PREVIEW: What Happens Now for Sheffield soul-jazz star Kat Eaton is a new album and hometown gig
What Happens Now for Sheffield’s soul-jazz star Kat Eaton?
The answer comes this November, when she makes a hometown return — giving fans an preview of new songs from her hotly anticipated third album What Happens Now, landing in Spring 2026.
BUY TICKETS: Kat headlines Crookes Social Club in Sheffield on Thursday, November 13 - CLICK HERE.
It’s part of a nine date UK and European tour - full dates below - off the back of releasing her new single, Break Free, taken from the forthcoming studio album. Listen to the track here. Watch the live performance video here.
Sheffield-raised Kat, who was born in Wales, has showed audiences across Europe, played iconic venues like Ronnie Scott’s and shared stages with greats including Gregory Porter, Jools Holland and Paul Carrack.
Her songs are played on national radio and she has had millions of streams online.
She said of her upcoming Sheffield show:“We’ve been all over the shop this year and it’s been amazing but there’s nothing quite like playing a grassroots venue in your hometown.
“Growing up watching Frank White perform in pubs and clubs around Sheffield was an education I do not take for granted. He helped us get our first gigs at The Crown in Totley and The Boardwalk and had we not learnt our graft in those venues I doubt the live show would be what it is today.
‘It’s a travesty that so many grass roots music venues like Dorothy Pax in Sheffield are closing. There were so many more opportunities to perform live when I was starting out compared to today, yet still the same amount of aspiring musicians.
“Luckily Crookes Social Club still stands and I’m proud to be working with Maurice and the team to support their beloved venue. They work incredibly hard to bring great live acts to the music lovers of Sheffield and I for one am eternally grateful.”
Kat has had a great year so far.
In February she recorded the new album at The Kinks star Ray Davies’ studio, Konk Studios in London.
She joined Gregory Porter on tour in June and in August she mastered What Happens Now at Abbey Road Studios.
The album is a collection of timeless yet contemporary beautifully crafted songs with lyrics that cut to the core, Inspired by artists such as Emily King, Lake Street Dive and Olivia Dean, alongside legends Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Carole King that Kat grew up listening to.
What Happens Now is an amalgamation of her influences underpinned by her inimitable tone.
Armed with fresh new original material and a band behind her that have played with the likes of Tom Jones, Van Morrison, Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson, her live show is world class, raw and spell-binding. Further live shows to be announced soon as well as an extensive UK and EU tour in 2026.
Her 2021 acclaimed debut album Talk To Me showcased her bold & confident abilities as a vocalist and songwriter. it was played across BBC Radio 2 & 4, 6Music and Jazz FM in the UK, NPO 5 2 & 1 in The Netherlands, VRT Radio 2 in Belgium, FIP in France.
Second album Honestly saw her evolve effortlessly merging soul and classic R&B with Blues and Gospel and was well received by critics, with more radio plays and led to appearances at prestigious festivals, including Jazz A Toute Heure and St Paul Funk & Soul in France, Cornbury Festival and Henley Festival in UK, Cork Jazz Festival in Ireland, Leverkusen Jazz Festival and Rheingau Musik Festival in Germany.
Her live performance videos on YouTube - including three live versions of tracks from Honestly - received over half a million views in the first six months increasing Kat’s fan base immeasurably and she now has over 10M streams on Spotify.
Kat has established herself as one of the hardest working and talented performers in her field. Having learnt her graft gigging in the grassroots venues of Sheffield such as The Boardwalk, The Greystones and Yellow Arch as a teenager.
She has gone on to tour the UK/EU supporting other big names including Jools Holland, Paul Carrack, The Teskey Brothers, Marc Broussard and Mamas Gun, alongside selling out multiple headline shows in the UK and EU.
Kat has performed at iconic venues including Ronnie Scotts in London, Unterfhart Jazz Club in Munich, Jazz Club Etoile in Paris and Jassmine in Warsaw, among others.
She has also co-written with the likes of Caro Emerald, Ruby Turner and Roberta Campos, and broken through to new territories via national radio play-listing in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France and Italy.
Newcastle based songwriting duo Smith & Liddle will be opening for Kat and the band on November 13. Their music is a glimpse into the sounds of Laurel Canyon and echoes the ways in which musicians of the 60s & 70s started to change direction as the years progressed.
EU & UK 2025 Tour Dates
19.9 - Fasching, Stockholm, SE
8.10 - CPunt, Hoofdoorp, NL
20.10 - Pizza Express (Soho), London, UK
21.10 - Pizza Express (Soho), London, UK
24.10 - Arthur’s Jazz & Blues Club, Dublin, IE
25.10 - Cork Jazz Festival, Cork IE
31.10 - Jazznojazz Festival, Zurich, CH
13.11 - Crookes Social Club, Sheffield, UK
14.11 - Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham, UK
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