The reconfigured Big Country — with The Alarm’s Mike Peters filling in for the late Stuart Adamson and the new addition of original Simple Minds bassist Derek Forbes — will release its first new studio album in 14 years this spring and embark on a world tour that will hit the U.K., Europe and North America.
The band — also featuring guitarist Bruce Watson and drummer Mark Brzezicki, plus Watson’s son Jamie on guitar as well — has announced that the 12-track The Journey is recorded, mixed and mastered and due to be released sometime this spring. No further details about the album, the band’s first since 1999’s Driving to Damascus, have been revealed.
Big Country is due to open its previously announced 14-date tour of the U.K. and Ireland on April 12, and will follow that with a just-announced European tour that opens May 14 in France (see full dates below). The band says U.S. and Canadian dates are “to be announced shortly,” and that further European dates are planned for later in 2013.
UPDATE: Cherry Red Records has announced it will release The Journey in the U.K. on April 15.
Big Country tour dates:
UK & IRELAND
April 12: O2 ABC, Glasgow
April 13: Lemon tree, Aberdeen
April 14: O2 Academy2, Newcastle
April 16: O2 Academy, Liverpool
April 18: Corporation, Sheffield
April 19: The Ritz, Manchester
April 20: University of Southampton
April 21: The Forum, London
April 23: Great Hall, Cardiff
April 24: Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
April 25: Waterfront, Norwich
April 26: SUB 89, Reading
April 27: The Academy, Dublin
April 28: Limelight 1, Belfast
EUROPE
May 14: Venue TBA, France
May 15: The Garage, Saarbruken, Germany
May 16: Zeche, Bochum, Germany
May 18: Alte Seilerei, Mannheim, Germany
May 19: Rosenhaf, Osnabruck, Germany
May 21: Colossaal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
May 22: Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany
May 23: Tante Ju, Dresden, Germany
May 24: Substage, Karlsruhe, Germany
May 25: Szene Wein, Vienna, Austria
May 27: Sommercasino, Basel, Switzerland
May 28: Tunnel Club, Milan, Italy
May 29: Kaminwerk, Memmingen, Germany
May 30: Modernes, Bremen, Germany
May 31: Venue TBA, Netherlands
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Tony Butler quits Big Country, band promises ‘adventure’ with Simple Minds’ Derek Forbes
- Vintage Video: Big Country on ‘Rockpalast’ in 1986 — watch full 100-minute concert
- Big Country’s ‘The Crossing: Deluxe Edition’ reissue to include 10 unreleased tracks
- Big Country releasing ‘Another Country’ — first single in 12 years — with Mike Peters
- Big Country enlists The Alarm’s Mike Peters as lead singer for 30th anniversary tour
This just seems bizarre to me. If the album is good then all is well, however, this is such a cobbled together band that it feels a bit lame to call it Big Country.
Love all these lads but it’s time to let it go. RIP Stuart, you left too soon.
Hopefully Mike will not leave them at the end of the first gig! Have to agree with Charles, should have created a new name like Simple Country Alarm.
I am wondering what happened to Tony Butler ? I think I had heard something but don’t remember. Once you get to the 50% point of the original members, not sure if you can really call it BC. But you couldn’t find better replacements. I have seen SM, the Alarm and BC many many time in the 80s and 90s. Would like to see them again or better yet SM in the USA again.