Soul II Soul Announced As Very Special Guests For London Dates of Simply Red 40th Anniversary 2025 UK Arena Tour

by Glenn Sargeant | Sep 16, 2024

35 years since Soul II Soul celebrated their debut No1 chart hit with ‘Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)’, the Funki Dreds are confirmed as very special guests for Simply Red’s London Dates of their 2025 UK & Ireland Arena Tour.

Hailed as one of the most successful live bands to ever come out of the UK, legendary soul and pop band Simply Red today inject an additional buzz of sensational soul into their forthcoming 40^th Anniversary 2025 UK & Ireland Arena Tour, as they announce that Soul II Soul will be their very special guests for the two London dates of their tour next Autumn. Soul II Soul will appear on 9 & 10 October at London’s O2 Arena.

It’s been 35 years since Soul II Soul shot to the top of the UK Charts with their debut No1 ‘Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)’, and now the Funki Dreds are celebrating by joining the highly anticipated Simply Red 40^th Anniversary 2025 Arena Tour – fusing Mick Hucknall’s iconic chart-busting blue-eyed soul with Soul II Soul’s deep rooted distinctive bass vibes.

“The collective and I are looking forward to be joining Mick Hucknall and Simply Red in London as part of their 40th Anniversary 2025 UK & Ireland Arena Tour,” comments Jazzie B, founding member of Soul II Soul. “Mick Hucknall & Simply Red have been a part of my musical landscape, looking forward to making the soulful connection ”

“Simply Red are delighted to be welcoming Soul II Soul to our London shows at The O2 Arena for our 2025 UK tour as our very special guests,” comments Mick Hucknall. “Fans can expect to hear all their favourite Simply Red tracks from 1985 to the present, and enjoy a memorable night celebrating the incredible journey that we’ve been on together over the past four decades.”

Few bands have enjoyed the success and longevity of Simply Red. With over 60 million albums sold worldwide, five UK #1 albums, 2 billion streams across streaming platforms worldwide, and over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, Simply Red remain one of the UK’s most successful and well-loved bands. Their 1991 classic ‘Stars’ was the best-selling album for two years running in Britain and Europe, and all 13 of Simply Red’s studio albums, including their latest release ‘Time’, have been UK Top 10’s.

Mick Hucknall formed Simply Red in 1985 working-class Manchester, and enjoyed early success with first single ‘Money’s Too Tight To Mention’ and the Brit Award-nominated album ‘Picture Book’ (the first of 13 nominations, and 3 Brit Award wins). This was followed by a decade of superstardom and global hits. Today Simply Red continue to sell out tours across the globe. Their live show is renowned for its exceptional quality, with Mick Hucknall long-established as one of the great vocalists of contemporary music.

To celebrate this impressive 40-year milestone, Simply Red head back out on the road in 2025, telling the musical story of Simply Red so far – from ‘Picture Book’ to ‘Time’, and everything in between.

Simply Red will play the following headline shows in September & October 2025:

September 2025
Tue 23rd Belfast SSE Arena

Wed 24th Dublin 3 Arena

Fri 26th Leeds First Direct Arena

Sat 27th Manchester Co-op Live

Sun 28th Glasgow OVO Hydro Arena

Tue 30^th Sheffield Utilita Arena

October
Wed 1st Nottingham Motorpoint Arena

Fri 3rd Liverpool M&S Bank Arena

Sat 4th Birmingham Utilita Arena

Sun 5th Cardiff, Utilita Arena

Tue 7th Brighton Centre