James Blunt announces Airplane Mode Tour with Manchester date 2026

Key Points

• The Airplane Mode Tour is being staged by James Blunt to support his eighth studio album entitled Airplane Mode which will be released on 6 November 2026 by Atlantic Records.
• The tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland has been scheduled for eleven concerts, starting with a concert in Manchester at Co-Op Live on 3 April 2027.
• Tickets will become available from Wednesday 9 September 2026 at 10am and can be purchased from Aloud.com and Ticketmaster, amongst others.
• Leeds is the first destination of the tour which starts on 26 March 2027, with the last date in Brighton on 8 April 2027, in between Birmingham, Newcastle, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, London, Cardiff, and Bournemouth.
• Airplane Mode will include 12 songs, with the lead singles entitled Tastes Like Summer and Weight Of It All. The album has been produced with the participation of James Blunt’s live band at Pig Music Studios, Oxfordshire.
• Also confirmed are two concerts in Europe, Amsterdam (20 February 2027, Ziggo Dome), and Italy (Milan – Unipol Forum, 27 February 2027 and Florence – Nelson Mandela Forum, 28 February 2027).

Manchester (Manchester Mirror) September 05, 2026 – Singer‑songwriter James Blunt has confirmed a large‑scale European arena tour for 2027, headlined by a Manchester concert at Co‑Op Live on Saturday 3 April 2027 as part of the Airplane Mode Tour. The announcement coincides with the reveal of his eighth studio album, Airplane Mode, scheduled for release on 6 November 2026 through Atlantic Records, and the launch of a new single, Weight Of It All, following earlier single Tastes Like Summer.

Tickets for the UK and Ireland run go on general sale at 10am on Wednesday 9 September 2026, with purchases available via Aloud.com and major ticketing partners including Ticketmaster and See Tickets, according to reporting by The Scotsman and Planet Radio. While full pricing for Manchester has not been published in all outlets, Glasgow ticket prices for the same tour have been reported in the range of £52.75 to £112.35 before fulfilment fees, with premium options from £89.10 to £99.10, suggesting a comparable structure for Manchester, as noted by The Scotsman.

Full UK and Ireland itinerary and on‑sale information

The 11‑date UK and Ireland itinerary begins in Leeds at First Direct Arena on Friday 26 March 2027, then moves to Birmingham (bp pulse, 27 March), Newcastle (28 March), Dublin (30 March), Belfast (31 March), Glasgow (OVO Hydro, 2 April), Manchester (Co‑Op Live, 3 April), London (The O2, 4 April), Cardiff (Utilita Arena, 6 April), Bournemouth (7 April) and concludes in Brighton (Brighton Centre, 8 April), according to tour listings compiled by The Hoot Leeds, Planet Radio and HelloRay. The Manchester date at Co‑Op Live places the show at the city’s newest major indoor arena, which has become a headline venue for international touring acts.

General sale timing is consistent across markets: 10am on 9 September 2026, with multiple outlets directing fans to Aloud.com and established platforms such as Ticketmaster and See Tickets for purchases, as reported by Planet Radio and The Scotsman. Fans seeking Glasgow-specific guidance were advised by The Scotsman that tickets would be available via Ticketmaster and See Tickets from that same on‑sale window, with price bands varying by seat location and ticket type.

Airplane Mode album: release date, singles and tracklist

Airplane Mode is due on 6 November 2026 via Atlantic Records and will contain 12 tracks recorded with Blunt’s long‑standing live band at Pig Music Studios in Oxfordshire, according to PM Studio and Retro Pop Magazine. The project follows 2023’s Who We Used To Be and is fronted by singles Tastes Like Summer and Weight Of It All, the latter described in coverage by Retro Pop Magazine and Newsic as an acoustic‑leaning number addressing the pressures of modern life.

The confirmed tracklist, as published by Retro Pop Magazine and Newsic, is: Circles; Time To Time; Modern Love; Tastes Like Summer; Weight Of It All; Reason To Die; Hey, People; In Your Blood; Leftover Time; Dancing In My Head; Oh, Daisy; This Is Not Forever. Additional titles referenced in Italian reporting by ANSA include Circles, Oh Daisy and Modern Love among the album’s 12 stories, aligning with the full sequence released by UK and European outlets.

European expansion: Amsterdam, Milan and Florence dates

Beyond the UK and Ireland, the tour extends into mainland Europe with a Netherlands show at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome on Saturday 20 February 2027, as reported by Eventim NL. Two Italian concerts are scheduled for late February 2027: Milan at Unipol Forum on Saturday 27 February and Florence at Nelson Mandela Forum on Sunday 28 February, according to Sky TG24, ANSA and Newsic. Swiss dates have also been announced for 2027, with performances in Geneva and Zurich noted by Blick, underscoring the tour’s broader European footprint alongside the UK arena run.

What songs are likely to feature in the Manchester setlist?

While an official setlist for the 2027 tour has not been published ahead of the first show, coverage by Eventim NL and HelloRay indicates that the live show will draw from Airplane Mode while retaining signature hits such as You’re Beautiful, Goodbye My Lover and Bonfire Heart. Given the album’s 12‑song structure and Blunt’s catalogue depth, the Manchester concert at Co‑Op Live is expected to blend new material from Airplane Mode with long‑standing radio staples that have defined his career since the mid‑2000s.

How can fans buy James Blunt Manchester tickets and avoid scams?

Tickets for the Manchester show go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 9 September 2026, with official sales channels including Aloud.com and major platforms such as Ticketmaster and See Tickets, as outlined by Planet Radio and The Scotsman. Fans are advised to purchase only through authorised sellers and to be cautious of secondary market listings that may carry inflated prices or invalid barcodes, a standard caution echoed across tour announcements in 2026. For those monitoring price movements, some secondary sites list Manchester tickets with prices to be confirmed, reinforcing the need to rely on primary sellers at on‑sale, according to TickPick.

Background to the Airplane Mode tour development

The Airplane Mode Tour follows a three‑year gap since Blunt’s previous studio album, with the new record positioned as his eighth long‑form release and the first since Who We Used To Be in 2023. The decision to launch an arena‑scale European run in early 2027 aligns with the November 2026 album release, allowing time for radio promotion and single cycles around Tastes Like Summer and Weight Of It All before the first show in Leeds on 26 March 2027. Recording at Pig Music Studios in Oxfordshire with his live band suggests a performance‑oriented production, which tour reporting indicates will translate into a set balancing new songs with established hits across the 11 UK and Ireland dates and select European venues.

Prediction: how the Manchester announcement may affect fans and the local live scene

For Manchester audiences, the confirmation of a Co‑Op Live date on 3 April 2027 is likely to drive significant demand during the 9 September on‑sale window, particularly given the venue’s status as a premier indoor arena and Blunt’s broad cross‑generational appeal. The concentration of 11 UK and Ireland shows across a compact two‑week period may intensify competition for tickets in major cities, with Manchester positioned as a key north‑west stop that could attract attendees from surrounding regions. For the local live music ecosystem, a high‑profile arena booking at Co‑Op Live reinforces the venue’s 2026–2027 calendar strength and may encourage ancillary spending in hospitality and transport on the night, consistent with patterns observed for comparable arena tours in the city.