The Coral have announced a UK and Ireland tour following the surprise release of their thirteenth album, 388. The Merseyside band will play six headline shows this October, opening at Sheffield’s Foundry on 2 October before visiting Newcastle, Leeds, London, Manchester and Birmingham. They will also join The Mary Wallopers for dates in Brighton, Dublin and Glasgow later in the year.
The run marks The Coral’s first headline tour since 2024, when they completed dates in support of Sea of Mirrors. Tickets go on sale on Friday 3 July at 9.30am through the band’s official website.
Dave McCabe will support the opening night in Sheffield, while Mozart Estate, led by former Felt and Denim frontman Lawrence, will join the band across several of the remaining headline dates.
The Coral are also celebrating the announcement with a new video for “Leave It in the Past”, filmed inside Birkenhead Market and directed by James Slater. Singer and songwriter James Skelly explained that the location carries plenty of personal history for the band. “Ian and I used to live above a pub in Charing Cross, Birkenhead and wander round the market at weekends,” he said. “It was a magical place to us. The atmosphere of the place, and the characters you still find there, reflect the ethos of ‘388’. It’s simultaneously of today and another time entirely.” You can watch the new video for “Leave It in the Past” below.
388 arrived at the end of May after The Coral deliberately avoided the usual release hype. For two weeks, the 11-track album quietly appeared on independent record shop shelves without announcement, available only on standard black vinyl before its full release. The approach gave the band the freedom to make the record without outside expectations or commercial pressure.
Recorded using an original 1970s Tascam 388 tape machine, the album was made with a deliberately analogue approach, keeping mistakes and imperfections in the final recordings rather than polishing them away.
The band worked once again with long-time co-producer Chris Taylor at Kempston Street Studios in Liverpool. The album follows Coral Island and Sea of Mirrors, continuing a strong recent run while reconnecting with the music and influences they have always loved.
The Coral 2026 tour dates
2 October – Sheffield, Foundry*
9 October – Newcastle, Boiler Shop**
10 October – Leeds, Project House**
16 October – London, KOKO**
17 October – Brighton, Centre***
23 October – Manchester, Albert Hall**
24 October – Birmingham, O2 Institute 2**
10 December – Dublin, 3Arena***
18 December – Glasgow, OVO Hydro***
* Supported by Dave McCabe
** Supported by Mozart Estate
*** With The Mary Wallopers
For CultureCues, the surprise arrival of 388 already felt like a lovely way for The Coral to return, and a full run of live dates makes the release even better. The Glasgow OVO Hydro show with The Mary Wallopers should be a particularly good night, and it is great to see the band heading back out on the road with a new album that feels so connected to their roots.
Tickets go on sale on Friday 3 July 2026 at 9.30am.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.