The South Play The Songs Of The Beautiful South At HMV Empire Coventry On Friday 23 October

Coventry fans who still know every word of Rotterdam can sing it with 2 former members of The Beautiful South this Friday. The South bring their 9 piece band to hmv Empire on Hertford Street, and doors open at 7pm on Friday 23 October, with the band on stage at 8pm and tickets at £35.

• Date: Friday 23 October 2026.
• Doors: 7pm.
• On stage: 8pm.
• Venue: hmv Empire Coventry, 22 Hertford Street, Coventry CV1 1LF.
• Special guest: Charlie Ward.
• Tickets: £35, from Eventim.
• Age: 14+, and under 16s must come with an adult.

The band’s own blurb says they have spent “14 years” touring, but that line has been on their listings for a while. The South celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2019, so Friday’s crowd is watching a band that has been on the road for around 17 years.

2 Of The Faces On Stage Were In The Beautiful South

Alison Wheeler sang with The Beautiful South in the band’s later years, up to the split in 2007. Gaz Birtles played sax with them, and the listing calls him their “lifelong sax player”. Those 2 names are the link to the real thing, and they lead a 9 piece band that rebuilds the full arrangements, horns included.

The line-up has changed over the years. Dave Hemingway, who sang with The Beautiful South from the start, fronted The South until he left at the end of 2016. Gaz then stepped out from behind his sax to share lead vocals with Alison. The Beautiful South always had 2 male voices, so trumpet player Gareth John now sings some of the songs, and Gaz goes back to the saxophone for those.

Expect A Little Time, Perfect 10 And Rotterdam

The Beautiful South formed in Hull in 1988 out of The Housemartins, and their first single came out in 1989. The South’s set covers that run from 1989 to 2007, and the listing names these songs:

• Song For Whoever
• A Little Time, their only UK number 1, in 1990
• Old Red Eyes Is Back
• Good As Gold
• Rotterdam
• Don’t Marry Her
• Perfect 10

They mix in album tracks and a few songs of their own as well. A Little Time is a duet, and with Alison on stage that one is the song to wait for.

Charlie Ward Opens The Night

Charlie Ward is the special guest on Friday, and the venue says Charlie “returns to our stage”, so regulars at the Empire may have seen the set before. With the doors at 7pm and The South on at 8pm, the support slot comes in that first hour, so arrive early if you want to catch it.

One £35 Ticket Covers Charlie Ward And The South

The ticket price is flat, with no tiers on the poster:

• 1 ticket: £35
• 2 tickets: £60
• A family of 4 with 2 teenagers over 14: £108

Booking fees may be added online, so check the total before you pay. The hmv Empire is on Hertford Street in the city centre, about a 10 minute walk from Coventry railway station, and the city centre car parks are close by if you are driving in.

Which Beautiful South song would you most want to hear on Friday night?