The best UK music concerts in 2025

'Exhilarating': Little Simz

(Image credit: Jonny Nolan / Alamy)

By Will Barker, The Week UK, Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK

last updated 23 September 2025

The Coldplay kiss-cam scandal may have stolen the headlines this summer but there are plenty of other shows to catch before the end of the year. These must-see acts promise to keep the energy going long into the autumn months, without having to fork out a small fortune for a ticket. Here are some of our top picks.

Little Simz

Mercury-Prize-winner Little Simz has confirmed “two massive arena gigs scheduled for this October” that have been bubbling up for a while, said The Mirror. The singer-songwriter is best known for chart-topping hits like “Gorilla”, “Woman” and “Introvert”, and guarantees a belter of a performance. It’s not to be missed.

16–17 October, ticketmaster.co.uk

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Lewis Capaldi

“After two years away from the spotlight, Lewis Capaldi is back!” said Radio Times. The Scottish singer-songwriter took a break from performing to focus on his mental health but made a triumphant return to the stage at Glastonbury this summer. His 2025 single “Survive” burst into the charts this summer, and is currently on his UK tour, with stops in Sheffield, Glasgow and London.

Until 27 September, ticketmaster.co.uk

Busted vs McFly

The old noughties rivalry is being brought back for a “reunion tour with a twist” as Busted and McFly team up for a “battle of the bands style show”, said Metro. It’s the first time in over a decade that all seven members of McFly will be on stage at the same time and ready to face their biggest competitors for the “ultimate face-off”. The bands are touring the UK from mid-September through to November with stops in several cities including Glasgow, Liverpool and Sheffield.

Until 6 November, ticketmaster.co.uk

Lady Gaga

One-of-a-kind singer-actor Lady Gaga is coming to the UK in September, with a “theatrical and electrifying experience that brings ‘Mayhem’ to life” exactly how she wants to, said Metro. She wasn’t planning to tour this year but, following outcry after the release of her “Mayhem” album, she changed her mind. Her iconic Mayhem Ball plays in London for five nights, then in Manchester for a final two.

29 September-8 October ticketmaster.co.uk

The Pigeon Detectives

It's “time to roll back the years” as “old-school indie favourite” “The Pigeon Detectives” are stopping off in Manchester as part of their “Best of tour”, said The Manc. The “Yorkshire lads” will be travelling around the UK this autumn to support the release of their new album “Still Not Sorry”. Shows are scheduled in Leeds, Nottingham and London as well as Manchester.

Until 29 November, ticketmaster.co.uk

Benson Boone

The young American icon dominated the charts last year, with his five-times-platinum hit “Beautiful Things” the most-streamed song in the world in 2024, capping off a “phenomenal few years (to say the least)”, said Radio Times. He is no stranger to the UK, or the spotlight, after opening for Taylor Swift at her Eras Tour in London, and performed “Bohemian Rhapsody” live with Queen’s Brian May at Coachella. You can catch him in all corners of the UK and Ireland, performing in Belfast, Dublin, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham with three bumper final nights in London.

23 October-5 November, ticketmaster.co.uk

Oasis

Fans were “sent into a frenzy” in 2024 when Noel and Liam Gallagher announced they would be putting their differences aside for a “long-awaited 2025 reunion tour”, said the Daily Mail. It’s the first time the brothers have taken the stage together since going their separate ways following a “backstage brawl” at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris in 2009. Tickets, as you’d expect, are notoriously difficult to get hold of.

Until 28 September, ticketmaster.co.uk

Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.