Last month Dublin’s Pillow Queens announced their sophomore album Leave The Light On, their first release on Royal Mountain Records (Wild Pink, Alvvays, US Girls), which is due out on April 1st. The band have been building serious momentum since the release of their 2017 debut EP Calm Girls – selling out shows in their native Ireland, supporting artists like IDLES, Pussy Riot and Future Islands, and earning enthusiastic support in the UK before independently releasing their 2020 debut LP In Waiting. The album was a major breakthrough for the band, and a sleeper hit amongst music fans, scoring praise across US, UK and Irish media – notably from The Guardian who called them “2020’s most exciting indie-rockers”, along with multiple A-list spots on the BBC 6 Music playlist – a RTÉ Choice Music Prize nomination for Irish Album Of The Year, and perhaps most remarkably of all a US national television appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Today, the band are sharing the second single from the new record, a track called “Hearts & Minds” that singer/guitarist Pamela Connolly describes as capturing the reoccurrence of teenage insecurities occasioned by the band’s rise to prominence and the imposter syndrome she experienced as a result.
“‘Hearts & Minds’ is about experiencing the feeling of being a teenager again,” explains Connolly. “The insecurities about body image and ability when it comes to being a musician that’s seeing themselves recorded and pictured, as well as commented on. It deals with the idea of imposter syndrome when it comes to an industry that favours the male form and the insecurity of not being able to be effortless with your movements.”
In support of the album the band will play a sold-out run of shows in Ireland, followed by their first ever US tour dates (including SXSW), as well as their biggest ever UK tour dates in May.
Full live routing can be found below, with tickets available here.
PILLOW QUEENS TOUR DATES
View all international tour dates here
March 9th – Kilkenny, Ireland @ Set Theatre (Sold out)
March 10th – Galway, Ireland @ Roisin Dubh (Sold out)
March 11th – Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory (Sold out)
March 12th – Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory (Sold out)
March 14th – SXSW
March 15th – SXSW
March 16th – SXSW
March 17th – SXSW
March 18th – SXSW
March 19th – SXSW
March 23rd – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
March 24th – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
March 25th – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel SF
March 27th – Seattle, WA @ Clock-out Lounge
March 29th – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall
March 30th – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
April 1st – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
April 2nd – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
April 4th – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Jr.
April 6th – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club
April 7th – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
April 9th – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
April 11th – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
April 12th – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
April 14th – New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge
April 15th – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
May 3rd – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
May 5th – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
May 6th – Glasgow, Scotland @ Stereo
May 7th – Newcastle, UK @ Cluny
May 10th – Brighton, UK @ Chalk
May 11th – London, UK @ Scala
May 12th – Birmingham, UK @ The Castle and Falcon
May 13th – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
June 12th Berlin, Germany @ Tempelhof Festival
July 2nd – Gdynia, Poland @ Open’er Festival
October 1st – Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar St.
October 2nd – Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar St.
October 7th – Limerick, Ireland @ Dolan’s
October 8th – Cork, Ireland @ Cyprus Avenue
October 14th – Belfast, Ireland @ The Empire
October 15th – Galway, Ireland @ The Roisin Dubh
October 16th – Galway, Ireland @ The Roisin Dubh
October 20th – Kilkenny, Ireland @ The Set Theatre
