Better Than The Book announces its VERY FIRST LIVE SHOW: Ten Years On, with Special Guests Look What Happened & LUVD! Thursday 5th February 2026 @ The Hope & Ruin, Brighton (UK)!

​Well folks, HUGE news! After over 6 years preparation and much recent teasing on my part, we're FINALLY ready to make the biggest announcement of my musical journey so far:

My DIY ska-punk project Better Than The Book will be celebrating Ten Years On from the debut full-length album Two Years On by playing its first ever live show on Thursday 5th February 2026 at The Hope & Ruin in Brighton! With the big anniversary coming up, myself and the live band guys, Sam, Eamon & Andy agreed this was the perfect time to finally push for the stage and after many MANY setbacks and going around in circles, it's finally FINALLY set in stone!

We did aim for the actual anniversary of Feb 6th, but quickly realised that Friday nights are INCREDIBLY difficult to book apparently if it's your first gig! We managed to secure our dream venue of The Hope & Ruin in Brighton though! I've shared the stage with Andy many times there back in our LCA days and it's a great venue for a high energy music party! The capacity is only 150 peeps though so get your tickets booked as soon as you can to secure your place. I honestly have NO idea when we'll next be doing a live show, especially as grand and special as this one! Book your tickets below:

https://www.fatsoma.com/e/q2ub5sxo/better-than-the-book-presents-ten-years-on-with-special-guests-look-what-happened-luvd

And for the extra keen among you, use the promo code "TENYEARSON" (ALL CAPS) for a £1 off your ticket! Limited to the first few people though so get there first if you want the discount!

And be sure to get there early on the night too! Doors open at 7pm with the music planned to start promptly at 7:30pm. You don't want to miss a thing; it's gonna be one heck of a night!

As a little sneak peek of what to expect: we've prepared a 1 hour set of ours and the radio proven fan favourite songs for you folks, 14 songs from across Better Than The Book's 14 year discography + a few surprises for you! Get ready for a ska-punk, pop-punk, alterative rock party like no other!

But it's not just us playing OHHHH NO! You can't have a big party like this without friends so we've hand-picked two of Brighton's best and fantastic up-and-coming bands for a half hour set each as well! Say hello to Look What Happened, a pop-punk quintet who released their debut self-titled 3 track EP earlier this year and even made their BBC Radio debut last month, and LUVD, an alternative rock quintet who's been gathering momentum on the Brighton live scene and prepping to release their debut single in the next few weeks! It's an amazing pleasure to be playing alongside both of you and we can't wait to hit the stage with you in February! It's gonna be a night to remember!

A huge thanks to everyone who helped make this happen! It's been a LONG journey in the works and I am SO excited for next year! Thanks so much for sticking with me and my friends on this musical journey and I hope to see you from the stage on Thursday 5th February 2026 at The Hope & Ruin in Brighton! Much love, take care, and more updates coming soon!

Check out the press release below and announcement video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcuHd1AY450

Burgess Hill’s DIY ska-punk/pop-punk project Better Than The Book invites you to celebrate Ten Years On from its debut full-length album Two Years On by playing its long-awaited first-ever live show!
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Created by multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer and music producer Nick Standing and starting in mid-2012, Better Than The Book, via high-energy instrumentals and honest, relatable lyrics about Nick's own experiences, has been on a mission to create heartfelt anthems to inspire people to live life to the full. This, along with various stories about life and living, makes up what it means to be Better Than The Book! THIS IS MY LIFE from One Small Step [EP] (2012), to Two Years On (2016), Hopes and Dreams (2019), and Side Character In My Own Life (2025)!

With numerous tracks featured on UK and international radio, including BBC Introducing, Idobi Radio and the world’s #1 ska music radio show Beefy’s Ska Club, it's about time BTTB hit the stage. If you're a fan of blink-182, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Goldfinger, Less Than Jake, Zebrahead, ELLEGARDEN or The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, then you won’t want to miss this one night only pop-punk, ska-punk, and alternative rock party like no other!

“All the stops! No regrets! We’ve waited so long!”

With special guest support from Brighton’s very own pop-punks and alt-rockers Look What Happened and LUVD!