Mike + The Mechanics to “play all the hits and drift into Genesis” on 2025 UK tour

Mike + The Mechanics have announced a 2025 UK tour, on which they will “play all the hits” as well as “drift into Genesis”. See all the dates below.

The shows, titled ‘Looking Back – Living The Years 2025 Tour’, will kick off on March 3 next year in Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall, and run for a total of 30 nights, concluding at London’s Royal Albert Hall on April 14. You can get your tickets here.

The band were formed in 1985 by guitarist and bassist Mike Rutherford as a side project to Genesis, and originally featured vocalists Paul Young and Paul Carrack. After achieving commercial success, they separated in 2004 after Young’s death, before reuniting in 2010 with new vocalists Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar.

Speaking about the new tour, Rutherford has said: “It’s exciting to announce that we will be touring The Mechanics again. Getting back on the road with the guys last year was a real pleasure. Even though it had been four years, we slotted back into the old ways, the old jokes and the camaraderie like it had been a day!”

Referring to their 2023 ‘Refuelled!’ tour, he added: “We had so much fun on the last tour and the audiences were so gracious and warm, when we played the final show in Dusseldorf we all agreed then that we wanted to do it all again. We can’t wait to see you.”

Mike + The Mechanics will play: 

MARCH
3 – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall
4 – Aberdeen, Music Hall
5 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall
7 – Perth, Concert Hall
8 – Stockton, Globe Theatre
9 – Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
11 – Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall
12 – Stoke, Victoria Halls
14 – York, Barbican
15 – Ipswich, Regent Theatre
17 – Cambridge, Corn Exchange
18 – Sheffield, City Hall
20 – Halifax, Victoria Halls
22 – Gateshead, Glasshouse
23 – Llandudno, Venue Cymru
24 – Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
26 – Leicester, De Montfort Hall
27 – Basingstoke, Anvil
29 – Bournemouth, Pavilion
30 – Portsmouth, Guildhall 

APRIL
1 – Southend, Cliffs Pavilion
2 – Northampton, Derngate
4 – Birmingham, Symphony Hall
5 – Eastbourne, Congress Theatre
6 – Oxford, New Theatre
8 – Guildford, G Live
10 – Bristol, Beacon
11 – Swansea, Arena
12 – Plymouth, Pavilions
14 – London, Royal Albert Hall 

Genesis played their last show together in March 2022 at London’s O2 Arena. Rutherford later described the gig as “bizarre” and “emotional”.

“It was nice afterwards when everybody, including Peter [Gabriel] and Richard McPhail [tour manager from the seventies], were together in the dressing room,” he said. “Apart from that we kept backstage closed off.”

“But the actual show felt bizarre. I was kind of okay until I saw on my setlist that there were just four songs left. Seeing that in print made me emotional, but having got through all of the problems with Covid, it felt very good to see things through.”

Playing 23 tracks in total, Genesis ran through a long list of their biggest hits including ‘I Can’t Dance’, ‘Mama’, ‘Turn It On Again’, ‘No Son Of Mine’ and ‘Invisible Touch’.

Before playing ‘Land Of Confusion’, Phil Collins addressed the crowd and announced that it would be Genesis’ final show. As the crowd applauded the band, Collins sat looking thoughtful, seemingly taking in the fact that it was the last hoorah. He then quipped: “After tonight we’ve all gotta get real jobs.”

Collins performed that show in a wheelchair, after a period of health problems relating to damaged vertebrae in his neck.

Rutherford later offered an update on Collins’ condition, saying: “He’s much more immobile than he used to be, which is a shame, but at the tour, he was in good spirits.

“He’s fine now at home, enjoying life. He’s worked so hard over the years. I think he’s enjoying his time at home.”

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