Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra

Jools Holland brings his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra to O2 City Hall Newcastle on 3 December 2026 for a night built around his trademark piano and a brass section that swings hard. Co‑founder of Squeeze and the long‑time host of Later... with Jools Holland, he has shaped a sound that draws on boogie‑woogie, blues, swing and early rock ’n’ roll, played in a big‑band style with an unmistakable live energy. At the centre, his left hand rolls the bass, he dialogues with the brass, and launches riffs that call for answers from the saxophone, trumpet and a solid rhythm section.

On stage the repertoire ranges from stride and New Orleans shuffles to instrumental jump blues and reworkings of songs from his own catalogue, all arranged for an orchestra that favours dynamics and sectional colour. Holland likes to stretch choruses, keep the grooves turning and leave space for soloists without losing the melodic thread. Between numbers he introduces the musicians with the sense of timing he’s known for on television, then fires the band up again with a nervy boogie or a revisited standard. It’s an evening to hear a pianist who thinks like a bandleader and an orchestra that plays with the intimacy of a club, in Newcastle upon Tyne.