Facing Myself: 'Singing emotional songs moves me tears too' reveals Alfie Boe as tour heads this way
Powerhouse tenor Alfie Boe - ahead of his 2026 Facing Myself UK tour - has revealed that singing emotional Les Misérables classics doesn’t just leave the audience weepy...he’s often in tears too!
The Bring Him Home singing sensation admits he sometimes struggles holding it together while performing the legendary role of Jean Valjean, writes Graham Walker.
In an exclusive podcast chat – listen here and below – he tells how completely he gives himself to the role as he also unveiled details of his forthcoming Facing Myself album and UK tour, which is heading this way.
“That show has always moved me,” he said of Les Miz. “It’s always brought tears to my eyes because I get so involved in the character and the story that it takes over sometimes. You have to fight back the tears to produce the music.
“But that’s the beauty of Les Misérables – it’s such an emotional piece. When you throw yourself into it 100%, you can’t help but let it affect you.”
That same raw emotion lies at the heart of his next adventure — his deeply personal new album and 35-date UK tour, both titled Facing Myself.
BUY TICKETS: Alfie Boe’s UK tour runs through April and May 2026, with tickets from gigsandtours.com and ticketmaster.co.uk.
It includes a homecoming at Blackpool Opera House, a venue packed with memories for the Fleetwood-born star, plus dates in Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Gateshead, Hull, Liverpool, York, Harrogate, Sheffield, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Bath, Warwick, Birmingham, Ipswich, King’s Lynn, Skegness, Cambridge, Oxford, Torquay, Truro, Llandudno, Aylesbury, Guildford, Southend, Folkestone and London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Celebrating 30 years in the business, he says Facing Myself strips everything back to its emotional core, featuring songs that have shaped his life, plus stories and an audience Q&A.
It promises intimacy, reflection and connection – with heartfelt new originals and hand-picked covers. He’s recording a version of Foy Vance’s Guiding Light, Falling Slowly from Once, and a tender Noel Gallagher ballad.
The tour itself celebrates songs that have shaped his life and defined him.
But forget big curtain-raisers and dramatic fanfares, the show will open simply with him and his band taking the stage for what he describes as “a meditational evening.
“It’s quite a reflective show for me. I’ve called it Facing Myself because I want to remember and reminisce about the 30 years I’ve been doing this job, and incorporate the music that’s affected me — the songs that have shaped my journey through personal life and public life,” he explains.
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“It’s stripped back. What you see is what you get.
“And I’m really looking forwards to rhe Q&As. I want people to ask me what they’ve always wanted to know. It’s about sharing the experience .”
“I've turned 52 this year, and I'm feeling quite good and positive about my life and about me as a person. I've changed over the years, and it's about seeing the real me now.”
Afie says a tour highlight will be his Blackpool homecoming - though he's quick to point out he's actually from nearby Fleetwood, just up the road.
"If I don't correct that, I'll never be able to turn up in Fleetwood again," he laughs.
“But yes, Blackpool is the homecoming tour date. Whenever I play that Opera House stage, it's such a special night with family, old friends and former work colleagues in the audience. I used to work at that theater as stage crew. So it is a real emotional return for me. The whole tour is really, about connection, humour and honesty — we laugh, we take things seriously, we celebrate, and sometimes we weep.”
Fresh from acclaimed Les Misérables performances alongside Michael Ball, Alfie shows no signs of slowing down — with appearances in Asia and Australia before returning home for the UK tour.
From early days in Lancashire to performing for royalty and venues arund the world, what gives him that buzz to walk out on stage night after night?
“It keeps me in toffees,” he laughs. “But honestly, it’s the audience — their faces, their emotion — that bring me joy. That’s why I do it.
"The music is something that fulfills me and gives me happiness in my life. But when I see the result of what I can give to the audience, my voice and the way that I sing, then that's a blessing, it really is."
UK TOUR DATES 2026
Tuesday 14 April Dundee, Caird Hall
Wednesday 15 April Aberdeen Music Hall
Friday 17 April Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Saturday 18 April Edinburgh Usher Hall
Monday 20 April Manchester Bridgewater Hall
Tuesday 21 April Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
Tuesday 23 April Gateshead Sage
Friday 24 April Hull City Hall
Saturday 25 April Blackpool Opera House
Monday 27 April Liverpool Philharmonic
Tuesday 28 April York Barbican
Wednesday 29 April Harrogate Royal Hall
Friday 01 May Sheffield City Hall
Saturday 02 May Leicester De Montfort Hall
Monday 04 May Milton Keynes Theatre
Tuesday 05 May Bath Forum
Tuesday 07 May Warwick Arts Centre
Friday 08 May Birmingham Symphony Hall
Saturday 09 May Ipswich Regent
Monday 11 May Kings Lynn Corn Exchange
Tuesday 12 May Skegness Embassy Theatre
Wednesday 13 May Cambridge Corn Exchange
Friday 15 May Oxford New Theatre
Saturday 16 May Torquay Princess Theatre
Sunday 17 May Truro Hall For Cornwall
Tuesday 19 May Llandudno Venue Cymru Theatre
Wednesday 20 May Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
Friday 22 May Guildford G Live
Saturday 23 May Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Sunday 24 May Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall
Tuesday 26 May London Royal Albert Hall
Wednesday 27 May Eastbourne Congress Theatre
Friday 29 May Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
Saturday 30 May Swansea Arena
Sunday 31 May Cardiff New Theatre
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