Jools Holland and his 19-piece Rhythm & Blues Orchestra play blues, swing, boogie woogie and ska on his UK Autumn & Winter tour, with special guest Roachford and opening act Joe Webb.
Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra play Sheffield City Hall on Wednesday 18 November, part of a 31-date UK Autumn & Winter tour. It's a big night on the bill: Roachford joins as special guest, and Joe Webb opens the evening. The orchestra itself is a 19-piece band, with Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka on vocals.
If you know Jools, you know the sound. He's been hosting Later... with Jools Holland on BBC2 since 1992, and the live shows are built around the same mix he's played for years: blues, swing, boogie woogie and ska. It's a broad reach, and the orchestra has the numbers to cover it. He's been at the piano since he was eight, playing pubs in south-east London and the East End docks by his early teens, and he's still there at the centre of it.
There's a bit of history behind the band too. In 1987 he formed The Jools Holland Big Band, which eventually grew into the current 19-piece Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Long before that, at 15, he met Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford and formed Squeeze, and drummer Gilson Lavis, who joined them then, still plays with him today. Over the years, his live shows have featured friends like Sting, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Bono, Joe Strummer, Norah Jones and Peter Gabriel.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Sheffield and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
On the music side, the set draws from those same roots — blues, swing, boogie woogie and ska — with the full orchestra behind him. The Sheffield date is one of 31 stops on this UK tour, so it's a proper run of shows rather than a one-off. It starts at 19:30 at Sheffield City Hall on Barkers Pool, and tickets are £62.45 including the booking fee.
