Paul Heaton is one of the UK's most successful songwriters with well over 15 million album sales under his belt. He first came to public attention in the early '80s as the frontman of Hull-based indie-pop band The Housemartins, who are best known for their third single 'Happy Hour' and their No.1 acapella cover of The Isley Brothers' 'Caravan Of Love'.
In 1988 Heaton formed The Beautiful South, which released 10 hugely successful albums â from 1989's Welcome To The Beautiful South to 2006's Superbi. Jacqui Abbott was lead vocalist for some time in The Beautiful South and she sang many of their signature hits including 'Rotterdam', 'Don't Marry Her' and 'Dream A Little Dream'.
Heaton released his first solo album, Fat Chance, in 2001, and went on to release two further solo albums: 2008's The Cross-Eyed Rambler and 2010's Acid Country.
In 2011, Heaton wrote a musical called The 8th based on the seven deadly sins and asked Abbott to sing one of the parts. They went on to release three top five-charting albums as a duo: 2014's What Have We Become, 2015's Wisdom, Laughter And Lines and 2017's Crooked Calypso.
Heaton put together a career-spanning collection of his music in 2018 â from The Housemartins and The Beautiful South to his solo and duo work â titled The Last King Of Pop.
The year 2022 saw Heaton reach a significant birthday, which he celebrated in typically idiosyncratic style by putting ÂŁ1,000 behind the bar of 60 carefully chosen pubs across the UK and Ireland so that fans could have a drink on him.
Heaton and Abbott's released N.K-Pop in October 2022, preceded by the poignant ballad âStillâ, which was described as "beautifully heartbreaking" by Dawn French, and the gospel pop song âToo Much For One (Not Enough For Two). To support the new album, Heaton and Abbott confirmed a UK tour in November - December 2022.
On 26 June 2024, Heaton performs a special summer outdoor show at Cardiff Castle. Featuring guest singer Rianne Downey, the show will see
Heaton performing songs from throughout his career including classic tracks from The Beautiful South and The Housemartins.
Heaton's announced a new solo album, The Mighty Several, in 2024. Produced by The Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie, the album is set for an October release with the single 'Fish "N' Chip Supper' coming out in June. Heaton also announced UK tour dates for November and December 2024, with Downey again appearing as a special guest and support The Zutons.