Tim Burgess Announces 2027 Merch Market Tour Across London, Manchester and Glasgow

Tim Burgess has confirmed that his free merch marketplace will return in 2027, touring London, Manchester and Glasgow.

The Charlatans frontman launched his Merch Market last year, beginning with an inaugural event in Manchester. The initiative offers bands complimentary stalls where they can sell merchandise and retain the full proceeds. First‑year participants included New Order, Inspiral Carpets, Everything Everything, Penfriend, Cabbage and others.

The second edition took place at London’s Troxy earlier this year, featuring stalls, live interviews and performances. Notable appearances included Sprints, Gurriers, Blur’s Dave Rowntree, Dry Cleaning, Honeyglaze, Doves and Public Service Broadcasting’s J Willgoose.

The 2027 edition is now confirmed and will be spread across three days in three cities at the start of the year.

The first day will be held at Troxy in London on Sunday, 24 January, showcasing stalls, live sets and on‑stage interviews. The second day moves to Manchester’s Freight Island on 31 January, followed by the third stop at Barrowlands in Glasgow on 28 February – marking the event’s debut in Scotland.

“When we first thought of doing The Merch Market, our aim was to bring it to Barrowlands – I can’t really overstate my love for the place,” Burgess said.

Further details about the events will be shared at a later date, but the format will remain consistent, with artist‑run stalls, live performances, Q&A sessions and more. The live‑event payment platform atVenu is covering all venue‑hire fees to make this second wave of events possible.

“We came up with the idea of a place for bands to get together and sell much and make some cash – we didn’t realise how well it would be received,” Burgess continued. “It’s so much more than the sum of its parts – festivals have booked bands for line‑ups, fans get to meet their favourite bands and it’s a brilliant way to spend a day. We love that it’s gone from strength to strength and we are really excited for the future.”

The 2026 edition included Tim’s Vinyl Adventures – a record fair that he’s been running since the publication of his book of that name. At his own stall, the singer offered roughly 300 records from his personal collection.

He also launched a vintage souvenir ticket generator for the event, allowing fans to create a physical keepsake of gigs in an era when tickets are largely digital. Burgess got the idea after surveying over 2,000 fans on X/Twitter who expressed a desire for a ticket memento of the band’s upcoming tour.

Inspiration for the event followed on from The Charlatans frontman speaking out about venues taking an unfair cut of merch sales back in 2021, and saying that “the whole system needs addressing.” In further comments to NME in 2022, he reiterated his stance was “about fairness” and not money, adding: “Often at Charlatans gigs, our fans smash the record for the bar take at a venue.”

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