Richard Hawley Returns to Sheffield City Hall for Two Extra-Special Christmas Shows

There are some artist and venue pairings that just feel perfect. Richard Hawley and Sheffield City Hall were absolutely made for each other.

This December, one of Sheffield’s most treasured musicians will return to the City Hall for two special hometown shows – and audiences won’t quite know what to expect in their stockings this time around. Hawley is all set to dig deep into his extensive back catalogue, mixing firm favourites with rarities that haven’t been heard live for years, and perhaps even a few that haven’t been performed on stage before.

This year’s festive fun follows three sold-out nights at the same venue last Christmas, when Hawley celebrated the 20th anniversary of his landmark album Coles Corner. Named for the famous Sheffield meeting place that once stood just a few hundred yards from Barker’s Pool at the other end of Fargate, the album has become inseparable from both Hawley and the city that inspired it.

Last year’s gigs are being commemorated with a new live album, Live at Sheffield City Hall 2025, capturing the anniversary concert in full, together with selected performances from the other two sold-out nights and a collection of behind-the-scenes photographs.

Sheffield has always been more than simply Hawley’s home – its places, people and character are woven through his music, from ‘Lady’s Bridge’ and 'Truelove’s Gutter’ to the songs that inspired the Olivier Award-winning theatre production Standing at the Sky’s Edge. He’s also a long-standing collaborator with fellow Sheffield legends Pulp, and has worked with artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Paul Weller, Nancy Sinatra, Elbow and Tom Jones.

His last studio album, 2024’s In This City They Call You Love, showed there are still plenty of new chapters to be written two and a half decades into his solo career. Warm, soulful and unmistakably Hawley, it also found room for fiery blues and a touch of psychedelic folk. And with brand-new songs potentially finding their way into this December’s setlist, we may even get a tantalising glimpse of what’s to come next.

There’s something particularly fitting about hearing him perform live at our beautiful City Hall. Hawley, one of Sheffield’s most distinctive musical voices, playing one of its great venues, right in the heart of the city that has shaped so much of his songwriting.

Add a setlist that could reach into almost any corner of his career, a few surprises and the possibility of hearing something completely new, and it’s difficult to think of much more you could ask for this Christmas.

Richard Hawley plays Sheffield City Hall on Thursday 17th and Friday 18th December 2026. Pre-sale tickets are available now. General ticket sales open Thursday 8th October at 10am.