80s music heavyweight announces new album and UK tour ahead of Glastonbury performance-Rebecca Sayce-Entertainment – Metro

Paul Heaton is back and better than ever with a brand new album and UK tour (Picture: Ian Dickson/Redferns)

The Beautiful South and The Housemartins hitmaker Paul Heaton has announced a brand new album and mammoth UK tour.

The chart-topping musician, 62, is set to release his 10th studio album as a solo artist, titled The Mighty Several, on October 11.

To celebrate, the Fish ‘N’ Chip Supper artist is set to embark on a UK tour with shows in London, Leeds, Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Liverpool, Nottingham, Brighton, Bridlington, and Newcastle.

The tour will see the artist perform tracks from the new album as well as hits from across his career, with support from indie rockers The Zutons.

It comes ahead of the singer’s Glastonbury Festival performance, with Heaton hitting the legendary Pyramid Stage alongside the likes of Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and SZA.

The Mighty Several is the follow-up to his 2022 LP, N.K-Pop, which he made alongside former The Beautiful South bandmate Jacqui Abbott.

Speaking on Chris Evans’ Virgin Radio breakfast show, Heaton expressed his excitement to hit the road this many years into his music career.

Heaton was one of the founding members of British pop band The Housemartins (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Heaton will release a bran new album featuring single Fish ‘N’ Chip Supper (Picture: Lorne Thomson/Redferns)

‘I definitely enjoy it now more than ever, without a doubt,’ he said. ‘I remember more now. You know what the 90s was like; it was a bit harum-scarum and there was a period where all of us were a little bit worse for wear, or just took things in our stride.’

Heaton has made an enormous contribution to the world of music since the 1980s, first fronting UK pop band The Housemartins since their formation in 1983 alongside Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim.

They achieved mainstream success with the singles Happy Hour and number one hit Caravan of Love in 1986 before they split in 1988.

Heaton alongside Housemartins bandmate Dave Hemingway formed the Beautiful South in 1988 alongside former Housemartins roadie Sean Welch, Dave Stead, and Dave Rotheray.

After The Housemartins split, Heaton formed The Beautiful South (Picture: Andre Csillag/REX/Shutterstock)

The band marked his first collaboration with singer Jacqui Abbott (Picture: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock)

The group frequently recorded with female vocalists, including Briana Corrigan, Jacqui Abbott, and Alison Wheeler.

They released a number of hits including Song for Whoever, Rotterdam, I’ll Said This Ship Alone, and number one single A Little Time.

After the band split in 2007, Heaton went on to release a number of solo albums with his first, Fat Chance, hitting shelves under the stage name Biscuit Boy.

He followed the debut up with 2008 album The Cross-Eyed Rambler, Acid Country in 2010, and The 8th a year later.

After going solo, Heaton released a number of hit albums alongside Abbott (Picture: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

His work with Abbott saw him enter the top 10 charts again (Picture: Ben Ryan/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)

In 2013 he reunited with Abbott to record new material, telling Clash Magazine: ‘Working with Jacqui again was like going into your garage and discovering a beautiful, covered-up Rolls-Royce that hadn’t been started in years.

‘Jacqui is one of the best singers I’ve worked with and is also part of my past. It was only a matter of time before I asked her.’

Their collaboration saw both artists enter the top 10 again, with their second and third albums – Wisdom, Laughter and Lines and Crooked Calypso – both dominating the UK albums chart.

Their fourth release in 2020, Manchetser Calling, became their first UK number one album in more than 20 years.

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