As usual, The Teenage Cancer Trust and Roger Daltrey have teamed up to curate an outstanding line-up of shows to raise money for young people suffering from Cancer.
In previous years, the likes of The Cure, Paul Weller and Coldplay have offered their time to play for free and raise money, and this year is no different…
This year’s series will begin with Roger Daltrey &Friends. Which friends I hear you ask? Well… we don’t know just yet, it’s all a bit of a surprise, but if you look back over previous gigs that Roger has played for Teenage Cancer Trust, you’re most definitely not going to be disappointed, with stars such as Noel Gallagher, Kelly Jones of Stereophonics, Bryan Adams and Paul Weller all taking to the stage for a truly unique and special evening.
And the stars just keep on coming, and to be fair, they don’t get much bigger than Macca himself! After completing his ‘On The Run’ tour, Paul McCartney will be heading to The Royal Albert Hall to blow everybody away with hits from The Beatles, Wings and his solo material. If anyone managed to catch him just before Christmas, you’ll know just how EPIC this will be.
The TCT shows always manage to get the mix of new and classic artists, and the first to fly the flag for the new breed of UK superstars is Example, with support from Devlin and Fenech Soler. Example has earned his place as a headliner, after working his way up since his early work on Mike Skinner’s label The Beats, right the way to selling out arenas across the country.
The fourth night is my personal favourite. This year NME announced that this year’s recipients of The Teenage Cancer Trust Outstanding Contribution Award were…drum roll…Pulp! And to celebrate their massive achievement and long history of supplying decades of anthems to us all, Jarv, Steve, Russell, Candida, Mark and Nick will be gracing us with a night of pure, undiluted indie brilliance. If that was not all, they’ll be supported by the fantastic Cat’s Eyes, featuring Faris of The Horrors.
So let’s check the list…surprise guests with the legendary a legendary curator? Tick. A night with one quarter of the biggest band in living history? Tick. A night with the UK’s hottest electro/hip hop star? Tick. And a night with Brit Pop royals? Tick. Is there much more to say? Oh yes…
Following all that is someone no less than a pop sensation.Jessie J will be taking to the stage and reminding everyone why she gives the American pop queens a true run for their money. 2011 was the year she burst into our ears and onto our festivals after winning The Brit’s Critics Choice award, and there has been no stopping her. The biggest question on everybody’s lips is….well exactly that! What amazing lipstick art will she throw out this time! Beat that Gaga!
The shows haven’t always just been crammed with the pinnacle of musical genius, and 2012 has a very special line-up of comedy led by the one and only Jason Manford, with his buddies Jimmy Carr, Tim Minchin and JonRichardson. You’d be a very brave person to go for front row tickets!
So, just as you thought that there is literally nothing else you could do to make the concerts any better, along comes Florence. Fresh from belting out already anthemic catalogue of magical, inspiring songs, causing mass sing-your-heart-and-lungs-out moments both this side of the pond and in the states. And in order to give us all a chance to warm up for the best closing act anyone could ask for, Miike Snow and Big Deal are set to get everyone dancing and throwing an arm or two up in the air.
Some of the shows, as you’ve probably guessed have already sold out, so don’t hang around getting your hands on tickets before they’re all snapped up! The only thing better than this line-up is knowing that having an amazing night out will help amazing young people out there dealing with something as devastating as Cancer.