‘We’re Confident In The Talent Coming Up Through The Clubs’: Q’s With Denis Desmond, Chairman, Live Nation UK & Ireland

For our annual UK Focus, we reached out to Denis Desmond, chairman, Live Nation UK & Ireland. After 2024 going down in history as the best year for live music in the UK and Ireland ever, 2025 is shaping up to be another great year for this industry.

Maybe most encouraging about Desmond’s business outlook is the fact that, aside from the superstars driving fantastic ticket sales, there’s never been a healthier amount of up-and-coming talent in their early career stages promoted by Live Nation in the UK and Ireland.

How would you sum up the state of business at Live Nation UK?
2024 was the best year ever for live music in the UK and Ireland, with fantastic sales for Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Pink. We also saw incredible growth for artists like Charli XCX, Fontaines DC, Sleep Token, Chappel Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Raye and Teddy Swims – many of whom we have developed from club level. This year we’re looking forward to Oasis, Beyoncé, Robbie Williams, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Lana Del Rey, and Drake’s three show run at Wireless.

What’s your outlook for 2025 and beyond, and what indicators do you base this outlook on?
2025 is shaping up to be another fantastic year with demand across all areas of the live entertainment sector.

Beyond 2025, the outlook remains positive. We’re confident in the talent coming up through the clubs – over a third of our artistes are in early career stages, which is twice as many as pre-2020 – and there is nothing better than a good live show. Artistes continue to excel and fan demand is there; the future is bright.

What is the biggest opportunity? Where do you see great growth potential?
One of the biggest opportunities right now is expanding the ways fans can experience live music. The variety of live entertainment on offer today means there is something for everyone, whether that’s a full festival weekend, a one-day city event, a show in a much-loved local venue, or a family-friendly event. A great example is our regional Cuffe & Taylor shows, which bring stars to previously underserved communities across the UK opening up live entertainment to new audiences.

Any past and upcoming highlights in your event calendar you’d like to mention?
Artist development has always been at the heart of what we do and this year we have some incredible rising stars on the road, including The Last Dinner Party, Myles Smith, Rachel Chinouriri, Saga Faye, Inhaler, and The Mary Wallopers.

Any business developments at Live Nation UK you can talk about?
Sustainability is a big focus for us, evident in the changes we’ve been making at our venues, shows and festivals. In the UK and Ireland, all our Live Nation venues are now powered by 100% renewable energy and we’re expanding this across our festivals. We’re also rolling out reusable cup schemes to cut down on plastic waste and working with partners to bring environmental education and awareness programmes to fans on site.

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