Having only recently made their first two North American performances - first a one-nighter in New York City's Melrose Ballroom in 2019, followed by a US-Canada tour in late August 2025, Danish middle-of-the-road outfit Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR) seem to be finally setting their sights on the UK - and the world with it.

The band's maiden UK performance will take place on January 30th 2026, a Friday, at London's prestigious Indigo @ the O2 concert hall. A full house is expected.

Known for their unique coverage of all subgenres of the middle-of-the-road genre from power ballads ("25 minutes", "Out of the blue", "Paint my love", "That's why (you go away)", "You took my heart away", "The ghost of you", "Take me to your heart") to acoustic ("Crazy dream", "Sleeping child", "Complicated heart", "Fairytale", "A life to remember") to synthesizer ballads ("The Actor", "Love will never lie"), as well as the occasional if rarer upbeat rockers ("I'm gonna come back", "Someday somewhere", "Wild women"), Michael Learns To Rock are well-known for promoting and preserving the message of love in their song lyrics. Members Jascha Richter (vocals, keyboards), Mikkel Lentz (guitars), and Kaare Wanscher (drums) formed what would become MLTR in 1988 for Eurovision, taking their band name in a hurry - it was an obvious play on guitarist Mikkel Lentz's name. Although they did not win Eurovision, they went on to release their debut single, "The Actor", in 1991.

Sadly, Michael Learns To Rock also became a well-known example of the "geo-blocked" artiste. After "The Actor" became unexpectedly successful in Indonesia thanks to the purchase of the single from a Balinese DJ who happened to be holidaying in Denmark at the time, Michael Learns To Rock were advised by their management to "concentrate on Asia" as well as their home country. This was the case for the next thirty years or so, which ended up depriving a whole generation of music-lovers the world over of this great band's greater music and performances. The geo-block was even exercised on digital platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.

Finally, possibly some time around 2018- or 2019-ish, the geo-block was lifted by Michael Learns To Rock's management. The band's almost-full catalog became available for streaming or download worldwide, with one sole exception ("Fairytale" from 2012). However, their physical CDs remain geo-blocked on most "official" stores - though nothing can stop customers from buying them as parallel imports on eBay or Discogs.

Several radio stations based in the UK have been seen playing MLTR's songs in recent times. The most notable examples of these songs are "That's why (you go away)", "Sleeping child", "The Actor", and "You took my heart away". This is likely in preparation for the band's upcoming UK debut in London.

Following their performance in London, Michael Learns To Rock will then be heading to make another debut appearance, this time in Australia on the other end of the globe. The popularity of Michael Learns To Rock worldwide has indeed been on an uphill roll since the geo-block on their music was lifted.

You may purchase your tickets online for Michael Learns To Rock's debut UK concert, at the O2's official site here.




















With over 30 million records sold worldwide, MLTR continues to captivate audiences with their unique blend of middle-of-the-road music, delivering timeless songs that have won them legions of fans across the globe.