It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly twenty years since the release of the album ‘The Man Who’ by Travis. Released in the midst of the Brit Pop phenomena and perhaps somewhat overshadowed by the Oasis/Blur dichotomy, the showy brilliance of Pulp and the emerging audience-pleasing rise of Coldplay, it cannot be doubted that ‘The Man Who’ was a pop masterpiece filled with brilliantly-crafted, delicate pop songs. There were a plethora of well-crafted singles off this classic that even nineteen years later sound just as fresh and memorable – unforgettable melodies and choruses that soar. Think of songs like ‘Writing To Reach You’, ‘Driftwood’, ‘Turn’ and ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me’: all melancholic masterpieces.
Produced by Nigel Godrich, ‘The Man Who’ spent 11 weeks at Number 1, selling nearly 3 million copies. It was the biggest selling UK album in 2000, propelled by an incendiary Glastonbury performance. Recognition quickly followed including Ivor Novello Awards for ‘Best Songwriter’ & ‘Best Contemporary Song’ for ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me?’ and BRIT Awards for ‘Best British Band’ and ‘Best British Album’.
Singer Fran Healy said “Songs are like emotional bookmarks in time. When you hear a song you are transported to those times and feel strong echoes of the feelings you felt. Rarely does an album have this ability so performing ‘The Man Who’ once again will be a joy!”. It will indeed be something to witness this album performed live after so many years.
The band will perform a handful of special venues over the course of the year including London’s Royal Festival Hall (12th June) and Glasgow The SSE Hydro (21st Dec), with tickets on sale now:
June
10th – Liverpool, Philharmonic
12th – London, Royal Festival Hall
14th – Folkestone, Leas Cliff Hall
19th – Plymouth, Pavillion
20th – Brighton, Dome
21st – Ipswich, Regent Theatre
25th – Birmingham, Symphony Hall
26th – Oxford, New Theatre
December
12th – Portsmouth, Guildhall
13th – Cambridge, Corn Exchange
15th – Newcastle, City Hall
17th – Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall
18th – Hull, City Hall
19th – Manchester, Apollo
21st – Glasgow, The SSE Hydro
Travis are singer/guitarist Fran Healy, bassist Dougie Payne, guitarist Andy Dunlop and drummer Neil Primrose
No Comment