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Professor Brian Cox is bringing his ‘most ambitious’ live arena show to date to Leeds
Ready to have my mind blown.
The legendary Professor Brian Cox is coming to Leeds with a brand-new arena show, and he says it’s his most ambitious one to date.
The physicist and presenter will be bringing Emergence to the First Direct Bank Arena next year as part of a huge world tour.
Prof Brian Cox has spent his entire career bringing fascinating, ground-breaking science into the public realm through TV programmes, radio, and live shows.
That’s included performing his smash-hit show Horizons to nearly half a million people, winning the Peabody Award for Wonders of the Solar System, to appearing in the hit BBC series The Planets.
He’s headlined cultural festivals, sold out arenas globally, and now he’s ready to do it all again with Emergence.
This show all began in the winter of 1610, when Johannes Kepler was crossing Prague’s Charles Bridge when he noticed a snowflake land on his arm. Why, he asked, are all snowflakes six-cornered? “I do not believe,” he wrote, “that even in a snowflake, this ordered pattern exists at random.”
Now, 400 years later, we have part of the answer, and Emergence will be celebrating such intricacies and exploring the laws of nature that sculpted the universe.
Professor Brian Cox will touch on everything from the cosmic web all the way down to the structure of the human brain, including black holes and snowflakes, to ‘observe a world of dazzling complexity underpinned by magnificent simplicity’.
Professor Brian Cox said: “I’ve loved creating Emergence – it’s the most ambitious live show I’ve ever written.
“I’ve been very lucky to collaborate with a wonderful group of scientists, musicians, filmmakers and graphic artists to bring cosmology, biology, philosophy and history to the largest and most advanced LED screens available, with the best sound and lights I could find.
“I hope the show is an all-encompassing experience, and I hope it leaves everyone, whether they love science or music or history, or simply contemplating the beauty of Nature, with something new to think about.”
Professor Brian Cox will bring Emergence to the First Direct Bank Arena on 10 October 2026 – tickets will go on sale on 3 October at 10am
Professor Brian Cox Emergence – UK and Ireland 2026 tour dates
- 7 and 8 October – Edinburgh Playhouse
- 9 October – Manchester Co-op Live
- 10 October – Leeds First Direct Arena
- 11 October – Derby Vaillant Live
- 15 October – Sheffield Utilita Arena Sheffield
- 16 October – Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
- 17 October – Newcastle Utilita Arena Newcastle
- 18 October – Glasgow OVO Hydro
- 21 and 22 October – Brighton Centre
- 23 October – London The O2
- 24 October – Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions
- 29 October – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
- 30 October – Birmingham Utilita Arena Birmingham
- 31 October – Hull Connexin Live
- 4 November – Cheltenham The Centaur
- 5 and 6 November – CardiffUtilita Arena Cardiff
- 7 and 8 November – Bournemouth BIC
- 11 November – Swansea Swansea Arena
- 13 November – Belfast SSE Arena Belfast
- 14 November – Dublin 3Arena
Read more: Skinny Living announced as latest headliner for new Wakefield music venue
Featured image - Supplied
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James Blunt announces huge European tour, kicking off in Leeds
Daisy Jackson
Singer-songwriter James Blunt is heading back out on tour next year, kicking off a run of arena dates here in Leeds.
The singer, perhaps best-known for his iconic 2005 pop ballad 'You're Beautiful', is hitting the road again in 2027.
The newly-announced European tour is in celebration of his new album Airplane Mode, which is set for release this autumn.
James Blunt will kick off his tour here in Leeds next spring, with a massive show at the First Direct Arena.
Then he'll head to more cities including Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham and London.
His new album, Airplane Mode, is being released on 6 November and will, according to his press release, be 'exhilarating'.
James has already released the first single, 'Tastes Like Summer', and 'Weight Of It All', with 10 more songs to come on the record.
Airplane Mode was recorded with James’ brilliant long-standing live band, who'll be back on tour with him next year.
Speaking of the new album, and recording in Pig Music Studios, he said: "Somewhere back there, I lost my way, but found it again in a studio in Banbury."
James Blunt will be at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on 26 March, 2027. Tickets go on sale from 10am on 9 September.
James Blunt UK and Ireland 2027 tour dates
- 26 March - Leeds
- 27 March - Birmingham
- 28 March - Newcastle
- 30 March - Dublin
- 31 March - Belfast
- 2 April - Glasgow
- 3 April - Manchester
- 4 April - London
- 6 April - Cardiff
- 7 April - Bournemouth
- 8 April - Brighton
Read more: Blossoms announce massive First Direct Arena gig in Leeds
Featured image: Supplied
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Major DJ has set cancelled as overcrowding concerns continue at Leeds Festival
Clementine Hall
After closing for the entire second day, The Warehouse stage at Leeds Festival has once again been forced to evacuate.
One of the most anticipated dance acts of the day has been cancelled due to health and safety concerns just moments before the set.
Sheffield DJ Silva Bumpa was due to take to The Warehouse stage today at 1:30pm, but the set was cancelled due to overcrowding.
It's not the first time this has happened at Leeds Festival 2026, as yesterday Omar+'s set was cancelled due to the same issue and the stage was subsequently closed for the rest of the day.
The Warehouse stage is completely new for this year, and supposedly is designed specifically for dance music...which is quite ironic.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Silva Bumpa said: "So so sorry Leeds Fest but due to over crowding my set was cancelled last min I was just behind the stage and got told right before such a massive shame."
Prospa, another prominent DJ who's set was cancelled at Reading on Friday afternoon, spoke up on the situation: "We are disappointed in The Warehouse stage closure at Reading Festival. We were told it wasn't possible to play whilst on the way. This was due to too many people outside the stage.
"We have seen this happen before at larger festivals in the UK. It's time to double the capacity of tents or put dance music on the main stage."
It comes after another dance stage, LS23, was closed mid-set last night due to a health and safety hazard when all the lights suddenly switched off and ravers were forced to evacuate.
If yesterday is anything to go by, we wouldn't be surprised if The Warehouse was closed for the rest of the day which means anticipated sets from Rossi and Mall Grab will also be cancelled.
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