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Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn return to MOTH Club for three September nights

A 200-capacity former servicemen’s club on Valette Street sets the scale for a close-range run by two of British pop’s most enduring songwriters.

Published 2026-08-10 · CrowdMate editorial checks passed

Ben Watt takes over MOTH Club on Valette Street, Hackney, across Sunday 13, Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 September 2026. CrowdMate’s listing bills Tracey Thorn alongside him; Thorn’s own events page gives the same three dates under the heading “Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn at MOTH Club, London”. That is the clearest way to read these nights: a three-show engagement carrying the pair’s individual names, within the venue that already hosted their intimate 2025 performances.^[2][3]

Three dates, dual billing

The billing matters. Watt and Thorn formed Everything But The Girl after meeting as students at Hull University in 1981, initially arriving as separately signed Cherry Red artists. Their catalogue moved from the spare early single “Night and Day” through the jazz-folk shape of Eden, guitar-pop, orchestral arrangements and then electronic production. In 2023, Fuse became their highest-charting UK album, reaching No. 3. September’s listings therefore place two writers with a long shared body of work in a room built for close listening.^[3][4]

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A rare scale for established songwriters

MOTH Club makes the scale unusual. Watt’s official biography describes the venue as a 200-capacity room and says the pair’s April 2025 dates there sold out, performed under the names Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn. That capacity sits far from the career statistics attached to Everything But The Girl: nine studio albums, twelve UK Top 40 singles and seven UK Top 20 albums, according to Watt’s site. The draw here is proximity: songs shaped across four decades can be heard without the distance imposed by a theatre or arena.^[3]

The Valette Street setting

MOTH Club remains an active part of the building’s older social life. The Valette Street site began as Hackney’s branch of the Memorable Order of Tin Hats, an ex-servicemen’s organisation, and opened in 1972; its 2015 partnership with promoters LNZRT developed the live programme alongside that heritage. The room still carries a small stage and gold-foil curtains, while its address sits by Hackney Central Overground. This mix of veterans’ club history, compact dimensions and working local venue culture gives the Watt and Thorn run a distinct setting, far removed from a standard reunion circuit.^[5][6]

Practical details

The shows fall on 13, 14 and 15 September 2026 at MOTH Club, Valette Street, London E9 6NU. The official MOTH Club events page is the venue reference point, while Tracey Thorn’s events page confirms the artist names and dates. Line-ups, door times, ticket status and any access arrangements can shift, so recheck both official pages before travel or purchase.^[1][2][5]

Also this week

• Ben WattMOTH Club · 2026-09-13
• Ben WattMOTH Club · 2026-09-14

Sources

1. Events — MOTH Club
2. Events — Tracey Thorn
3. About — Ben Watt
4. About — Everything But The Girl
5. MOTH Club | Music in Hackney, London — Time Out
6. Lest we forget — a history of the Memorable Order of Tin Hats — East End Review