The Loft + special guests at The Piper

The Loft – May 2026 UK tour

“There is no wine before its time” – Lenny Kaye
“The long game is one the Loft have played rather well” – MOJO “An unassuming masterpiece” – Louder Than War

The Loft, original Creation Records legends, set out on a UK tour in May 2026 in the wake of their rave-reviewed Top 20 album, ‘Everything Changes, Everything Stays the Same’, and a string of sold out dates, including touring with The Wedding Present, last year.

This year the band aims to visit towns and cities across the UK that they didn’t play last time, with a new album set to be released to coincide with the shows.

The band heads out on tour, 41 years, almost to the day, since their classic ‘Up The Hill And Down The Slope’, topped the indie singles chart.

Since their infamous onstage split at the Hammersmith Palais in 1985, their status as one of the UK’s most influential guitar bands of the ‘80s continues to grow and to influence a host of younger artists.

“We played some fantastic sell out shows with brilliant audiences last year, but we just couldn’t fit in gigs everywhere that wanted us to play,” says guitarist, Andy Strickland, “now, with even more new songs to play, plus our ‘greatest hits’, we can’t wait to get back onstage.”

“From what people told us last year, the band is sounding better than ever, and the new songs have kind of picked up where we left off all those years ago, so the set is a celebration of both old and new,” adds singer Pete Astor. “We’re really very excited, and grateful, to be able to still do this.”

The full May 2026 tour dates are:
Thursday 7 May: Oxford, Common Ground Friday 8 May: Bristol, The Croft
Saturday 9 May: Swansea, The Bunkhouse Thursday 21 May: Leicester, The Big Difference Friday 22 May: Gateshead, Central Bar Saturday 23 May: Edinburgh, Voodoo Rooms Thursday 28 May: Sheffield, The Greystones Friday 29 May: Cambridge, The Portland Saturday 30 May: Hastings, The Piper