Joy Crookes reworks her songs with Hammond organ, cello, sitar and a small choir for War Child UK’s winter benefit at Union Chapel in Islington.
Mercury Prize-shortlisted singer-songwriter Joy Crookes plays a one-night unplugged show at Union Chapel in Islington on Thursday 10 December 2026.
Crookes was born Joy Elizabeth Akther Crookes in Lambeth in 1998, to a Bangladeshi mother and an Irish father. She grew up in Elephant and Castle and taught herself guitar, piano and bass as a teenager.
At 15 she posted a cover of “Hit the Road Jack” to YouTube, and the video brought her to her current manager. Her debut album, Skin, came out in October 2021 and reached the UK top five. Her second, Juniper, followed in September 2025.
The evening is War Child UK’s annual winter show, and Crookes is one of the charity’s Music Ambassadors. All proceeds go to its work with children whose lives have been affected by war.
She reworks her catalogue with Hammond organ, upright bass, cello and sitar, alongside a small choir, and plays new, unreleased songs. Guests join her on stage and have not yet been named.
The chapel is seated only, with every seat unreserved, and tickets are limited to four per household.