Shaun Ryder

Shaun Ryder is coming to the Main Auditorium at Weymouth Pavilion on Wednesday 26 April 2028, starting at 7:30pm. This isn't a gig in the usual sense; it's a spoken word show, part of a tour he's taking around in support of his new book, Happy Mondays – and Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays.

If the name doesn't immediately ring a bell, Ryder is the frontman of Happy Mondays and Black Grape, two of the biggest bands to come out of the Madchester scene. He's spent the last few decades as a bit of a national character, often described as the 'wild man of rock' who lived the sex'n'drugs'n'rock'n'roll lifestyle of that era. He's also worked in front of the camera, appearing on Celebrity Gogglebox and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.

On stage, he's been called 'Britpop's answer to WB Yeats', which gives you a fair idea of the kind of evening this is: Ryder telling stories rather than singing songs. The tour is built around the new book, so you can expect the talk to draw on the same material.

Tickets are £34.50 for standard, £48.50 for premium, and £83.50 for a VIP meet-and-greet, which includes meeting him at 6:30pm before the show starts. If you're coming from out of town or just fancy a proper night of it, pre-show meals are served in the Piano Bar from 5pm.