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Event Description:

This Friars date will be the opening night of Tom’s 2026 UK Tour. He will be playing the big Thompson Twins hits, songs that were the soundtrack to our lives such as Doctor Doctor, You Take Me Up, Sister of Mercy, The Gap, Love On Your Side, We Are Detective, Lay Your Hands on Me, King For a Day and their biggest hit Hold Me Now. Bailey and his band will also be performing other classic Thompson Twins favourites, as well as tracks from his solo album Science Fiction.

In 2022 Tom Bailey played an exclusive date for Friars Aylesbury, when he played the whole of the Thompson Twins iconic Into The Gap album for the first time in his career. Fans flew in from all over the world, particularly from the USA, making it one the best Friars gigs of the past decade.

Bailey has been storming UK arenas and festivals throughout the summer of 2025, receiving a standing ovation every night as special guest` to The Human League. He also rocked Rewind Henley in August receiving one of the biggest audience reactions of the entire festival. Afterwards Rewind posted ‘No one does it like Tom Bailey’.

Thompson Twins are widely regarded as one of the iconic bands of the 1980s. Known for their unique fusion of pop, new wave, and synth-driven dance music, combined with an eclectic visual style, the band enjoyed consistent success in both the singles and albums charts throughout the decade on both sides of the Atlantic. They are also among the select group of British artists who successfully “broke” America.

In 1985 they appeared at Live Aid in Philadelphia with Nile Rodgers on guitar and Madonna on backing vocals. Thompson Twins singer and co-writer Bailey is regarded as one of the UK’s premier songwriters, performers and producers. He played on Grace Jones’ My Jamaican Guy and Foreigner’s I Want to Know what Love Is amongst many others.

Thompson Twins Tom Bailey are

Tom Bailey (vocals/guitar/keyboards/harmonica/percussion)

Charlotte Raven (vocals/keyboards/electric cello)

Paulina Szczepaniak (vocals/electronic drums)

Alice Offley (vocals/keyboards/bass guitar)

Supporting Tom Bailey will be special guests Blancmange. Neil Arthur is a long-time friend of Tom’s and is a fellow artist from the Eighties synth pop scene and arts culture. With four top 20 singles including the highly acclaimed Living On A Ceiling the band were an integral part of British musical history from that era. Accomplished wordsmiths with ironic, stylish videos, Blancmange, The Twins and their contemporaries were the epitome of 80’s cool!

Please note - this is a seated performance. No under 3s. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult (18+)

* Event details accurate at the time of publishing; please check the organiser's website for the latest updates.

Event Location:

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
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