The Bad Shepherds announce new album and UK Tour, “Mud, Blood & Beer”.
After an extended hiatus during 2012, Adrian Edmondson’s celebrated folk-punk outfit THE BAD SHEPHERDS, have announced details of their return with a album and major 24-date UK tour. Both will be entitled “Mud, Blood and Beer.” Ade tells the story in his own words…
“The Bad Shepherds’ last performance was at The Union Chapel towards the end of 2011. We’d been going since 2008, made two albums and done hundreds of gigs. We needed a break, to get a fresh perspective on things as much as anything else. I had some TV shows to make, and a side project called The Idiot Bastard Band with Phill Jupitus and Neil Innes. Troy was going on a year-long world tour with the Finnish prog-metal band Nightwish, and Andy was starting a new band, Ducie. Knowing how the balls can sometimes drop forever when you stop juggling I wasn’t really sure that we’d ever really get back together.
That night at The Union Chapel was quite an emotional event. It’s a funny feeling, knocking something on the head when it’s going well. I’ve done it a few times before, most obviously with The Young Ones and Bottom. But there’s always a fear that what you’re doing is going to get stale, and that it’s best to get out when you’re at the top.
Bizarrely, last year there was a move to revive Bottom. I wasn’t quite sure about it from the start. I’d called an end to my working relationship with Rik in 2003, a) because I thought we’d peaked, and b) because there were lots of other things I wanted to do in my life, music being one of them. When the idea for the new Bottom series came we met and worked on it for a while, but pretty soon I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do – it felt too much like treading the same path again.
I came to realize that what I really wanted to do was get together with The Bad Shepherds again. Why? Because I am in love with the band. Because I love the sound we make. Because I love being with Troy and Andy. Because the best gigs I’ve ever done in my life, in any art form – in terms of excitement and connection with an audience – have been with The Bad Shepherds.
And on top of that I’d begun to write bits of lyrics and tunes for completely new songs. Our set list up until now has been full of radically re-arranged covers of punk and new wave era songs, mixed with traditional jigs and reels. But I was eager to get together with Troy and work on these new self-penned songs. Songs that take their inspiration from who we are as people and as a band, and how we’ve got to where we are through all the MUD, BLOOD and BEER.
We’ve arranged an extensive UK tour, and we’re working on the new album right now…more on that soon!”
UK Tour Dates, Winter 2013
| Wed 13 Nov | Gateshead | 0191 443 4661 | The Sage |
| Thu 14 Nov | Glasgow | 0844 477 2000 | O2 ABC |
| Fri 15 Nov | Sale | 0161 912 5616 | The Waterside |
| Sat 16 Nov | Liverpool | 0844 477 2000 | O2 Academy 2 |
| Sun 17 Nov | Leeds | 0113 243 0808 | City Varieties |
| Wed 20 Nov | Bath | 0845 293 8480 | Komedia |
| Thu 21 Nov | Birmingham | 0121 345 0603 | Town Hall |
| Fri 22 Nov | Exeter | 01392 667 080 | Phoenix |
| Sat 23 Nov | Falmouth | 0871 220 0260 | Pavilions |
| Sun 24 Nov | Southampton | 023 8055 5366 | The Brook |
| Wed 27 Nov | Cardiff | 0871 220 0260 | The Globe |
| Thu 28 Nov | Gloucester | 01452 503 050 | Guildhall |
| Fri 29 Nov | Corby | 01536 470470 | Corby Cube |
| Sat 30 Nov | Farnham | 01252 745 444 | Maltings |
| Sun 1 Dec | Brighton | 01273 673 311 | Concorde 2 |
| Wed 4 Dec | Colchester | 01206 500 900 | Arts Centre |
| Thu 5 Dec | Nottingham | 0845 413 4444 | Rescue Rooms |
| Fri 6 Dec | Holmfirth | 0114 256 55 67 | Picturedrome |
| Sat 7 Dec | Clitheroe | 0871 220 0260 | The Grand |
| Sun 8 Dec | Pocklington | 01759 301 547 | Arts Centre |
| Wed 11 Dec | Folkestone | 01303 858 500 | Quarterhouse |
| Thu 12 Dec | Oxford | 0844 477 2000 | O2 Academy 2 |
| Fri 13 Dec | Cambridge | 01223 511 511 | The Junction |
| Sat 14 Dec | London | Empire | Shepards Bush Empire |
