The Brand New Heavies will undertake a 12 date UK tour in March 2026. This year the band celebrated 35 years since they formed, and what better way to celebrate than with a major set of live dates? With support at all shows from special guests Galliano, this tour is not to be missed.
The huge singles ‘Dream On Dreamer’ and ‘Midnight At The Oasis’ are familiar to anyone who has ever turned on a radio, and there were plenty more hits, ‘Back To Love’, ‘Spend Some Time’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘You Are The Universe’, ‘You’ve Got A Friend’, to name but a few. With the band not only enjoying massive success - selling over 2.5 million albums - The Brand New Heavies were also pioneers, essentially creating the fusion of jazz, funk and hip-hop that fuelled their chart and airplay domination, and became known as Acid Jazz.
Founder members Simon Bartholomew [vocals, guitar] and Andrew Levy [bass, keyboards] also produced the records, whilst Angela Ricci has been with The Brand New Heavies since 2018, and will once again bring her incredible vocals to all those hits. Introducing themselves with their self-titled debut in 1990, followed by ‘Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1’ in 1992 [both Top 40 albums], The Brand New Heavies really exploded with the ‘Brother Sister’ album which hit No.4 in 1995, and then ‘Shelter’, also a Top 5, in 1997. Both albums are certified Platinum! As this tour will attest, the band deliver incredible concerts - and have released three live albums over the years. They continue to make new music.
“We can’t wait to hit the road across the UK again! There’s nothing quite like the connection we feel when we play these songs together. Celebrating 35 years of The Brand New Heavies has been incredible, and this tour is all about sharing that joy, funk, and love with everyone who’s been part of the journey - old friends and new faces alike!” - Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy, The Brand New Heavies.
Galliano, who are special guests for all shows, released the first ever single on the Acid Jazz label. Between 1991 and 1996, they released four albums on the Talkin’ Loud label, with the third ‘The Plot Thickens’ giving them a Top Ten UK chart hit. Known for their potent live shows, Galliano returned for hiatus in 2023, with many of the original musicians still on board, and released their first album in 28 years, ‘Halfway Somewhere’, in 2024.
