Taylor Swift is the UK’s live music queen, says Viagogo
And there's plenty of other artists faring well too...
Taylor Swift has been crowned the UK’s undisputed live music queen in viagogo’s ‘Year In Live Experiences’ roundup, with demand from fans for the global superstar’s Eras Tour 196% higher than Liam Gallagher at number two.
The UK’s leading live event ticket marketplace, viagogo has released its annual review based on demand and ticket sales on the site over the past 12 months. The fan-first data uncovers the nation’s most popular artists and trends amongst the nation’s music and culture fan base.
Top 10 Most In-Demand Artists
After an era-defining tour, Taylor Swift was crowned as the most-viewed artist globally on viagogo’s platform. The 12-time Grammy winner’s “Eras Tour” caused huge fan excitement in 2024, as Swift revisited hits from every stage of her career.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher proved that Britpop still packs a punch, with the iconic Mancunian confirmed as the second most in-demand star of the year. While Bruce Springsteen remains a staple in the UK’s live music scene, securing third place.
Diljit Dosanjh has shown he’s a groundbreaking artist, from becoming the first Punjabi artist to perform at Coachella to being hailed as the “biggest Punjabi artist on the planet” on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show. This is reflected in viagogo’s fan data, with the star making the top 10 in-demand artists in 2024. Diljit Dosanjh saw the biggest demand from fans in Birmingham, Sheffield and London.
While Taylor Swift might have the crown, Olivia Rodrigo is quickly building her own kingdom. The Grammy-winning 20-year-old’s second album, GUTS, has struck a chord with British fans – securing ninth spot in the most in-demand artist list.
Rock continues to have a place in the UK’s heart with Foo Fighters and AC/DC finishing at number four and number seven, respectively, in the top ten in-demand artists. Both bands’ unstoppable energy proves that rock is far from dead.
Revealed – The UK’s Most Devoted Swifties
Londoners were the most devoted Swifties according to the viagogo fan powered data, with TayTay’s fans in the capital demanding ten times more tickets for the The Eras Tour UK dates compared to its closest counterparts in Manchester and Nottingham.
In Scotland, despite The Eras Tour being staged in Edinburgh, data from viagogo revealed Glasgow-based Swifties demanded tickets more than those in the Scottish capital.
The UK’s Regional Rhythms
It’s a tale of two superstars as Taylor Swift and Liam Gallagher dominate the UK’s live music scene – but the regional breakdown of inter-city ticket demand on viagogo reveals some interesting surprises.
Newcastle local boy Sam Fender takes the crown for most in-demand artist amongst Geordies, narrowly ahead of Taylor Swift.
In Yorkshire, Take That and Taylor Swift topped the poll for the most in-demand artists amongst music fans in Sheffield, while hip-hop and modern R&B star Bryson Tiller took the top spot in Leeds.
Potentially the stand-out statistic from viagogo’s ‘Year In Live Experiences’ roundup was demand for Yorkshire’s very own pop queen and national treasure Jane McDonald was level with none other than global superstar Taylor Swift amongst fans based in Leeds showing the UK’s love for homegrown talent.
In Birmingham, Diljit Dosanjh stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Britpop legend Liam Gallagher based on 2024 ticket demand amongst fans in the area.
In the West Country, Taylor Swift once again topped fan demand for tickets, followed by Take That and Olivia Rodrigo. While indie veterans Massive Attack – who are Bristolian locals – made the top ten most in-demand acts in the city.
Glasgow is undeniably the rock capital. The most in-demand artists amongst music fans living in the Scottish city were Liam Gallagher, P!NK, Foo Fighters’ Slipknot and blink-182 in 2024, according to viagogo fan-led data.
Proving nostalgia is still a massive hit, the third most in-demand artist for people living in Belfast were 80’s icons Wet Wet Wet. With classics like ‘Love Is All Around’, the Scottish legends are keeping the city’s music fans hooked decades later.
Globe-trotting Gig-goers
Coldplay fans clocked up a staggering 18.8 million miles between them travelling to see the band’s global tour dates, with the most popular cities including Budapest, Rome and Munich, while fans of Adele in the UK travelled over 2.2 million miles collectively to see the Tottenham-born star’s Munich residency.
Taylor Swift’s unmissable The Eras Tour encouraged thousands of Swifties to fly from all over the world to catch the pop-star in the UK, with fans from 113 countries buying tickets. Fans demonstrated their spontaneity, with 42% of ticket sales for her UK tour being purchased on viagogo just a month before the show and over a quarter (26%) snapped up in the final week.
Outside of the UK, the most popular tour spots for British Swifties to catch The Eras Tour were Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid followed by Singapore.
Matt Drew, Business Development Lead at viagogo said:
“Music fans are increasingly investing in travel, accommodation and retail with 2024’s live music roundup highlighting a diverse mix of fan favourites that ruled stages. From iconic British groups like Coldplay and Take That to global newcomers like Olivia Rodrigo and Diljit Dosanjh, it’s clear the UK’s taste remains a melting pot, with gigs for every kind of music lover.
Safe, regulated marketplaces like ours play a vital role in ensuring venues are vibrant and full, which helps contribute a total of £733 million in turnover to local businesses that support live events and supports nearly 8,000 jobs in the hospitality and retail sectors. We’re committed to ensuring fans have greater access to these unforgettable experiences, and it’s clear that their passion has a positive ripple effect on the wider economy.”
Special mentions and 2025 look ahead
This year, there has been a stream of pop-powerhouses beloved by Gen-Z which are breaking the internet and tipped to be the hottest tickets next year.
The lime-green, viral ‘Brat Summer’ trend by Charli XCX quickly took the world by storm. In a recent list of the biggest BRAT-loving fans based on country buyers on viagogo – the UK came second after the US, followed by Canada, South Africa and Germany.
Sabrina Carpenter celebrates an incredible year after achieving three UK number 1’s with hit tracks ‘Espresso’, ‘Please, Please, Please’ and ‘Taste’. Sabrina’s fans- lovingly dubbed the ‘Carpenters’ flooded her viagogo page as its views skyrocketed by 16,000% over the past year.
Carpenter will take her ‘Short N’ Sweet’ tour to British shores next March before joining Charli XCX and Chappell Roan on Barcelona’s Primavera festival stage in May.
Finally, record breaking, six-BRIT winner Raye has had a transformative 2024, sweeping three Grammy nominations for her debut album ‘My 21st Century Blues’. Fans of the eclectic project crowned the Croydon-born singer as the third best-selling global black female act on viagogo and following her historic BRITS win, fan demand for tickets to Raye’s O2 headline show spiked by 845% on the platform.
In 2025, Raye is one to watch as she headlines All Points East festival alongside fellow Grammy-nominated acts Doechii and Tyla.