Chris Rea has surprisingly announced a mammoth UK comeback tour, to take place next Spring. The singer/guitarist is back from 'early retirement' with a newly formed quintet, The Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes - and has prepared over 20 new songs in homage to iconic 60s blues music. Rea and his band will kick off the UK shows in Cardiff on March 13 - and the stint will also include a show at London's Royal Albert Hall. Serious illness which initially caused the singer to announce he would have to quit music two years ago has not stopped him from creating a new, looser, way of performing on stage - hence the quintet's formation. Rea said in a statement: “I love being on tour. That’s the best job in the world, if only I had a different body. My state of health can deteriorate any moment, however, which is why I simply had to find a different way of working.” In the past two years, the guitarist has written a new guitar book called 'The Return of The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes' - dedicated to early 60s guitar - and also including 20 brand new songs, and a new album is due for release this December. Rea says of the bluesy tributes to his idol BB King: “That is the music that I have always wanted to play: real, genuine guitar music”. The band members are: Robert Ahwai (guitar), Neil Drinkwater (keyboards), Colin Hodgkinson (bass) and Martin Ditcham (drums). The band's full tour dates are as follows: Cardiff, St Davids Hall (March 13) Plymouth Pavilions (14) Bristol Colston Hall (16) Brighton Centre (17) Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (19) Edinbugh Playhouse (20) Birmingham Symphony Hall (23) Bournemouth BIC (24) Nottingham Centre (27) London Royal Albert Hall (28) Manchester Apollo (26) Oxford New Theatre (30) Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (31) Newcastle City Hall (April 2) Sheffield City Hall (5) Harrogate International Centre (6) Pic credit: PA Photos
Chris Rea has surprisingly announced a mammoth UK comeback tour, to take place next Spring.
The singer/guitarist is back from ‘early retirement’ with a newly formed quintet, The Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes – and has prepared over 20 new songs in homage to iconic 60s blues music.
Rea and his band will kick off the UK shows in Cardiff on March 13 – and the stint will also include a show at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Serious illness which initially caused the singer to announce he would have to quit music two years ago has not stopped him from creating a new, looser, way of performing on stage – hence the quintet’s formation.
Rea said in a statement: “I love being on tour. That’s the best job in the world, if only I had a different body. My state of health can deteriorate any moment, however, which is why I simply had to find a different way of working.”
In the past two years, the guitarist has written a new guitar book called ‘The Return of The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes’ – dedicated to early 60s guitar – and also including 20 brand new songs, and a new album is due for release this December.
Rea says of the bluesy tributes to his idol BB King: “That is the music that I have always wanted to play: real, genuine guitar music”.
The band members are: Robert Ahwai (guitar), Neil Drinkwater (keyboards), Colin Hodgkinson (bass) and Martin Ditcham (drums).
The band’s full tour dates are as follows:
Cardiff, St Davids Hall (March 13)
Plymouth Pavilions (14)
Bristol Colston Hall (16)
Brighton Centre (17)
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (19)
Edinbugh Playhouse (20)
Birmingham Symphony Hall (23)
Bournemouth BIC (24)
Nottingham Centre (27)
London Royal Albert Hall (28)
Manchester Apollo (26)
Oxford New Theatre (30)
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (31)
Newcastle City Hall (April 2)
Sheffield City Hall (5)
Harrogate International Centre (6)
Pic credit: PA Photos
