The Bluetones « 'Expecting To Fly' 30th Anniversary Tour »

The Bluetones bring their ‘Expecting To Fly’ 30th Anniversary Tour to O2 Academy Oxford on 24 October 2026. Formed in Hounslow in 1993, the quartet carved out a lane just aside from the britpop glare: bright, chiming guitars, melodic lines that stick without shouting, and writing that balances pop efficiency with a soft, slightly melancholic tone. Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Scott Morriss on bass and Eds Chesters on drums have kept that chemistry alive on stage across decades.

This tour looks back to their 1996 debut, Expecting To Fly, the record that set their identity in place and opened the door to a run that includes Return to the Last Chance Saloon (1998) and Science & Nature (2000), then later chapters with Luxembourg (2003), the self-titled album (2006), A New Athens (2010) and, more recently, Atlas (2026). Live, they tap into that blend of indie rock, jangle pop and understated hooks, revisiting the textures and moods that shaped their first years while folding in songs from the rest of their catalogue. A focused celebration of where it all began, played by a band that knows exactly how those tracks are supposed to move.