THERE’S less than a week to go before a spectacular summer of live music begins at the mighty Piece Hall.
Preparations are underway at the historic venue ahead of Blondie hitting the stage for two headline shows.
“It may look a little different around here, but our great indie shops, cafes and bars are still open,” says the Piece Hall team on social media. “Come visit, grab a bite, do some shopping, and see what’s going on behind the scenes!”
The Grade I listed complex, the architectural jewel in Halifax’s crown, has become a major draw for big name music acts. It’s an exciting new chapter in the story of Piece Hall, which opened in 1779 for the trading of cloth produced on hand looms in the town’s cottage industry. It is the only remaining Georgian cloth hall in the world.
Now an award-winning contemporary leisure, retail, cultural and heritage destination, the Piece Hall has welcomed more than 13.5 million visitors since it re-opened in 2017 following a major renovation. The 66,000sq ft courtyard, which is up there with the great piazzas of Europe, is home to independent shops, restaurants and bars and world-class arts and culture. Its year-round programme includes music and sporting events and food and drink festivals.
The new presenting partnership of TK Maxx, The Piece Hall and Cuffe and Taylor is part of a three-year agreement with Cuffe & Taylor shows nationwide, including Scarborough Open Air Theatre and Lytham Festival.
TK Maxx presents Live at The Piece Hall 2024 kicks off with Blondie. Fronted by pioneering singer-songwriter Debbie Harry, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame punk/pop crossover legends have sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Blondie will headline on Friday, June 7, with support from Starsailor, and June 9, with The K’s.
Nile Rodgers will be at Piece Hall with CHIC (Image: PA)
Then, throughout summer, there are more headline concerts from some of the biggest names in music: June 13: Sheryl Crow; June 15: Annie Mac: Before Midnight, Jake Shears and Gina Breeze; June 16: Nile Rodgers & CHIC (and Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Deco); June 19: Crowded House; June 22: Grace Jones (and Stone Foundation); June 23: Bryan Adams (and Cassyette and VIVAS); June 25: Placebo (and Friedberg); June 26: Air; June 27: Michael Kiwanuka; June 28: Underworld; June 30: Tom Odell; July 7: Rick Astley (and Lightning Seeds); July 9: Loyle Garner; July 12: Tom Jones (and Germein and STORRY); July 13: IDLES; July 27: Ministry of Sound with Ellie Sax & Friends: Ibiza Anthems; July 31: Bill Bailey; August 1: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (and Andrew Cushin); August 2: Richard Ashcroft; August 3: The Stranglers (and Buzzco*cks); August 8: Jess Glynne; August 9: Korn (and Loathe); August 10 and 18:McFly; August 13: Status Quo (and The Alarm); August 20: PJ Harvey (and Mica Levi); August 21: Pixies; August 22: The Streets; August 23: Biffy Clyro (and Witch Fever); August 24: Fatboy Slim; August 25: Jungle; August 26: Cian Ducrot.
Rick Astley will be thrilling fans with hits and new music (Image: Peter Neill)
We know the big names - but what about the special guests? Organisers have unveiled a range of artists joining the line-up: Australian rock trio Germein and singer-songwriter STORRY will be Tom Jones’ guests when the music powerhouse makes his eagerly awaited return to the Piece Hall courtyard. Indie-pop trio Germein, comprising Australian sisters, Georgia (guitar and lead vocals), Ella (bass) and Clara (drums) made their mark with debut album Because You Breathe in 2013. Inspired by the vocal harmonies of bands such as Queen and Fleetwood Mac, they have opened for Little Mix, Ronan Keating, Phil Collins and Jess Glynne.
Tom Jones returns to Piece Hall this summer (Image: Sarah Caldecott)
The emotionally charged ballads of STORRY are steeped in social commentary and uplifting melodies. With two JUNO nominations for her debut album CH III: The Come Up, and international collaborations under her belt, STORRY’s new single Fairytales continues an upward trajectory leading to her sophom*ore album.
Sheffield indie heroes VIVAS and electro-pop singer-songwriter Cassyette will join rock legend Bryan Adams.
VIVAS bring indie rock energy and attitude to the stage - power-packed songs It’s Alright, Out To Get Me and Vinyl Girl go down a storm with their growing fanbase and they recently sold out hometown gigs at Sheffield’s legendary Leadmill and supported Def Leppard and Motley Crue.
One of the must-see acts at Piece Hall this summer will be PJ Harvey. With raw, emotional lyrics, and her most recent UK tour heralded by critics as an otherwordly live experience, she is bold and compelling. Last year, I Inside the Old Year Dying landed at Number 5 in the UK album chart, adding to an illustrious back catalogue.
Supporting PJ Harvey is the extraordinary Mica Levi. As a founder of experimental pop group Micachu and the Shapes/Good Sad Happy Bad, Levi has released four critically acclaimed albums. As a composer, their first major score was for Jonathan Glazer’s 2013 film Under The Skin. Levi teamed up with Glazer again in 2023, composing the score for Oscar-winning film The Zone of Interest, which also won the Soundtrack Award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Opening for rock legends Crowded House is internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Liam Finn. Following collaborative album Lightsleeper with his father Neil Finn, Liam has joined the band for a global tour.
Liam Finn will join Crowded House at Piece Hall (Image: Piece Hall)
Bursting onto the music scene in 1997 with New Zealand pop/rockers Betchadupa, Liam went on to produce and play most of the instruments on his solo debut I’ll Be Lightning, a practice he continued on follow-up albums. Liam will be debuting songs from new album The Hyperverse at Piece Hall, as well as crowd favourites.
Halifax three-piece State of Error are special guests for national pop treasures McFly on August 10, while Noahfinnce joins the boys for their second Piece Hall show on August 18.
State Of Error bring a diverse set of influences to their melodic punk-rock set. With a reputation for energetic gigs, the band are a mainstay of the West Yorkshire alt rock scene. Their 2019 album Silence Fiction contained singles including Nobody’s Fool and Rosie. Post-pandemic single Pins & Needles, featuring the band’s trademark tongue-in-cheek humour, was a hit with fans and pop-punk devotees.
Grammy winner Sheryl Crow will hit the courtyard stage (Image: Nocturne Live)
Championing authenticity and self-expression, Noahfinnce is an award-winning content creator and musician.
Noahfinnce brings alternative pop and rock energy to the stage (Image: Piece Hall)
His punchy anthems bring a new energy to alt rock and pop punk and, with more than 850,000 YouTube subscribers, 650,000 TikTok followers and 350,000 Instagram followers - as well as winning the 2022 Blogosphere Award for Vlogger of the year - Noah delivers his own alternative, no-nonsense take on LGBT issues.
* Visit thepiecehall.co.uk
