Ricky Warwick is back, and he is not in the mood to go quietly. The Northern Irish rock’n’roll lifer has announced his new album Fire & Vengeance, out 4 September via Earache, and shared the explosive title track to mark the occasion.
The single arrives with a video capturing the candid reality of life on the road with Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts: backstage moments, long journeys, stage walks and the crowds that make it all worthwhile. It is the grit and camaraderie of touring laid bare, and it suits the song perfectly.
Warwick describes the track as a refusal to be ground down. “‘Fire & Vengeance’ is a song about not knowing when you’re beaten… and refusing to let the politicians, the pressure, or the noise grind you down. It’s about standing in the wreckage with your fists still clenched and your spirit still intact.” Driven by raw guitars, defiant energy and that unmistakable voice, it captures the resilience and rebellion that have defined his career for decades.
The record is stacked with guests, too, featuring appearances from Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake / The Dead Daisies), Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke) and Darren Holden (The High Kings). Warwick once again worked on every song alongside longtime collaborator Keith Nelson, and he is keen to set expectations high: “If you think we played all of our cards on my last album, ‘Blood Ties’, think again!”
Speaking about the album as a whole, he frames it as a search for light in dark times. “I wanted to make an album that captures everything I love about rock’n’roll, its power to bring people together, to make us dance and connect with one another, even in a world that often feels consumed by fire and vengeance. At its core, this record is about finding hope and unity in the chaos.”
Across its ten songs, Fire & Vengeance moves from blue-collar anthems to Stones-y balladeering and even the traditional Irish music that surrounded him growing up in County Down. From fronting The Almighty and leading Black Star Riders to his solo work, Warwick remains one of rock’s most enduring voices. The album lands just 18 months after the #25 UK record Blood Ties, which saw him return home to Northern Ireland after almost 20 years in California.
Working fast is what gives the new songs their charge. “I’m not one of those guys who needs to disappear into a cabin in the mountains with all this fancy gear,” he says. “All I need is a room and a guitar, and the ideas come. It’s a working-class thing, something I had instilled in me when I was a kid.”
He will take it all on the road across the UK and Ireland in November. As he puts it: “I cannot wait for you to hear ‘Fire & Vengeance’ in full. Thank you for rocking with me all these years, here’s to many more together!”
FIRE & VENGEANCE TOUR – NOVEMBER 2026
Thu 5 Nov – Limerick, Dolans
Fri 6 Nov – Dublin, Grand Social
Sun 8 Nov – Belfast, Limelight 2
Tue 10 Nov – Edinburgh, La Belle Angele
Wed 11 Nov – Wolverhampton, KK’s Steel Mill
Thu 12 Nov – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
Fri 13 Nov – Manchester, Gorilla
Sat 14 Nov – Newcastle, Anarchy Brew
Wed 18 Nov – Southend, Chinnerys
Thu 19 Nov – London, 100 Club
Fri 20 Nov – Norwich, Waterfront
Sat 21 Nov – Cambridge, Mash
Sun 22 Nov – Bristol, Thekla
Wed 25 Nov – Portsmouth, Kola
Thu 26 Nov – Trecco Bay, Planet Rockstock
