An Isle of Wight musician will fulfil a long-held ambition when his band takes to the stage of London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall next month.
Guitarist Andy Strickland (pictured second from the left) and his band, The Loft, have been invited to open a two night stint as ‘special guests’ of Scottish indie pop giants, Belle and Sebastian.
New album and single
The show on 8th April 2026 coincides with the release of a new single and album by The Loft, who toured the UK twice last year, as well as playing a sell out headline show in Paris, a baking hot afternoon slot at the Isle of Wight festival and recording a BBC 6 Music session – their fifth in total.
Strickland: I thought it must be a wind up
Seaview resident, Andy, explains,
“We met some of Belle and Sebastian in Glasgow when we played a couple of years back.
“But when an email arrived late on a Sunday night just after Christmas asking if we’d like to play the Albert Hall, I thought it must be a wind up.”
A long-time fan
Turns out it was simply an invite from Belle and Sebastian singer, Stuart Murdoch, a long-time fan of the Loft, who hit the top spot in the UK indie chart back in 1985, before famously splitting up mid-song on stage at the Hammersmith Palais.
Last year, the now reformed group’s ‘Everything Changes Everything Stays The Same’ LP reached the top 20 of the UK albums chart and got rave reviews.
In November they recorded the follow up, ‘Badges’, which is released on 8th May 2026 when the band sets out on tour once again. As an appetiser for the album, a new single ‘Campervan’ was released on 5th March 2026 on the German record label, Tapete Records.
Andy says,
“It’s weird how things work out.
“I was watching a documentary about Creedence Clearwater Revival playing at the Albert Hall in 1970 just a few months ago and thinking how brilliant – and terrifying – that would be.”
Andy and his bandmates will soon find out for real. Very limited tickets are still available for the shows direct from the RAH box office.
You can find all the Loft tour dates and release info on their website.
News shared by Andy on behalf of The Loft. Ed
