Henry takes to the road on new tour

And fans of Henry Gallagher, the Standish High student who took Britain’s Got Talent by storm two years ago, are being promised a more mature sound.

The singer-songwriter, now aged 14, is hoping to debut a number of new tracks when he hits the road for five dates during the October half-term holidays.

He’s also pledged to showcase an updated version of one of his signature tunes, Lightning, which won over the BGT judges.

His agents have also lined up a soon-to-be-announced TV project to enhance his profile.

Henry said: “I am going to be performing a number of new songs which no-one has heard before, which are probably a little bit more mature than some of my other tracks.

“When I was on Britain’s Got Talent, a lot of those songs were written when I was around 12 so it feels good to get some new material out there.”

Part of the tour, which kicks off at the O2 Academy in Islington, London, on October 23, will take Henry back to his native north-west.

For his homecoming, at the 02 Academy in Liverpool on October 26 and the 02 Factory in Manchester the following night, he’s hopeful of seeing some familiar faces.

Added Henry: “It would be really good to see some of my friends from Wigan in the crowd when it comes to playing Manchester and Liverpool. I’ve got a new version of Lightning, which keeps the same feel but is more like the songs I’ve been writing now.”

Further dates are pencilled in for venues in Birmingham and Glasgow, sandwiched between the London and northern gigs, with local acts being arranged before Henry headlines.

His mum Marie Gallagher has been full of praise for his agents, Kim Glover, who have been involved with Ant & Dec and girl group B-Witched and are guiding the teenager through the music industry’s pitfalls.

She said: “He is really excited about this tour and is just looking forward to getting out there and playing.

“His agents have taken all the worry out of things and have just made it easy for him to concentrate on his music.”

This month has already seen Henry, who has supported the likes of Alt-J in the past, share a stage with 80s heart-throb Chesney Hawkes at a charity fundraiser. He’s also made star appearances at two Wigan Christmas lights switch-ons.