Bill Ryder Jones announces shows with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic to celebrate 15 years of “If…”

Credit: Sophie Jarry

Bill Ryder-Jones has announced special London and Liverpool anniversary shows for November. It will be 15 years to the day, and four albums on since its release as Ryder-Jones rejoins with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he recorded his debut album If…, to celebrate this special anniversary, he will be performing the album in full for the first (and very possibly only) time at two special UK shows.

Ryder-Jones will debut new material as well as playing old favourites too, including arrangements of 2024’s critically acclaimed Iechyd Da performed with the 30-piece orchestra. If… (2011) was recorded to soundtrack Italo Calvino’s meditation on writing in his postmodern novel If On A Winter’s Night A Traveller and lays out orchestral movements side by side with stark, emotional vocal-led pieces that weave the accompanying narrative.

If… was Ryder-Jones’ first solo album after he left The Coral, the band he co-founded when he was 13. Taking its cue from Abel Korzeniowski’s off-kilter soundtrack for Tom Ford’s acclaimed film A Single Man, the album’s influences were eclectic and diverse, from modern cinema composers like Michael Galasso (Seraphine) and Clint Mansell (The Wrestler, Black Swan) to psychedelic sorcerer Syd Barrett and Welsh indie-psych disciples (& Bill’s faves) Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci. The results often sound like musical pieces in search of a film, and it’s Bill’s intention that the listeners’ minds conjure their own to accompany the album.

As well as these special shows, Jones is also out on tour without strings!

Bill Ryder-Jones 2026 Tour Dates: 
Tues 24th March – St. Peter’s, Poole – solo
Wed 25th March – St. John’s Church, Cardiff – solo
Fri 8th May – FOCUS Wales @ St. Giles’ Parish Church, Wrexham – solo
Sat 6th June – Galway Folk Festival @ St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Galway – solo
Wed 22nd July – The Boileroom, Guildford w/ band
Thurs 23rd July – The Forum, Tunbridge Wells w/ band
24-26th July – Deer Shed Festival, North Yorkshire w/ band
28-30th August – Krakenhaus Festival, Lake District w/ band
Sat 14th November – Alexandra Palace Theatre, London
Sun 15th November – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
Tickets available here

Enjoy a track from If…:

About Keith Hargreaves 708 Articles
Riding the one eyed horse into dead town the scales fell from his eyes. Music was the only true god at once profane and divine The dust blew through his mind as he considered the offering... And then he scored it out of ten and waited for the world to wake up
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