Will Varley once placed third in Nashville’s International Songwriting Competition — out of more than 20,000 entries — and he is finally coming to Nashville itself. English singer-songwriter Will Varley is heading out on an American tour promoting his seventh studio album. A highlight will be The Basement on October 16, and if you haven’t found him yet, this is the night that changes that.
Varley’s reputation as a live performer is built on intimacy and precision — the kind of show where a packed room goes genuinely quiet because nobody wants to miss a word. Drawing from a decade of relentless touring, from open mic floors in south London to sold-out nights at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, he has the kind of stage presence that makes a small venue feel like the only right place to see him. The Basement, one of Nashville’s most beloved listening rooms, is a perfect fit.
His latest album, Machines Will Never Learn To Make Mistakes Like Me (MNRK Music Group, May 2025), could be his richest work to date — co-produced with longtime collaborator Tom Farrer at a ramshackle studio on the Kent coast, and featuring guest appearances from Billy Bragg, Eleni Drake, and Bastille’s Dan Smith. Songs like “Different Man” and “Long Way Back To Now” move between lush, full-band production and stripped-back confessional folk, all held together by Varley’s deep-grain vocals and the kind of lyricism that makes you want to write down lines. The album explores hard touring, relationships under pressure, and what it means to hold yourself together when the world keeps tilting — themes that land differently when you know he wrote most of them in hospital waiting rooms and broken-down tour buses at 3am.
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 29 | Austin, TX | Hole In The Wall |
| Oct 1 | Phoenix, AZ | Dirty Drummer |
| Oct 2 | Los Angeles, CA | Permanent Records Roadhouse |
| Oct 5 | Portland, OR | Polaris |
| Oct 6 | Seattle, WA | Sunset Tavern |
| Oct 8 | Boise, ID | Neurolux |
| Oct 10 | Livingston, MT | Live From The Divide |
| Oct 13 | Chicago, IL | Reggie’s |
| Oct 14 | St. Louis, MO | Blue Strawberry |
| Oct 16 | Nashville, TN | The Basement |
| Oct 17 | Louisville, KY | Monarch |
| Oct 19 | Boston, MA | Club Passim |
| Oct 20 | New York, NY | Mercury Lounge |
| Oct 21 | Vienna, VA | Jammin Java |
| Oct 22 | Raleigh, NC | Pour House |
| Oct 23 | Decatur, GA | Eddie’s Attic |
Catch Will Varley at The Basement in Nashville on October 16 or one of the other venues on his tour. He is one of those artists who rewards the decision to show up — and you’ll leave wondering why it took you this long. Tickets and more at willvarley.com.
A curated pick by Planet Mars Music Editorial Staff and crafted with the help of AI