THE BLUETONES hope to tour the UK next Spring, and have already started work on material for their next studio album, NME.COM can reveal.
Speaking exclusively to NME.COM, vocalist Mark Morriss said the band, who have just returned from a tour of Japan, have already started work on four new songs which may appear on the follow-up to this year’s ‘Science & Nature’.
He said following a break over Christmas and the New Year, the Bluetones would tour again. He said: “We want to get out on tour again next spring on our own – since we got back from Japan we have been writing new songs and we have a lot of new ideas hanging around. Nothing’s nailed because we only started last week but we have four things started which is a phenomenally productive week for us.”
He added that “if he’s free” the band intended to use the same producer, John Cornfield, as on ‘Science & Nature’.
Morriss said that the band also still hope to release five separate, limited edition solo albums next year, as previously predicted by NME.COM. Speaking about the records, Morriss said the release has been postponed until after the current writing sessions have ended. He said: “That’s definitely still happening. The time we’re spending now writing new Bluetones songs was time we’d initially allocated for writing our solo albums and finishing them off but we’re gong to put them off until next Spring.
“The solo stuff is going to be records made to amuse ourselves. I’m sure the outside world will find them quite boring! For us it’s fun because I write songs which I would never consider offering to the band because they’re not good enough or they’re not really representative of what everyone in the band wants to be playing – it’s like one Bluetones album put through a tea strainer. They’re all going to come out on the same day with corresponding artwork, it’s not a competition, more a silly idea that’s gone too far.”
Morriss said the band “wouldn’t have the audacity” to release the solo albums in mainstream shops, instead making them available on the Bluetones website, [url=]www.bluetones.co.uk
One track which will appear on Morriss’ solo album will be ‘Dear Ralph’, a tribute to the actor Ralph Bates, described as “Squeeze meets X-Ray Specs”.
The Bluetones are confirmed to support the Beautiful South on their forthcoming UK tour at: Glasgow SECC (December 8)
Newcastle Arena (9)
Birmingham NEC (10)
London Brixton Academy (12-13)
Manchester Evening News Arena (17)
Nottingham Arena (18)