Rebel Yeller Billy Idol is back and heading out on The Roadside Tour 2022 with some new music, a stack of timeless classics and his long-time lead guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens – And what’s more, they’ll be bringing along special guests The Go-Go’s who’ll be making their first UK appearance for 26 years.
The tour takes in six arena dates over June 2022 and tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday 30th September, and you can purchase them by clicking here.
The global lockdown gave Idol time to reflect. While writing the new music that would become his latest release, The Roadside EP, Idol’s thoughts turned to a near-fatal motorcycle accident of 1990, how he dealt with it and how it related to the current crisis.
“It seemed quite logical and natural to write something about my motorcycle accident,” he said “I may have been saying, well, this is what people go through when they are in trouble. I think I was unconsciously making that connection.
“Certainly, the motorcycle accident was the catharsis, the wake-up moment. Maybe I left behind the irreverent, youthful Billy and opened the door for a more attentive father and more sensitive musician. Something did get left by the roadside, but it was not necessarily a bad thing in the end.”
Such reflections are captured in the lyrics of ‘Bitter Taste’, one of four tracks on The Roadside, his first new music for seven years.
For forty-five years, Billy Idol has been one of the faces and voices of rock ’n’ roll, with an artistic resume to match the image. First as the camera-ready front man for Generation X, between 1977 and 1981 Idol emerged with three albums that made positivity, emotional depth, and high pop synonymous with punk rock.
In 1982, Idol embarked on a transatlantic/trans-genre solo career that integrated clubland throb, wide-screen depth and drama, rockabilly desperation, the bold and simple lines of punk, and rock’n’roll decadence.
Embracing the new MTV music channel, videos for ‘White Wedding’, ‘Rebel Yell’ and ‘Eyes Without A Face’ established Idol as one of the iconic performers of his generation, a position he still holds today.
With restrictions lifted, Idol is touring Stateside through the Autumn and looking forward to his return to Britain next year. “I can’t wait to get back on the road in the UK again,” he said, adding “and enjoy that exhilaration and energy that only comes from playing in front of a live British audience.”
Billy Idol’s touring band features his long-time guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens along with Stephen McGrath (bass, backing vocals), Billy Morrison (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Trudeau (keyboards, backing vocals) and drummer Erik Eldenius.
“We haven’t had an opportunity to play for our British fans in 26 years and can’t wait to see you all,” enthused The Go-Go’s of their involvement with The Roadside Tour.
Formed in California back in 1978, The Go-Go’s became the first all-female band writing their own material and playing their own instruments to top the U.S. Billboard album chart with their multi-platinum debut, Beauty And The Beat. The album also earned the band a Grammy® Award nomination for Best New Artist and skyrocketed them to superstardom.
The Go-Go’s recently released the single ‘Club Zero’, their first new recording in nearly 20 years, and it hit the Top 10 on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart. The band’s critically acclaimed documentary, The Go-Go’s, captures them working on an early version of the song and is available as a 2-Disc set (DVD + Blu-ray) or download via Polygram/UMe.
With the successful run of their musical Head Over Heels on Broadway in 2018, and their upcoming induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on 30th October, The Go-Go’s featuring Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin continue to blaze new trails, kicking down the doors for female fronted bands everywhere.
