Holly Humberstone’s got a new album coming – Cruel World, landing 10 April, and instead of waiting around for release day, she’s hitting the road early for a special run of intimate record store dates across the UK. Consider this your official heads up: if you want to hear these new tracks first, and see Holly in a setting that feels more living room than arena, this is the one.
Starting 20 March in Liverpool and finishing 26 March in Kingston, Holly’s teaming up with some of the UK’s most iconic indie record stores for six low-key shows with big energy. These aren’t just meet-and-greets, it’s a proper celebration of her next chapter, in venues where you’ll actually be able to see the sparkle in her eye and the detail in the dreamy visuals she’s become known for.
Here’s where she’s playing:
20 March – Liverpool, Rough Trade
21 March – Nottingham, The Level (with Rough Trade)
22 March – Oxford, O2 Academy 1 (with Truck)
24 March – Birmingham, O2 Academy 2 (with Truck)
25 March – Brighton, Chalk (with Resident Music)
26 March – Kingston, Circuit (with Banquet Records)
Tickets and album bundles go live at 10am on 28 January via the record stores and here – and yes, it will sell out quickly.
Cruel World is shaping up to be Holly’s most cinematic era yet. Inspired by Victorian theatre, fairy tales and her own childhood trinkets, it’s full of gothic, glittery references and beautifully bittersweet lyrics. New single To Love Somebody is already giving fans a taste of what’s coming: sweeping, haunting, and totally addictive. The video, directed by Silken Weinberg (who also works with Ethel Cain), is pure modern fairytale, think ballet shoes, velvet curtains, and a little touch of drama.
Following her Ivor Novello nomination, a BRIT Rising Star win, and a sold-out Shepherd’s Bush headline coming up this April, Holly is proving she’s not just riding a wave, she’s curating every step of her journey with intention. These record store shows are a chance to catch her in that perfect in-between space: big enough to know you’re watching something special, small enough to feel like you’re part of it.
Basically, if you’ve ever yelled “play Vanilla!” in your bedroom, or felt like Deep End was written just for you, this is your chance to live it all a little louder.