Spring/Summer 2022 sees the return of live gigs to Alexandra Palace, as the venue continues its efforts to recover from the impact of the pandemic.
Disclosure got things off to a blistering start on Saturday, 5 March, playing to a sold out 10,000 capacity Great Hall, as they tour their Grammy award-winning album ENERGY.
Also in March, Ed Sheeran plays two nights in the Palace’s 1,200 capacity Victorian Theatre. Dubbed ‘London’s oldest new theatre’ having been restored in 2018 after 80 years of closure, the intimate auditorium with its ‘arrested decay’ décor continues to provide a new space for fans to enjoy live music at the iconic north London venue. Other artists at Ally Pally this spring include Future Islands, James Blake, Architects, Metronomy, Charlie XCX, Michale Kiwanuka, Mogwai, Bloc Party, Joan As Police Woman, Greta van Fleet and Lorde.
The summer features the most ambitious outdoor programme of music in the Palace’s history. Across nine heady summer nights the beautiful Alexandra Park, which has unrivalled views across the capital, will host Primal Scream, as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of the epochal Screamadelica (16 July). This is followed by Fat Freddy’s Drop (23 July), before the Palace’s own Kaleidoscope Festival (24 July) which has Orbital and Happy Mondays topping the bill, and Higher Ground Festival (25 July), headlined by Patti Smith, rounding things off.
Simon Fell, Alexandra Palace’s Director of Events and Festivals, said: ‘It feels amazing to have our 2022 live music programme underway. The last two years have been a rollercoaster with cancellations, rescheduling and finally at the end of last year the chance to safely welcome fans back to Ally Pally. Like so many venues we’ve had to be creative to play our part in getting our amazing industry on its feet again. But we’ve survived to this point and now we’re off again with an absolutely blinding schedule of live music. It’s not only something for the artists and fans to get excited about. As a venue, as a team, this is what we exist to do. And there’s the wider impact too, with each gig creating around 400 job opportunities and providing a real boost to our industry and local economy. We’ve a packed spring, then, come the summer, we’re in new territory again, with an outdoor music programme that we hope will firmly establish yet another part of this beautiful venue as a place for people to come together, smile, dance, sing and create those memories that last forever.’
As a charity, Ally Pally is reliant on funding, hires and ticket income to survive, so the venue has faced serious risk of closure over the past two years; but although its fragile economy continues to face challenges, for now at least, it has survived. Check out the music programme at Alexandra Palace here
The 150-year history of Ally Pally has been intertwined with that of popular music. Find out more, as told by some of those who have played here, by watching this video
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