2025 Impact Intl. UK/Euro Honoree: Matt Woolliscroft

MATT WOOLLISCROFT
Promoter
SJM Concerts

IT ALL BEGAN WITH CARTER THE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE

SJM Concerts staged some of the biggest shows in company history this year as the UK promoter of both Coldplay’s 10-night residency at Wembley Stadium, and the “Oasis Live ’25” tour. Matt Woolliscroft, who was involved in both tours, says “The commitment, hard work and good will of our staff marked a new peak for us as a company.”

Coldplay’s 10-show hometown engagement, Aug. 22-Sep. 12, marked the final 2025 concerts of the band’s “Music Of The Spheres World Tour,” which has broken records around the world since its 2022 launch including the largest attendance ever recorded for a single concert tour with an estimated 13 million tickets sold, according to Pollstar Boxoffice reports.

Oasis performed at Wembley twice, Sept. 27-28, confirming one of the ongoing trends in live music right now. According to Woolliscroft, “Stadium shows in the UK are becoming a default setting for an increasing number of artists while also being embraced wholeheartedly by their fans. Availability of stadium venues, while improving, is limited. As can be seen by the volume of business going through London in the past three summers, the demand for dates where there are options is very high.”

Another trend shaping this industry are short arena residencies, which have become popular with artists, who can pull it off. From Woolliscroft’s roster, recent examples include The Killers’ four nights at Co-op Live Manchester, June 18-22, 2024, moving 68,471 tickets at a $8.1 million gross, and six nights at The O2 London, July 4-11, which sold 107,740 at a $13 million gross, as reported to Pollstar.

The Killers delighted fans with a different set list each night. In London, the band even tuned into the final moment of England’s win against the Netherlands in the semifinals of the UEFA EURO 2024 on July 10. When the final whistle was blown, the band transitioned into their much-loved hit “Mr Brightside,” generating a worldwide viral moment.

According to Woolliscroft, both residencies “were a joy to work on, the best shows they have ever done in the UK in my view. It’s been the privilege of my career to work as their promoter for over 20 years.”

He says, “Live music has seen unprecedented growth both in terms of volume and in terms of what a sustainable ticket price is for well over a decade. That growth has weathered economic uncertainty and political upheaval. I cannot believe that eventually it will not catch up with us. When it does, it will be in a way we won’t necessarily have seen coming.”

Another challenge of this industry’s sustained growth is been the general workload. Woolliscroft says he has dealt with it “the best I could really,” but definitely “went home less.”

He is not complaining, though. Over the coming year, some of the artists he has worked with longest are touring: Florence + The Machine have announced a UK and European arena run in February and March; The Kooks are planning to do the same, topped off by a show at the iconic Isle of Wight Festival in June; The Prodigy’s UK arena dates in April and May next year are sold out; Maximo Park are celebrating 20 years since releasing their debut album, A Certain Trigger, at theaters in the UK and Europe; Mumford & Sons, currently touring their latest work, Rushmere, in the U.S. embark on an extensive European run in November, before returning to home turf at the end of the year; and iconic British boy band JLS are bringing their greatest hits to UK arenas once more; plus others who have yet to announce their plans.

Woolliscroft fell in love with live music the first time he saw Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine in 1989. “They were the band that I followed round the country, traveling on overnight buses, sleeping outside train stations, seeing multiple shows on tours. Following them taught me the value of a ticket, of the live music experience and what it means to be a fan.”

Woolliscroft applies those same values in his daily work. When delivering an event, the fan’s experience is at the top of his considerations. It has been that way for more than 25 years. Says Woolliscroft, “I operate at the level I do because I believe I can sell tickets well, cost effectively and at good prices. But ultimately the drive to do it all is about that moment when the artist walks on stage and the look on the fans’ faces, whether that’s Little Mix, Courteeners, Laura Marling or The Killers. When they are on stage, every artist has an opportunity to positively define their audience’s month, year or maybe their whole life. Perhaps to change the world. To be a small cog in that machine is a privilege.”

While he denies having a business philosophy, he has followed a couple of “old adages,” throughout his career. These include “‘assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups’, and ‘treat others as you would want to be treated yourself.’”

That wisdom continues. “Sometimes I fail to listen to the voice in my head which is frustrating,” he adds. “If it sounds like a bad idea, it probably is a bad idea, so speak up and don’t do it. It’s always worth a pause – even for a second – to double check yourself. When you’re flat-out busy, though, it’s not always easy to remember and hold to those tenets.”