friday (December 12) at 10am GMT, and pre-sale options commence tomorrow (December 10). Visit here for tickets.
Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton 2026 UK tour dates are:
JUNE
13 – Birmingham, Symphony Hall
15 – London, Royal Albert Hall
26 – Portsmouth, Guildhall
JULY
6 –Newcastle, O2 City Hall
The news of the headline tour dates also arrives as Costello and co. were recently confirmed as joining Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts as special guests, for the upcoming run of UK and European dates held as part of the ‘Love Earth World Tour’.
Those dates kick off on June 19 in Manchester, and continue later in the month with stops in France and Scotland, before heading over to Ireland and Wales the following month.
Visit here for those tickets, and find a list of those dates below.
Live shows supporting Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts are:
JUNE
19 – Manchester, Heaton Park
22 – Nimes, Festival de Nimes
24 – Nancy, Nancy Open Air
27 – Chelmsford, State Fayre, Hylands Park
29 – Glasgow, Glasgow Summer Sessions, Bellahouston Park
JULY
1 – Cork, Virgin Media Park
3 – Oxfordshire, Blenheim Palace Festival
5 – Cardiff, Blackweir Fields
8 – Weert, Evenemententerrein Weert-Noord
All new tour dates come following the release of ‘King Of America & Other Realms’. That was a six-CD anthology that arrived in 2024, and told the story of the iconic 1986 album of the same name. Tracks from that LP are also expected to be heard during the 2026 tour during the mid-show interlude.
As for other Elvis Costello news, it was shared recently that a new festival called State Fayre is launching in the UK next summer, and it will see headline sets from the musician, as well as Kings Of Leon, Neil Young, The Lumineers and more.
Earlier this year, the iconic artist was among the famous faces like Adam Granduciel, and Sharon Van Etten who all came together to cover Bob Dylan tracks at an anniversary show.
