John Simpson opens the Forum's autumn on 1 October. Cabaret Voltaire, Anton Du Beke, Jools Holland, Del Amitri and Phil Wang follow, up to 28 November.
The Forum in Bath has seven headline shows between 1 October and 28 November. John Simpson opens the run with an evening on world leaders. Phil Wang closes it with a new stand-up show. In between come a final tour, a memoir launch, a dance show, a big band and a Glasgow rock group.
The venue’s marketing team sent us the tour copy and press photographs for all seven. The dates and times below are from the Forum’s own listings.
- Thu 1 October, 7.30pm: John Simpson, The Leaders & Lunatics Tour
- Thu 15 October, 7pm: Cabaret Voltaire, Final UK Tour
- Tue 3 November, 8pm: Anton Du Beke, Steps in Time
- Mon 9 November, 7.30pm: Emerald Storm, starring Adam Garcia
- Thu 12 November, 7.30pm: Jools Holland, with special guest Roachford
- Wed 25 November, 7.30pm: Del Amitri
- Sat 28 November, 7.30pm: Phil Wang, UH OH
John Simpson: The Leaders & Lunatics Tour, 1 October
The BBC’s John Simpson brings a show about leadership, and about why some leaders inspire while others “descend into tyranny”. The tour copy says he has had “nearly 60 years of unparalleled access to world leaders, and lunatics”.
It names the figures he will cover. On one side are Putin, Assad, Saddam, Gaddafi and Trump. On the other are Gorbachev, Mandela, Havel and Zelensky. The copy asks: “What makes a tyrant? Are they mad, or more calculating than we’d like to believe?”
The second half is questions from the audience. “From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the collapse of the Soviet Union, from the Iranian Revolution to the Gulf Wars and Tiananmen Square, John has been there,” the copy says.
Doors and bars open at 6.30pm, the show starts at 7.30pm, and the Forum expects it to end at about 9.20pm (Forum listing).
Cabaret Voltaire: Final UK Tour, 15 October
Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson, the two original members, are taking Cabaret Voltaire round the country one last time. Bath is the fifth of 11 dates, which run from Birmingham Town Hall on 10 October to the Sheffield Octagon on 25 October. Gazelle Twin, the stage name of the composer and performance artist Elizabeth Bernholz, is special guest at every show.
The band’s press release says the shows follow a tour marking 50 years since Cabaret Voltaire first played live, at the Sheffield Students Union Refectory on 13 May 1975. It says the set covers the band’s whole output, from “early experiments, and the first Rough Trade / Factory releases” to their work with the producers Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson.
Mallinder explains how the set was made:
“The live set is built from scratch but faithful to the original tracks. Everything has been painstakingly reconstructed with the original technology and processes to build the tracks. But as with all Cabs live shows there is an element of unpredictable, the new. Chance meets causality.”
On the final tour itself, he says: “What a wonderful opportunity to go round the block one more time and share that with one of the most unique and spectacular artists we know.”
Watson says: “I’m delighted and totally thrilled to make a contribution to the band’s 50th anniversary. To share a stage once more with Mal and to honour Cabaret Voltaire’s legacy will be a unique privilege.”
Gazelle Twin’s verdict on the invitation: “Pinch me. Go on. I’m feeling excessively lucky at the prospect of touring with Cabaret Voltaire in 2026.”
The release notes that Mallinder and Watson have said there will be no new recordings under the Cabaret Voltaire name. The Forum lists a 7pm start (Forum listing).
Anton Du Beke: Steps in Time, 3 November
Anton Du Beke has been on Strictly Come Dancing since its first series in 2004. This tour marks his first memoir, Steps in Time: The Music, Memories and Moments that Made Me, which is published on 5 November, two days after the Bath date.
The tour copy says he will tell stories “from growing up in the 1970s, working odd jobs in the 80s and 90s to chase his dreams, to the glittering world of dance”. It promises “behind-the-scenes moments from two decades on Strictly Come Dancing” and “untold tales of the ballroom”.
There are separate meet-and-greet tickets, which include the chance to have a copy of the book signed. Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm (Forum listing).
Emerald Storm, 9 November
Emerald Storm bills itself with one line: “When Riverdance and Stomp collide, a storm is born!” It is a new dance show, “direct from the West End”, that mixes Irish dance with urban tap.
Adam Garcia, known from Coyote Ugly and Saturday Night Fever, produces and stars in it. The show’s copy says this is the first time he has done both. Tom Ball, a Britain’s Got Talent finalist, performs live. The copy promises “a company of world-class dancers and live musicians”.
Doors open at 6.30pm and it starts at 7.30pm (Forum listing).
Jools Holland and Roachford, 12 November
Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra are on a 31-date autumn and winter tour. Bath is the ninth night. Roachford, whose “Cuddly Toy” was a hit in 1988, is special guest on every date. The young pianist Joe Webb opens each show.
The tour release says the shows also feature Ruby Turner, “the Boogie Woogie Queen”, with Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka on vocals. Holland said:
“Having Roachford join us for every night of the tour is a real joy, he’s one of the great soul voices this country has produced, and every time he sings the room lights up. With the mighty Orchestra, our wonderful boogie woogie singers, and the brilliant Joe Webb opening the shows, we’re in for some very special evenings of music.”
The Forum lists a 7.30pm start. The nearest other dates on the tour are Guildford the following night and Bristol’s Beacon on 11 December.
Del Amitri, 25 November
Del Amitri’s 2026 biography says the band will tour the UK in November and December. Iain Harvie and Justin Currie have been the band’s core since 1982. The biography says the Glasgow band have sold six million copies of six studio albums, and that their 1985 debut is being reissued this year.
It is candid about the break that followed the sixth album in 2002. “Iain and I took a hiatus after 2002 because we’d been dropped by Mercury,” Currie says in it. He did not enjoy the solo years:
“You’re meant to be a raconteur when you do solo shows, and I can’t do any of that. Then, after, you’re standing in the dressing room on your own. There’s no one to talk to! It’s horrible. So, aye, I really missed the band, too.”
The band came back with reunion tours in 2014 and 2018, then Fatal Mistakes, their first new songs in 18 years. The biography also says Currie has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and that he wrote a memoir about it, The Tremolo Diaries. A new album is on the way on Cooking Vinyl, as yet untitled. The Forum lists a 7.30pm start.
Phil Wang: UH OH, 28 November
Phil Wang closes the season with his new stand-up show, UH OH. His own copy does the selling: “Phil Wang’s back with a new stand-up show, and he’s older than ever before. He’s got a moustache now. It bristles with wisdom.”
It goes on: “You know him from one series of Taskmaster, one episode of Would I Lie to You, and one minute of Wonka.” The Forum lists a 7.30pm start on the Saturday.
What it means for you
- Booking: tickets are through the Forum’s own site, bathforum.co.uk, or Ticketline on 0161 832 1111, the number the Forum gives on its listings. The listings we checked on 27 September did not show prices.
- Getting there: the Forum is on St James’s Parade, BA1 1UG. Our parking in Bath page covers the city’s car parks and charges.
- Book signing: if you want Anton Du Beke to sign his memoir, you need the separate meet-and-greet ticket.
- More to do: see our things to do in Bath page.
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