How to find out about UK tour announcements without social media

You don't need Instagram or TikTok to hear about tours in time. The most reliable approach is to combine two or three methods: the artist's official mailing list (best for presales), your favourite venues' newsletters, and a free alert service that follows artists for you, such as Ents24, Songkick, Bandsintown or CatchWorm.

Artists often announce tours on social media first, but the same news nearly always reaches their website, mailing list and ticket sellers too. This guide covers each option, what it's good for, and how to give yourself the best chance at a presale. Can I get concert alerts without social media?

Last reviewed: Oct 2026. Written by Lelen, founder of CatchWorm. We make one of the tools mentioned here, so we've tried to be even-handed.

The quick version

1. Sign up to the artist's official mailing list

The artist's own mailing list is usually the single most useful thing you can join. Many artists email subscribers about new tours, and some offer subscriber or fan-club presales before general sale. How to find out when artists announce a tour.

For example, when U2 announced The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour 2027 on 15 October 2026, U2.com subscriber presales were scheduled to begin on 19 and 20 October, before the general sale.

Tips

• Find the sign-up form on the artist's official website, usually under "News", "Tour" or in the footer.
• Use an email address you check often, and add the artist's sender address to your contacts so messages don't land in junk.
• Some presales need you to register before a deadline. Read the email carefully the day it arrives.
• Be careful of look-alike sites. Start from the artist's official website, not a search ad.

2. Bookmark the artist's tour page

An artist's official tour page is usually the most complete, confirmed list of dates. It won't tell you when something changes, but it's the place to double-check what you've heard elsewhere. Example UK tour: SIENNA SPIRO.

Tip: if a date appears in an email or app but not on the official tour page, wait for confirmation before you book travel.

3. Join your favourite venues' newsletters

Venues email their own listings, and some run venue presales for newsletter subscribers or members. This is especially useful for smaller venues and up-and-coming artists, whose dates may not reach the bigger apps straight away.

Tips

• Sign up to the two or three venues you go to most, plus any bigger venue you'd travel to.
• Check the venue's age policy if you're taking children or teenagers.
• If a venue has a free membership or account, it may give you early access. Check the venue's own terms.

4. Turn on alerts with ticket sellers

Most big ticket sellers let you follow artists and venues and choose which emails you get. On Ticketmaster UK, for example, you can sign in, open My Settings > Manage Alerts to choose the alerts you want, and add favourite performers and venues in its app. You can also turn on CatchWorm ticket-sale alerts.

Tips

• Set alerts with the sellers that the venues near you use most.
• Alerts tell you about that seller's events only. A show sold by another company won't appear.
• If a show sells out, check whether the official seller offers a waiting list or official ticket returns.

5. Check mobile network and card presales

Some UK presales are linked to your mobile network or payment card. O2, for instance, says its customers can buy Priority Tickets "up to 48 hours before general release" for many gigs, including at The O2 and O2 Academy venues. Presale access and codes are arranged with the artist, venue or sponsor, not through a CatchWorm alert.

Tips

• Look at what your mobile network, bank or card provider offers before a big on-sale.
• Eligibility rules vary. Check the provider's own terms.

6. Use Ents24 and GigAlert for UK-wide alerts

Ents24 is a long-running UK listings site that calls itself "the UK's biggest live guide". You can track artists, venues and events, and its free GigAlert app for iPhone and Android notifies you when new dates are announced and when tickets are about to go on sale. Ents24 says you can choose alerts nationally or for selected areas. It concentrates on Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Good for: UK gig-goers, and anyone who also likes comedy, theatre and festivals.

7. Use Songkick or Bandsintown for local alerts

Songkick and Bandsintown are free, well-established concert apps. Both let you follow artists, and both can import artists from streaming services.

• Songkick sends email and push notifications when artists you track announce events in the cities you track. You can track more than one city.
• Bandsintown alerts you to shows near the one city you set, within a distance radius you choose in the app.

Good for: people who mostly go to gigs near home. If you'd travel further, add each city you'd consider, or pair the app with a service that isn't tied to location.

8. Get free gig alerts in the UK or worldwide with CatchWorm

CatchWorm is a free, UK-based concert discovery and trip planning service that emails you when artists you follow announce new tour dates worldwide, not just near you, and helps you find ticket links, travel and somewhere to stay.

You search for an artist, choose Set alerts, and pick the updates you want: new tour dates, tickets going on sale, tickets back on sale from the official seller and new announcements. You choose Worldwide or your country. It's free to use and adds no fees to tickets. Alerts currently come by email, so you don't need social media. CatchWorm's sources include artist websites, public Instagram announcements and event listings from ticket providers. Read more in Songkick alternative.

Good for: fans who'd travel for a show, and parents or busy adults who want one email instead of checking lots of accounts. CatchWorm is in beta, so coverage varies by artist and alerts may not be immediate.

9. Streaming apps can help too

Spotify has a Concerts Near You playlist that updates every Wednesday with local concerts, and you can save events to get notifications and reminders. It's handy for discovery, but it's focused on shows near you.

Presale tips: how to give yourself the best chance

1. Register early. Some presales need you to sign up days before. Note any deadline.
2. Write down the sale time and time zone. Set a phone reminder ten minutes before. Shows abroad often go on sale in local time.
3. Sign in to the seller beforehand. Check your password works and your payment card is up to date.
4. Know your limits. Decide in advance which dates, ticket types and price you're happy with.
5. Have a backup date or city. If the first date sells out, a second night or another city may still have tickets.
6. "On sale" doesn't mean available. It means the sale has started. The seller confirms what's left at checkout.
7. If it sells out, don't panic-buy. Extra tickets are sometimes released, and returned tickets may appear. Use the official seller's waiting list, and avoid buying from strangers on social media. Do sold-out concerts release more tickets?
8. Plan getting home before you book. Check the venue's finish time against your last train or bus. If it's tight, an overnight stay may be easier. Hotel or travel home?

A simple setup that works

If you only do three things:

1. Join the mailing list of the two or three artists you'd hate to miss.
2. Join the newsletter of your local venue.
3. Set up one alert service that follows all your artists, so news comes to you.