Simply Red @ Venezia Jazz Festival 2027

Simply Red will perform in Venice on Friday, June 25, 2027, as part of the Venezia Jazz Festival 2027. The concert will take place in Piazza San Marco, one of Italy’s most recognisable public spaces, and is scheduled to begin at 9:00 PM.

The Simply Red concert in Venice will open the Italian section of the band’s Summer Funk ’27 Tour. The tour follows the group’s 40th-anniversary celebrations and will take Mick Hucknall and his musicians through major venues across the United Kingdom and continental Europe during summer 2027.

The Venice performance is organised within Venezia Jazz Festival 2027 by Veneto Jazz and Vigna PR, in collaboration with the City of Venice and Vela. The return of the festival to Piazza San Marco places the British band in a venue previously used for some of Venice’s most important large-scale summer concerts.

The show has been presented as an energetic celebration of Simply Red’s catalogue, with Fairground, Something Got Me Started and Money’s Too Tight (to Mention) among the songs specifically highlighted for the tour. Mick Hucknall remains the central figure of a band whose career now extends beyond four decades.

Simply Red

Simply Red emerged in Manchester during the mid-1980s, developing a style rooted in soul but incorporating pop, funk, R&B and soft rock. The group was founded and fronted by Mick Hucknall, whose distinctive voice has remained the permanent element throughout numerous changes in the supporting lineup.

Before Simply Red, Hucknall had been the singer of The Frantic Elevators, a Manchester group associated with the city’s post-punk period. After that band ended, he moved toward a more soul-oriented musical direction and assembled the musicians who would form the original Simply Red lineup.

The early group included bassist Tony Bowers, drummer Chris Joyce, keyboardist Fritz McIntyre, horn player Tim Kellett and guitarist David Fryman, later replaced by Sylvan Richardson. Within a relatively short period, Simply Red secured a contract with Elektra Records and began working on their debut album.

Their international breakthrough followed the release of Picture Book in 1985. Money’s Too Tight (to Mention) became an early hit, while Holding Back the Years subsequently reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Simply Red substantial recognition beyond the British market.

The band continued expanding its audience through the late 1980s and early 1990s. If You Don’t Know Me by Now, Something Got Me Started, Stars and For Your Babies helped establish Simply Red as one of the most commercially successful British acts combining pop accessibility with soul influences.

Simply Red’s touring career originally concluded with a farewell period ending in 2010, but the separation proved temporary. The band returned in 2015, marking its 30th anniversary and beginning another phase of studio recording and international touring that has continued into the 2020s.

The Summer Funk ’27 Tour features Hucknall alongside Ian Kirkham on saxophone, EWI and brass, Kenji Suzuki on guitar, Kevin Robinson on trumpet, horns and percussion, Roman Roth on drums, Gary Sanctuary on keyboards and Orefo Orakwue on bass.

The tour follows Simply Red’s 40th-anniversary concerts, which included almost 50 sold-out shows across the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America. The anniversary performances were subsequently documented in Holding Back the Years: 40 Years of Simply Red, Live in Santiago.
 

Simply Red Discography

The Simply Red discography begins with Picture Book, released in October 1985. The album reached number two in the United Kingdom and contained both Money’s Too Tight (to Mention) and Holding Back the Years, establishing the basic combination of contemporary production and soul that characterised the band’s early career.

Their second studio album, Men and Women, appeared in 1987. It included The Right Thing and expanded the group’s soul and funk influences. Songwriter Lamont Dozier contributed to material on the album, reinforcing Simply Red’s connection with the American songwriting traditions that strongly influenced Hucknall.

A New Flame followed in 1989 and became the group’s first UK number-one studio album. Its major international success was If You Don’t Know Me by Now, originally recorded by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Simply Red’s version reached number one in the United States.

The commercial peak of the group’s early career arrived with Stars in 1991. The album included Something Got Me Started, Stars, For Your Babies and Thrill Me. It spent twelve weeks at number one in Britain and became the country’s best-selling album in both 1991 and 1992.

Simply Red returned with Life in 1995. The album reached number one in the United Kingdom and produced Fairground, which remains the band’s only single to top the UK Singles Chart. The recording added stronger dance and rhythmic elements to the group’s established soul-pop formula.

The following studio releases were Blue in 1998 and Love and the Russian Winter in 1999. The latter explored a greater use of contemporary electronic production, while Blue maintained the melodic soul and pop characteristics associated with much of Simply Red’s previous catalogue.

In 2003, the band released Home, the first Simply Red album issued through Hucknall’s own simplyred.com label. It contained Sunrise and You Make Me Feel Brand New and became one of the most commercially successful independently released albums of its period.

Simplified followed in 2005, featuring rearranged versions of existing material alongside new recordings. Stay, released in 2007, became the final studio album before the band’s original farewell period. Simply Red subsequently returned to recording with Big Love in 2015.

The reunion era continued with Blue Eyed Soul in 2019 and Time in 2023. Across the band’s studio career, every Simply Red studio album has reached the UK Top Ten, providing an unusually consistent chart record extending across several decades.

Simply Red Awards and Sales

Simply Red have achieved worldwide record sales exceeding 50 million, together with more than 130 gold and platinum certifications accumulated during their career. Their commercial success has covered Britain, continental Europe, North America and numerous other international markets.

The band’s awards include three BRIT Awards. Simply Red won Best British Group in 1992 and 1993, while Mick Hucknall received the Best British Male Solo Artist award in 1993 during the period dominated commercially by Stars.

Hucknall and Simply Red have also received two Ivor Novello Awards, as well as a MOBO Award for Outstanding Achievement. Their North American career produced two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and several platinum certifications.

Simply Red received three Grammy nominations during their international breakthrough period. Their recording of If You Don’t Know Me by Now also brought recognition to songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, whose composition won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.

Stars remains the group’s most significant commercial album. Certified 12-times platinum in the United Kingdom, it sold millions of copies internationally and transformed Simply Red from an arena-level act into a band capable of playing stadium tours to very large audiences.

Venue – Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco is the monumental centre of Venice and the only major public space in the historic city formally called a piazza; Venice’s other squares are generally known as campi or campielli. Its architectural ensemble developed over many centuries alongside the political and religious institutions of the Venetian Republic.

The eastern side is dominated by Basilica di San Marco, originally founded in the 9th century and rebuilt between 1063 and 1094 on Romanesque-Byzantine foundations. Its mosaics, marble decoration and architectural forms incorporate Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance influences accumulated through centuries of alteration.

Beside the basilica stands Palazzo Ducale, historically the residence of the Doge and the centre of government of the Venetian Republic. The nearby Campanile, Torre dell’Orologio, Procuratie and Museo Correr complete an architectural environment unlike the purpose-built arenas normally used for major international concerts.

Three sides of the main square are largely enclosed by the Procuratie. The Procuratie Vecchie occupy the northern side, the Napoleonic Wing closes the western end, and the Procuratie Nuove extend along the south. Their present structures date from different periods in Venice’s architectural development.

Piazza San Marco has repeatedly been transformed into an open-air concert venue during the summer. Its combination of large audience space and historic architecture allows major productions to take place within Venice’s pedestrian centre without transferring spectators to a conventional suburban stadium or arena.

Veneto Jazz has previously staged important productions in the square. Paolo Conte performed there in 2009 with a symphony orchestra, while Sting appeared in 2011 with an orchestral project. These events established a precedent for large concerts connected with the organisation in the monumental centre of Venice.

Access arrangements for concerts in Piazza San Marco can differ substantially from normal daily movement through the square. Temporary pedestrian restrictions and controlled entrances have been used during previous summer concerts, so spectators should follow event-specific access instructions issued closer to June 25.

How to Get to Piazza San Marco

On foot: Piazza San Marco is connected with Rialto and the rest of central Venice by an extensive pedestrian network. Signs marked “Per San Marco” appear throughout the historic centre. Walking from the Rialto area is straightforward, although heavy summer visitor traffic can increase travel time.

By vaporetto: Public water transport is generally the most convenient option for reaching the San Marco area. San Zaccaria is one of the principal nearby stops and is served by several ACTV lines. Services connect the area with the Grand Canal, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, the Lido and other parts of Venice.

Visitors arriving at Venezia Santa Lucia can take ACTV Line 1 along the Grand Canal toward San Marco. The same journey can also be completed on foot, although the route through central Venice is substantially longer than a direct waterbus journey and crosses numerous bridges.

Venezia Jazz Festival 2027

Venezia Jazz Festival 2027 will be the 19th edition of a festival founded in 2008 and organised by Veneto Jazz. Rather than operating permanently from one festival ground, the event has historically used multiple venues across Venice, from major theatres and public spaces to churches and smaller cultural locations.

Although jazz remains central to its origins and identity, the festival has developed a broad musical profile. Previous programmes have included jazz, world music, soul, electronic projects, contemporary composition and crossover performances, allowing internationally established artists from different musical traditions to appear within the same festival framework.

Among the locations historically associated with Venezia Jazz Festival is Teatro La Fenice, where both major international performances and special programmes have taken place. The smaller Sale Apollinee, churches and other cultural spaces have allowed the festival to accommodate projects requiring substantially more intimate settings.

One notable edition was held in 2019, when the festival celebrated the 50th anniversary of ECM Records with performances involving Anouar Brahem, Egberto Gismonti and Enrico Rava. Dee Dee Bridgewater was also among the international musicians appearing during that edition.

The festival’s history is closely connected with the wider work of Veneto Jazz, whose concert activity predates the festival itself. The organisation has presented important international musicians in the region and developed programmes combining live performance with educational and experimental projects.

The 2027 programme is being developed progressively. The Simply Red performance brings the festival back to Piazza San Marco, combining the festival’s cross-genre programming with one of its most prestigious large-scale locations.
 

Frequently Asked Questions about the Simply Red Concert in Venice

When will Simply Red perform in Venice?

Simply Red will perform on Friday, June 25, 2027, as part of the 19th edition of Venezia Jazz Festival.

Where will the Simply Red concert take place?

The performance will be held in Piazza San Marco, Venice’s principal monumental square and one of the city’s established locations for major summer concerts.

Is the concert part of Venezia Jazz Festival?

Yes. The performance is officially included in the 19th edition of Venezia Jazz Festival, organised by Veneto Jazz together with the event partners.

How can I reach Piazza San Marco?

The most practical public transport option is the vaporetto, with San Zaccaria among the principal nearby stops. Piazza San Marco can also be reached entirely on foot from central Venice.

Will Simply Red perform at other Italian venues in 2027?

Yes. Other announced Italian dates include Rome, Pompeii, Bari and Lucca, with the Venice show opening the Italian section of the Summer Funk ’27 Tour.