*Shoes And Socks Off is dead, long live Shoes And Socks Off.
The end of the line is approaching for the acclaimed solo project of ex-Meet Me in St. Louis front man, and former Shield Your Eyes bassist, Toby Hayes, but the Big Scary Monsters mainstay is offering a parting shot with the free 'As We Get Closer The Room Gets Smaller' EP and a selection of UK dates for his retirement tour.
The saddening announcement of SASO's plans to call it a day closely followed the release of his fifth LP, 'Miles Of Mad Water', a Shoes And Socks Off album unlike any other. It showed him moving away from stubbed-toe blues and acoustic melancholia that his fans had come to expect, drawing more upon experimental electronic influences and beat-driven, avant-garde melodies. It ended cryptically with the line "you'll never hear from me again, I'm out of here" and soon came the announcement.
This free four-track EP, Hayes' final offering under the SASO name appears to do away with the "mope" and exorcise the last of his demons, offering the vindication he needed. Hayes' goes out with neither a whimper or a roar, just a matter-of-fact mumble that "now I'll never write another song about how much I miss you" - and that's that.
And so we invite you to say goodbye to one of the true artists in modern British music with one final EP and a BSM all-star farewell tour, boasting Someone Died (AKA Alan from Tangled Hair/Colour) on all dates. The final date of which (September 24th -London, Old Blue Last) falls on the fabled Meet Me In St. Louis Day, which celebrates the 5th anniversary since the release of the bands one and only album.
20.09 - Manchester, The Bell
21.09 - Liverpool, Mello Mello
22.09 - Nottingham, The Chameleon Arts Café
24.09 - London, The Old Blue Last
'As We Get Closer The Room Gets Smaller' can be picked up for free from the SASO Bandcamp page.
*They've had a huge year and it just keeps on getting better. Fresh from headlining the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals last month, Tall Ships debut album, 'Everything Touching', is now only one month from release! The pre-orders have been flying out, meaning the two limited colours of vinyl have already gone, but you can pick it up on CD or black LP along with a new t-shirt from their website HERE.
Around the release they head off on tour, headlining all over the UK, including their biggest London show to date, before joining up with the wonderful Nada Surf in Europe.
22.09 - Cumbria, Fell Foot Sound
23.09 - Liverpool, The Shipping Forecast
05.10 - Malta, The Nil By Mouth Sessions, V-Gen
10.10 - Cheltenham, Frog And Fiddle (w/ Dad Rocks)
11.10 - Kingston, New Slang (w/ Dad Rocks)
12.10 - Brighton, The Haunt (w/ Dad Rocks)
13.10 - Norwich, Sound And Vision Festival (w/ Dad Rocks)
14.10 - Birmingham, The Rainbow (w/ Dad Rocks)
15.10 - Leeds, Brudenell (w/ Dad Rocks)
16.10 - Middlesbrough, The Keys (w/ Dad Rocks)
18.10 - Glasgow, Art School (w/ Dad Rocks)
19.10 - Sheffield, The Bowery (w/ Dad Rocks)
20.10 - Cardiff, Swn Festival (w/ Dad Rocks)
21.10 - Manchester, A Carefully Planned Festival (w/ Dad Rocks)
22.10 - London, XOYO (w/ Dad Rocks)
23.10 - Nottingham, Bodega (w/ Dad Rocks)
24.10 - Bristol, The Croft (w/ Dad Rocks)
25.10 - Falmouth, Gylly Beach Cafe (w/ Dad Rocks)
02.11 - Switzerland, Zurich, Abart (w/ Nada Surf)
03.11 - Switzerland, Basel, VOLKSHAUS (w/ Nada Surf)
04.11 - Switzerland, Geneva, L?Usine (w/ Nada Surf)
06.11 - Austria, Innsbruck, Weekender (w/ Nada Surf)
07.11 - Austria, Vienna, Flex (w/ Nada Surf)
08.11 - Austria, Graz, Postgarage (w/ Nada Surf)
10.11 - Germany, Heidelberg, Karlstorbahnhof (w/ Nada Surf)
11.11 - Germany, Friedrichshafen, Bahnhof Fischbach (w/ Nada Surf)
12.11 - Germany, Nuremberg, Hirsch (w/ Nada Surf)
13.11 - Germany, Osnabrück, Rosenhof (w/ Nada Surf)
14.11 - Germany, Berlin, C-Club (w/ Nada Surf)
15.11 - Germany, Braunschweig, Meier Music Hall (w/ Nada Surf)
16.11 - Germany, Freiburg, Jazzhaus (w/ Nada Surf)
17.11 - Germany, Bochum, Zeche (w/ Nada Surf)
No comments:
Post a Comment