Five Towns, Five Rooms, One Glittery Wish List: Where the Bonnettes Should Land in 2026

We love a big-city night out as much as anyone. But there is a particular kind of Bonnettes magic that happens in a town with a proper room, a crowd that knows how to use it and a chip shop within walking distance of the stage door. As the 2026 live circuit heads into its final stretch, we have been daydreaming about where the band should take the feather boas next.

This is not a formal tour announcement. Think of it as a wish list with a glitter pen. Five towns, five rooms, and a warm invitation to fans and promoters to tell us why we have missed a glaringly obvious stop.

Halifax — The Piece Hall and the Victoria Theatre

Halifax feels like a Bonnettes town already: stone, hills, a proper market and a venue that looks like it was built for dramatic entrances. The Piece Hall is a Grade I listed former cloth hall with a courtyard that turns summer gigs into something between a festival and a town-square party. The sightlines are good, the surrounding independent shops are excellent, and the walk from the train station is short enough that nobody has to ruin their shoes.

For colder months, the Victoria Theatre is the indoor option: a Victorian auditorium with a warm, slightly theatrical hush that would suit a stripped-back ‘Tea for Two (and a Third)’ before the full band let rip. A Bonnettes night here could start with a tea-cup clink and end with the balcony on its feet. That is a very good night.

Stockport — The Plaza and Bask

Stockport has been quietly building a reputation as a place to go out, and The Plaza is the jewel in its art deco crown. A restored 1930s cinema with a Compton organ and a ceiling that makes you want to dress up, it would be a ridiculous, wonderful setting for the Bonnettes’ retro-pop sparkle. Imagine the ‘Lipstick on the Lam’ chorus bouncing off all that gold plasterwork. Imagine the queue for the bar.

For something smaller and sweatier, Bask in the town centre gives the band a chance to play a close-up show where the front row can see the setlist and the drummer can see the whites of everyone’s eyes. Stockport also has the practical advantage of being easy to reach from Manchester while feeling like its own proper night out. That counts for a lot.

Sunderland — The Fire Station and The Independent

Sunderland’s Fire Station is one of those venues that makes touring bands feel looked after: a music and arts hub in a converted fire station with a proper stage, good sound and a bar that does not feel like an afterthought. It would suit the Bonnettes’ louder, brassier side, the kind of show where ‘Backcomb Boogie’ turns into a mass shout-along and nobody is too proud to do the hand actions.

Around the corner, The Independent is the pub-venue option: low ceiling, close crowd, the sort of room where a band can try a new cover and immediately know whether it has worked. Sunderland crowds have a reputation for being direct, which is exactly what a band wants when they are testing a new ending. If it lands, you hear about it. If it does not, you also hear about it.

Swansea — Brangwyn Hall and Sin City

Swansea gives you two very different Bonnettes shows. Brangwyn Hall is a grand concert hall with the Empire Panels on the walls and a natural grandeur that would make the a cappella opening of ‘Half-Past Heartbreak’ feel enormous. It is the kind of room where a crowd singalong becomes a proper event, and the Welsh reputation for singing is not a stereotype for nothing.

Sin City offers the other side of the coin: a club venue with sweat on the walls and a crowd that wants the drums louder. Put the two together in one weekend and you have a Bonnettes takeover — afternoon harmonies, evening chaos. Swansea is also a sensible stop for anyone coming from west Wales or Bristol, which makes it a genuinely useful touring pin on the map.

Dundee — Caird Hall and Beat Generator

Dundee’s Caird Hall is a proper civic concert hall: big, elegant and capable of making a five-piece band sound like a much larger affair. The Bonnettes could use it for the full retro-pop spectacle — lights, glitter, a setlist that leans into the dramatic pauses. It is the sort of venue where the audience dresses up without being asked.

Beat Generator, meanwhile, is the grassroots room: a live music venue with a reputation for booking bands before they get too big for it. That is the Bonnettes show where the setlist gets scribbled on a beer mat and the encore is decided by shouting. Dundee has a strong independent streak and a healthy appetite for a night out, which feels like a natural fit for a band that has never been too polished to be fun.

Make the Case for Your Corner of the Country

We know there are glaring omissions on this list. That is the point. If you run a venue, promote gigs or simply know a town with a brilliant room and a crowd that would make the Bonnettes feel at home, tell us. Send us the venue name, the capacity, the nearest train station and the one song you would most want to hear there.

Maybe the 2026 calendar is already filling up. Maybe the next tour is still a sketch on a napkin. Either way, a wish list is a good place to start — and we would rather hear from the people who actually live in these towns than guess from a map. Make the case. We are listening.