Deacon Blue will release a new single ‘Turn Up Your Radio!’ today, 26 February 2025. The track was premiered on the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show with Scott Mills yesterday, and is taken from the forthcoming studio album – their tenth – entitled The Great Western Road which features 12 new songs, and will be available on 21 March 2025 through Cooking Vinyl. Additionally, there will be a limited run of five theatre shows in late March / April 2025 to herald the arrival of the album, followed by 15 arena shows across the UK & Eire [all dates follow].
The Great Western Road arrives on a momentous anniversary, it is 40 years since songwriter and frontman Ricky Ross and drummer Dougie Vipond created the group’s first incarnation. Longtime fans and recent devotees alike will immediately fall for the album’s trademark combination of rock and pop, by turns rousing and poignant, with their inimitable soul and gospel seasoning.
The vibrant first single ‘Late ’88’ was hailed as ‘Record of the Week’ and added to the A-list by BBC Radio 2. Ricky Ross said of the inspiration behind the new song, “‘Turn Up Your Radio!’ was a complete vibe impulse. I heard a mad club mash-up on the car radio one day and I came home inspired to make something as brash that involved a similar massive sound. I went straight into my home studio and started to pile sounds on a simple ‘4 on the floor’ track. The lyrics were all suggested by the sound that was emerging…and it seemed everyone loved going with the vibe. The key change came later on when we cut it for real.”
Produced by Ricky and their latter-day bandmate and guitarist Gregor Philp, the songs on The Great Western Road are all written or co-written by Ross, four with Philp and one with his wife and fellow vocalist Lorraine McIntosh. The album also marks a notable reunion with engineer Matt Butler, who worked with the band on Raintown.
Deacon Blue are all about new adventures and fresh achievements, and The Great Western Road weaves a tapestry of sound that is unmistakably theirs, but with a richly rewarding, completely contemporary ambience.
2025 DEACON BLUE TOUR DATES
Deacon Blue – 2025 / Theatre
Sun 30 March Edinburgh Usher Hall
Mon 31 March Bradford St George’s Hall
Weds 2 April Bristol Beacon Theatre
Thurs 3 April Cambridge Corn Exchange
Fri 4 April London Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Deacon Blue – 2025 / Arena
Fri 19 Sept Liverpool M+S Bank Arena
Sat 20 Sept Brighton Centre
Mon 22 Sept Birmingham Utilita Arena
Tues 23 Sept Leeds FirstDirect Arena
Thurs 25 Sept Bournemouth International Centre
Fri 26 Sept Cardiff Utilita Arena
Sun 28 Sept Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Mon 29 Sept Sheffield Utilita Arena
Weds 1 Oct Manchester AO Arena
Fri 3 Oct London Wembley OVO Arena
Sun 5 Oct Hull Connexin Live
Mon 6 Oct Newcastle Utilita Arena
Weds 8 Oct Dublin 3Arena
Fri 10 Oct Glasgow Hydro
Sat 11 Oct Glasgow Hydro
