Culture

Defining band of 90s bring greatest hits tour to Wales

29 Oct 2026 3 minute read

The Lightning Seeds on main stage at Eurovision village. Image: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Nation Cymru staff

One of the defining bands of the 90s are set to bring their greatest hits tour to the Welsh capital next year, with tickets on sale from tomorrow.

The Lightning Seeds are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan, Care, and Original Mirrors.

Lightning Seeds have announced a greatest hits tour for 2027, venturing around the UK with dates in London, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Glasgow and more, with a Cardiff date scheduled for The Great Hall, Cardiff University on Friday 10 December 2027

Broudie originally emerged from the post punk Liverpool music scene of the late seventies playing in the band Big in Japan which in turn led to him producing several bands, starting with Echo & The Bunnymen.

Originally a studio-based solo project for Broudie, the Lightning Seeds expanded into a touring band following Jollification (1994).

The group experienced commercial success throughout the 1990s and are well known for their single “Three Lions”, a collaboration with comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner which reached No. 1 in the UK in 1996 and 2018, with a re-worked version also reaching the top spot in 1998.

Beyond their football fame, the band’s career launched with the 1989 breakout debut single “Pure,” which cracked the top 20 in the UK and found success on the Billboard Hot 100.

Other major signature tracks include the beloved 1992 hit “The Life of Riley” and the standout 1994 Jollification singles “Lucky You” and “Change.”

The band also found late-90s success with tracks from their Dizzy Heights album, including their high-charting 1997 cover of The Turtles’ “You Showed Me,” which reached number 8 in the UK, and the energetic top 20 single “Sugar Coated Iceberg.”

For those who can’t wait until next year to see the band, they will be supporting Paul Heaton, who will be performing songs from throughout his career including classic tracks by The Beautiful South and The Housemartins, on a tour which has a Cardiff date planned for next month.

Paul Heaton’s Cardiff date takes place on 2 November 2026 at Utilita Arena Cardiff. Tickets are on sale now.

Sharing the news on Instagram, the band wrote: “We are delighted to announce that we will be touring the UK in 2027, playing all of our greatest hits, fan favourites and more 🍓

“Tickets will go on general sale this Friday 30th October at 9am, but you can sign up at the link below to gain early access to this pre-sale from Wednesday.”

Taking place at The Great Hall, Cardiff University on Friday 10 December 2027, tickets on sale Friday 30 October 2026 at 9am.

Pre-sale tickets available now.

More info and general on-sale tickets here: www.cardiffboxoffice.com

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