Ben Portsmouth - This Is Elvis

Ben Portsmouth brings his Elvis tribute show, This Is Elvis, to York Barbican on Friday 2 July 2027, with the night starting at 7:30pm. He'll be performing with the Taking Care of Elvis Band, the group he's worked with since he first put the act together.

If the name doesn't ring a bell, here's a bit of context: Portsmouth is widely regarded as the closest living performer to Elvis Presley. In 2012, Elvis Presley Enterprises crowned him the 'Worldwide Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist' in Memphis, and he was the first European to receive the honour. He's a singer, songwriter, musician and actor born in Reading, and he formed Taking Care of Elvis back in 2005. Since then, he's headlined an Elvis week on the Late Show with David Letterman, performed on the same Las Vegas stage as Presley himself, and played in London's West End.

This Is Elvis is billed as an immersive journey through Presley's most iconic eras, from his early rockabilly roots to the dazzling Vegas years, delivered by Portsmouth and his band. It's a broad look at the whole career rather than a snapshot of one particular period, so you'll hear the early rock and roll alongside the later, larger-than-life stage show. The whole thing is a tribute to Presley's music, with Portsmouth at the centre of it.

It's a Friday night at the Barbican, so it's an easy one to fit in if you're around the city. The show starts at 7:30pm, and you can find tickets through the venue's official site.