Brian Eno announces first-ever solo tour

Brian Eno has announced his first-ever solo tour is kicking off this October, with just one UK exclusive double header date at London’s Southbank Centre.

The British composer and musician will perform his new live concert programme, titled ‘Ships’, debuting for the first time on October 21 at Venice Biennale Musica 2023.

The tour will continue through Berlin, Paris, Utrecht, and London, amid Eno's fifth decade as a solo artist.

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Eno will team up with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic on the tour, which is set to feature a cameo appearance from British actor Peter Serafinowicz, as well as long-time collaborators such as guitarist Leo Abrahams and keyboardist Peter Chilvers.

The tour is based on the composer’s 2016 album, ‘The Ship’, which Eno calls “an unusual piece in that it uses voice but doesn’t particularly rely on the song form.”

He adds: “It’s an atmosphere with occasional characters drifting through it, characters lost in the vague space made by the music. There’s a sense of wartime in the background, and a sense of inevitability.”

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Eno explained that he wanted to perform alongside an orchestra to give the show “a sense of scale”, with young and enthusiastic artists.

“When I first saw the Baltic Sea Philharmonic I found all that…and then noticed they were named after a sea,” he explains. “That sealed it!”

Find tickets for Brian Eno’s exclusive London show here, and check out tour dates below.

Brian Eno ‘Ships’ tour:

October 21, Venice, Italy: Venice Biennale Musica, Teatro la Fenice (3pm and 8pm)
October 24, Berlin, Germany: Philharmonie Berlin
October 26, Paris, France: La Seine Musicale
October 28, Utrecht, Netherlands: Tivoli Vredenburg
October 30, London, England: Royal Festival Hall, Southbank (6.30pm and 9pm)

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter