* READ MORE: The Velvet Underground review: revisionist doc reworks narrative of New York rock and rollers
Announced today (August 19), the news of the tour arrives on the heels of The Velvet Underground founder and Welsh musician sharing his most recent studio album, ‘POPtical Illusion’ in June. Produced by Cale and longtime partner Nita Scott in Los Angeles, it marked his second album in just over a year.
“POPtical Illusion contained the same feelings of fierce and inquisitive rage that were present in Cale’s 2023 album ‘Mercy’ but was the work of someone not ignoring the rage or the reasons for it and, instead, trying to turn toward the future – exactly as Cale, of course, always has,” read a press release.
Now, to celebrate the release, Cale has shared details of a new UK and European tour, which will kick off in Spring next year.
Launching with an opening night in Paris, the tour will begin on March 3 with a stop at Le Trianon. From there, it’ll continue the following night with a show at Cirque Royal in Brussels and on March 6 with a stop at Tollhaus in Karlsruhe.
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Further shows include dates in Munich, Stuttgart, Luxembourg, Berling, Utrecht and more, before Cale heads over to the UK for eight headline dates. These begin in Nottingham on March 20, and are followed by shows in London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle and more.
From there, the tour wraps up with a final stop at Vicar Street in Dublin on March 31. Tickets go on sale September 12 and can be found here. Check out a list of dates below.
John Cale’s 2025 UK and European tour dates are:
MARCH:
3 – Le Trianon, Paris
4 – Cirque Royal, Brussels
6 – Tollhaus, Karlsruhe
7 – Alte Kongresshalle, Munich
9 – Theaterhaus, Stuttgart
10 – Rockhal, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
12 – Markgrafenhalle, Nurnberg
13 – Haus Auensee, Leipzig
14 – Columbiahalle, Berlin
16 – Laeiszhalle, Hamburg
17 – TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht
18 – Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne
20 – Playhouse, Nottingham
21 – Royal Festival Hall, London
23 – Town Hall, Birmingham
24 – Pavilion, Glasgow
25 – New Tyne Theatre, Newcastle
27 – De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea
29 – Wales New Theatre, Cardiff
30 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
31 – Vicar Street, Dublin
As well as news of the tour, Cale has also dropped a new music video for his single ‘Davies and Wales’ – which featured on the aforementioned ‘POPtical Illusion’ album.
“If you’ve done things you’d wished you’ve never done,” he singles in the track, which has a hint of New Wave-meets-Brian Wilson joy. “Think of the things you’re going to do tonight.”
The music video is directed by the Emmy-nominated Jethro Waters – who also teamed up with the artist for his ‘Story Of Blood’ video, which featured in the ‘Mercy’ album.
“Davies and Wales is such a perfect example of the kind of things that only John Cale can do all at once: upbeat, melancholic, happy, shapeshifting, nostalgic, modern, beautiful heartache,” reads a press release. “There is such a melange of feelings packed into this song – his youth in Wales, his time in NYC and California – and I wanted to try and translate that time travel in a joyful, purposeful way.” Watch the video in full below.
Last year’s ‘Mercy’ marked Cale’s first album in a decade. The record included Weyes Blood collaboration ‘Story of Blood’ and the single ‘Noise of You’.
The album also featured guest spots from Animal Collective, Fat White Family, Sylvan Esso, Laurel Halo, Tei Shi, Actress and more.
In other news, NME reviewed the Todd Haynes-directed Velvet Underground documentary in 2021, which we gave three stars: “Equally, some might think sanitising the story of the band that first found the beauty in hard reality an unforgivable act of revisionism, but Haynes isn’t interested in the dirt, the drugs or the decline towards ignominy, because it’s the beauty of this world that appeals to him, not the ugliness.
“More than 20 years later, and with 2015’s exceptional Carol under his belt, Haynes revisiting this subject, but with real Velvet Underground songs, footage and interviews – feels like a rite of passage.”
The post John Cale announces UK and European tour for 2025 appeared first on NME.
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