Paul Heaton announces new album 'Jenius' and huge UK tour with very special guests Lightning Seeds

Photo Credit: Charlie & Charlie

PAUL HEATON

ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM ‘JENIUS’ PRODUCED BY IAN BROUDIE

+ NEW SINGLE ‘FAVOURITE KIND OF IDIOT’ OUT NOW

HUGE UK TOUR ANNOUNCED (FEATURING GUEST SINGER RIANNE DOWNEY)

+ VERY SPECIAL GUESTS LIGHTNING SEEDS

Paul Heaton will release a brand new album ‘Jenius’ on 21st August ‘26 featuring new single ‘Favourite Kind Of Idiot’ (out now). Produced by legendary producer Ian Broudie of Lightning Seeds and recorded at Blueprint Studios in Manchester, ‘Jenius’ features 15 new original songs, performed by Paul and his band + his regular live vocalist Rianne Downey. Additional vocals on ‘The Whisky Did’ are provided by Irish singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke. ‘Jenius’ is Paul’s 23rd album and comes almost exactly 40 years since his first, The Housemartins’ ‘London 0 Hull 4’.

Heaton has also announced a huge October/November UK tour including shows at Manchester Co-op Live, London’s The O2, Leeds First Direct Arena, Glasgow OVO Hydro, Liverpool M&S Bank Arena & Sheffield Arena. Paul will be performing songs from throughout his career including classic tracks by The Beautiful South and The Housemartins. Special guests on all dates will be Lightning Seeds. All tickets are priced at an affordable £39.50 (plus ticket fees) and go on sale on Friday 5th June at 9.30am from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.gigsandtours.com. The full list of dates is:

OCTOBER

Thurs 29 NEWCASTLE Utilita Arena

Fri 30 GLASGOW OVO Hydro

Sat 31 LEEDS First Direct Bank Arena

NOVEMBER

Mon 02 CARDIFF Utilita Arena

Tues 03 PLYMOUTH Arena

Fri 06 SHEFFIELD Utilita Arena

Sat 07 LONDON The O2

Tues 10 NOTTINGHAM Motorpoint Arena

Wed 11 LIVERPOOL M&S Bank Arena

Fri 13 BIRMINGHAM Utilita Arena

Sat 14 MANCHESTER Co-op Live

‘Jenius’ will be available on 21st August on all digital platforms and on vinyl, CD and cassette. The album’s title is a symptom of Paul’s modest style. “If anybody ever calls me a genius,” he explains, “I always say, ‘What?! With a J?!’ The spelling would obviously be wrong.” Fortunately, there’s nothing bashful about these songs, something reflected in the LP’s cover, a striking black and white shot of Paul. Indeed, Jenius betrays the truth of his talents, and its songs – of love and loneliness, pubs and booze, community and counsel, a nod to football, the state of the nation, and the overall wisdom of kindness – are distinguished by his notably tender voice, his enchanting melodies and a meticulous, effortless craft. “If I can get a variety of people of all sorts of backgrounds to say, ‘Oh, that could be about me or you,’” he says, “then I've been successful”.

The first single ‘Favourite Kind Of Idiot’, a lighthearted love story set to a deliciously infectious anthemic pop groove written by Paul Heaton, is available today. Of the song Paul says: “It’s a love story between two people who see the same fallibilities, the same daftness, in each other, and instead of moaning – “God, it's taken you two hours to change that light bulb!” – they see it’s what brings them together. I point out the niceness in not getting things right and not being perfect, especially with “You ain’t no beaut/ But I don’t date you for the view...” It’s a song in favour of the idiotic people and how charming they can be, in a similar vein to Chip Taylor’s ‘Fuck All The Perfect People’. Even though it's a bit silly, I think it's probably the most romantic song on the album.”

The full tracklisting of ‘Jenius’ is:

1. Can’t Get Next To You

2. Favourite Kind Of Idiot

3. I Want The Job

4. Sad Songs And Lawsuits

5. She Ain’t Pretty

6. One Eye Open

7. Send In The Clowns

8. Do Not Ask Me

9. Don’t Lean On Me

10. Jet Black Sky

11. The Whisky Did

12. Before Before

13. Good For The Bees

14. Go Upstream

15. A Son A Father

Paul Heaton’s songwriting genius was recognised at the prestigious Ivor Awards in 2022 where noted author/radio DJ Stuart Maconie presented him with a long overdue gong for ‘Outstanding Song Collection’. Heaton is one of the UK’s most successful songwriters, with five No 1 albums and some 15 million album sales under his belt. He first came to prominence in the early 80s as front man of The Housemartins (the same group that gave us Norman ‘Fatboy Slim’ Cook). The Housemartins released two albums ‘London 0 Hull 4’ (’86) and ‘The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death’ (’87). In ’88 Heaton formed The Beautiful South, who released 10 hugely successful albums - ‘Welcome To The Beautiful South’ (’89), Choke (’90), ‘0898 Beautiful South’ (’92), ‘Miaow’ (’94), ‘Blue Is The Colour’ (’96), ‘Quench’ (’98), ‘Painting It Red’ (2000), ‘Gaze’ (’03), ‘Golddiggas, Headnodders & Pholk Songs’ (’04) and ‘Superbi’ (’06). In 2001 Heaton took a break from The Beautiful South and released his first solo album ‘Fat Chance’. The Beautiful South called it a day in 2007 citing ‘musical similarities’. Paul Heaton went on to release two further solo albums: ‘The Cross-Eyed Rambler’ (’08) and ‘Acid Country’ (’10). In 2011 Heaton wrote a musical called ‘The 8th’ based on the Seven Deadly Sins and asked former Beautiful South singer Jacqui Abbott to perform in it. Paul and Jacqui went on to record five acclaimed albums as a duo: ‘What Have We Become’ (’14), ‘Wisdom, Laughter and Lines’ (’15), ‘Crooked Calypso’ (’17), ‘Manchester Calling’ (’20) and ‘N.K-Pop’ (’22). 2024’s ‘The Mighty Several’ saw Paul back in solo mode (with various guest singers). In 2019 Paul released a career spanning compilation of his biggest hits entitled ‘The Last King Of Pop’.

PRE-ORDER PAUL HEATON’S NEW ALBUM ‘JENIUS’ HERE: https://PaulHeaton.lnk.to/Jenius

LISTEN TO ‘FAVOURITE KIND OF IDIOT’ HERE: https://PaulHeaton.lnk.to/FKOI

UK TOUR TICKETS HERE: www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.gigsandtours.com