Ellie Sax – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax

By Alex Crabtree, June 2026

I had a blast the last time she played here, so when it was announced that Ellie Sax was returning to headline The Piece Hall, there was absolutely no way we were missing it.

This time, it was a proper family affair. I headed down to The Piece Hall with my 13-year-old daughter, Meghan, and a big group of our friends. It was a boiling hot day, and the place looked incredible in the sunshine. Everywhere you looked, the crowd was decked out in plenty of sequins and sparkles.

The mood was good too. Lots of energy (despite the heat!) and we were ready for a huge summer party…

“Fantastic from the first note”

The afternoon got off to a flyer with some brilliant support. We caught fantastic DJ sets from Taylor Shipley, Arkaid, Patrick, and Sigma, who did a great job of warming up the crowd. We were already dancing away – reminiscing with my friends over some club classics that we used to throw shapes to way back in our teenage years!

And as 9pm came, Ellie Sax strutted on to the stage with her saxophone, and the nicely busy crowd greeted her with a huge Halifax welcome.

She was fantastic from the first note. Ellie didn’t waste any time and got straight into the anthems. She treated everyone to high-energy sax performances, blasting out club classics like ‘Right Here, Right Now’ and ‘Disconnect’. It sounded so good in the open air, and hearing her put her signature sax spin on heavy hitters like ‘Baddadan’ and ‘Gold Dust’ was something else.

The courtyard was completely bouncing, and the night was going fast.

“Summer holiday party atmosphere”

With the sax, the gorgeous weather and the open-air setting, the whole place had a real summer holiday party atmosphere. It felt like we could have been partying on the White Isle, instead of dancing away right in the heart of Halifax.

The crowd were great as well. It was a wonderfully friendly, happy set of people. Dancing, smiling, completely letting loose…it was exactly what live music should be about – pure fun and great company.

Ellie kept the night going without much slowing down, And the musical surprises just kept coming. We were treated to massive, sax-fueled versions of Flo Rida’s ‘Good Feeling’ and the carnival vibes of ‘Samba de Janeiro’. The energy levels went even higher when the familiar chords of ‘Mr Brightside’ and ‘Destination Unknown’ echoed around The Piece Hall.

With clubby style lights, the place looked amazing when the darkness came in towards 10 o’clock. Meghan and I were completely caught up in the rhythm, singing along to huge tracks like ‘Don’t You Worry Child’, ‘Infinity’, and a surprisingly brilliant, upbeat dance take on Snow Patrol’s ‘Chasing Cars’.

“Didn’t stop dancing”

As we cruised into the final stretch of the night, the anthems kept on coming. I honestly didn’t want this one to come to an end, and the crowd went wild for a massive rendition of ‘Freed From Desire’. Meghan said she’d never sung along to anything so loudly in her life!

Then came the absolute highlight of the night. For the massive finale, Ellie brought out a local choir to join her on stage for a lovely cover of ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay, followed by Otto Knows’ ‘Million Voices’. It was a beautiful homely touch that was fitting for such a warm and friendly night. And it sounded completely immense!

Meghan and I both absolutely loved it. It was the perfect mix of nostalgic club anthems, hometown pride, and brilliant summer weather. Ellie Sax completely nailed it, and we didn’t stop dancing until long after we got home.

Images: Cuffe & Taylor