Twelve years is an unusually long stretch between studio records, even for a band as deliberate as Echo & The Bunnymen. With Apples For Isaac landing on shelves last week, Ian McCulloch and Will Sargent are preparing to take their first new studio material in over a decade straight to audiences across Britain this winter. The newly announced seven date itinerary stays away from the standard arena circuit, choosing instead to focus on municipal halls and regional venues in towns that often get bypassed on national runs.
The arrival of Apples For Isaac ends a studio drought that began after 2014's Meteorites. That record leaned heavily into McCulloch's personal life, featuring candid writing about mental health on tracks such as Is This A Breakdown, though critics at the time felt the collection stopped short of truly catching alight. In the years between, listeners received only The Stars, The Ocean and The Moon, an interim 2018 compilation that revisited older catalog favorites rather than introducing fresh writing. Outside the group, Sargent kept busy with outside collaborations, including studio work on Courtney Love's solo record, a creative partnership Love discussed publicly toward the end of 2024. Now, with eleven new songs in circulation, the Bunnymen are shifting their attention back to their own repertoire.
Much of the emotional weight behind Apples For Isaac belongs to the drumming. The late Clem Burke, celebrated for his work behind the kit with Blondie and the Ramones, played on ten of the eleven songs on the record. Burke had long been a close friend of McCulloch, and the group credited him with being a central creative force throughout the recording sessions, helping shape the rhythm and character of the new tracks. His death as the record was reaching completion adds a somber note to the release, making these winter dates the first time audiences will hear Burke's final studio work represented on stage.
The announcement of the winter tour also provides welcome stability after a sudden scare early in the summer. A road traffic incident in June forced the group to pull out of a scheduled show at the Filmore in Philadelphia on June 7, sending McCulloch for immediate medical care. While doctors determined that his injuries were not serious, the accident left the singer shaken. His time away from the stage was brief, however. By late June, McCulloch was back on his feet to front the band at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, where the Bunnymen performed as special guests alongside My Chemical Romance.
The upcoming tour opens on November 9 across the Welsh border at Cardiff's Tramshed, heading south the following night to the Winter Garden in Eastbourne. Southampton's Engine Rooms hosts the band on November 12, followed immediately by an appearance at The Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton on November 13. Following a brief pause, the tour resumes in the North East at Middlesbrough's Empire on November 17, before shifting across to West Yorkshire for a night at The Picturedrome in Holmfirth on November 19. The run concludes in the Midlands on November 20 at Coventry's HMV Empire. General ticket sales begin at 10am BST on Thursday, September 24, following an initial pre-sale window.
