LLOYD Cole will team up with his former Commotions compadres Blair Cowan and Neil Clark for a 17-date autumn tour, headed for York Barbican on October 17 in his only Yorkshire appearance.
Cole will play two sets, the first acoustic – as was the case at Pocklington Arts Centre in March 2012 and April 2017 (with son William), Selby Town Hall in April 2014 and long before at Fibbers, his last York appearance, in May 2000. He will be joined by his band for the electric second act.
The Buxton-born singer, songwriter and guitarist will be showcasing his 12th solo album, On Pain, produced by Chris Merrick Hughes for release on June 23 on the earMusic label.
Like his last studio set, July 2019’s Guesswork, the album was recorded in his Massachusetts attic studio, The Establishment, this time with Commotions co-founders Cowan and Clark co-writing four of the eight compositions and playing on the recordings too.
“I’m excited to still be finding new methods, new perspectives, new sounds,” says Cole, 62. “’The album’ may be nearing commercial death, but my career has been in that state for almost 30 years and here we are, still, and I still want to make albums. I still want to be heard.
“I’m very much looking forward to being on stage with Neil and Blair in October. We have no intention of producing a retro show.”
Cole has chalked up 16 studio albums, the first three with The Commotions: Rattlesnakes (1984), Easy Pieces (1985) and Mainstream (1987).
Eleven solo albums have followed: Lloyd Cole (1990); Don’t Get Weird On Me Babe (1991); Bad Vibes (1993); Love Story (1995); Plastic Wood (2001); Music In A Foreign Language (2003); Anti Depressant (2006); Broken Record (2010); Standards (2013); 1D (2015) and Guesswork (2019).
Add to the list his album with The Negatives, 2000’s The Negatives, and one with German electronic musician and composer Hans Joachim Roedelius, 2013’s Selected Studies Vol. 1.
Tour tickets are on sale at lloydcole.com/live; York, yorkbarbican.co.uk.