And they're off!! Lionel Richie, Jessie J, Madness, Will Young, Van Morrison, Olly Murs and more saddle up for racecourse shows

For 2012, several racecourses around the UK are not only busy preparing for big race meetings, they're also gearing themselves for a stream of live shows, many of which take place on race-days. New concerts are being announced frequently so bookmark this page to check for updates!

We have tickets available for all racecourse shows listed below.

 

Lionel Richie

His recently-announced 'Tuskagee' tour is already set to weave its way around the British Isles later this year, but Richie has now included Newbury Racecourse - Newbury for the start of his jaunt on 22nd September. Catch him dancing in the paddocks for just £35 and expect classic Commodores, solo and brand new material.

 

Jessie J

In addition to her already-busy summer schedule of racecourse shows at Newmarket Racecourse - Newmarket's 'Newmarket Nights' on 17th August and Newbury Racecourse's 'Party in the Paddock' the following day, Jessie will also be performing at Sandown Park in Esher, Surrey on 9th August. Tickets cost £37 and the Essex singer will be on stage from around 20:30. She is also playing T in the Park 2012 (7th July) and Wireless Festival 2012, as well as touring throughout 2013.

 

Madness

After this year's Isle of Wight Festival slot, the Nutty Boys have several racecourse events lined-up, with Doncaster Racecourse - Doncaster on 30th June, Haydock Park Racecourse - Merseyside on 6th July (£30) and even further north to Carlisle Racecourse - Carlisle on 7th July (£30). Madness are also performing a 2012 UK tour in the autumn.

 

Image: www.wyoung.co.uk

Will Young

In addition to Frankie Valli's show (see below), the Epsom Live 2012 season has bouncy pop-singer Will Young in its line-up. The "Jealousy" and "Changes" star will perform a full show after a race meeting on 12th July, including songs from #1 album "Echoes". Tickets cost £40 - expect a career-covering set! From September to January 2013, you can catch Will appearing in the touring production of Cabaret.

 

Van Morrison

The organizers of the 2012 Newmarket Nights have earned a real coup with a confirmed appearance of Irish songwriting legend, Van Morrison on 3rd August. This will be one of few headlining UK shows from the bluesy-jazz singer. The others include a London date in Hammersmith as part of BluesFest on 29th June, then Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin. Tickets for Newmarket cost from £29.50.

 

Greenbelt

Greenbelt 2012 takes place at Cheltenham Racecourse - Cheltenham during the August Bank Holiday, from 24th to 27th. As well as a music bill that boasts Bellowhead, Bruce Cockburn, Speech Debelle, Seth Lakeman, Franz Nicolay, there are various opera, dance, literary, children's and 'stimulating speakers'! Tickets cost just £10 for the entire weekend, or if you can prove that you are a single parent, it's FREE!

 

Image: www.bbc.co.uk

Sara Cox

This is a call to all the ladies! 'Coxy' from BBC Radio 1 will be hosting the ultimate Ladies Night at Carlisle Racecourse on Monday 6th August, spinning all the hits and giving it that Boltonian patter. Tickets cost £20 and Sara's appearance will begin soon after the last race finishes at around 9pm.

 

Image: www.ollymurs.com

Olly Murs

Are you a big fan of the gee-gees AND one of our fastest-selling pop-stars? Then you'll want to head to Kempton Park in Sunbury to see Olly Murs in concert, staright after the last race. Murs' show will commence from 21:30 on Friday 17th August with tickets costing from £25 for adults (you can also take two kids with you on the same ticket). Olly has several festival slots to play this year before embarking on a UK tour in 2013.

 

Tom Jones

Blessed with the most-powerful pipes in pop and one of the judges on TV's The Voice, Jones follows-up his Diamond Jubliee Concert appearance with a string of outdoor shows throughout the summer, including evenings at Hamilton Park Racecourse - Hamilton on 6th July (£45-£55), Sandown Park (18th July - £35) and Newmarket Racecourse (10th Aug - £32). Expect an absolute barnstormer packed with his biggest hits and songs from latest Top 10 album, "Spirit In The Room".

 

Image: www.razorlight.co.uk

Razorlight

The chart-topping creators of "America" and "Somewhere Else" will be performing as part of Epsom Live 2012 on 19th July. Johnny Borrell's band don't have many headlining shows booked for 2012, so this is a great chance to catch them fairly close to London. Tickets for access to the stands and Razorlight's show cost from £32.

Frankie Valli

Both Newmarket Racecourse and Epsom Downs are the settings for two special shows by the '60s icon with the trademark falsetto and huge hits such as 'December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)', 'Walk Like A Man' and 'Grease Is The Word'. Performing with The Four Seasons, tickets to see Valli at Newmarket on 29th June weigh in at £29 while his Epsom Live 2012 show on 5th July costs £40.

 

The Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular

Deano, Frank and Sammy are perfectly recreated for this lavish musical tribute show. Based on the great songs made famous by Messrs Martin, Sinatra and Davis Jr., aka The Rat Pack, the concert will be presented at Epsom Downs as part of their Epsom Live 2012 series on 26th July. Tickets cost £22.50-£25.

 

Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra

Bringing the Epsom Live 2012 series of music-concerts to a close are the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra on 2nd August. Straight after the day's main race-meeting, you can see and hear this renowned full orchestra perform all the classics associated with the annual Proms. Tickets cost £22.50-£25.

 

Steps

The '90s squeaky-clean polished pop revival continues apace with the 2012 tour for Faye, H, Lisa, Lee and Claire who have sold out a handful of reunion shows already. However, their two racecourse appearances at Haydock Park on 21st July and Newmarket on 25th August are still under starter's orders for £15 and £32 respectively.

 

McFly

In preparation for their huge BT London Live 2012 appearance in Hyde Park (as part of the Olympics celebrations), the boys have announced a show at York Racecourse - York later in the summer. The post-race show will kick off on 28th July 2012 and will cost £20 a head

 

Ali Campbell

Armed with a vast catalogue of UB40's best known songs plus his own unique soft-reggae take on soul, pop and reggae classics, Campbell will perform an exclusive show at Warwick Racecourse - Warwick on 21st August. Tickets for the show start at £25.

 

Kool & the Gang

Joining the ever-expanding Newmarket Nights 2012 concert-series are the masters of '70s funk and '80s school-discos, Kool and the Gang. They've won Grammys for classics such as Celebration, Cherish, Jungle Boogie, Too Hot, Ladies Night and Summer Madness, all of which will no doubt feature after Friday's preceding race-meeting. Tickets for this must-see show at Newmarket Racecourse cost £25.

 

Photo: Adam Lawrence www.adamlawrence.co.uk

Reggie Yates

The popular Radio 1 and 1Xtra DJ (plus voice of Rastamouse of course) will be spinning some top tunes after the race-meeting at Hamilton Park Racecourse on Saturday 14th July. The paddock will be turned into one huge outdoor disco arena with a bouncy castle for the kids and plenty of tunes to keep parents and race-goers happy. Tickets cost £13 - £19.

Paul Pledger