Simply Red open Singleton Live 2027 at Singleton Park

Swansea's most iconic park is getting its first big date of 2027 sorted well ahead of time. Simply Red are set to headline the opening Singleton Live show of the new season at Singleton Park on Friday 20 August, with the event running from 5pm to 10.30pm. It is the first show of the year's live music programme in the park, which Swansea Council manages, and it comes as part of the band's Summer Funk '27 tour.

For anyone who has not seen them live, Simply Red are the Manchester blue-eyed soul band formed in 1985, and they are bringing a full bill with them: Lisa Stansfield and Heather Small both join them for the night. The set leans on the hits people know best, with "Fairground", "Something Got Me Started" and "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" all on the bill. It is a strong pairing on paper, given the two guest performers are both British soul singers in their own right.

Behind the scenes, the line-up is the one that has carried the band through its most recent work. Mick Hucknall is still on vocals, joined by Ian Kirkham on sax, Kenji Suzuki on guitar, Kevin Robinson on trumpet, Roman Roth on drums, Gary Sanctuary on keys and Orefo Orakwue on bass. Hucknall, born Michael James Hucknall in Manchester in 1960, is the only member to have been in every line-up the band has ever had. Since 1985, they have sold over 50 million albums worldwide and put more than thirty singles into the UK Top 40, with thirteen studio albums, five live albums and eight compilations among them. Their best-selling record, Stars, was the best-selling album in Britain and Europe for two years running.

The guest performers bring their own history to the stage. Lisa Stansfield, also from Manchester, has eight solo studio albums and forty-four singles to her name, with Affection, Real Love and So Natural among the most recognisable. Heather Small, former lead singer of M People, has released solo albums including Proud and Colour My Life and was appointed MBE in the 2024 Birthday Honours for her voluntary and charitable work. Together, they make up a bill that leans heavily on the soul and pop that built the band's following.

This is the band's first tour since their sold-out 40th anniversary run in 2025, and the Welsh date sits in the middle of a busy summer. The tour also takes in the ancient Anfiteatro agli Scavi in Pompeii, the Roman arena at Pula, Sauerland Park in Germany, a first-ever show at London's Gunnersbury Park and Halifax's Piece Hall. Around it, the Singleton Live festival fills the rest of the month with dates in Chester, Halifax, London, Margate, Scarborough, Colchester, Newmarket and Taunton. For Swansea, it is the first big show of the season in a park that also plays host to the Swansea Jazz Festival, so it sets the tone for the summer to come. Presale opened on Wednesday 23 September and general sale followed the next day, so tickets are worth sorting early if you want to be there when the season kicks off.