tour

A New Show for 2026: How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside

News

I’m heading off on tour next year with a brand new solo show, in which I’ll be reading poems from my forthcoming book ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’.

The tour starts in September. Tickets have gone on sale at most venues today. You can find out more here: https://brianbilston.com/events/

A poster for my Autumn 2026 Tour, ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’. It features me, my late cat and a list of my tour dates: 23-Sep Monmouth, Savoy Theatre 24-Sep Aberystwyth, Arts Centre 25-Sep Cardigan, Mlwdan Theatre 26-Sep Winchester, Guildhall 27-Sep Guildford, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre 30-Sep Harpenden, Eric Morecambe Centre 01-Oct Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre 02-Oct Darwen, Darwen Library Theatre 04-Oct Malton, Milton Rooms 07-Oct Croydon, Ashcroft Theatre 08-Oct Deal, Astor Theatre 09-Oct Norwich, The Halls 10-Oct Colchester, Colchester Arts Centre 14-Oct Loughborough, MMC 15-Oct Manchester, Stoller Hall 16-Oct Ulverston, Coronation Hall 21-Oct Kidderminster, Town Hall 22-Oct Glasgow, Macintosh Church 23-Oct Aberdeen, Lemon Tree 24-Oct Stirling, Tolbooth 28-Oct Stamford, Corn Exchange 29-Oct Bury St Edmonds, Apex Theatre 30-Oct Corsham, Pound Arts Centre 31-Oct Oxford, North Wall 04-Nov Worthing, Worthing Pavilion 06-Nov Bellaghy, Seamus Heaney Centre 11-Nov Leeds, City Varieties 12-Nov Sunderland, Fire Station 13-Nov Helmsley, Helmsley Arts Centre 14-Nov Pocklington, Pocklington Arts Centre 15-Nov Sheffield, Memorial Hall 19-Nov Stroud, Sub Rooms 20-Nov Bridport, Electric Palace 21-Nov Exeter, Corn Exchange 22-Nov Bude, Parkhouse Centre 25-Nov Newark, Palace Theatre 26-Nov Bakewell, Town Hall 27-Nov Chorley, Chorley Theatre 28-Nov Liverpool, Tung Arts Centre 30-Nov Bristol, St George's 01-Dec Cardiff, Glee Club 04-Dec London, Union Chapel

I’ll be reading poems in: Aberdeen; Aberystwyth; Bakewell; Bellaghy; Bridport; Bristol; Bude; Bury St Edmonds; Cardiff; Cardigan; Chorley; Colchester; Corsham; Coventry; Croydon; Darwen; Deal; Exeter; Glasgow; Guildford; Harpenden; Helmsley; Kidderminster; Leeds; Liverpool; London; Loughborough; Malton; Manchester; Monmouth; Newark; Norwich; Oxford; Pocklington; Sheffield; Stamford; Stirling; Stroud; Sunderland; Ulverston; Winchester; Worthing.

It would be smashing to see you at one of these. Please do spread the word.

Public Information Film

News

There now follows a short public information film containing particulars of Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires’ autumn tour.

You can find more particulars here, in particular: https://brianbilston.com/events/

Stream ‘Sounds Made by Humans’

News

Sounds Made by Humans – an album of my poetry put to music by the fabulous Catenary Wires – can now be listened to on Spotify, iTunes and those other streaming platforms.

“A contender for album of the year.” Backseat Mafia
“An instant cult classic. 5/5” Louder Than War

And if you like what you hear, you can hear it played live this autumn when we’re heading off on a UK tour. There will be music, poems, mugs, tea towels, and somewhere to sit down (should you want to). We can be found in the following places …

12 Sep: RAMSGATE: Music Hall
30 Oct: BANBURY: Mill Arts Centre
1 Nov: LONDON: Bloomsbury Theatre
3 Nov: NORWICH: Norwich Arts Centre
4 Nov: STAMFORD: Corn Exchange
5 Nov: MILTON KEYNES: The Stables
6 Nov: BRIGHTON: Komedia
12 Nov: WORCESTER: Huntingdon Hall
13 Nov: NOTTINGHAM: Metronome
14 Nov: SWANSEA: Grand Theatre
15 Nov: BRISTOL: John Wesley’s Chapel
21 Nov: MANCHESTER: Halle St Peters
22 Nov: OTLEY: Courthouse
23 Nov: CHORLEY: Chorley Theatre
24 Nov: LIVERPOOL: Royal Philharmonic
25 Nov: SHEFFIELD: The Foundry
26 Nov: GLASGOW: Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA)
27 Nov: NEWCASTLE: The Pilgrim
28 Nov: POCKLINGTON: Arts Centre
4 Dec: HERNE BAY: King’s Hall

Hope to see some of you along the way.

Nights of music and poetry …

News

One tour may have just finished but here’s news of another one coming soon …

I’m delighted to announce that this autumn I’ll be going on tour with The Catenary Wires, for some fun-filled evenings of music and poetry. We’ll be performing our album ‘Sounds Made by Humans’, and there’ll be poems from me and music from the band throughout the night.

Most of the gigs are in November, with a few either side. We’ll be coming to Banbury, Brighton, Bristol, Chorley, Glasgow, Herne Bay, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Otley, Pocklington, Ramsgate, Sheffield, Stamford, Swansea, and Worcester.

Tickets have gone on sale this morning. For the full list of shows and links to tickets, you can find them all here:

Events

And here are few review snippets of ‘Sounds Made by Humans’:

“[An] album of the year.” Backseat Mafia

“An instant cult classic. 5/5” Louder Than War

“Filled to the rafters with wit and smart hooks.” Here Comes the Flood

Hope to see some of you there.

Brian

New shows for 2025

News

I’m delighted to announce a plethora of new shows for May 2025 with the brilliant Henry Normal. We’re be coming to BIRMINGHAM, CAMBRIDGE, HARROGATE, LANCASTER, LIVERPOOL, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MELTON MOWBRAY, NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME, NORTHAMPTON, STOCKTON-ON-TEES and WHITLEY BAY. Tickets have gone on sale today.

As previously announced, we’ll also be reading poems in ASHFORD, BURNLEY, CARDIFF, HALIFAX, HASTINGS, READING, ST ALBANS, SHEFFIELD, SHREWSBURY, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, TAUNTON and WORTHING.

After all that, I’ll be having a bit of a lie down, although you may also catch me at a few festivals throughout the year.

Links to tickets can be found here: https://brianbilston.com/events/

2024 Tour

News

In the last few days, I’ve read poems in Ely, Birmingham, St Andrews, Edinburgh and Brighton; each event was lovely and special in its own way. A big thank you to everyone who came along to them, and indeed, to all the 15,000 people who have dragged themselves to my 59 shows this year.

In terms of 2024, a couple of new dates have been added:
BARROW-in FURNESS (19 Feb – with Henry Normal): TICKETS HERE
and a second evening of my solo show in SCARBOROUGH (22 March): TICKETS HERE

For my shows with Henry Normal, these ones are selling like hotcakes: BURY ST EDMUNDS, EXETER, LEEDS, LONDON, SALFORD and STROUD, so you might need to be quick if you fancy coming along.

Tickets for these ones are selling like warm buns: BATH, COVENTRY, MONMOUTH, NOTTINGHAM, OXFORD and SUNDERLAND, so I wouldn’t wait too long.

And these ones could do with some heating up: ABERDEEN, BEXHILL-ON-SEA, DUNDEE, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW, ILKLEY, NORWICH, STIRLING, WOLVERHAMPTON.

And just a reminder that I’ve got a few solo shows next year, too: BELFAST, CHESTER, DUBLIN, FALMOUTH, LAUNCESTON, LINCOLN, SCARBOROUGH, TOTNES.

Anyway, you can find out details of ALL these shows here: https://brianbilston.com/events/

Finally, would tickets to one of these make a nice gift for somebody this Christmas?*

I couldn’t possibly comment.

* YES

UPDATE ON TICKETS – INCLUDING NEW SHOWS

News

Here’s one of those mildly boring updates about when and where I’ll be reading poems over the coming months.

First, a couple of new shows to announce for March 2024. Tickets have just gone on sale for CHESTER (Storyhouse) and LINCOLN (Theatre Royal). Earlier this week, tickets also went on sale for a couple of events next May in Cornwall (FALMOUTH and LAUNCESTON). I hope to announce some new shows for next year in Scotland soon.

For this year, most shows have now sold out. But there are a few tickets left for Lytham St Anne’s, Stamford, Caerphilly, Crickhowell, Frome and Bridport.

I’ll also be at the Morecambe Poetry Festival next month with the brilliant Henry Normal. Tickets are selling fast for that. There’s a stellar line-up of poets all week.

And on the subject of Henry, the two of us are on tour together next year when we’ll be coming to: Bexhill-on-Sea, Salford, Sunderland, Leeds, Bury St Edmonds, Stroud and Bath (in February); Monmouth, Exeter, Oxford, Coventry, Wolverhampton, London (in March); Ilkley and Nottingham (in April).

After all that, I’ll be going easy on events for a while, catching up on laundry etc, maybe even writing some poems.

Details of all these events can be found here: https://brianbilston.com/upcoming-events-and-shows/

Hope to get to see you at one of these soon.