Mike Scott

Few songwriters have blurred the boundaries between rock, folk, Celtic tradition and poetic storytelling quite like Mike Scott. For more than four decades, the Scottish musician has led The Waterboys through one of the most adventurous and unpredictable careers in modern music, creating songs that have become timeless classics while constantly refusing to stand still.

On Thursday 3 September 2026, Scott returns to Valencia's Roig Arena with what promises to be one of the city's standout concerts of the year. Better still, it's the band's only Spanish performance of 2026, making it an essential date for music lovers across the country.

From the explosive grandeur of The Whole of the Moon and This Is The Sea to the earthy, Irish-inspired brilliance of Fisherman's Blues, Mike Scott has spent his career creating music that feels both deeply spiritual and gloriously alive. His songs have inspired generations of artists while earning The Waterboys a reputation as one of the greatest live bands in Europe.

Rather than simply revisiting old favourites, Scott continues to evolve. The band's acclaimed recent album Life, Death and Dennis Hopper proved that creativity remains at the heart of The Waterboys, blending ambitious songwriting with fearless experimentation.

The Valencia show arrives as part of The Fisherman's Blues Revue, a special production celebrating the band's landmark 1988 album Fisherman's Blues—widely regarded as one of the defining folk-rock records ever made.

For this unique tour, legendary violinist Steve Wickham returns alongside acclaimed American songwriter Steve Earle, creating an expanded eight-piece line-up that promises to recreate—and reinvent—the magic of the Fisherman's Bluesera. Scott himself has described these concerts as having the potential to become "some of the greatest shows in The Waterboys' history."

The celebrations also coincide with the release of Atlantic Rain, an expansive triple album featuring previously unheard recordings from the original Fisherman's Blues sessions, offering fans an unprecedented glimpse into one of the band's most creative periods.

Following two sold-out performances at the venue, The Waterboys are stepping up to the main Roig Arena for a larger-scale production. Their previous Valencia appearances proved the city's growing love affair with Mike Scott's music, with audiences embracing everything from the euphoric singalong of How Long Will I Love You to the transcendent finale of The Whole of the Moon.

Expect an evening where soaring rock anthems collide with Celtic reels, soulful ballads and moments of breathtaking improvisation—all delivered by musicians who have spent decades perfecting the art of live performance.

What makes Mike Scott so compelling isn't simply his extraordinary catalogue—it's his refusal to become a heritage act. Every tour, every album and every performance feels like a new chapter rather than a victory lap. That restless creativity has kept The Waterboys relevant for over forty years, and it remains the driving force behind every concert.

For long-time fans, this is a chance to hear one of rock's most influential catalogues performed by its original visionary. For newcomers, it's the perfect introduction to a band whose music has lost none of its power, passion or sense of adventure.

On 3 September, Valencia won't just be hosting another concert. It will be welcoming one of the great storytellers of modern music—and a live band still capable of delivering something genuinely unforgettable.

We recently caught up with Mike for a chat and asked him a few questions that the fans here in Valencia had emailed in to us. Here is what he had to say:

Valencia audiences have clearly embraced The Waterboys. After selling out previous Roig Arena dates, you're returning for your only Spanish show of 2026. What has made the connection between the band and Valencia so special?

It’s always been so and I don’t know why! The Valencia audience has always struck me as being very wild and emotionally liberated. Something in our music has resonated with that and we are very grateful for it.  We have always loved to play in Valenica, from our very first shows in 1989. It’s always a show we look forward to when we are on tour. We might play 30 shows in the UK – some will be great, some not so great. Then we come to Valencia and everything is wild!

We are very happy to have the only Spanish Waterboys gig in 2026 here in Valencia - why Valenica and not Madrid, Barcelona or somewhere else in Spain?

 We would have been very happy to play Madrid and Barcelona, but we had a very limited amount of time where we could get everyone together. It’s not getting The Waterboys together – Steve Wickham is coming back to play fiddle, Steve Earle is joining us, and this really was the only date in a limited window of time.

For the Fisherman's Blues Revue you'll be joined by Steve Wickham and Steve Earle. What do those musicians bring to the songs, and how different can fans expect this show to be from a standard Waterboys concert?

 Steve Wickham was The Waterboys amazing fiddler for any years, and he played on the original Fisherman’s Blues album.  So, he will be bringing that sound and spirit – the sound of his fiddle and the spirit of his musical partnership with me. Steve Earle brings his own artistry and songs, and he brings the sense of being a brother troubadour and that will add another element to the show.

The upcoming Roig Arena show is centred around The Fisherman's Blues, an album that has become almost mythical in the Waterboys catalogue. Why do you think that record continues to resonate so deeply nearly four decades after its release?

 It’s an album where freedom was the core characteristic. It was a record made with complete freedom. We didn’t care what was popular in the world, we didn’t care what people where listening to, we didn’t care what the record company thought. We didn’t care what the fans thought, all we cared was that the record was good they could enjoy it.  We didn’t care if they had expectations of what our music should be like, we were going to do what we wanted. So it was just a wonderful freedom and that freedom extended to the way we wrote and recorded the music. It’s an album full of that free spirit.

You've spent decades travelling, writing and performing around the world. Is there a particular song in the Waterboys catalogue that means something completely different to you today than when you first wrote it?

 “This Is The Sea” probably.  I still appreciate the central meaning of the song – it’s about someone who has found themselves at a crossroads in their life and realises a different set of solutions are required if they are to move forward. The song still has that meaning, but I have updated it in the last six or seven years, the tune is quite different, and I have updated a lot of the lyrics so it now addressing current social issues in the world. I now enjoy playing it more than I ever did before.

The Waterboys have evolved through so many musical incarnations over the years. Looking back, what do you think has remained the constant thread running through everything you've created?

 Well obviously, me and my songwriting but it’s also to do with the way I have relationships with the musicians and the understanding I have with them. The musicians who stick around, who last more than one album – especially the ones who last for five, six or more and are with me for many years. These are musicians who I have an unspoken understanding with; there is like a telepathy between us. I prefer not to give musicians a lot of instructions as to what they should do, I like them to come up with their own parts and to play from their own personality. A lot of what I do as a bandleader, is to allow that to happen without controlling it. That is a constant dynamic in The Waterboys.

Many younger artists cite The Waterboys as an influence. When you listen to modern folk, rock and Americana artists, do you hear traces of your own musical DNA in what they're doing today?

I only hear it occasionally. Yeah, do hear it sometimes and I find it very flattering that The Waterboys have had an impact on people and they have been inspired.

If you could sit down with the Mike Scott who formed The Waterboys in 1983, what's the one thing you'd tell him about the journey that lies ahead?

Well, my younger self needed a big piece of advice which was “Trust yourself – all the answers you need will be inside you; you will feel them in your belly. If something is wrong you will get a wrong feeling in your belly, if something is right you will get a right feeling in your belly.  Obay those feelings.

When fans walk out of Roig Arena after The Fisherman's Blues Revue, what do you hope they're feeling? What is the experience you want people to take home from that night in Valencia?

Well, I hope before the gig they feel a lot of anticipation and excitement. We are not going to come out and play The Fisherman’s Blues from track one to the end. That would be too boring for The Waterboys. We will be playing songs from the album and that era, we will be playing Steve Earles songs as well and lots of other classic Waterboys songs, but with that kind of spirit.  It’s going to be a really fantastic show!

You are 40 years deep into The Waterboys and still going strong, looking and sounding incredible on stage. Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

Dunno!! I guess in ten years’ time a lot of the artists from the previous generation will have stopped and the people my age (I will be 77) will still be playing and we will become the elder statesmen. It’s going to be a really interesting time. I didn’t think I many ambitions left, but then this morning I was thinking how much I would like to record in one of those classic Los Angelese studios where they made all the great records from the 1960’s. So I researched it and I found “Ocean Wave Studios” it still exists (now called east West Studios) and also “Sound City Studios”. I have made a decision this morning that the next Waterboys album is going to recorded in LA in one of those studios.

If you could perform with anyone – Dead or Alive – who would it be?

Most of the artists I wished I could play onstage with are musicians who have passed on, like Nicky Hopkins the piano player. I would have loved to play with Nicky Hopkins.  He was around for the first twenty years or so of The Waterboys career, but in those days, I never really thought of playing with guys from the previous generation even though I loved the records they made. Nicky Hopkins played on “Jealous Guy”, which is one of my favourite tracks – it’s absolutely off the scale beautiful. But at the time I probably wouldn’t have considered myself worthy of him playing with us. If he was still around, I would hire him in a heartbeat!

I would like to play with Bob Dylan. Actually, I have played with Bob Dylan! I played with him in 1985 in a recording studio and that was good fun! But I would like to play with him on stage, that would be really cool.

And finally, a quick message for the fans.

We love the fans in Valencia and we are really grateful to you all for sticking with us all these years and giving us so many amazing nights. We are proud to coming back and we will see you all in September!

For tickets and more information: Roig Arena

 Words, interview and photos: Rhyan Paul