Dr John Cooper Clarke: Have It Tour 2026

Dr John Cooper Clarke brings his Have It Tour 2026 to the Sheffield City Hall Oval Hall on Saturday 17 October, starting at 20:00. He'll be joined by special guests, so it's a full bill rather than just a single set.

If you've heard the name but aren't sure where to place him, Clarke is the 'Godfather of Punk Poetry' — a British cult figure whose work crosses over into literature, music and fashion. He first made his mark in the 1970s, playing working men's clubs and cabaret venues across Salford and Manchester. Back then, he headlined gigs supported by bands that would become household names: Joy Division, New Order and Duran Duran. He also appeared as a special guest with the Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks and The Clash, so he's been around the punk scene since its earliest days.

His album Snap, Crackle and Bop set his poems to music, produced by Martin Hannett, and his first collection, 10 Years in an Open Necked Shirt, remains one of the best-selling poetry anthologies ever in the UK, Canada and Australia. You've almost certainly come across 'I Wanna Be Yours' — it's cited as the world's most popular wedding poem, and the Arctic Monkeys' recording of it has passed a billion streams. In 2025, he became the first poet to headline an arena, playing Co-op Live in Manchester, and his work now features in the UK national curriculum.

It's a long career that's moved from the clubs of Salford to the national curriculum, and this tour brings that whole trajectory to Sheffield. The show is at the Sheffield City Hall Oval Hall on Barkers Pool, S1 2JA, on Saturday 17 October, with the main act starting at 20:00.