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Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases
Sinead O’Brien announces debut album and tour dates
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 17 February 2022
Sinead O’Brien has announced that she will release her debut album, ‘Time Bend And Break The Bower’, this summer. She’s also released a new single called ‘Holy Country’ and announced a load of tour dates.
“The story of the album is built up in layers; one song giving context to the next”, says O’Brien. “I thought about becoming undressed; testing my ideas, my voice. Working myself out across themes of identity, curiosity, creative process. Experimenting with the form and shape of language, using tone and delivery to get to the immediate centre of what I am saying”.
“The record opens and closes with poems, these tracks have a really clear direction – a form which is set apart from the ‘songs’”, she adds. “I hold stops in different places, moving emphatically through the lyrics, changing the meaning. No punctuation – only the voice mapping out the way”.
“The album title, ‘Time Bend And Break The Bower’ – from the song ‘Multitudes’ – came into my head and made its demands, an idea that pressed on me throughout the record”, she goes on.
“It has a very active role. The clock symbol is enlarged, it looms like a moon over my activity watching, counting me down to zero. Dripping with self-sabotage and the feeling of being chased; it pulls and pushes against the verses which talk of ’Multitudes’; the things that faithfully come back – the images, the words, creativity. It is creativity itself”.
The album will be released through Chess Club on 10 Jun. She will begin a headline tour of the UK and Ireland in October, followed by dates supporting Belle & Sebastian in November. Here are all of those dates:
9 Oct: Newcastle, Cluny 2
10 Oct: Glasgow, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
11 Oct: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
12 Oct: Manchester, Deaf Institute
14 Oct: Nottingham, Bodega
17 Oct: London, Lafayette
19 Oct: Brighton, Green Door Store
20 Oct: Ramsgate Music Hall
21 Oct: Bristol, Exchange
26 Oct: Cork, Cyrpus Avenue
27 Oct: Dublin, Whelans
28 Oct: Belfast, Black Box
29 Oct: Limerick, Dolans Warehouse
14 Nov: London, Roundhouse (Belle & Sebastian support)
17 Nov: Sheffield, Academy (Belle & Sebastian support)
24 Nov: Newcastle, City Hall (Belle & Sebastian support)
27 Nov: Cambridge, Corn Exchange (Belle & Sebastian support)
28 Nov: Birmingham, Academy (Belle & Sebastian support)
29 Nov: Southampton, Guildhall (Belle & Sebastian support)
30 Nov: Brighton Dome (Belle & Sebastian support)
Watch the video for ‘Holy Country’ here:
