A paid for ad feature for viagogo
There’s nothing like a gig for vibes, good times and hollering along to your favourite band at the top of your lungs. This year has been an epic one for live music in the UK and viagogo’s ‘Year In Live Experiences’ round-up contains more than a few surprises.
“From iconic British groups like Coldplay and Take That to global newcomers like Olivia Rodrigo and Diljit Dosanjh, it’s clear the UK’s taste remains a melting pot, with gigs for every kind of music lover,” says Matt Drew, in charge of business development at the secondary ticket provider. With this in mind, here are eight key takeaways from the 2024 data.
Taylor Swift is the UK’s most in-demand live act of 2024
Given that Swift‘s Eras Tour is the highest-grossing tour of all time, this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. She first brought her stadium-filling juggernaut to the UK in June for shows in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London, then returned in August for additional dates in London. In the process, she became the first solo act to perform four, five, six, seven and eight shows at Wembley Stadium on a single tour. This is truly legendary stuff. On viagogo, clamour for the record-breaking tour was 196 per cent higher than for the next most sought-after artist.
London is a city of Swifties
In fact, demand for The Eras Tour tickets in London was 10 times higher than in Manchester and Nottingham, the cities where demand was second highest. And interestingly, though Swift booked her Scottish stadium dates in Edinburgh, demand was even higher 50 miles down the road in Glasgow.
Glasgow is the UK’s rock capital
Liam Gallagher was the most in-demand live act in the Scottish city, followed by acrobatic pop-rock queen P!nk, alt-rock heroes Foo Fighters, metal legends Slipknot and pop-punkers Blink-182. Clearly Glaswegians are ready to rock and have a fondness for all forms of guitar music – you can’t argue with their taste.
Sam Fender is a true hometown hero
The ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ singer, who was born and raised in North Shields near Newcastle, was the most in-demand live act among Geordies this year. And he isn’t the only act with rock-solid support from his local community. Bristol trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack were among the 10 most in-demand live acts in their home city, while down-to-earth Yorkshire diva Jane McDonald was equal top with Taylor Swift in Leeds. Who could have guessed?
Coldplay fans really put the miles in
Fans of this year’s Saturday Glastonbury headliners have fully embraced the gig-tripping trend, which lets you explore a new city while catching your favourite band in a local venue. Collectively, UK-based Coldplay fans racked up 18.8million miles as they travelled internationally to experience the band’s visually spectacular Music Of The Spheres World Tour. Budapest, Rome and Munich were the most in-demand destinations.
Adele‘s summer residency in Munich – which saw her play 10 huge shows at a purpose-built outdoor arena – also caused a gig-tripping frenzy. Fans travelled over 2.2million miles collectively to catch the vocal powerhouse in Germany.
Meanwhile, The Eras Tour really did give the UK economy a shot in the arm, with Swifties from 113 different countries buying tickets to see her in the UK. At this point, there are global pop superstars – and then there’s Taylor Swift in a category of her own.
Drew said: “Safe, regulated marketplaces like viagogo play a vital role in ensuring venues are vibrant and full, which helps contribute a total of £733million in turnover to local businesses that support live events and supports nearly 8,000 jobs in the hospitality and retail sectors. We’re committed to ensuring fans have greater access to these unforgettable experiences, and it’s clear that their passion has a positive ripple effect on the wider economy.”
Diljit Dosanjh has cracked the UK
Last year, Dosanjh made history by becoming the first Punjabi-language artist to perform at Coachella. This year, he cemented his status as a global live draw by becoming one of the 10 most-in demand artists in the UK. Dosanjh was particularly popular in London, Sheffield and above all Birmingham, where he was the joint most sought-after artist with Liam Gallagher. And he’s rumoured to be hitting the road again in 2025 – watch this space.
Olivia Rodrigo is becoming a live titan
This year, the genre-straddling Gen Z queen launched her first global arena tour (and second tour overall). At 21, she’s already built a fierce enough live reputation to become the UK’s ninth most in-demand act. She’s especially popular in the West Country, where only Taylor Swift and Take That attracted more interest from gig-goers.
And so is Sabrina Carpenter
In 2024, the ‘Espresso’ singer spent a record 21 weeks at Number One on the UK singles chart – more than any other artist has managed in a calendar year. She’s bringing her Short N’ Sweet Tour to the UK in March 2025 for gigs in Birmingham, London, Glasgow and Manchester. Carpenter traffic has already increased an enormous 16,000per cent this year – don’t be surprised if it spikes again as her UK leg approaches.