Greater Manchester spoken word artist Antony Szmeirek has finally revealed the name, cover art and release date for his second album, along with his biggest run of UK tour dates yet.
The Tameside teacher turned full-time artist dropped his maiden record, Service Station at the End of the Universe, back in February 2025, and now, just over a year on from its launch, he’s getting ready to deliver his highly anticipated follow-up.
Entitled Decoding Birdsong, the sophomore studio project is scheduled for this summer, with a series of live shows booked for the following autumn.
Having already dropped lead single ‘The Heron’ earlier this year, Szmeirek has just released the opener from his upcoming LP, which is simply called ‘Chalk’; he’s also unveiled the rest of the tracklist and a rather striking bit of album artwork.
The Hyde-born artist is making big moves not only within the spoken word space but across multiple genres, with his music blending everything from indie, hip-hop, electronica and more.
His latest song, for instance, is more of an acid-house-esque meets contemporary EDM outing, and has quickly gone down as a popular addition among fans.
On the album name itself, he’s never one to shy away from a weird title or two – case in point, ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport’ from his debut and ‘Dave’s Angling Superstore’ on this new record.
As for his latest raft of live shows, these will be some of the biggest domestic gigs that the local lad has played in his career so far.
In addition to an opening show here in Leeds, he is set to play a dozen different cities across Great Britain and Ireland.
Antony Szmierek UK/IE tour dates – October 2026
We’ve highlighted the Northern stops for you, too:
8 – O2 Academy Leeds, Leeds, UK
9 – The Level, Nottingham, UK
11 – Cambridge Junction, Cambridge, UK
12 – O2 Academy Oxford, Oxford, UK
14 – CHALK, Brighton, UK
15 – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
16 – O2 Academy Bournemouth, Bournemouth, UK
17 – O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol, UK
20 – Queen Margaret Union (QMU), Glasgow, UK
21 – Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
23 – Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK
For those of you looking to grab tickets to his headline gig, they go on sale at 10am on Friday, 8 May via the likes of SeeTickets.
You can get ready to grab your tickets right HERE.
Featured Images — Press shots via Zak Watson (supplied via SJM Concerts)
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Inside the historic Leeds mill transformed into a thriving hub for creatives
Nestled in Armley, Assembly House is an independent creative hub bringing artists together.
Assembly House, based on Canal Road in Armley inside a historic Victorian mill, has become a home for creatives across Leeds since launching in 2013.
The artist-led organisation combines working studios with an independent gallery and project space, hosting everything from exhibitions and workshops to community events and live music.
The space is currently home to 80 creatives who make up their community, comprising of professional practitioners including educators, performers, painters, sculptors, illustrators, video artists and designers.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their aim is simple - to offer affordable studios to emerging artists alongside technical support, producing support along with access to workshops, internal film screenings and events.
Assembly House offer a yearly program of exhibitions designed to showcase the studio holders and get their work out there. It's all aimed at helping the artists, whether it's their first show or tenth.
It has also helped bring art into the wider neighbourhood through community murals, public sculptures and activities for local people.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
They believe art has the power to bring people together and to evoke emotion and thought, and we've got to say that we absolutely agree.
The space can also be hired by students and independent creatives looking to put on their own exhibitions or bring a project to life.
The fabulous venue is generally open to visitors during exhibitions, workshops and events, with visits by appointment at other times, so it's worth checking its website before heading over.
To have a look at their current programme and to find out more about what Assembly House are doing for Leeds and the community, you can take a look at their website here.
Clubland to celebrate 25 years with huge Leeds arena show
Clementine Hall
Clubland is heading to Leeds for a special arena-sized anniversary celebration next year.
The Clubland Arena Tour promises a night of the biggest artists and biggest anthems, giving fans the chance to come together for a celebration of the dance music brand.
Celebrating 25 years of Clubland, the tour will stop off at arenas in Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Aberdeen, and of course Leeds.
With the event set to take over one of Leeds' biggest live entertainment venues, anticipation is already building for what promises to be a nostalgic night of club classics and dancefloor favourites – even before the lineup is announced.
Image: Supplied
The full line-up is expected to be announced very soon, with fans encouraged to keep an eye out for further details.
Previous headliners at Clubland Live have included Cascada, Basshunter, Scooter, Ultrabeat, and Vengaboys, always guaranteeing a night of non-stop anthems.
For many dance music fans, Clubland has become synonymous with the sounds that dominated clubs, radio playlists and party nights throughout the 2000s.
Over the years, Clubland has continued to celebrate the artists and songs that helped define an era of dance music, giving fans the chance to experience their favourite tracks live alongside thousands of like-minded clubbers.
From infectious pop-dance hits to harder-hitting electronic anthems, its events tap into a sense of nostalgia while keeping the energy of a night out firmly at the centre of the experience.
The 25th anniversary tour looks set to build on that legacy, bringing a quarter-century of club classics to arenas across the UK.
The Clubland Arena Tour will be at the First Direct Bank Arena on Saturday 1 May 2027.
Clementine Hall -
6th May 2026 
