John Cooper Clarke announces latest UK headline tour along with new book

The ‘Bard of Salford’ himself, Dr John Cooper Clarke, is back with another UK headline tour in 2026, plus a brand-new book to boot.

Now 76 and still as fiery as ever, ‘The Godfather of Punk Poetry’s career spans more than half a century, and as a Greater Manchester native and cultural icon, he’s still just as worth celebrating as ever with each passing year.

Becoming the first poet to ever headline a UK arena with his landmark Co-op Live back in March, it’s been another milestone 12 months for local legend, and he clearly has absolutely no intentions of slowing down next year either.

Revealing a raft of new tour dates on Monday, 1 December, John Cooper Clarke will be bringing his spoken word stylings and latest collection – satsifyingly titled Have It – to crowds all over the country.

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Confirming a total of 20 new live shows, JCC will be kicking off his next tour in October 2026 in time for the launch of his latest title.

Following on from last year’s release, ‘WHAT‘, which became an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and his memoir (published back in 2020), this will be his fifth book to date.

2025 also saw him receive the prestigious Northern Music Award (NMAs) in recognition of his phenomenal influence in the music world and art as a whole.

As for us here at Audio North, we recently also had the incredible privilege of sitting down to chat with Cooper Clarke ourselves ahead of the announcement, so keep your eyes peeled for that one…

You can see John Cooper Clarke’s list of live shows in full down below.

JCC UK headline tour dates 2026

We’ve kindly italicised all the Northern dates for you as well.

• Wed, 7 Oct – Southend Palace Theatre
• Sat, 10 Oct – Poole Lighthouse
• Sun, 11 Oct – Bristol Beacon
• Wed, 14 Oct – Brighton Theatre Royal
• Thu, 15 Oct – London Palladium
• Sat, 17 Oct – Sheffield City Hall
• Tue, 20 Oct – Glasgow Pavilion 
• Wed, 21 Oct – Carlisle Old Fire Station
• Fri, 23 Oct – Stoke-On-Trent Victoria Hall
• Sat, 24 Oct – Birmingham Town Hall
• Wed, 28 Oct – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
• Sat, 31 Oct – Leeds City Varieties Music Hall
• Wed, 4 Nov – Whitley Bay The Playhouse
• Fri, 6 Nov – York Grand Opera House
• Thu, 12 Nov – Dublin 3 Olympia
• Sun, 15 Nov – Belfast Mandela Hall
• Wed, 18 Nov – Blackpool Opera House
• Sat, 21 Nov – Manchester O2 Apollo
• Wed, 25 Nov – Leicester De Montfort Hall
• Fri, 27 Nov – Edinburgh Queens Hall  

Tickets for Dr John Cooper Clarke in October 2026 will be available from this Friday, 5 December at 10am via Gigs and Tours as well as his official website.

You can get ready to grab yours HERE.

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Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied)/The Manc Group