News: The legendary Barry Adamson (Magazine, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave) announces new album and UK/European tour

The thundering, ambulant bass in Magazine’s classic ‘A Song From Under The Floorboards’ is an indication of the skills of Barry Adamson, whose storied career underlines his significance as a musician over the past decades. After the demise of Magazine, Adamson stood in for Tracey Pew in The Birthday Party for some UK shows and later played with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds before launching his own impressive solo career.

Adamson has announced a brand new album, alongside an accompanying UK and European tour for spring / summer 2024. The album, ‘Cut To Black’ – due out in May 24 – features 10 brand new compositions and will be his first studio album since 2016’s ‘Know Where To Run’.

Having released nine studio albums, including the 1992 Mercury Music Prize nominated ‘Soul Murder’, 1996’s ‘Oedipus Schmoedipus’, an album celebrating his 40 years in music, ‘Memento Mori’ (2018), and his most recent release, ‘Know Where To Run’, which was in part inspired by a recent US tour, back playing with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. After 23 years, Adamson’s talents are as much demand by new generations of artists as he was after his first solo release, with collaborations in recent years across a variety of art forms, including an Olivier Award winning ballet performance by Sylvie Guillem and the Ballet Boyz scored by Adamson.

Adamson’s recent work includes an original soundtrack for Scala!!!, the acclaimed full length documentary on the legendary independent London cinema that inspired generations of artists, filmmakers and musicians, co-directed by Jane Giles and Ali Catterall. The Scala cinema in Kings Cross (1978-1993) was the world’s most influential and notorious cinema, with over a million people passing through its doors for revolutionary double-bills and all-nighters of classics, cult movies, horror, kung fu, LGBT+ and live music.

Adamson has also announced an extensive UK/European tour which launches at Bristol’s Strange Brew on 22 May – eight UK dates including London’s Jazz Café on 24 May – before travelling to mainland Europe for a series of performances, finishing at Berlin’s Privatclub on 12 June – full dates below.

Wed 22 May – Bristol, Strange Brew 

Thurs 23 May – Brighton, Komedia Studio

Fri 24 May – London, The Jazz Café

Sat 25 May – Hertford, Hertford Corn Exchange

Wed 29 May – Manchester, Deaf Institute

Thurs 30 May – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club

Fri 31 May – Glasgow, King Tuts

Sat 1 June – Newcastle, Think Tank

Mon 3 June – Amsterdam, Paradiso Noord (Tolhuistuin) 

Wed 5 June – Paris, La Boule Noire

Thurs 6 June – Antwerp, Rock Lobster

Fri 7 June – Brussels, Chez PIAS

Sun 9 June – Hamburg, Nochtspeicher

Mon 10 June – Dusseldorf, Zakk (Zentrum fur Aktion, Kultur und Kommunikation)

Wed 12 June – Berlin, Privatclub

Tickets are on sale now

Feature Photograph: Brian David Stevens