Following on from the release of their joint covers EPs ‘Easy Listening for Jerks, Parts I & II’ early last year, which saw them reinvent classic rock anthems in their own distinctive bluegrass direction, four-piece acoustic set from the middle of the Canadian prairies The Dead South have now announced confirmation of their next studio album ‘Chains & Stakes’ prior to the UK & Ireland tour starting later this week where they will play their largest shows to date across the country including London’s infamous (their word not ours!) Roundhouse. ‘Chains & Stakes’ is the band’s first original music since 2019’s critically acclaimed, ‘Sugar & Joy’ which we liked just a little bit.
The Dead South have grown more adventurous and assured with each album. To make their new record, they brought producer Jimmy Nutt to Mexico City, where the team wrote, recorded and empanada-ed their way through 13 songs full of plot twists, family trees, grudges, insurance scams, bacon, burials, banjo riffs and more. Where bluegrass meets Bach meets Billy Talent, for fans of Frank Sinatra and Tool alike, the new record is described as “a truly “Dead South” collection in the balance of darkness and levity that has come to define their unmistakable style.”
Confirmed by the passion of their Dead South cosplaying fans, who go to concerts in the band’s signature look, say they have “found their people.” Good Company, as they call themselves, is a global community of vastly dissimilar folks who might not see eye to eye, but who stand shoulder to shoulder at the gigs.
2023 for The Dead South has seen amongst other notable successes on the road, the band’s 2014 single ‘In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company’ which you will have heard if you haven’t been living under a rock, achieved RIAA Certified Platinum status in USA, with the YouTube video alone now closing in on 400 million nods, plus they’ve had a recent sold-out debut at Nashville’s Ryan Auditorium, and upcoming headlining slots at Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia and WinterWonderGrass Steamboat in Colorado. They are busy boys basically.
‘Chains & Stakes’ is set for release 9th February 2023 via Six Shooter Records – you can watch a trailer for it below. Look out for a review on AUK nearer the time if we’re all still here by then.
The Dead South 2023 Tour Dates:
London, UK: Roundhouse, Oct 27
Manchester, UK: O2 Apollo, Oct 28
Newcastle, UK: O2 City Hall, Oct 29
Edinburgh, UK: Usher Hall, Oct 30
Belfast, UK: Ulster Hall, Nov 1
Dublin, IE: Vicar Street, Nov 2
Wolverhampton, UK: Civic Hall, Nov 4
Nottingham, UK: Rock City, Nov 5
Cambridge, UK: Corn Exchange, Nov 7
Portsmouth, UK: Guildhall, Nov 8
Bristol, UK: Marble Factory, Nov 9
Plymouth, UK: Plymouth Pavilions, Nov 10
