Simply Red will become the first headline music act to play at The SSE SWALEC in Cardiff after adding the international cricket ground to their 2016 tour.
Mick Hucknall and his band mates will play all of their hits in a full-length set on Sunday 17 July with support acts to be added to the bill.
Plans are underway to bring more entertainment events to The SSE SWALEC, which is our largest sponsored venue, with a capacity for events such as this of around 15,700 with potential to increase to 17,250.
For Simply Red, SSE has secured a pre-sale for customers, with communication going to SSE Reward customers ahead of tickets going on-sale on Wednesday.
The only back-to-back winners of the Brit Award for Best British Act, Simply Red have sold more than 60 million records and are celebrating 30 years in music with a world tour that now includes the Welsh capital.
“Our manager asked us what we were going to do to celebrate our 30th anniversary and it seemed like a wonderful thing to do to celebrate it with live performances,” said Mick Hucknall.
“We want to play all of the big hits and I’ve always enjoyed singing live. We’ve put a great tour together and we’re looking forward to performing in front of our Welsh fans.”
Glamorgan Cricket Chief Executive Hugh Morris hopes that The SSE SWALEC will prove an attractive addition to Cardiff’s impressive line-up of music venues.
Famed for sell-out cricket crowds, including the full-house that witnessed England’s victory in the first Investec Ashes Test of 2015, Morris has grand plans to establish the venue as a regular stop for touring artists.
“We’re delighted to have secured such a prestigious act to play at The SSE SWALEC and I look forward to personally welcoming Simply Red to Wales,” he said.
“We hope to stage up to three music events per year and our intention is to attract the type of acts that will hold strong appeal to Cardiff’s music fans.
“Simply Red fit the bill and we’re delighted that they have chosen to make this addition what is proving to be a hugely successful tour.”