Later... with Jools Holland — Season 61

In the BBC's centenary year, Later… with Jools Holland also celebrates a big birthday marking 30 years of the show with the first ever episodebeing broadcast on 8th October 1992.To mark this special occasion, in front of over 3000 people, the show moves to West London's Eventim Apollo for an evening of livemusic with a star-studded cast staged in its usual ‘in the round' spirit with the audience completing the circle. Jools invites a stellar line-up of guests to join him and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, plus a selection of artists, many of whom have all previously appeared on the show and return to join the celebrations.Joining Jools and his orchestra is rock and roll legend Robert Plant who makes his eighth appearance, having first performed on the show in 1993. Tonight, Robert takes on a couple of his favourite tunes; a Chuck Willis track made famous by Elvis Presley and a song originally recorded by Ray Charles, along with a Led Zeppelin classic where he will be joined by Irish vocal powerhouse and friend of the show Imelda May who made her debut back in 2008.Fresh from her TV debut on the show, rising star Poppy Ajudha takes on a Marvin Gaye number and Sheffield rock'n'roll crooner Richard Hawley performs his tribute to Fats Domino.Completing the guests with Jools, the inimitable songstress Celeste lends her hauntingly beautiful vocals to a classic Broadway tune.Staged alongside Jools and his band on the Hammersmith stage are two artists who made their debuts on the show. The first, who debuted in 2014 are Swedish sisters First Aid Kit who perform a couple of songs from their recently released fifth album Palomino, and opposite them, having made his debut on the Hootenanny back in 2006 is Seastick Steve who reprises the number he played that night as well as a new tune from his recent Only On Vinyl album.The line-up also includes a handful of artists who make special appearances on this anniversary bash. Acclaimed and award-winning singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka first performed on the show in 2011, and tonight he plays two songs, including one from his most recent 2021 Mercury Prize winning album Kiwanuka. Gogol Bordello first appeared on the show in 2006 and make a return visit led by their Ukrainian born frontman Eugene Hütz, roaming the venue and enlisting the audience with their trademark Eastern European Gypsy-swing with a furious punk passion.In a different musical direction, legends of the British folk scene Martin and Eliza Carthy have appeared on the show over theyears and tonight perform a Molly Drake song together and finally another Mercury Prize winner, the captivating Benjamin Clementine will return to the piano to reprise the song he performed on his debut in 2013.Completing the line-up, and in true Later… style introducing brand-new artists, The Joy a brand new a cappella group from Durban, South Africa make their debut on the show.Jools also takes the opportunity to head down the time tunnel and unearth some treats from the Later… archives looking back at clips of some of the big stars whose first TV performances were on Later… with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Ed Sheeran and Alicia Keys, as well as some of the legends in popular music such as David Bowie, Grace Jones and Al Green who have all joined Jools at the piano for entertaining chats and musical moments over the last 30 years.

Jools takes a look back at some of the many US hip hop artists to have travelled across the pond to perform on the show, all of whom have shared their incredible mastery and delivery of spoken word.From 90s groups The Fugees in 1996 and The Roots in 1999 to solo rappers such as Ice-T and Ludacris, along with the huge global stars of the scene like Mary J Blige, who made her debut on the show in 1999 and has since appeared four times, and Jay-Z, who performed his anthem 99 problems - and not forgetting one of the originators of hip hop, Grandmaster Flash, who chatted to Jools and performed on the show in 2009.

Jools welcomes award-winning, festival-headlining, chart-topping Manchester band The 1975, who make their debut on the show performing a couple of tracks from their upcoming fifth album Being Funny in a Foreign Language, which sees them build on their witty lyricism and infectious synth-pop sound.Returning to the show following her debut in 2021, Rotherham's powerhouse vocalist and icon of female empowerment Self Esteem performs songs from her Mercury Prize-shortlisted album Prioritise Pleasure, having just completed a marathon of tour dates and festival appearances as well as composing the soundtrack for Suzie Miller's West End play Prima Facie earlier this year.Completing the line-up are three more debutants. First, US soul group Ural Thomas and the Pain, whose frontman is one of the original singers of the 50s and 60s soul era. He rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in music, from Etta James to Mick Jagger and Stevie Wonder. They perform a new song from their recent third album Dancing Dimensions.Next up is London collective The Comet Is Coming, who consist of saxophone player Shabaka Hutchings, keyboardist Dan Leavers and drummer Max Hallett. They tear the roof off the theatre with a performance of their ‘intergalactic head-banger' Code, which explores hidden meaning in humans and technology.And lastly, German-born Spanish-American pianist and singer-songwriter Victoria Canal performs her track Swan Song, which was praised by Chris Martin as 'one of the best songs ever written'.

Jools welcomes Nigerian global mega-star Burna Boy, who is making his debut on the show with a couple of tracks from his recent sixth album Love Damini, including his huge summer anthem Last Last.Returning to the show, but this time with just his guitar for company, is Mumford and Sons' frontman Marcus Mumford. He is debuting songs from his first solo album Self-Titled, which tackles extremely personal and powerful issues. Jools also chats to Marcus about his first time performing on the show as they delve into the archives to take a look back at the show's first ever episode in October 1992.Completing the line-up are debuts from three contrasting artists. The first comes from south London rapper Loyle Carner, who performs a couple of tracks from his forthcoming third album Hugo, which sees him explore his Guyanese heritage. All-female quartet The Big Moon perform the song Wide Eyes from their third album Here Is Everything, which follows 2020's LP Walking Like We Do and their 2017 Mercury Prize-shortlisted debut Love in the 4th Dimension. And last up are three-piece band PVA, whose sound has been described as being 'made from a formula of acid, disco, blistering synths, the release of the dancefloor and queer-coded sprechgesang post-punk.'

Jools welcomes south Londoner Raye, who is best known for featuring on many dancefloor hits but who now steps forward in her own right with a couple of numbers from her debut record. She also chats to Jools about her musical influences, including Joan Armatrading, who she chooses from the Later... archive.Jools bids a welcome return to two acts. From Versailles come Phoenix, who perform a couple of tracks from their new album Alpha Zulu, which was recorded in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in the Louvre. Also, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott perform a song from their fifth and latest album together, N.K-Pop.Making their debuts on the show are Dubliner Dermot Kennedy, who is about to release his second album, Sonder, the follow up to his 2019 number one debut album, and folk musician ANGELINE MORRISON, from Cornwall, whose focus as an artist is on the place of people of colour in British folklore. She will perform Unknown African Boy from her debut album The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience.

Jools welcomes the return of two iconic British bands. The first are Suede, who perform two songs from their ninth studio album Autofiction, which frontman Brett Anderson describes as 'a primal howl of a record'. Brett also chats to Jools and reminisces over their first performance on the show in 1993.The second returning band are synth-pop group Hot Chip, who have a couple of tracks from their eighth studio album Freakout/Release, which includes dancefloor bangers, blissful pop, gorgeous introspection and an excursion into political rage.Also returning to the show, this time as a as a solo artist, is Bristol's Billy Nomates, who first performed on the show with Nottingham duo Sleaford Mods but returns with a number from her second solo album, CACTI.The line-up is completed with two debuts. The first is South African cellist, composer and singer Abel Selaocoe, who performed at the BBC Proms in 2021 and has released his debut album Where is Home? (Hae Ke Kae), and the second debut comes from Debbie, a rising star from south London who performs her single Cherry Wine, having just been signed to dynamic London label 0207 Def Jam.

Three of the five artists on the show are making their debut. The first are Scottish legends Simple Minds, who perform a couple of tracks from their 18th studio album Direction of the Heart while also chatting to Jools and choosing a Glen Campbell performance from the Later... archives.The second debut comes from south London's Wu-Lu, a producer and multi-instrumentalist who swims effortlessly between genres. He performs his track South, joined by rapper Lex Amor. The song cultivates a new sound that lies between the interplay of underground punk and alternative hip-hop and is taken from his debut album LOGGERHEAD.The third debut is London-based girl group FLO, who perform an acoustic version of their viral hit Cardboard Box, a song that showcases their love for honeyed harmonies and rich emotion fused with classic old-school R&B. It features on their five-track EP The Lead, produced by British artist and producer MNEK.Returning to the show from France is Christine and the Queens Presents Redcar, with songs from his album Redcar les adorables étoiles, a record described as an opera and one that has given him ‘crazy freedom'.And completing the line-up is LA-born singer, actor and film producer Rita Wilson, who returns to the show with her album Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets. She's joined by Jools on piano and shares vocal duties with one of her collaborators on the album – the multi-record selling US artist Jackson Browne.

Jools presents a special episode of the show dedicated to one of the biggest bands in the world, Arctic Monkeys.Following the release of their highly anticipated seventh album, The Car, the Sheffield four-piece join Jools for an intimate performance of new songs, such as There'd Better Be a Mirrorball and Bodypaint, as well as old favourites from their extensive repertoire, including their 2007 track 505, which had an online viral revival in 2022.Frontman Alex Turner and drummer Matt Helders also join Jools for chats at the piano, revealing the process behind making the album, unearthing stories from their previous appearances, including a look back at their debut on the show in 2005, and following the new Later… tradition, choosing a performance from the Later... archives. They pick a 2003 performance by Desert Sessions featuring PJ Harvey.