Paul Heaton Live In Sheffield, Review By Rob Johnson
In a world in which ticket prices for pretty much everything have spiralled out of control, British music veteran Paul Heaton has demonstrated that there can be another way. After capping ticket prices at £40, Heaton’s latest arena tour is a complete sell-out. It’s no surprise then that Heaton and his backing band arrive for this hometown show at Sheffield Arena in buoyant mood.
Despite the incredibly reasonably priced tickets, Heaton doesn’t skimp on quantity or quality. He’s backed by an 8-piece band here complete with two guitarists, a brass section and, of course, his co-singer Rianne Downey (plucked from obscurity after Heaton saw her busking Beautiful South covers on YouTube). The band kicks things off with ‘One Eye Open’, one of four songs from the 2026 number one album Jenius, before ripping straight into the Housemartins classic ‘Sitting on a Fence’. It is this ability to move between different eras of his long and disparate career that keeps the punters coming back.
It’s a formidable back catalogue with ‘Sheep’, originally released in 1986, running shoulders with ‘I Want the Job’ from the latest record and a beautifully performed rendition of ‘I’ll Sail this Ship Alone’ from 1989. It’s a form of time travel, music, and Heaton is an artist in touch with his legacy in a way that echoes the way that his army of followers also feel. At one point, he tells the crowd that their support means more now he is older, and this gratitude is clear to see throughout this rapturously received performance.
In less positive news, the show twice has to be stopped for two separate medical emergencies (Heaton complained after the show that the venue’s slow response to these incidents was ‘disgraceful’) but it never slows the band’s momentum and nobody leaves feeling short-changed. Indeed, Heaton and his band (all individually introduced by the football teams they support – Man City and Leeds receive the biggest jeers), still manage to pack in 25 songs even when having to restart ‘You Keep it All In’ due to the aforementioned medical situation.
Downey comes into her own on the classic South tracks ‘A Little Time’ and ‘Don’t Marry Her’, the latter sounding better than ever with a souped-up live band and the former every inch the classic break-up song, before ‘Old Red Eyes is Back’, one of the greatest drinking ballads ever written, brings the house down. Heaton, bathed in red lightning, 20 feet tall on the massive Sheffield Arena screen… It’s quite the moment.
The set closes out with a stunning acoustic version of ‘Prettiest Eyes’ and an obligatory show-stopping version of ‘Caravan of Love’. For the latter two songs, the lyrics are displayed on the big screen, prompting mass singalongs rarely seen outside of an Oasis gig. It’s a testament to the power of community – something that defines the music of Paul Heaton more than anything else.
As the final notes of the Housemartins’ acapella hit ring out through Sheffield Arena, a venue that Heaton has played 13 times, it is clear that this is an artist who is not even close to slowing down. Indeed, there is a strong argument that he’s currently in his prime. An elder statesman at the very least. What a night.
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