UK Music | November 2026
Tinie Tempah has been named the newest patron of Music Venue Trust, the charity that works to protect, secure and improve the UK’s grassroots music venues. The news lands just as his fourth studio album, The Night’s Not Dead, arrives on 2LP vinyl, CD and cassette, and ahead of a tour that brings him to London’s Roundhouse on 3 December. Here are five things worth knowing.
1. He is putting his voice behind grassroots venues
The patron role recognises something Tinie has been doing for a while: speaking up for the small venues where British artists cut their teeth. He has worked alongside Music Venue Trust and the nightlife campaigners Save Our Scene to raise awareness of the threats these spaces face. He also took part in the charity’s Everywhere At Once festival, which celebrated grassroots venues and the communities around them. His aim is simple – to make sure the next generation of artists gets the same chances that helped launch his own career. Becoming a patron gives that campaigning a formal home.
2. Small rooms shaped his whole career
Before the seven UK Number One singles, two BRIT Awards and an Ivor Novello, Tinie spent years touring the country’s small venues, sometimes to packed rooms and sometimes to just a handful of people. He describes those gigs as where he put in his 10,000 hours, learned his craft and built a fanbase that is still with him today. Fittingly, the night ‘Pass Out’ went to Number One he was celebrating at 229 on Great Portland Street, surrounded by people who had been at his shows from the start. He has said he genuinely worries about where future talent will come from if these venues disappear. It is a personal cause, not just a name on a letterhead.
3. The Night’s Not Dead is his first album in nine years
The new record came out digitally on 16 October 2026 and the physical editions followed on 6 November via his own label, Imhotep Records, licensed to Believe. It is a celebration of nightlife, shared experiences and the spaces where music communities come together, so it ties in neatly with his new role. Vinyl collectors will want the 2LP edition, which includes the bonus track ‘Bounce’. There are also CD and cassette versions for anyone who likes their music on something they can hold. Tinie says the album is all about celebrating those spaces and the people who keep them alive.
4. He joins a strong line-up of patrons
Tinie is in good company, joining fellow patrons including the recently announced Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Chris Hawkins and singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery. Each uses their platform to champion grassroots venues and back the charity’s work. Music Venue Trust’s CEO and founder Mark Davyd says Tinie’s career shows exactly why these venues matter, as places where artists find their voice and build the audiences that take them to the world’s biggest stages. The charity, created in January 2014, supports famous names such as The 100 Club, Band on the Wall and King Tut’s as well as lesser-known venues that matter just as much to their local scenes. It also speaks for the Music Venues Alliance, an association of venues from across the UK.
5. You can catch him live this winter
The Night’s Not Dead Tour kicks off in Stockholm on 16 November and arrives at London’s Roundhouse on 3 December. For a man who built his career on live shows, it is a fitting way to bring the new songs to fans. Expect the new material alongside a back catalogue that includes ‘Pass Out’, ‘Written in the Stars’, ‘Not Letting Go’, ‘Girls Like’ and ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’. Tickets are available through his official website. And if the night inspires you, the best way to support the cause is to get out and see a gig at your own local grassroots venue.
Tickets and info
The Night’s Not Dead Tour
Roundhouse, London: 3 December 2026
Tour opens in Stockholm on 16 November
Album: The Night’s Not Dead – out now digitally, plus 2LP vinyl, CD and cassette (released 6 November)
Music Venue Trust: musicvenuetrust.com