Spotlight: Lloyd Cole (UK) Returning to New Zealand in March 2026

Counting amongst his many fans Tori Amos and Manic Street Preachers, Lloyd Cole first attracted global fame in the 1980s with his group the Commotions, releasing three chart-hitting albums before embarking on an auspicious solo career, encompassing eleven studio long players (plus one with the Negatives) and counting. Here in 2023 touring his latest album On Pain, Cole is returning to Aotearoa New Zealand in March 2026 for a career-spanning solo tour brought to you by Plus1, with the added fresh spin that he's putting aside the acoustic guitars and embracing his electrified roots (playing two sets per night) — as he explained...

"In 1999, in retreat from mainstream ambivalence, the idea of becoming a troubadour was perversely alluring. Two acoustic guitars, a suitcase, and a round the world ticket. It took a while for me to become comfortable with it, but The Folksinger Show became my staple.

And then, somehow or other, twenty-five years were gone, and now I find myself approaching the end of my career, and wanting to be seen more as just a singer, who wrote a body of work, very little of which one would reasonably label ‘folk’. So I’m back with my Telecaster, my Princeton amp, and my solo show is now electric."

Lloyd Cole (UK)

Thursday 5th March - The Piano, Christchurch
Friday 6th March - Old St Pauls, Wellington
Sunday 8th March - Hutt Sounds festival Brewtown, Upper Hutt
Tuesday 10th March - The Globe, Palmerston North
Friday 13th March - Hollywood Avondale, Auckland*

*Auckland tickets on sale HERE via UTR
Tour tickets are on general sale from Plus1.co.nz and via www.lloydcole.com/live 

Experience 'Warm By The Fire' from Lloyd Cole's 2023 album On Pain...

Revisit the title track Lloyd Cole and the Commotions's classic 1984 album Rattlesnakes, which reached 13 on the NZ albums chart...

Press release:

Lloyd Cole announces a run of solo shows throughout New Zealand in March 2026, proudly presented by Plus1.

His elegant solo live performances in recent years have been predominantly acoustic, but for these concerts he has decided to go electric. The performance will run the gamut from his masterful debut with the Commotions, Rattlesnakes, right up to 2023’s acclaimed On Pain, and touching on all points in between.