David Essex

David Essex plays Plymouth Arena in Plymouth on 17 September 2026, bringing a career that moves easily between pop, rock and the stage. Born in Plaistow and raised in Canning Town, he first sat behind a drum kit before fronting local bands in the mid-60s. London theatre gave him his break with the lead in Godspell in 1971, then came the film That’ll Be the Day and Rock On in 1973, a self-written track that set his style at the junction of glam rock, British pop and rock’n’roll with a narrative bent. The 70s followed with albums Rock On (1973), David Essex (1974), All the Fun of the Fair (1975), Out on the Street (1976) and Imperial Wizard (1979), where his writing leaned toward a more melodic pop rock.

Alongside the records, Essex kept a steady presence in musicals: Tommy, Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds in 1978, then the role of Che in Evita the same year. The decades after mixed studio work, UK tours, cinema and television, with albums like Be-Bop the Future (1981) and Cover Shot (1993), and a 2005 collaboration with Saint Etienne on Tales from Turnpike House. On stage, expect a set that connects those chapters, from early grooves to theatre-shaped storytelling.