One of Britain’s most cherished and inventive music creators Ed Harcourt will return to North America this summer to tour behind his brilliant new album El Magnifico. Released on March 28th (Deathless Recordings) the album has already landed some of the best reviews of his entire career.
The summer North American tour finds Ed supporting The Afghan Whigs and The Church all summer long, along with his first New York headline show in fourteen years at Joe’s Pub. The same exact location where Ed made his New York debut over two decades ago.
‘Hello darkness my old friend, it’s been quite a while, seven years to be exact,” Ed remarked. “I’m very excited to be gracing your magnificent shores once more albeit with my dear compadres, the Afghan Whigs. I love playing shows in your country, never a dull moment to be had & we go WAY back so I hope you haven’t forgotten me! During this 7 year itch, I’ve scratched the surface of film composition and made a couple of instrumental records, produced many records for various artistes, spent time in the Arctic Circle dressed as a bear, pranced around a Spanish beach like a hobo-ish Gene Kelly & mainly had too much to dream. But now I’m back! I present you with a brand spanking new sonic Atom bomb, if it were crammed with baroque & roll piano & string led missives. El Magnifico has been crafted for you with the utmost care, an old school record that takes you on a little journey into my heart and soul. I cannot wait to perform these songs for you as part of this rolling revue of splendid gentlemen. See you down the road!”
While recognizably bearing all the hallmarks that have made him such an admired and prolific songwriter, Ed’s new record, El Magnifico, also finds him striving for something new. It is an Ed Harcourt record, but one with a desire to seek fresh reward.
“I think as a songwriter you do get to a point where you’re aware of your past and what you’ve done,” suggests Harcourt of El Magnifico’s mixture of assuredness and aspiration. “It’s knowing what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are, but also knowing how to better yourself by doing things you haven’t done before.”
The album’s first four songs – which span his autobiographical ode to life in the face dodging death, 1987; the golden pop of Into The Loving Arms Of Your Enemy; Broken Keys,’ which features Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli and folk singer Kathryn Williams; and Strange Beauty – set a blistering emotional pace. Though it is testament to Harcourt’s abilities as a songwriter, that when he shifts from this opening salvo into the gentle fragility of The Violence Of The Rose, it is immediately clear it is all part of the same, wonderful journey.
ED HARCOURT NORTH AMERICAN 2024 TOUR DATES
06/15 New York, NY Joe’s Pub*
06/18 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
06/21 Boston, MA The Royale
06/22 Washington D.C. Lincoln Theatre
06/24 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
06/25 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre
06/27 Indianapolis, IN Hi-Fi Annex
06/28 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
06/30 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
07/02 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
07/03 Bellevue, CO Mishawaka Amphitheatre
07/05 Seattle, WA The Showbox
07/06 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
07/09 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
07/11 San Diego, CA Observatory North Park
07/12 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
07/13 Los Angeles, CA The United Theater On Broadway
*All dates in support of The Afghan Whigs & The Church except New York
