The Empty Page tour the UK from July to November 2026.
One of the best power trios in the country, they play their own brand of alternative rock – inspired by punk, post-punk, grunge and shoegaze.
Still staunchly independent, front-person Kel single-handed organised the tour dates with no record company backing, agent or funding.
Long since a band who LTW have championed, we present, their complete LTW archive – 13 reviews by eight different writers covering the ten years from 2016 to 2026. The tour dates are at the end and of course a few videos – the latest first…
So, in chronological order, here is The Empty Page LTW Archives. (link in bold followed by an excerpt)
Oct 2016 Interview by Sarah Lay
“I was into alternative music early as I had older brothers one of whom was into heavy metal like Sabbath and Motorhead and the other who was into jangly, angsty indie like The Smiths and The Cure.
“Courtney Love was definitely a huge influence though, she was one of the first women I really adored because she just didn’t give a fuck. I saw Hole live a couple of times and they definitely left a big mark on me musically and attitude-wise. Later I discovered other female-led bands like Babes in Toyland, Veruca Salt and Bikini Kill and they were definitely singing about things I could relate to and making just very cool music regardless of gender.
“This band is certainly influenced by a lot of bands with a female presence but I think the key is that in the ’90s rock scene there was a bit of a backlash against testosterone fuelled rockstar posturing with bands like Nirvana, The Lemonheads and the Pixies all providing an alternative to that. I think more women should play music, because there is still a heavy trend towards males on stage at gigs, but more importantly women should just be able to do it without having to be scrutinised so much in every way.”
Oct 2016 Unfolding LP reviewed by Amy Tweddle
‘Wardrobe Malfunction’ is possibly my favourite track off the album -think The Pixies do Britpop (kind of) but add some cathartic screaming into the mix – this is where Kel really lets her voice loose – you can feel the frustration as she spits out ‘slip into your uniform and behave, oh behave!’ a line I think every female can empathise with.
Feb 2019 When The Cloud Explodes single review by Ged Babey
The most important thing about the Empty Page – overlooked by absolutely all of the online-zine reviews I’ve read – is the joy, unpredictability and ever-changing look and colour of frontperson Kel’s hair. She has fab follicles – which always looks cool even when the haircut it’s a bit-shit. It has gone from GI Jane crop to turbulent orange grown-out crop to blonde with little pig-tails, to bluey-tinged geometric bob and currently celebrates itself as a savagely short black fringe with long orange side-bangs. Once the kids latch onto the online joy of Kels chameleonic, ever-changing hair-do’s (& don’ts) major success is just a kiss-curl away….
Nov 2022 Dry Ice reviewed by Wayne Carey
Kel says: “I was already feeling nostalgic for freer, easier times, late nights, chippy tea bus rides, when I started scribbling down ideas but the restrictions of the pandemic exacerbated that yearning for closeness to strangers. I still don’t think we’re quite back there with the freedom to mingle sweatily that we once took for granted. This song is a celebration of that ‘disco convulsion’”
Guitarist Giz adds: “We have started experimenting more with how we record our songs. On our debut album, it was all about the sound of a band in a room, not too much messing with that. On these new tracks, we’ve been playing with old Pro One synthesisers and bust up pianos. Experimenting more with layers of guitar sounds and other noises. It’s definitely a progression.”
March 2023 Sedentary reviewed by Wayne Carey
Kel and Giz are in fine form with this slow starter that builds into a mammoth piece of punk grunge that shreds the ears after a few listens. A magic piece of solid noise that has Kel reaching those guttural notes like Karen O having a fag with Courtney Love while Eilidh from Solar Race rips the piss out of them, and Giz ramping up that guitar sound to full effect.
Sept 2023 -Loud Women Festival preview by Ged Babey
“A fuzzy, feral, frantic band from the North West of England” is how they described themselves initially – but a sleek, song writing duo of ‘Grunge upstarts’ they just get better and better and the mainstream surely beckons with songs like this. (Sedentary)
Feb 2024 Cock of the Fifth Year review by Wayne Carey
The new single bristles with attitude and energy and hits hard from the moment it leaves the speakers and wallops your ears and guts. It’s been a long time since The Empty Page first unfurled their debut album Unfolding back in 2016. It was never their intention to leave it that long, but founding member and original drummer Jim Cattell left the band during the recording process due to ill health, then there was the pandemic, then life stuff got in the way. Some one-off songs and seven-inch single releases kept the fire and desire to play burning, signalling the path to stunning new album Imploding and they are very excited to be back!
April 2024 Life Is A Wave reviewed by Wayne
“People often describe our sound as anxious, urgent, angular,” summarises Kel. “I think it’s all of those things because that’s what the inside of my brain looks like. But I think it’s lush and beautiful at times too. I hope people can hear the whole gamut of emotions in this record. It’s political, personal, passionate and, I hope, important.”
May 2024 – Imploding Album review by Amelia Fearon
Imploding, like a star shining bright but collapsing inwards, is a personal journey and exploration of wins and failures, embarrassment and shame, compulsion and disorder — all the elements deeply twisted within the human experience. Remarkably, The Empty Page manages to normalise these struggles, reassuring us that it’s okay to feel flawed and imperfect, for we are all navigating the complexities of existence together. The Empty Page is a real band, not a band caught up in trying to be something it’s not or reaching out to an audience that it shouldn’t. Those who understand will feel it. The album bears fractures, scars, and battle wounds, yet its beauty shines through undiminished. It was a long wait for Imploding, but the care poured into the cracks solidified my love for The Empty Page even more.
You really need to read the whole review. Amelia Fearon is a massively gifted writer.
May 2024 Live Review by MK Bennett
Life Is A Wave, the most recent single is a different beast, rhythmically and vocally expanding on the previous work. It is one of the best songs of the year so far, an aching emotional exercise in acceptance, where Kelly’s voice goes from John Cooper Clarke’s Northern bluntness to soaring Elizabeth Fraser beauty in the space of a couple of bars, and Giz, ever the showman determines to follow, in what becomes a race to rapture.
The whole review is fantastic..
Nov 2025 LTW Festival Appearance Announced & Single preview- John Robb
Hard-working Manchester post-grunge band The Empty Page have added an atmospheric dimension to their music that gives their new single, When We Gonna Run, a haunting, almost shoegaze backdrop to its glorious wall of sound.
Jan 2026 Death On Our Side review by Ian Corbridge
With Giz on guitar and Steve on drums alongside Kel, Death On Our Side really hits home with its seamless blend of punk, shoegaze, grunge and a psychedelic style ritualistic rhythm, all underpinning swirls of ethereal vocals which impart a real sense of hopelessness. Death On Our Side once again typifies the band’s exploration of diverse issues as they lament the woes of a generation of people with no pension plan other than to die before they need to rely on one. It’s a song with a dark and sombre mood which befits the stark message within its narrative as Kel laments “Small lives are plundered and underfunded.” It’s a desperate message which suggests no real faith in the future but this is real life and it’s a message that will resonate with so many.
March 2026 A Feminine Ending review by Ian Corbridge
As the band explain, “It addresses the theory that women ‘disappear’ from the male gaze as they age, but rather than framing this as a bad thing, the song celebrates it. The song is a critique of the patriarchy aided and abetted by the beauty industry, in particular the anti-ageing racket. A hugely profitable sector that puts untold pressure on women to be ‘attractive’ and remain forever young. It is a pervasive and sinister message which begins in childhood. When you stop engaging with that rhetoric, you become free.”
Don’t Miss then Live on the following dates spread over the rest of the year. Getting Advance tickets recommended.
LIVE DATES 2026
Jul. 25, 2026 Hope & Anchor, London
Jul. 26, 2026 Alice’s Wicked Tea Party Festival 2026 -Wareham
Aug. 7, 2026 S&S cafe, Blackpool
Aug. 8, 2026 Penny Lane Weekender 2026 Liverpool
Aug. 31, 2026 Glaston Bury 2026 Bury
Sep. 18, 2026 Rock City Nottingham
Sep. 19, 2026 Rock City Nottingham
Sep. 23, 2026 Sidney & Matilda -Sheffield
Sep. 24, 2026 Manchester academy, Manchester
Sep. 25, 2026 Boom Leeds, Leeds
Oct. 9, 2026 Paper Dress Vintage, London
Oct. 10, 2026 Exchange, Bristol
Oct. 15, 2026 Billy Bootleggers Nottingham
Oct. 16, 2026 The Library, Oxford
Oct. 17, 2026 Heartbreakers, Southampton
Oct. 27 , 2026 Lady Luck Canterbury
Oct. 28, 2026 MASH Cambridge
Oct. 29, 2026 Le Pub, Newport
Oct. 30, 2026 The Flapper, Birmingham
Oct. 31, 2026 The Black Prince, Northampton
Nov. 24, 2026 Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
Nov. 25, 2026 Think Tank? -Newcastle Upon Tyne
Nov. 28, 2026 Trades Club – Hebden Bridge
LINK TREE with all ticket links etc
Promo piece put together by Ged Babey for LTW from existing content by seven other writers credited.
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