Lianne La Havas announces residency at London’s newly-reopened KOKO

Lianne La Havas has announced a residency at the newly-restored London venue KOKO this spring.

  • READ MORE: Lianne La Havas – ‘Lianne La Havas’ review: third time’s the charm (and a shrewd play for self-ownership)

The singer-songwriter will play three dates at the venue, on May 9, 10 and 11. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 9am, and you can find them here.

They will be La Havas’ first live shows since the release of her self-titled third album in July 2020, due to pandemic-related delays.

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The residency will also mark some of the first shows at KOKO for three years. The venue initially shut in 2019 for a planned £70million refurbishment.

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A CGI impression of KOKO after refurbishment. CREDIT: Recent Spaces

It had been hoped that KOKO would only be closed for a year, but their plans suffered some major setbacks. In January 2020, there were fears for the future of KOKO after a fire broke out at the venue, while the coronavirus pandemic and “colossal water damage” also held up progress.

Earlier today (February 16), La Havas returned to Twitter after it appeared her account was hacked.

“Okayyyyyyyyy. I didn’t take up a new career selling PlayStations. I was hacked. How is everyone’s day going so far?” La Havas tweeted, after the apparent hacker posted a couple of tweets relating to a Sony Playstation competition.

She added: “I love you and missed you. I fancy some fried plantain.”

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In September, La Havas was among the winners at the 2021 Ivor Novello Awards, celebrating Britain’s best songwriters and composers. Her self-titled LP was named ‘Best Album’.

In a four-star review of the album, NME said: “By allowing herself space to follow her musical intuitions, Lianne La Havas might have finally found herself.







“On the closing track, in fact, she puts it best. “I’m done with settling for so much less than I deserve,” she sings. Whether she’s talking about love, her career, or both, it’s a joy to finally see her win.”

She revealed to NME last year that she’s now working on the follow-up. “All I can say is that it’s very fun at the moment. It’s turning out really cheerful, which I like,” she said. “I feel like I got all of my angst out on this most recent album [‘Lianne La Havas’], and now it’s time to have a laugh.”