After sneakily playing a number of U.K. shows under the alias “Light” last October, James McCartney is gearing up for his first, official U.K. tour.
McCartney, the 32-year-old singer/songwriter son of Linda and Paul McCartney, begins the tour with a Feb. 25 gig at O2 Academy Liverpool. The trek continues on with dates on the books through a March 20 show at Barfly in Cardiff.
Additional shows include Ruby Lounge in Manchester (March 2), Bodega Social Club in Nottingham (March 4), Audio in Brighton (March 8), 100 Club in London (March 10), Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh (March 14) and King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow (March 17).
If fans are wondering what to expect from the live show, thankfully The Sun caught on to the secret shows and showed up at Oxford’s Jericho Tavern last October, unbeknownst to McCartney, to review the gig.
The Sun wrote that the 11-song set contained “a mixture of full-throttle stormers and delicate acoustic numbers. But the general sound is glossy, classic rock. James has a way with melody and a set of pipes which are more than a match for his dad's.”
The U.K. tabloid noted that “the [Beatles] comparisons are going to be unavoidable but James has bided his time … and has emerged with a group who have a very bright future indeed. He’s a music veteran already, having co-written and played on tracks on his dad’s [solo] albums Flaming Pie and Driving Rain.
McCartney has been hard at work, writing and recording his forthcoming debut album.
"The music was inspired by The Beatles, Nirvana, The Cure, P.J. Harvey, Radiohead – and all good music. It is basically rock n' roll, clean sounding and vocal,” McCartney said. “We are mixing our album in Sussex and New York. The words on the album refer to spirituality, love, family, trying to sort out one's life, and many other things. I have written the songs over a 10-year period.”
Tickets to McCartney’s debut tour are on sale now.
Click here for McCartney’s Web site.
Click here for The Sun story.