The resurgent Chesney Hawkes is back where he belongs after a phenomenal campaign with the recent release of his new album ‘Living Arrows’, finishing as a finalist in Celebrity Big Brother and completing a huge run of lives shows: first touring arenas across Europe as special guest to James Blunt and then selling out his current UK headline run. All three of its singles – ‘Loud’, ‘Get A Hold of Yourself’ and ‘Live Forever’ have graced the Radio 2 playlist, and he also performed an outstanding BBC Radio 2 Piano Room session. Chesney now focuses on the album’s opening track, the summer anthem ‘Nobody Like You’.
‘Living Arrows’ shows Chesney at his most vulnerable, completely free of inhibitions or doubts. There is heartache, yes, but there is joy, too, and gratitude for everything he has in life. Combined with his heartfelt, candid style of songwriting, the album’s cohesive pop-rock sound paints a roadmap for his children, as he intended, but for listeners, too. It’s evident throughout his greatest work to date that he has nothing to hide.
As you’d anticipate from a man who has gone from teenage sensation to parenthood and into a perhaps unexpected career resurrection, ‘Living Arrows’ is full of the varied emotions of life. There’s the escapist “let’s get drunk and get a tattoo” hedonism of the new single ‘Nobody Like You’, lived-in moments of romantic intimacy on ‘Radio Silence’, and a playful take on the what-might’ve-been love story with ‘The Ballad of Benny & Alice.
Yet they’re contrasted with moments of utmost poignancy, such as ‘The Meaning of This’, a ballad in the lineage of George Michael or Elton John that pays tribute to a family friend who took her own life at a young age. It’s also prevalent in the gorgeous soft-pop of ‘Surprise Yourself’. Dedicated to his son, Casey, it’s a reminder that life will bring him many of the same challenges and mistakes-but he has everything it takes to successfully navigate those circumstances. Undoubtedly one of the most affecting and significant songs on the record, is“13”, which sees Hawkes address a childhood trauma for the first time. It begins with a grunge guitar hook, lending a tension to the track that runs through.
The ‘Living Arrows’ album was produced and co-written by the BRIT Award winner and Grammy nominee Jake Gosling. The friendship between the pair is a big element of the album’s success: it’s a connection that allows Chesney to face the tougher emotions that he explores in some of its songs, but also to enjoy the unbridled fun that he channels in others. Its buoyant spirit was further elevated by guest appearances from friends including Nik Kershaw and Chesney’s brother Jodie.
CHESNEY HAWKES – March 2026 UK Tour Dates include:
Thursday 5 March – BATH – Komedia
Friday 6 March – GLOUCESTER – Guildhall
Saturday 7 March – KENDAL – Brewery Arts Centre
Sunday 8 March – GLASGOW – Oran Mor
Tuesday 10 March – CARLISLE – Old Fire Station
Wednesday 11 March – STOCKTON – Arc
Thursday 12 March – LEEDS – Brudenell
Friday 13 March – MANCHESTER – Band On The Wall
Sunday 15 March – BARNSLEY – Birdwell Venue
Monday 16 March – NORWICH – Waterfront
Tuesday 17 March – COLCHESTER – Arts Centre
Wednesday 18 March – LONDON – Bush Hall
Friday 20 March – BIRMINGHAM – O2 Academy
Saturday 21 March – CHESTER – Live Rooms
Sunday 22 March – EXETER – Phoenix
Tickets start at £26.00 are available from – https://www.thegigcartel.com/Artists-profiles/Chesney-Hawkes.htm
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