Jools Holland, pianist, bandleader and host of Later..., returns to the Royal Albert Hall with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, Roachford and Ruby Turner for two November nights.
Jools Holland, host of Later… since 1992, brings his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra to the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November 2026. Roachford joins as special guest.
Born Julian Miles Holland in Blackheath in 1958, he could play the piano by ear at eight. He was working the pubs of south-east London and the East End docks in his early teens, and in 1974 became a founding member of Squeeze.
On television he co-presented The Tube from 1982 and added the New Year’s Eve Hootenanny in 1994. Swing Fever, his 2024 album with Rod Stewart, gave him his first UK number one album.
The orchestra began in 1987 as a big band built around Holland and the Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis. It has since played with Eric Clapton, Sting, Tom Jones and Amy Winehouse.
The programme moves through blues, swing, boogie woogie and ska, drawn from across his career.
Roachford broke through with “Cuddly Toy” in 1988. Ruby Turner, the singer known as the Boogie Woogie Queen, returns with Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka on vocals.