Charity Teenage Cancer Trust’s historic annual Royal Albert Hall concert series returns for a momentous year, celebrating the work of its founder and curator, rock legend Roger Daltrey, as he bows out as the driving force of these very special concerts.
The Who singer, who will continue as a Teenage Cancer Trust Honorary Patron, has tirelessly fundraised and advocated for the charity for nearly a quarter of a century. A key part of this has been Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall, the now iconic, annual concert series taking place at one of the world’s most prestigious concert venues.
For 22 editions, Roger has persuaded some of the greatest artists on the planet to perform unique, one night only gigs to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, generating over £32 million from ticket sales alone and spreading word of this extraordinary charity far and wide. That money is enough to pay for over a million hours of specialist care from Teenage Cancer Trust nurses, or 13 Teenage Cancer Trust hospital units. In 2000, when the gigs began, Teenage Cancer Trust was a much smaller organisation with only 5 hospital units across the whole of the UK and far fewer nurses and youth support workers.
Roger Daltrey says simply, "The £32 million raised from these concerts has been the foundation for the 28 specialised units within the NHS, as well as specialist nurses and youth workers to be there for a young person when cancer has turned their world upside down."
From 2025, Teenage Cancer Trust will be working with a series of guest curators to take the shows forward and into the future, continuing the vital work and once in a lifetime nights.
And for his 22nd year as the boss, we can today announce an extraordinary line up of some of the biggest and most acclaimed artists around. Tickets go on sale at 9am Friday 12 January and are expected to sell very quickly. For a chance to be in the room for these iconic nights and support this fantastic charity, music fans will need to get online as soon as they can.
This includes three nights of celebrations of Roger himself. First with his band The Who, returning on Monday 18 March and Wednesday 20 March with an orchestra to mark how the concert series started in 2000, alongside very special guests, new wave rock legends, Squeeze, who are themselves celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.
Also ‘Ovation’- A Celebration of 24 Years of Gigs For Teenage Cancer Trust on Sunday 24 March - featuring Roger’s friends and fans, many of those who helped establish these gigs as a celebrated annual event - Roger himself, with Kelly Jones, Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Pete Townshend, Eddie Vedder and Paul Weller.
This incredible week of performances from 18 to 24 of March will also see Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Young Fathers and Chemical Brothers take to the Royal Albert Hall stage, as well as the legendary Night Of Comedy - full line-up to be announced soon but, as ever, expect the most in demand stars of the comedy scene all in one night.
Noel Gallagher says, “Teenage Cancer Trust continue to make a real difference to teenagers in what undoubtedly must be the most challenging years of their lives. Having performed at the very first event back in 2000 it is a charity very close to my heart. 24 years and counting is a triumph in itself. NGHFB will be there en masse. Together we will make the night unique. I’d buy a ticket if I were you.”
Noel Gallagher has shaped and inspired contemporary guitar music since his outset in the 1990’s as the principal songwriter, lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of Oasis, one of the biggest and most loved bands ever to emerge from the UK. His continued success with the High Flying Birds cements his position as one of the most prolific and successful British songwriters of the last 50 years. First emerging in 2011 and and now with four studio albums, multiple EPs, a career-spanning Best Of and global tours under their belt, the recently released album, Council Skies, received widespread global acclaim. After a huge year for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, this special show on Thursday 21 March for Teenage Cancer Trust will be one of the first chances to see them live in 2024. Joining them as special guests will be chart topping, Mercury Prize nominated, BRIT Nominees and fellow Manchester natives Blossoms. The band sold out London’s O2 Academy Brixton in their last show in the capital so this is a chance to see a very special bill.
Scottish group Young Fathers will make their debut for Teenage Cancer Trust at Royal Albert Hall on Friday 22 March. Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and G. Hastings met as teenagers and formed Young Fathers in 2008, and the Edinburgh-based trio released several EPs and singles before breaking through with their 2014 debut album, Dead, for which they won the prestigious Mercury Prize. They continued to hone their categorically evasive hybrid sound, following with the heavier White Men Are Black Men Too in 2015. They’ve won the Scottish Album of the Year Award three times, including their third album, Cocoa Sugar in 2018 and their latest record, Heavy Heavy, released earlier this year. After a lengthy break, Young Fathers began 2023 with the release of Heavy Heavy; released on February 3rd via Ninja Tune and widely regarded as one of the best albums of the year, the album was nominated for the 2023 Mercury Prize and reached the Top 10 in the UK Albums Charts and No.2 in the Scottish Albums Chart.
Performing on the coveted Saturday night slot (23 March) this year, are electronic music’s most iconic duo The Chemical Brothers. The multi-platinum selling, multi-award winning pair are unarguably one of the most influential electronic acts of all time. Across three decades and on their nine massively acclaimed albums, they have smashed through genres and boundaries with pioneering music, their stunning videos and their mind bending live shows. They have sold over 13 million albums, reached No 1 in the UK six times, and have had their tracks streamed over 3 billion times. The Chemical Brothers’ live shows are amongst the best in the business - their first performance for Teenage Cancer Trust will be an unforgettable experience.
Ever since The Who reformed for the first Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall show in 2000, the annual events have witnessed some extraordinary, once in a lifetime shows from Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn performing together for the first time ever in 2013, Sir Paul McCartney in 2012, plus the likes of Oasis, Muse, Wet Leg, Florence + The Machine, Ed Sheeran, The Cure, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Take That and many more. Some of the brightest lights in comedy have lit up the stage too, with an annual evening featuring the likes of Mo Gilligan, Kevin Bridges, Miranda Hart, Kerry Godliman, John Bishop, Frankie Boyle, Noel Fielding, Jon Richardson, Russell Howard, James Corden and many more.
Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to providing specialised nursing care and support for young people with cancer.
Cancer kills more teenagers and young adults in the UK than any other disease. And for those who survive, going through it without the right support can be devastating – physically and emotionally.
Every day, more than seven young people aged 13-24 hear the words “you have cancer”. By 2030 that number will be closer to 10.
There’s never been a worse time to receive that news, with healthcare services close to breaking point, waiting times increasing, and diagnosis taking longer.
Money from these iconic gigs at the Royal Albert Hall means Teenage Cancer Trust can fund specialist nurses and youth workers to be there for a young person when cancer has turned their world upside down.
Cancer rates in young people in the UK have gone up by a quarter since the early 1990s. And by 2030, it’s projected that the number of young people living with a cancer diagnosis will be 65% higher.
Since 2000, over £32 million has been raised by Teenage Cancer Trust concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, and that money has helped fund specialist nurses, hospital units and support services right across the UK that help get young people through some unimaginably hard times.
As ever, the Ultimate Backstage Experience will be run for young people being cared for at Teenage Cancer Trust units around the country. Every day, these groups will visit the Royal Albert Hall to enjoy an unforgettable experience. From the moment they arrive, they’ll enjoy access and opportunities that money can’t buy, before taking their place in some of the best seats in the house to watch the shows in style.
Kate Collins, Chief Executive, Teenage Cancer Trust, said:
“For the 22nd year Roger has put together a remarkable season of shows. Roger’s impact on the lives of young people with cancer in the UK is immeasurable. The very first show for Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000 “The Who & Friends” was the catalyst for what has become over 20 years of flagship weeks of fundraising, awareness raising and magical moments at this exceptional venue. After that first gig, Roger became the driving force behind changing the lives of young people with cancer in the UK. Working day and night, year-round, Roger has enabled these gigs to form the bedrock of Teenage Cancer Trust’s growth to be the leading charity for young people with cancer in the UK. Quite simply, we would not be the charity we are without Roger and these shows and – more importantly than that – thousands of young people with cancer in the UK would not have had the specialist support and care they urgently need.
“These concerts have raised over £32 million for specialist hospital wards, nurses and youth workers - ensuring young people in the UK do not face cancer alone - however we urgently need to continue to raise funds to continue our work. Roger's tireless drive has helped Teenage Cancer Trust change the lives of young people with cancer on a scale that was unimaginable at the first show in 2000. It is time to celebrate his unstoppable drive, determination, commitment and leadership and what better way to do it than with this amazing line up for the 22nd year of shows. We're all looking forward to this stellar week and are proud to have Roger's continued support as Teenage Cancer Trust's Honorary Patron as we continue to strive to support all young people with cancer in the UK.”
Aldi, which has partnered with Teenage Cancer Trust since 2017, and raised over £9 million for the charity to date is the headline sponsor for this year’s Royal Albert Hall series. Domino’s, which has partnered with Teenage Cancer Trust for almost eight years and has raised £7 million for the charity, is the official sponsor of the Ultimate Backstage Experience.
The shows are also proudly supported by American Airlines, Metro, Absolute Radio, S.J.M. Concerts, Twickets, and the Royal Albert Hall.
Show Dates:
March 2024:
Mon 18 - The Who with Orchestra, with special guests Squeeze
Tue 19 - Evening Of Comedy - line-up to be announced
Weds 20 - The Who with Orchestra, with very special guests Squeeze
Thurs 21 - Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, with very special guests Blossoms
Fri 22 - Young Fathers plus special guests
Sat 23 - The Chemical Brothers
Sun 24 - ‘Ovation’ - A Celebration of 24 Years of Gigs For Teenage Cancer Trust with: Roger Daltrey, Kelly Jones, Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Pete Townshend, Eddie Vedder, Paul Weller
Tickets:
Tickets on sale at 9am GMT on Friday 12 January. For line-up and ticketing information please visit:
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