Manic Street Preachers Announce New Album and Tour, Share New Song “Orwellian”
The Ultra Vivid Lament Due Out September 3 via Columbia/Sony
Manic Street Preachers return with a new single today, entitled “Orwellian.” It’s the first track to be released from their fourteenth studio album The Ultra Vivid Lament, which comes out on September 3 via Columbia/Sony. They’ve also announced a UK tour to coincide with the album’s release this autumn.
The band had this to say about “Orwellian” in a press release:
“The track is about the battle to claim meaning, the erasing of context within debate, the overriding sense of factional conflict driven by digital platforms leading to a perpetual state of culture war. As with many songs on the record, it was written on the piano by James Dean Bradfield. Musically, it echoes ABBA, the majesty of Alan Rankine’s playing in the Associates and Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life” with a Lindsey Buckingham guitar solo. It felt like the perfect sonic and lyrical introduction to The Ultra Vivid Lament.”
The official YouTube post for “Orwellian” is geo-blocked to the UK, so for our US readers you’ll need to listen via this unofficial version:
Comprised of 11 pieces, The Ultra Vivid Lament represents a musical departure from its predecessor (2018’s Resistance Is Futile) with it being the first Manic Street Preachers album initially conceived on piano rather than guitar. It was inspired by ABBA, post-Eno Roxy Music, the Bunnymen, Fables-era REM, and Bowie’s Lodger amongst other things. The album was recorded during the winter of 2020 and 2021 at the famous Rockfield studio in Monmouth and the band’s own Door To The River in Newport with long-time collaborator Dave Eringa then mixed by David Wrench (more recently one half of experimental duo audiobooks).
The Ultra Vivid Lament Tracklist:
01. Still Snowing In Sapporo
02. Orwellian
03. The Secret He Had Missed
04. Quest For Ancient Colour
05. Don’t Let The Night Divide Us
06. Diapause
07. Complicated Illusions
08. Into The Waves Of Love
09. Blank Diary Entry
10. Happy Bored Alone
11. Afterending
In the meantime, the band are set to play a number of rearranged shows and festival slots from July onwards before heading out on a fourteen date tour across the UK in support of the album during September and October with support coming from The Anchoress before ending the year with a one off show at Wembley Arena in December.
Manic Street Preachers Tour Dates:
16 July, Cardiff, Arena (NHS workers show)
17 July, Cardiff, Arena (NHS public show)
30 July, Pikehall, Y Not Festival
7 August, Linlithgow, Party At The Palace
29 August, Alcester, Camper Calling Music Festival
6 September, Newcastle, City Hall
10 September, Halifax, Live at Piece Hall
18 September, Jersey, Electric Park Festival
28 September, Edinburgh, Usher Hall
29 September, Dundee, Caird Hall
1 October, Stoke On-Trent, Victoria Hall
2 October, Manchester, Apollo
4 October, York, Barbican
5 October, Glasgow, Barrowlands
7 October, Leeds, Academy
8 October, Portsmouth, Guildhall
10 October, Bournemouth, Academy
11 October, Cambridge, Corn Exchange
13 October, Bath, Forum
14 October, Bristol, Dome
3 December, London, Wembley Arena
All tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 21st May.
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