Jamie Cullum to Headline Jazz Festival

Jamie Cullum is to headline next year’s jazz festival at Sage Gateshead, it has been announced today [Thursday 30 May].

The world-famous singer-songwriter and BBC Radio 2 presenter will perform at the North East music venue on Friday 20 March, 2020.

Jamie Cullum is the first act to be announced at Sage Gateshead’s 2020 jazz festival, with more acts to follow over the coming months. The festival, with its new name, ‘Gateshead Jazz’, returns following a break in 2019.

Tamsin Austin, Director of Performance Programme at Sage Gateshead, said “We’re very excited to be welcoming Jamie Cullum as our opening headline act to ‘Gateshead Jazz’.

“The festival forms part of our new, broader, year-round jazz programme and from next year will take place on its new fixed slot of the third weekend of March.”


Jamie Cullum releases his eighth studio album Taller on June 7, written and recorded at home and at the studio of his long-time friend and collaborator Troy Miller (Emeli Sande, Mark Ronson, Laura Mvula).

It is five years since his last album and Taller sees Jamie bravely explore more personal subject matter.

Jamie says: “It’s going to be so fun playing this new music with my incredible band. We’re going to draw on these new songs and reinvent plenty of old ones too.”

With 10 million album sales to date and his successful BBC Radio 2 show, Jamie is a celebrated musician the world over. With a career spanning over 20 years, his legendary live shows have seen him perform and work alongside artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Pharrell Williams, Kendrick Lamar and Lang Lang.

Tickets go on sale at 9.30am on Friday 7 June. To book, visit sagegateshead.com or call the box office on 0191 443 4661.