Chesney Hawkes brings ‘Living Arrows’ UK tour to Leeds’ Brudenell

Chesney Hawkes will return to Leeds next spring when he headlines Brudenell Social Club on Thursday 12 March 2026, bringing his ‘Living Arrows’ UK tour to one of the city’s most intimate and well-loved venues. The date offers Yorkshire fans a rare chance to see the singer-songwriter up close, following a period that has firmly re-established him as a major presence in British pop.

Hawkes first became a household name in the early 1990s with the release of ‘The One and Only’, a song that quickly became one of the most recognisable pop singles of its generation. While its success was immediate and overwhelming, the years since have seen Hawkes steadily carve out a far broader and more personal musical identity, culminating in a resurgence that feels rooted in substance rather than nostalgia.

Second Chapter

After spending more than a decade living in Los Angeles, Hawkes is now firmly back in the UK and enjoying what feels like a genuine second chapter. His long-awaited album Living Arrows has played a central role in that return, earning BBC Radio 2’s Album of the Week and delivering a run of playlisted singles including ‘Get A Hold Of Yourself’, ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Loud!’. The album opens with the bright, summery ‘Nobody Like You’, setting the tone for a record that balances optimism with reflection.

Produced and co-written with BRIT Award winner and Grammy nominee Jake Gosling, Living Arrows sees Hawkes writing with a new level of openness and emotional clarity. Across its tracklist, he explores themes of fatherhood, gratitude, vulnerability and personal growth, combining polished pop-rock with moments of genuine weight. It’s an album shaped by experience, and one that feels honest about both the highs and lows that come with it.

There are playful moments throughout, such as the escapist energy of ‘Nobody Like You’ and the lived-in warmth of ‘Radio Silence’, while ‘The Ballad of Benny & Alice’ offers a wry take on a love story that might have been. These lighter touches are contrasted with more poignant songs, including ‘The Meaning of This’, a moving tribute to a family friend, and ‘Surprise Yourself’, written for Hawkes’ son and filled with parental reassurance and hope. One of the album’s most striking moments comes with ‘13’, where Hawkes addresses childhood trauma directly for the first time, set against a tense, grunge-leaning guitar hook.

A set that reflects the journey

Alongside the album’s success, Hawkes has reconnected with audiences through a series of high-profile appearances, including an acclaimed BBC Radio 2 Piano Room session and a widely watched run to the final of Celebrity Big Brother. Combined with sold-out headline shows and arena dates as special guest to James Blunt, it has all contributed to a sense that he is very much back in the public consciousness — and on his own terms.

The Leeds show at Brudenell Social Club promises a set that reflects that journey, mixing new material from Living Arrows with songs that have followed Hawkes throughout his career. It’s a chance to see an artist who has embraced reinvention without losing the warmth and accessibility that made his music connect in the first place.

Chesney Hawkes plays Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, on Thursday 12 March 2026. Tickets start from £26.00 and are available from seetickets.com now.