Former lead guitarist of The Coral, Bill Ryder-Jones, has recently confirmed that he will be returning at the end of 2014 with a series of tour dates, possibly containing some of the new material that he’s been working on. The tour sees Bill joining Saint Saviour as co-headliners (however that’s going to work) marking their collaboration this year on Becky Jones’ new album, In The Seams.
Ryder-Jones made a run for it on his tod in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2011 that we eventually got a taste of his solo work in his debut album, If…. Record label, Domino Records, has confirmed that Bill will be releasing his third album in 2015, but we’re not sure how much of it, if any, will be previewed as a part of the 2014 gigs.
The nine date tour will be kicking off in Cambridge at the Portland Arms on the 2nd December 2014, before moving on to Stockton-On-Tees (Saint Saviour’s home town), Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Brighton and London, and finishing up at the Kazimier in Liverpool (which is sort of Bill Ryder-Jones’ home town as he comes from West Kirby in Merseyside) on the 13th December 2014. Full details for each of the stop-offs can be found below.
Winter gigs can sometimes be the best, as everyone crams in together to see someone they like, so the December tour dates could work out for the due. However, if you’re more of a home bird when the dark winds of December start to descend on the UK (if we’ve still got a UK by then), you might want to check out the special show Ryder-Jones is putting on in Manchester Cathedral on the 9th October as part of the Manchester Literature Festival.
The Festival gig will see the piano and guitar man joined by well known Mancunian chamber orchestra, Manchester Camerata, in the first live performance of his landmark album If… in its entirety.
In addition to collaborating on music on Saint Saviour’s new album, Bill has also produced In The Seams, which was recorded at Parr Street studios, also with the help of Manchester Camerata. It’s been a significant distraction for the former Coral band mate, which is highlighted by the upcoming 2014 tour dates, but that hasn’t stopped him from tinkering away in the background on new material for the follow-up to 2013’s A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart, his second solo album. Hopefully we’ll have some previews of the tracks in the not too distant future, but in the meantime, here are all of the tour dates in full.
Bill Ryder-Jones 2014 tour dates:
9th October 2014 – Manchester – Manchester Cathedral for the Manchester Literature Festival
2nd December 2014 – Cambridge – Portland Arms
4th December 2014 – Stockton On Tees – Georgian Theatre
5th December 2014 – Glasgow – Nice and Sleazy’s
6th December 2014 – Manchester – Deaf Institute
8th December 2014 – Birmingham – Horse & Hounds
9th December 2014 – Bristol – Lantern
10th December 2014 – Brighton – Studio Bar
12th December 2014 – London – Tabernacle
13th December – Liverpool – Kazimier
