Things to Do in Cumbria

Malt Room Standing | By Arrangement with Tony Denton Promotions Altered Images originated in Glasgow and were part of the 1980s Scottish new wave/post-punk scene. Still led by singer Clare Grogan, the band performs to enthusiastic crowds worldwide to this day! Clare has worked extensively in music, film, television, theatre and radio for 40+ years. The summer she left school, her band Altered Images were signed to CBS Records, and Clare appeared in the bafta winning comedy Gregory’s Girl directed by Bill Forsyth. Altered Images quickly had worldwide success, selling millions of records, which topped the charts in several countries. They recorded 3 top 10 albums and had 6 UK top 40 hits – working with legendary producers Martin Rushent, Mike Chapman and Tony Visconti. They were voted best new group at the NME Awards the same year they were invited to play at the Royal Command Performance. Clare and the band worked closely with Scottish painter David Band, creating original pieces of artwork that were released as special edition prints along with the singles. Clare recently received the Living Legend Award at the Scottish Music Awards. She made her debut at the Royal Albert Hall, where she joined Texas on stage and also teamed up with Sharleen on a track on their album Hi. Altered Images songs have always had an established audience and, in recent years, a brand new one as well. Clare couldn’t be happier about the opportunity to breathe new life into past songs she wrote and loves, as well as performing new tracks from her album Mascara Streakz in front of enthusiastic crowds. Clare has started writing for her next album, which she hopes to record later this year. And, as happy birthday turns 45, Clare has recently announced a special UK tour celebrating happy birthday & greatest hits.

Twenty Years of the Met in Cinemas is a celebration of the Met’s two decades of onstage glory as experienced in cinemas, featuring highlights from the company’s collection of more than 185 extraordinary onscreen performances. Hosted by star soprano Renée Fleming, this special presentation will showcase unforgettable moments from some of opera’s greatest stars, selected from the series’ vast archive of broadcasts featuring such remarkable artists as Lise Davidsen, Natalie Dessay, Joyce DiDonato, Juan Diego Flórez, Elīna Garanča, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Jonas Kaufmann, Peter Mattei, Matthew Polenzani, Sondra Radvanovsky, Nadine Sierra, and, of course, Fleming herself.

Standard Theatre Seated After his sell-out 2023 tour, the UK’s dishevelled king of stand-up, award-winning Seann Walsh returns with a brand-new hour of side-splitting comedy. Don’t miss his trademark high-energy exasperation and razor-sharp observations that leave audiences in stitches and on their feet all around the country. This year, he’s decided to name the show after the thing he says the most in life – THIS IS TORTURE. ‘Unquestionably the best observational comic of his generation’ The Guardian ‘A cracking good show’ The Telegraph ‘One of comedy’s hottest properties… very talented, very funny’ The Evening Standard ‘He remains one of the most entertaining observational comics on the block’ The Independent

Award-winner Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) plays the title role in this razor-sharp reimagining of Molière’s classic dark comedy. Telling the truth isn’t always that simple. Alice, a brilliant novelist, despises the carefully constructed lies of modern society. But the more she challenges those around her, the fiercer the backlash becomes. Soon, she must confront the price of speaking her truth in a world that would rather silence her. Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham directs Martin Crimp’s (Cyrano de Bergerac) highly anticipated play. The Misanthropeby Martin Crimpafter Molièredirected by Indhu Rubasingham

Standard Theatre Seated Mary Coughlan is often described as the greatest female vocalist that Ireland has ever produced, standing alongside some of the world’s most iconic jazz singers. She is unique in blending whisky-blurred, smoke-seared, husky notes with the laconic wit of Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee. She draws the line of deep, down and dirty blues singers back to Bessie Smith with the sardonic, bitter-sweet defiance and despair of Edith Piaf. Yet Mary Coughlan delivers it all in a delicious and unapologetic Irish drawl: sceptical, rueful, mournful and melting and ardent for love. Mary Coughlan is one of our greatest singers because over 40 years she has made the most grown-up, uncompromising, wholly personal yet utterly universal music on either side of the Atlantic about what goes on between men and women. “Honey-voiced Irish National Treasure” MOJO Magazine “Mary is a living link between Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse” Uncut Magazine

Malt Room Cabaret Seating | Age guidance 18+ Comedy Club is our ever-popular and ever-hilarious night featuring some of the best UK comedians on the UK stand-up circuit for your laughing pleasure. Sit back, relax, and get ready to laugh your socks off! Comedy Club September 2026 Here comes our ever-popular and ever-super-fun Malt-Rooms comedy club featuring some of the best UK comedians on the UK stand-up circuit for your laughing pleasure! This month’s cracking club features the comedy skills of Alex Hylton, David Hoare, Jacob Nussey and headlined by Dave Twentyman! Comedy Club October 2026 Come and join us for a night of fantastic festive funnies at our ever-popular comedy club this December! Joining us for this night of mighty mirth-filled merriment are these comedy Christmas Crackers! – Alex Camp, Louise Leigh, Edward Midgley and back by popular demand, your MC Al Stevenson! Do note that line ups are subject to change.

The Met: Live in HD season continues with Mozart’s satirical comedy of fickle young love. Phelim McDermott’s “colorful, inventive” (The New York Times) staging, inspired by Coney Island in the 1950s, sets the uproarious story at a boardwalk amusement park, where the two pairs of lovers at the heart of the tale find themselves on one emotional – and literal – thrill ride after another. Soprano Federica Lombardi and mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey sing Fiordiligi and Dorabella, opposite tenor Duke Kim and baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky as Ferrando and Guglielmo. Bass-baritone Gerald Finley reprises his portrayal of the cynical Don Alfonso, with soprano Ana María Martínez as the witty maid Despina.

Standard Theatre Seated Vittorio Angelone has always denied any involvement in stand-up comedy or stand-up comedy related activities. Despite this, after two completely sold-out tours in 2023 and 2024 – with over 100 packed-out shows – he’s heading back on the road with a brand new show. One of the fastest-rising names in comedy, Vittorio has built a loyal and attractive following with stand-up clips and podcasts racking up millions of views. He co-hosts Mike & Vittorio’s Guide to Parenting with fellow comedian Mike Rice, and is a co-creator of Fin vs The Internet. As seen on the internet unless your algorithm hasn’t blessed you thusly.

Join us for an in-depth panel discussion featuring Lancaster University Professor Mike Berners-Lee and Environmentalist and Author Kate Rawles. In November 2025, the National Emergency Briefing brought together leading experts to present the latest evidence on the climate and nature crisis to politicians and other influential people in Westminster. That evidence is now on the public record. The next step is to take this vital message across the UK in the form of our People’s Emergency Briefing film. The aim is to bring together people from across local communities to hear the evidence and discuss how to respond. The People’s Emergency Briefing is a new film from the National Emergency Briefing, a public information initiative to ensure the UK is clearly and honestly briefed on the climate and nature crisis. Building on the landmark National Emergency Briefing held in Westminster, the film features footage from the event with reactions from members of the public and some more familiar faces.

Malt Room Standing The Long Ryders, pioneers of the alt-country movement, return to the stage with the same fiery spirit that first made them legends. Fusing punk energy with country-rock harmonies, the band bridged the gap between Gram Parsons and today’s Americana heroes, influencing acts such as Wilco, The Jayhawks, and Uncle Tupelo. Rising from the Los Angeles scene, The Long Ryders made their mark with acclaimed albums including Native Sons and State of Our Union, featuring the alt-radio classic “Looking for Lewis & Clark.” Their sound—12-string guitars, heartfelt songwriting, and a raw, roots-driven edge—helped define a generation and inspire a movement. Following their celebrated 2019 release Psychedelic Country Soul, the band returned to the studio to craft September November, their first album since the passing of bassist Tom Stevens. Still a thrilling live force, The Long Ryders deliver shows packed with history, heart, and unrelenting energy. Saddle up—don’t miss the ride.

Malt Room Standing Iconic British band Toploader have officially joined Spotify’s exclusive ONE BILLION STREAMS CLUB with their global hit Dancing in the Moonlight and will be touring the UK in October

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Liift Present... Toploader

Extended Theatre Seated Grammy-winning guitarist Albert Lee, one of the most respected musicians in the country-rock music scene, will be joined on stage this year by his young UK band, with Ali Petrie on Keys, Iain Petrie on Bass and Tim Hillsdon on drums. Albert made his name touring with the likes of Eric Clapton, The Crickets, The Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker and Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band through the 70s and 80s, and is widely regarded by his contemporaries as one of the greatest guitarists in the world – described as “the ultimate virtuoso” by Eric Clapton and “one of my all-time guitar gods” by US country sensation Brad Paisley. Albert received a Grammy Award in 2002 for his contribution to “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” featured on “Earl Scruggs and Friends”, and won a Grammy for his performance on Brad Paisley’s instrumental “Cluster Pluck” in

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Malt Room Standing The Style Councillors are the world’s one and only tribute to The Style Council. ‘Our Favourite Shop’ is the second studio album by The Style Council released in

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A double-bill of adventure films.. Postcards from the Peaks (26min)When mental health campaigner Stu Skinner wakes up after a charity auction to find a cast-iron Royal Mail postbox at the end of his bed, his first thought is one of despair: what have I done? But as Stu faces eviction, heartbreak, loneliness and a relapse into depression, the postbox becomes more than an impulsive mistake. It becomes a reason to leave the house, return to the wild, and ask whether one apparently bonkers idea could help him reconnect with people and find his north star again. Carrying the 26kg postbox to the highest point of all 15 UK National Parks, Stu invites strangers, friends and communities to walk with him, write postcards and talk openly about loneliness. What begins as a ridiculous physical challenge becomes a moving journey through grief, resilience, humour and human connection Walking Towards Pain (29min)Ani, a 26 year old Muslim hiker with Lupus, embarks on her first ever mountain hike. With the uncertainty of how much pain her body will be in during the hike combined with not knowing how long her recovery period post-hike will be, Ani had been too scared to hike a mountain for many years. In 2022, she decided that it was the right time and chose to climb Helvellyn. This film documents not only the challenge itself, but also the recovery and the impact on Ani’s body. Join us for a live Q&A with Stu Skinner MBE