Canadian pop-punk star Avril Lavigne is the latest headline act announced for Cardiff Castle next summer.
The alternative rock singer-songwriter, whose hits include Sk8er Boi, Complicated and I’m With You, will headline a massive outdoor show at the historic venue on Tuesday July 2.
She will be supported by Canadian rock band Simple Plan.
Avril Lavigne has blazed a trail of her own since launching her debut album Let Go in 2002 – alongside singles Complicated, Sk8er Boi and I’m With You. Aged just 17, Lavigne became the youngest female solo artist to hit the Number One slot in the UK album charts, while the three singles earned her the accolade of being only the second act in history to have three top-ten songs from a debut album hit the US Billboard chart’s Mainstream Top 40.
An uncompromising force in music and culture, Lavigne has sold 40million albums worldwide, following her septuple platinum, record-breaking debut with triple-platinum Under My Skin (2004), double-platinum The Best Damn Thing (2007), gold-selling Goodbye Lullaby (2011), gold-selling Avril Lavigne (2013), and Head Above Water (2019). She has notched eight GRAMMY® Award nominations including Song Of The Year, twice, for Complicated and I’m With You.
In 2022, she kicked off her biggest and boldest chapter to date, releasing her seventh studio album Love Sux with Travis Barker’s DTA Records. An eighth studio album is in the making, with Goldfinger’s John Feldman, Travis Barker, Yungblud and Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low all collaborating.
Her social media following exceeds 93.6million fans worldwide, and away from music, she has starred in Richard Linklater’s Fast Food Nation, DreamWorks Animation’s film Over The Hedge, The Flock, and more.
From their new millennium rise to MTV superstardom through pop-punk’s modern resurgence, Simple Plan have been an indelible part of pop culture since forming in Montreal in 1999. They’ve sold 10 million albums worldwide, won multiple Juno Awards, performed at the 2010 Winter Olympics – and, most recently, launched the omnipresent #ImJustAKid TikTok challenge that’s spawned more than 3.4 million videos, including clips from Hilary Duff, Ed Sheeran, Usher and Venus and Serena Williams.
Most importantly, they’ve never lost connection with what really matters: their audience. “We feel so lucky to have fans who love our old and new material,” says drummer Chuck Comeau. “We’re very proud of our past, but we’re even more excited about the future. We truly always feel we’re three minutes away from the best or biggest song of our career.”
The headlining shows for Cardiff Castle are presented by promoters DEPOT Live and Cuffe and Taylor.
Nick Saunders from DEPOT Live said: “This is yet another brilliant show to add to our line-up for next summer.
“Avril Lavigne has wowed fans internationally for more than 20 years so we look forward to welcoming her and Simple Plan to Cardiff Castle for a great night.”
Avril Lavigne is the latest headliner revealed for what promises to be an incredible summer at Cardiff Castle. She joins indie music legends Manic Street Preachers and Suede who will play two consecutive sold-out co-headline shows, a double-headlining show from US alt rockers The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer, and headlining shows from JLS, Tom Grennan and Madness, with more to be announced.
Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday December 01 from depotlive.co.uk
