December is the month when live music traditionally has to compete with Christmas parties, questionable jumpers and the annual realisation that you have absolutely no idea what to buy your dad.
Fortunately, the East Midlands gig calendar is making a fairly convincing argument for squeezing in at least one more night out before 2026 disappears.
Across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire there are arena-sized shows, returning indie favourites, rising bands and enough 1990s nostalgia to make your old CD collection feel unexpectedly relevant again.
We’ve also deliberately left out shows that have already sold out.
Here are 10 East Midlands gigs still worth having on your December radar.
DERBYSHIRE
⭐ Ocean Colour Scene + The Enemy
Vaillant Live, Derby | Tuesday 1 December
December gets off to an extremely Britpop-shaped start in Derby.
Ocean Colour Scene bring their Moseley Shoals 30th anniversary tour to Vaillant Live, with Coventry indie favourites The Enemy officially confirmed as the special guests.
The anniversary is a significant one. Released in 1996, Moseley Shoals gave us The Riverboat Song, You’ve Got It Bad, The Day We Caught The Train and The Circle.
The Derby show forms part of a 13-date anniversary tour, with Ocean Colour Scene promising highlights from the record alongside hits and fan favourites from across their career.
Why go? Because there are worse ways of starting Christmas month than several thousand people singing The Day We Caught The Train.
[TICKETS]
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Ash
Rock City, Nottingham | Sunday 6 December
Now this feels like a Rock City gig.
Northern Irish favourites Ash hit the Nottingham venue on Sunday 6 December, with doors opening at 7pm. Tickets remain advertised by the venue.
The band have built up one of British and Irish indie rock’s most reliable collections of singles, with songs including Girl From Mars, Kung Fu, Shining Light and Burn Baby Burn.
If you’ve somehow reached December without hearing enough distorted guitars, this should sort things out.
Why go? Few bands make three-minute guitar pop sound quite this effortless.
[Tickets]
Belle & Sebastian
Rock City, Nottingham | Friday 11 December
One for the indie-pop faithful.
Belle & Sebastian are at Rock City on Friday 11 December as part of celebrations marking 30 years since their early landmark albums.
And this isn’t simply a normal greatest-hits show.
The Nottingham night will see the band perform 1996 debut album Tigermilk in full, followed by a second set of favourites.
That’s a pretty strong proposition for anyone with even a passing affection for 90s indie.
Why go? Tigermilk from beginning to end inside Rock City, followed by another set. We don’t need much convincing.
[Tickets]
⭐ Kneecap
Motorpoint Arena Nottingham | Saturday 12 December
Quite possibly the East Midlands gig of the month.
Belfast rap trio Kneecap bring their Fenian World Tour to Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Saturday 12 December.
Their collision of Irish-language hip-hop, punk attitude and huge live energy has propelled them from cult concern to sizeable venues remarkably quickly.
Now Nottingham gets to see how that translates to an arena.
No support act is currently named on the official listings we’ve checked, so we’re not going to invent one.
Why go? Because this has all the makings of one of those gigs people will still be talking about afterwards.
[Tickets]
LEICESTERSHIRE
Jo Whiley’s 90s Anthems
O2 Academy Leicester | Friday 4 December
Right, technically we’re stretching the definition of “gig” here. But we’re allowing it.
Jo Whiley’s 90s Anthems comes to O2 Academy Leicester on Friday 4 December, with doors at 7.30pm and Jo Whiley’s DJ set scheduled from 9.30pm until 11pm.
Expect the decade when Britpop, rave, grunge and enormous alternative records somehow peacefully coexisted in everyone’s CD racks.
Why go? An enormous 90s disco without having to persuade your mates that you’re still capable of staying awake until 3am.
[Tickets]
⭐ Handmade 2026
O2 Academy Leicester | Saturday 5 December
If we were picking a December date for people who really love live music rather than simply big names, this would be high on the list.
Handmade 2026 takes over O2 Academy Leicester on Saturday 5 December with 13 bands across two stages and no clashes.
And the confirmed line-up is excellent:
- Dutch Uncles
- And So I Watch You From Afar
- Jamie Lenman
- My Vitriol
- Pulled Apart By Horses
- Scaler
- Johnny Foreigner
- Gallops
- Sans Froid
- Charlotte Carpenter
- Eyre Llew
- Details
- Mouse Teeth
Doors open at 1pm with proceedings running through until the 11pm curfew.
Why go? Thirteen bands, two stages and no clashes. Considerably more exciting than another Saturday wandering around a Christmas market pretending you’re interested in handmade soap.
[Tickets]
Professor Green + The Twang + Good Health Good Wealth
O2 Academy Leicester | Saturday 12 December
Now here’s an unexpectedly entertaining bill.
Professor Green headlines O2 Academy Leicester on Saturday 12 December, with The Twang and Good Health Good Wealth officially confirmed as support.
That gives you British hip-hop, Midlands indie nostalgia and one of the newer names worth keeping an eye on, all in the same night.
Doors open at 7pm with an 11pm curfew.
Why go? Honestly? The combination alone makes us curious.
[Tickets]
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Tom Meighan: Empire XX – 20 Years Live
Mattioli Arena, Leicester | Saturday 19 December
This one isn’t simply another tour stop.
Former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan returns to Leicester on Saturday 19 December for a special one-off performance marking 20 years of Empire.
Tom Meighan will perform the album from beginning to end, with the concert also being recorded live.
As things stand, support and stage times are still to be announced.
Why go? A Leicester homecoming, the whole of Empire and the final Saturday before Christmas. Subdued it probably won’t be.
[Tickets]
LINCOLNSHIRE
Big Country: The Seer 40th Anniversary Tour
The Drill, Lincoln | Saturday 5 December
One of 1980s alternative rock’s most recognisable names arrives in Lincoln on Saturday 5 December.
Big Country play The Drill as part of The Seer 40th Anniversary Tour, with doors opening at 7pm.
There’s a slight wrinkle with the support billing. The venue currently lists“Evan Peters presenting The Alarm”, while other listings describe the support as The Alarm. We’re therefore sticking with the venue’s wording rather than trying to second-guess it.
Why go? Big, unmistakable guitar songs in a room small enough for them to hit properly.
[Tickets]
Shed Seven + The Academic
The Engine Shed, Lincoln | Monday 7 December
Lincoln gets its own sizeable helping of Britpop nostalgia when Shed Seven roll into The Engine Shed on Monday 7 December.
And there’s a decent support act here too.
Irish indie band The Academic are officially confirmed to open the show.
Shed Seven have enjoyed a remarkable second wind in recent years, but let’s be honest: you’ll still struggle to find many rooms full of indie fans capable of resisting Chasing Rainbows.
Why go? A strong support followed by Going For Gold, Disco Down and the inevitable communal Chasing Rainbows. Monday night rescued.
[Tickets]
So yes, December might technically be about Christmas.
But you can listen to Last Christmas while you’re wrapping presents.
For now, we’d get some gigs booked.
Dates, venues, published line-ups and ticket availability checked on 12 November 2026. Availability and support bills can change.
