Live music with Courtney May

Courtney May is playing at Derby Market Hall on Friday 22 January 2027, from 4pm to 6pm. It's a late-afternoon set, so it's more of a wind-down than a night out — the kind of thing you can drift into on your way home from work rather than committing your whole evening to.

May is a vocalist who works her way from the 60s through to the present day, so the set draws from a wide stretch of ground. She covers some of the world's best-loved power ballads, those big, slow-burn songs that lean on a strong voice, and mixes them with West End hits and festive favourites. It's a broad reach, and the set jumps between the two: one moment you're in the middle of a ballad, the next it's a stage song from the theatre, and in between, the festive numbers that usually only come out around December.

Because she works from the 60s onwards, you'll hear songs from different eras sitting side by side. The power ballads are the core of it, and the West End and festive tracks fill in the gaps, so the whole thing covers a fair bit of ground in a couple of hours. It's a vocal-led set, and the focus is on the singing rather than a full band around her.

It's free to attend, so there's no ticket to book in advance. The music runs from 4pm to 6pm at Derby Market Hall, and since it's a free afternoon session, you can just turn up when you're ready.