Photo credit: Fenella Lorimar
Edwyn Collins
Announces details of ‘The Testimonial Tour – A Last Lap Around The U.K.’ – his last ever U.K. tour.
Shares video for latest single, ‘The Heart Is A Foolish Little Thing’.
Taken from forthcoming new album, Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation, released via AED Records on Friday 14th March 2025
After over 40 years at the rock ‘n’ roll coalface, Edwyn Collins has today shared the poignant news of his last ever U.K. tour.
‘The Testimonial Tour – A Last Lap Around The U.K.’ will see Edwyn & band play 9 shows round the U.K. including performances at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal and The Royal Festival Hall in London.
Edwyn played his first gig in 1977 with The Nu-Sonics bottom of the bill supporting The Backstabbers, The Skids and Steel Pulse at Satellite City, a nightclub above the Apollo in Glasgow.
The band for this final tour will feature Carwyn Ellis (bass), Andy Hackett (guitar), Jake Hutton (drums), Patrick Ralla (guitar) & Sean Read (keyboard) alongside Edwyn.
The full list of dates is as follows:
27.09.25 – Theatre Royal – GLASGOW
29.09.25 – Opera House – BUXTON
30.09.25 – Komedia – BATH
02.10.25 – Central Hall – SOUTHAMPTON
03.10.25 – St. George’s Church – BRIGHTON
04.10.25 – Royal Festival Hall – LONDON
06.10.25 – Epic Studios – NORWICH
07.10.25 – Albert Hall – MANCHESTER
08.10.25 – The Boiler Shop – NEWCASTLE
Tickets go on sale on Friday 7th March at 10am HERE.
Additionally Edwyn has shared the video for ‘The Heart Is A Foolish Little Thing’, the latest track to be taken from his forthcoming 10th solo album, Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation, which is out on his own AED Records on Friday 14th March 2025.
Talking about the track, Edwyn said:
I suppose I’m thinking about heartbreak when you’re young and how daft it all seems now. At the time though, it’s intense. I remember.
Also, Delbert Anthonio Wright returned to the far North Highlands to shoot this video in some kindly winter weather. Edwyn bought himself what he calls a ‘Holden Caulfield hat’ to cover up a messy wound on his forehead, the result of a man v asphalt event at Helmsdale Harbour in mid January. He’s all good.
Listen to ‘The Heart Is A Foolish Little Thing’ HERE.
Edwyn previously released the single ‘Knowledge’ in January.
The 11-track album was recorded at his Clashnarrow Studio in Helmsdale, North East Scotland and was co-produced by Edwyn with Sean Read & Jake Hutton, who all play on the album.
Also featuring James Walbourne on guitar, William Collins on bass, Carwyn Ellis on guitar, Lena Wright and Bianca White on backing vocals, the album also includes two co-writes – ‘The Mountains Are My Home’ with Carwyn and ‘Strange Old World’ with William.
The track listing is as follows:
1. Knowledge
2. Paper Planes
3. The Heart Is A Foolish Little Thing
4. The Mountains Are My Home
5. Strange Old World
6. Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation
7. Sound As A Pound
8. The Bridge Hotel
9. A Little Sign
10. It Must Be Real
11. Rhythm Is My Own World
Pre-order / save the album HERE
Catalogue number: AEDEC30 / available on LP, CD and DL.
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Edwyn Collins’ new album Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation is an optimistic collection of 11 songs, his first since 2019’s Badbea. The album represents his most finely crafted, thoughtful, and catchy work in two decades, particularly following his life-altering strokes in 2005. This marks his fifth album post-stroke and showcases a spirit of resilience, affirming the power of communication and connection.
Collins, who produced the album at his studio in Scotland, explores themes of recovery, memory, and self-reflection. The album opens with the empowering track ‘Knowledge’, addressing his battle to regain language and understanding. The title track revisits his struggle with speech after the strokes, evoking the famous BBC motto about communication.
Other highlights include nostalgic songs like ‘The Bridge Hotel’ and ‘Paper Planes’, reflecting on his personal history, alongside the upbeat ‘The Heart Is a Foolish Little Thing’ and ‘Sound As A Pound’, which convey defiance in the face of adversity.
The album closes with ‘Rhythm Is My Own World’ a track that encapsulates Collins’ belief in perseverance and love as essential forces in life. Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation stands as a testament to Edwyn Collins’ enduring creativity and optimism.
Edwyn Collins discography: Hope & Despair (1989), Hellbent On Compromise (1990), Gorgeous George (1994), I’m Not Following You (1997), Doctor Syntax (2002), Home Again (2007), Losing Sleep (2010), Understated (2013) & Badbea (2019).
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