aaamusic | On 22, Sep 2010

Sparrow and the Workshop have announced details of a new single and headline UK tour which starts tonight.

The Glasgow-based Americana trio will release a new single ‘Black To Red’ on 1st November through Distiller Records. The track was recorded by Tim Rowkins and mixed by Richard Jackson. This is the first new song to be released since their recent critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Crystals Fall’. The band are currently working on their follow-up album, which is due to be released early next year.

The UK headline tour start in Cork tonight, and continues throughout October, including a show at London’s Borderline. Full details are below.
Sparrow and The Workshop recently gave away a cover of The Cars ‘Just What I Needed’, download it here

The band comprises of Belfast born, Chicago-raised Jill O’Sullivan (vocals/guitar/violin), Welshman Nick Packer (guitar/bass) and Scotsman Gregor Donaldson (drums/vocals.) Jill’s voice has developed into a powerhouse of flexibility, allowing her to soar from keening Sandy Denny-esque tones to the sensual peaks evocative of PJ Harvey. They have also slowly incorporated subtle elements from metal, grunge, doo-wop and country into their songs, leading a friend of the band to recently describe one new song as ‘Joanna Newsom backed by Black Sabbath’.

The band has had an extremely busy and successful year. After a couple of tours with Idlewild and shows with British Sea Power, Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre) personally invited them to be the special guests on their European tour. Then they headed across the Atlantic for the first time to perform three New York shows, the first of which was again supporting the BJM. In addition to numerous shows across Europe, the band has put in some stella festival performances at T in the Park, Bestival, and The Green Man Festival. The latter set prompted Observer newspaper music critic Ally Carnwath to call them his best discovery of the festival.

There is something gloriously new about the way Sparrow flit from the most delicate Americana to crashing post-rock crescendos at the drop of a hat. They might be folk but there’s certainly nothing traditional about this band.

UK live dates:

September
Wed 22 IRE, Cork Cypress Avenue
Thur 23 IRE, Dublin Arthur’s Day Event

October
Fri 1 UK, Aberdeen Snafu
Sat 2 UK, Inverness Mad Hatter
Mon 4 UK, Glasgow King Tuts
Tue 5 UK, Manchester Night & Day
Wed 6 UK, Leeds Brudenell
Thur 7 UK, York Stereo
Fri 8 UK, Nottingham Bodega
Sat 9 UK, Exeter Caver Club
Mon 11 UK, Guildford Boileroom
Tue 12 UK, London Borderline
Wed 13 UK, Birmingham O2 Academy 3
Thur 14 UK, Oxford O2 Academy 2
Fri 15 UK, Bath Moles
Sat 16 UK, Brighton The Hope
Mon 18 UK, Southampton Joiners