Music Venue Trust (MVT), the UK charity representing and supporting Grassroots Music Venues (GMVs), announces a UK tour by British soul legend Omar Lye-fook MBE, supported by MVT’s Liveline Fund.
Running across May and June 2026, the Brighter The Days tour will see Omar perform in intimate grassroots venues nationwide, reconnecting with the spaces that continue to sustain live music communities and artist development across the UK.
Celebrating 40 years as a recording artist, Omar’s Brighter The Days tour supports the release of his ninth studio album of the same name – a critically acclaimed project he describes as his “magnum opus”. A defining voice in British soul, Omar’s career spans four decades, with collaborations including Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Angie Stone, Leon Ware, Robert Glasper, Paul Weller and India.Arie.
The tour is supported by Liveline, a vital funding initiative developed by Music Venue Trust in partnership with live music advocates Save Our Scene (SOS). Liveline delivers direct financial backing to grassroots venues, touring artists and promoters, funded through contributions from arena and stadium ticket sales. Major artists including Sam Fender, Katy Perry and Enter Shikari have adopted the Grassroots Levy to support the scheme, alongside Coldplay, who pledged 10% of profits from their recent UK stadium tour to Liveline.
Touring exclusively through grassroots venues, the Brighter The Days run brings Omar back to the heart of local communities. A performer of effortless class and deep musicality, Omar’s live shows are a masterclass in groove, soul, and sincerity. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience a genuine British icon performing new material and timeless classics live.
Brighter The Days 2026 Tour Dates:
Friday 15 May – Band On The Wall, Manchester *
Thursday 21 May – Old Town Hall, Trowbridge *
Friday 22 May – Acapela Studio, Cardiff
Saturday 23 May – Old Bakery, Truro
Sunday 24 May, Blakehay Theatre, Weston Super Mare
Friday 29 May, Drygate, Glasgow *
Saturday 30 May – The Old Woollen, Leeds *
Sunday 31 May – Yellow Arch Studios, Sheffield *
Friday 5 June – Metronome, Nottingham *
Saturday 6 June – Mash, Cambridge *
Friday 19 June – Hertford Corn Exchange, Hertfordshire
Saturday 20 June, Hub, Hampton
Thursday 25 June – The Cavern, Liverpool *
Friday 26 June – 229, London *
- *Support from soulful house vocalist Steve Edwards
- The Liveline Fund exists to ensure that exceptional live music continues to reach audiences across the country. Through partnerships with artists, promoters and venues, Liveline is developing sustainable touring models that protect the grassroots sector while enabling artists at all stages of their careers to perform live.
- Omar Lye-fook MBE is one of the most influential and enduring figures in British soul music. First rising to prominence with his landmark single There’s Nothing Like This, Omar has spent four decades carving out a sound that blends soul, jazz, funk, R&B and Caribbean influences into a genre entirely his own.
- Across nine studio albums, Omar has collaborated with an extraordinary range of artists, including Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Angie Stone, Paul Weller, Robert Glasper, India.Arie, Giggs and Ledisi. In 2012, he was awarded an MBE for services to music.
- His latest album, Brighter The Days, released via Impressive Collective & BBE Music, has been widely praised as his most assured and expansive work to date – reaffirming Omar’s place as a singular voice in British music, whose influence continues to resonate across generations.
Music Venue Trust is a UK registered charity which acts to protect, secure, and improve the UK’s Grassroots Music Venues.
Created in January 2014, Music Venue Trust aims to secure the long-term future of GMVs in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, whether they are iconic venues such as Hull Adelphi, Exeter Cavern, The 100 Club, Band on the Wall, King Tut’s, and Clwb Ifor Bach, or lesser-known venues that are equally important to their geographical or musical community. These venues play a crucial role in the development of British music, nurturing local talent, providing a platform for artists to build their careers and develop their music and their performance skills.
MVT works to gain recognition of the essential role these venues fulfil, not only for artist development but also for the cultural and music industries, the economy, and local communities. The geographical spread of GMVs provides access to live music, for both performers and audience members, in many locations that do not have alternative cultural venues. The charity provides advice to the government, the cultural sector, and the music industry on issues impacting GMVs and is the nominated representative that speaks on behalf of the Music Venues Alliance, an association of venues from across the UK.