Described as an “Outstanding, indispensable genius. A modern-day Blake” by Sunday Times and “One of the great underground artists of our time.” by Jon Snow - CHRIS T-T is truly one of the nation’s best songwriting talents.
Following the release of his critically applauded ninth studio album ‘The Bear’ - which came out on 7th October 2013 – Chris is announcing the details of a headline tour that will start as soon as his support slot on the nationwide Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo tour finishes in late November. His dates will run right through until Christmas. Full tour details are:
CHRIS T-T ‘THE BEAR’ UK TOUR – SOLO HEADLINE CONCERTS
NOVEMBER
24 Cardiff Mind Fest
27 Folkestone Googies Arts Café
28 Ipswich The Soapbox House
29 York The Black Swan
30 London Bush Hall Supporting Jim Bob (Carter Usm) *
DECEMBER
5 Manchester Kraak Gallery
6 Leeds All Hallows Church
7 Durham Old Cinema Launderette
10 Newcastle Tba **
11 Edinburgh Pivo **
12 Glasgow Roxy 171 **
13 Bexhill Eras Of Style***
14 Margate Tom Thumb Theatre ***
19 Brighton 68 Middle St ***
20 Devizes The Lamb
22 Portsmouth Edge Of The Wedge
*this gig marks Chris’s beard’s 20th birthday
** special guest Dave Hughes (solo)
*** special guest Tom Williams (solo)
‘The Bear’ is Chris’s third album for label Xtra Mile Recordings. Recorded with his band The Hoodrats, together they have departed from the paired down introspection of 2010’s Love Is Not Rescue and instead created a full-on psych rock record with hints of Sebadoh, early Hold Steady, early Yo La Tengo, or Blur at their heavier moments and with a nod to grimy garage-y 60s like The Faces and Animals. Channelling these influences, Chris and his band taped the album live in a room and completed it in 3 or 4 takes just as those bands would have done back then. The result is a fascinating and excitingly fresh sounding record and some of his best work to date.
The title track of the album was released on split 7” as part of the Xtra Mile Single Sessions: The Tenth Anniversary Edition.
There are beautiful lyric videos to every track of the album available to see here:
Photo by Ben Morse, taken at Xtra Mile's 10th Birthday Party.
Since 1999 Chris T-T has released eight albums, including a trilogy about London: The 253 (2001), London Is Sinking (2003) and Capital (2008), as well as alt-folk protest classic 9 Red Songs (2005) and more recently the inward-looking Love Is Not Rescue (2010).
Based in Brighton but restlessly mobile, he has written for The Morning Star, Louder Than War, Huffington Post, New Public Thinkers and others. Alongside writing and touring, Chris speaks regularly at conferences and runs seminars and workshops.
* not that Jon Snow; that Jon Snow. The main dude off of Channel 4 News, not Ned Stark’s bastard off of Game Of Thrones.